Well, they went down swinging. The Blazers lost a hard fought game four in overtime to the defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors. And now the our team is done for the season while the Warriors march on to their fifth straight finals in search of a third straight title. This game played out in similar fashion to the previous two. The Blazers built a sizable lead, as high as 17 points, but couldn’t hold it to the end. The twist this time was they came closer than before, nearly winning the game in regulation on a Damian Lillard drive and instead sending it into overtime. Meyers Leonard, the third string center who rarely found meaningful minutes this season had the best game of his career, scoring 30 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. But the Blazers couldn’t withstand the Warriors blitz, and they fell just short, 117-119. It was an exciting game. Hell, it was an exciting season. Blazers fans are left with a lot of very memorable moments, even if we couldn’t see them take down the champs.
Although the final outcome of this series wasn’t much in doubt before the game, there was still the question of the sweep. Would the Blazers be able to win one at home for pride’s sake? This kid and his broom were standing outside the Moda Center as fans filed by on their way to the game. Obnoxious, but prophetic!
The atmosphere inside the area was decidedly less electric than game three, though fans were charged up all the same. It was the Western Conference playoffs after all, and a wide array of sports dignitaries had traveled to Portland to witness the spectacle. Blazer legend Bill Walton was in the crowd, as was Colin Kepernick. The whole place gave a huge ovation to Parkrose High football coach Keanan Lowe who days earlier had prevented a school shooting by tackling an armed student to the ground.
Once again Meyers Leonard started the game at center, and once again he was able to take advantage of the lack of attention he received from the Warriors offense. He scored an amazing 25 points in the first half as Warrior defenders chose to leave him in single coverage or at times all alone, in favor of blanketing teammates Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Lillard, who had turned in a relatively quiet series, was revealed to have a separated rib suffered back in game two of the series. Lillard chose to play through the injury and clearly didn’t want to make much of it despite his obvious struggles on the court over the past week. It wasn’t that Dame didn’t play well. He did. He just didn’t appear to have that extra gear, the famous “Dame Time” intensity which had so often powered this team this season.
Meanwhile Steph Curry and Draymond Green set out on their way to another set of dominant performances. Before the night was over they’d each have notched triple doubles, the first time in NBA history that two players on the same team achieved that mark in a playoff game. They were relentless on both ends of the court, reminding us why many Golden State fans feel this team is even more fun to watch without their superstar Kevin Durant on the floor. You really had to tip your hat to Golden State, who, in addition to playing without Durant, was missing the services of Demarcus Cousins and veteran swingman Andre Igoudola, and didn’t seem to miss a beat.
The Blazers led by six points at the half, and we all braced ourselves for the third quarter run we knew was coming from Golden State. Let’s have a look at some of the fans roaming the hallways during the break:
This dude made his own Rip City lego hat. Badass!
And these two came with the spirt:
These twin dudes appeared at first to simply be strangely enthusiastic fans, but a little internet research revealed that they are actually part of a cynical advertising scheme by a large drink manufacturer:
This guy and his robe were real though. Once again, the place was also populated with plenty of Golden State fans:
Okay, so the second half played out much as we had dreaded. The Blazers held strong for much of the third quarter, but by the end of three, the Warriors had cut their lead in half. Meyers Leonard continued his strong play and the crowd took to chanting his name over and over, a touching scene. There were some exciting plays down the stretch, and as mentioned, Lillard nearly ended the game in regular with a driving lay-up at the buzzer, but it bounced around the rim and rolled out. If you look at the picture below of the play you will get an idea of the kind of intense defensive attention Lillard received throughout the series.
The overtime period went back and forth a bit, but you could feel the Warriors making their move. Draymond Green hit a dagger three pointer with 56 seconds to go to give Golden State a four point lead. Lillard closed the gap to two points with a lay-up and the Blazers made a stop thanks to an odd Steph Curry traveling violation on the following possession. Fans braced for a big finish. Would this heroic team be able to pull out one more spectacular game-ending play? Down by two, Lillard got the ball in the corner and launched a high arcing three point shot at the buzzer. The arena held it’s collective breath, wondering if this could be yet another entry in the Legend of Lillard playbook. But the shot bounced out and the game, and the season, was over.
The Curry brothers hugged it out:
Bill Walton (and look, it’s Bob Weir strolling by in the background!) gave Meyers Leonard a fist bump:
And this 2018/19 team gathered one last time:
It’s been an amazing year for Blazers fans and no one can complain. Our team exceeded expectations time and again and provided us with thrills galore. Thank you, Trailblazers. You showed heart and fight and gave us a lot to talk about here in Portland. See you next season!
Through the highest of highs & the lowest of lows you were there: Jerseys on, filling the arena & giving us all you got. #RipCity, there is nothing like you…the BEST 6th man. We love you ❤ pic.twitter.com/4qyhj3RNP8
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) May 21, 2019