PORTLAND, Ore. — In a first round that has been heavy on blowouts and light on real drama, the Portland Trail Blazers were supposed to be the Western Conference’s one shot at an upset. So far, it hasn’t worked out that way.
The Blazers return home to the Moda Center trailing 2-0 in their series against the Los Angeles Clippers after suffering two losses that started off competitive and eventually grew lopsided. A return to form by Blake Griffin and unexpectedly strong play from the Clippers’ bench have prevailed.
That, and the Blazers simply haven’t been able to knock down shots.
By any measurement, Portland has been among the worst offensive teams in the playoffs so far. They’re scoring just 92.4 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. In true-shooting percentage, they’re 14th out of 16 teams at 45.7 percent. Their effective field-goal percentage is 41.1 percent, also third-worst of the playoffs.
It wasn’t for a lack of looks that the Blazers fell behind in the first two games—they ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Sean Highkin