2019 NBA Playoffs: Portland Trail Blazers vs. OKC Thunder preview

Key Matchup: Damian Lillard vs. Russell Westbrook

The clashing of these two teams has the makings of must-see-tv in large part because of the two elite point guard on either side, both of whom rank near the top at their position although with vastly contrasting styles of play.

In one corner we have Damian Lillard, shot-maker extraordinaire with unlimited range and quickness off the dribble.

His 25.6 points per game this season seems par for the course at this point, and his ability to fill up the scoring column in a hurry makes him as dangerous an offensive weapon as there is in the league today.

Lillard is, unfortunately, coming off his worst postseason to date, where Jrue Holiday helped limit him to just 18.5 points on 35.2 percent shooting from the field in the infamous four-game sweep at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans.

At the other end, there is Russell Westbrook, whose unlimited energy supply has made history look mundane. The former MVP averaged a triple-double for the third consecutive season with a relentless attack of the basket that borders on psychotic.

For as much as he’s filled up the box score, Westbrook had one of the least efficient seasons of his career with a shooting line of .428/.290/.656.

It appeared as though he learned to defer more to PG earlier in the year, but since the All-Star break, that mentality has vanished with 1.6 more shot attempts and 2.9 extra 3-point looks.

These two lead their respective teams in different ways, and yet both have proven to be effective at times. Dame is a threat to shoot from anywhere on the court while the Brodie’s constant attack-mentality largely rubs off on his teammates.

It’ll be interesting to see how much these two high-end floor generals are tasked with slowing the other down, but even more so, whether one can get a leg up on the other will be a storyline worth keeping an eye on all series long.