Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 1 loss vs. Warriors

1. The stars didn’t deliver

Even with the awful shooting, the sloppy ball control and the disheartening perimeter defense, the Blazers still might have had a chance to win this game if their stars Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum had produced solid, efficient performances. They did not.

McCollum followed up his inspiring 37-point Game 7 with a dud. He came up with 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting, going 1-of-5 from 3-point range. He also went 2-of-3 from the line, gave up three turnovers to one assist and had a game-low plus/minus of -20.

Lillard led the team with 19 points, but he did so on 4-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-5 from distance. His 9-of-9 performance from the free throw line boosted his total. Despite his below-average scoring output, it was still a step up from the 13 points on 3-of-17 shooting he had in Game 7. He also had seven turnovers and three fouls in Game 1, both team highs.

Superstars can cover up a lot of team ills. When Lillard and McCollum get going together, it’s hard to stop the Portland Trail Blazers. However, when neither is able to reach the 20-point horizon, Rip City doesn’t stand a chance. Their team needs them now more than they have at any point in this era of franchise history. Both of them need to find a way to step up in Game 2 and for the rest of the series.