Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 2 loss vs. Warriors

1. Blazers couldn’t withstand the Warriors’ final wave

The Blazers set out to show that their Game 1 performance was an anomaly. They were successful in that aspect, jumping out to a 17-point lead in the first half with confident offense and much smarter defense.

However, everyone knows that no lead is safe in the NBA, especially against the Warriors. Their third quarter comeback was practically inevitable. The key for Portland was to be composed enough to withstand the run and bounce back in the fourth.

The Blazers seemed to do just that in the final frame, pushing their lead back out to eight halfway through the quarter. However, with 6:43 left in regulation, the coast was nowhere near clear. Again, some pushback was to be expected down the stretch.

Sadly for Portland, the team’s solid play through the first 42 minutes of the game wasn’t enough to hold off one of the best teams in the NBA. Rip City’s hot shooting and defensive adjustments were cancelled out by an opponent exploiting the pick-and-roll defense and running the same play twice.

All that the Portland Trail Blazers can do heading into Game 3 is look at how they blew their big leads and adjust in time for Saturday. Considering their night-and-day nature from Games 1 and 2, the right tweak could finally put the Blazers on the winning track in this series.