NBA: 30 reasons to be excited for 2019-20 season
28. Dame and CJ with an extra bit of swagger
After numerous playoff shortcomings, the Portland Trail Blazers broke through in a big way during the 2019 postseason. A favorable bracket may have contributed, but the duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum ultimately took care of business to bring Portland to the Western Conference Finals.
Many had pleaded the Blazers for years to separate two of the best scorers at their position. They cited overlapping skill-sets with the lack of results to back it up. Before last season, Portland had just a single second-round appearance since McCollum became a full-time starter in 2015-16.
Which of the Blazers’ new faces needs to step up the most? Can Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum lead this year’s squad to the Western Conference finals? @jkylemann investigates.https://t.co/vl0sVZZBiy
— RingerNBA (@ringernba) September 24, 2019
Yet general manager Neil Olshey kept his faith and it paid off with the franchise’s best season since 2000. He would then show his appreciation by gifting his talented backcourt lucrative extensions over the summer, investing in a pairing with a genuine love for the organization that should translate to the court.
The Blazers are still hunting for the ultimate goal, but the weight of past failures has been stripped from their psyche. A free mind can do wonders for people of any field. For one of the league’s most feared scoring tandems, a clear head and financial security could take their elite talents to even greater heights.