Portland Trail Blazers Q&A With David MacKay
By Adam McGee
May 2, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) reacts after hitting the game winning shot against the Houston Rockets during the fourth quarter in game six of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Adam: After a strong showing last year, a taste of winning in a nail biting Playoff series, and a strong first half to this season, what are realistic expectations for Portland now?
David: It is difficult to pinpoint expectations when the conference is so tough. The Trail Blazers could make it all the way to the NBA Finals if the cards fall just right… or they could miss the playoffs entirely with one more major injury. Most likely, we will see them end up somewhere in the middle of the upper-echelon. It’s not unreasonable to anticipate another trip to the Western Conference semifinals.
The prevailing thought process in Portland seems to be that once Robin Lopez returns from injury, everything will be hunky dory, but that is not necessarily the case. The Trail Blazers have fallen into some defensive bad habits that need to be worked out up top before an anchor down low can make everything better. Their floor is probably a first round exit if this doesn’t happen. The sky is the limit otherwise.
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