Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 4 loss vs. Warriors

2. Another big lead lost

The Portland Trail Blazers showed numerous times over the course of this series that they are capable of getting the upper hand on the Warriors in a big way. Portland held leads of at least 17 points in each of the last three games, and actually led for longer stretches of this series than its opponent. However, once Golden State made its customary late-game push, it was always downhill from there.

Portland built its 17-point lead in Game 4 on good ball movement and hot shooting. Through the game’s first 34 minutes, the Blazers shot 60.3 percent from the field and 56.0 percent from 3-point range. The team also dished out 25 assists on 38 made field goals and committed only eight turnovers.

Then the switch flipped off. The Blazers suddenly stopped moving on offense, the shot selection became worse and the passing decisions were more questionable. In the final 19 minutes of the game, they shot 25.7 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from 3-point range. They doled out six assists on nine field goals, but also gave up four turnovers. Meanwhile, the Warriors used their confident shooting, savvy defense and strong rebounding to close the gap and eventually take the game.

The Blazers played with plenty of heart throughout the series, and it showed in the big leads they built in each game. However, they could never figure out the right formula to stave off the inevitable Warriors run. It was their demise once again in Game 4, and now their season is over.