'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After a turbulent 2020-21 NBA campaign, the Portland Trail Blazers emerged as the 6th seed in the Western Conference. They will now take on the 3rd-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.
Trail Blazers' star point guard, Damian Lillard, put up an MVP-worthy season as he led his team to the playoffs despite losing many key players to injury.
2021 NBA Playoffs: How Portland Trail Blazers can recapture their energy from the 2019 series against Denver Nuggets
The Portland Trail Blazers have been at this stage of the season before. They beat the Denver Nuggets in the 2019 Western Conference semi-finals in seven games. Although the Nuggets are the third seed this year and have home-court advantage, they are severely handicapped due to injuries in their roster.
The Nuggets lost their high-scoring point guard, Jamal Murray, due to a season-ending injury. Murray was largely responsible in the Denver Nuggets' winning run in last year's playoffs, so his absence is a major blow to Nikola Jokic and co. The Trail Blazers have a strong chance to upset the Nuggets in the first round if they figure out the right strategies.
On that note, let's take a look at five things the Portland Trail Blazers need to do to beat the Denver Nuggets in a seven-game series.
#1 Move the ball well and attempt quality shots
The Portland Trail Blazers are ranked 30th in the league in assists and 23rd in FG%. They don't move the ball well and force contested shots, which results in their weak FG%.
In the playoffs, the game changes to half-court setting, and only the best ball-movement teams survive. The Portland Trail Blazers will be taking on one of the best assisting teams in the league, the Denver Nuggets, so they have their work cut out.
The iso-heavy style of basketball has never worked in the NBA playoffs, so the Portland Trail Blazers need to move on from that style in the postseason. They moved the ball really well in their last series against the Denver Nuggets. Coach Terry Stotts needs to re-implement that strategy to maximise on Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum's production. The team has picked up steam at the right moment as they prepare for the postseason.
#2 Make the bench minutes count
The starters often play more than 40 minutes per game in the NBA playoffs, and the bench players barely see playing time.
The minutes in the game when the starters are off the floor are often extremely crucial, as the other team can either cut down the deficit or increase the one they may already have. Deep benches win championships, so the backup players need to step up in playoffs as and when they are called for.
The Denver Nuggets have much of their rotation compromised due to injuries in their roster. They are playing Facundo Campazzo as the point guard instead of Jamal Murray, and Will Barton's injury has complicated their rotations even further.
They are not expected to play more than eight players in the playoffs, so the Portland Trail Blazers need to capitalize on that.
#3 Added defense on Michael Porter Jr.
With Jamal Murray out of the lineup, Michael Porter Jr. has gotten more touches and shot attempts. He has shown true potential as the team's second option and has scored big in games.
Porter Jr. is averaging 23.2 points per game, doing so on a remarkable 54/44/85 shooting splits since Murray got injured. He has a quick high release in his three-point shots, which makes contesting them a challenging proposition. Porter Jr. plays incredibly well along with Nikola Jokic, as the former goes for cuts to the rims and also waits beyond the arc for kickout passes.
Porter Jr. is also an amazing hustler who dives for loose balls and chases down players for blocks and fights for rebounds. So limiting him would reduce the threes raining down on the Portland Trail Blazers and also helps the team in the rebounding battle, as he grabs around seven boards per game.
#4 Contain Nikola Jokic
The main player in the Denver Nuggets roster is their star center Nikola Jokic who is a firm contender for this season's MVP award. He led his team to the third seed in a tough Western Conference and has been the focal point of their offense.
The Joker is one of the best passing big men in NBA history, so stopping him would limit his teammates around him.
Last season, the LA Lakers implemented the right strategy to contain Nikola Jokic in the 2020 NBA Western Conference Finals. They had two big men - JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard - entirely fixated on stopping Jokic. Howard kept bothering him and often got him into foul trouble early in the game.
The Portland Trail Blazers have two bonafide big men in their roster fit for a similar task - Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter. The duo will need to be determined to stop Jokic and not allow him room to operate.
#5 Win the three-point battle
One area where the Portland Trail Blazers thrive is three-point shooting. They were second in the regular season in both attempts and makes from beyond the arc.
The Trail Blazers were sixth in the league in 3P%, sinking 38.5% of their shots. The Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, are not as good a three-point shooting team; they ranked 15th and 16th respectively in makes and attempts while converting 37.7% of their shots.
Although the Nuggets aren't in the top echelons of three-point shooting teams, it's often difficult to contest or block the shots they attempt due to their constant ball movement.
Nikola Jokic is adept in finding open men waiting for catch-and-shoot opportunities after kick-out passes. The Portland Trail Blazers defense has been abysmal this season, so they need to amp that up and guard the perimeter better in the playoffs.
Also Read: 5 best left-handed players in the NBA right now.
