Trail Blazers are relying on missed opportunities

By Tommy Boyd

As of February 7th, the Portland Trail Blazers are in the lower tier of playoff teams in the Western Conference.

They have had plenty of practice against their conference, though. In their 107–93 win over the Mavericks on January 26th, they got a glimpse of the hype surrounding Dallas’ rookie Dennis Smith Jr. Luckily for Portland, it got to witness the hype without paying for it.

On a play in the middle of the third quarter, Smith used a screen at the top of the key to run past Portland’s Damian Lillard and Al-Farouq Aminu. Once he cleared the two Trail Blazers, Smith turned towards the basket and picked up speed as he prepared for liftoff.

He took to the air and cocked the ball back behind his head, noting that the only thing in between him and a highlight dunk was Portland’s Ed Davis. Smith threw the ball down towards the rim as Davis closed in, but instead of emphatically going through the hoop, it bounced off the backboard and back to Portland.

While the play was just one missed basket in a game the Trail Blazers ultimately won by 14 points, it is representative of the way their season has developed so far.

Just as Portland’s players were initially positioned correctly on defense before Smith blew past them, so too was Portland at the season’s start in reference to the other teams. It was never going to be a top contender in the west, but with stars like Lillard and CJ McCollum, they had potential to claim one of the middle spots that were up for grabs.

However, just like Smith’s would-be dunk, the teams below the Trail Blazers are helping Portland more than Portland is helping itself right now. The Trail Blazers are treading water in the west while the Pelicans endure injury trouble and the Clippers trade away their superstar in Blake Griffin.

In the play back in January, the ball bounced right back into the Trail Blazers’ hands. Will they be able to hold on to their playoff spot in the same manner?