Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 7 win vs. Nuggets

1. Composure and chemistry won the game

The Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets are evenly matched in a number of ways. Both have dynamic point guards, savvy head coaches and effective role players. It’s no surprise that this series went seven games.

For this reason, the differences between these two teams would ultimately determine the winner of this series. The Nuggets had youth, energy and a home crowd to feed off of. Meanwhile, the Blazers had a lineup with playoff experience and chemistry born out of roster continuity.

The latter won out in Game 7. Denver outran Portland in the early going, and the Blazers’ shots weren’t falling at all. They shot 26.9 percent from the field in the first quarter and missed their first 10 3-point attempts. However, trust in their game plan and each other allowed them to power through.

Portland had the chance to turn the tables and walk down its deficit. Rip City eventually held a seven-point lead in the closing minutes of regulation. It was also trust that allowed CJ McCollum to put away the Nuggets with a pull-up jumper. Now, this tight-knit group is taking the Blazers to their first conference finals in nearly 20 years.

In the NBA, it’s understood that before a team reaches the latter rounds of the playoffs, it has to deal with disappointments. Portland had been swept in its previous two playoff series, including as the higher seed in 2018. The Blazers entered this year with battle scars and something to prove. That hunger and composure came through in Game 7, and they were ultimately the victors.