Top 10 factors (aside from Damian Lillard) that allowed the Portland Trail Blazers to rock the NBA bubble, reach playoffs

No. 1. Damian Lillard.

Let’s just get the obvious out of the way. Portland wouldn’t be heading to the NBA playoffs to face the Los Angeles Lakers starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday if not for Lillard’s brilliance at the bubble in Florida.

The Portland Trail Blazers guard, and bubble MVP (a strange award), led all players with 37.5 points per game and dazzled viewers with 154 points over three must-win games while demanding that the world put some respect on his name.

But choosing Lillard as the top factor is too easy. So, here is a list of the top 10 factors that allowed the Blazers to reach the NBA playoffs outside of Lillard.

Sort of …

No. 10: DENVER’S MULTIPLE INJURIES

Remember that one additional loss along the way would have ended the Blazers’ run. Portland’s 125-115 win over Denver on Aug. 6 came with the Nuggets missing three key players that combined to average 45.2 points on the season. Jamal Murray (18.5), Will Barton (15.1) and Paul Millsap (11.6) all sat with a variety of injuries.

Millsap and Murray returned the following game, a win over Utah.

One can’t say for sure that the Blazers would have lost this game had those three played. But their absence certainly didn’t hurt.

No. 9: MEMPHIS’ JAREN JACKSON JR. GOING DOWN

Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. dunks the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies against the Portland Trail Blazers, Friday, July 31, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Mike Ehrmann/Pool Photo via AP) APAP

Jackson went for 33 points against the Blazers to open the bubble session for both teams. Two games later, he tore a meniscus against New Orleans, ending his season.

Would the Grizzlies, 2-6 in the bubble, have picked up another win with a healthy Jackson? One more win would have left Memphis in eighth place, forcing the Blazers to twice defeat the Grizzlies, with Jackson, over the past weekend to earn the No. 8 seed.

It’s tough to say how much of a factor a healthy Jackson would have been. Memphis, after all, went 0-3 with Jackson in the lineup.

No. 8: BEN SIMMONS AND JOEL EMBIID GO DOWN

Portland came off of its disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Clippers needing a win over Philadelphia. As it turned out, the 76ers had just lost Ben Simmons for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Then, in the first quarter against Portland, Embiid went out with an ankle injury.

Even with them out, the Blazers narrowly won, 124-121.

Could Portland have defeated Philadelphia with its two All-Stars? Probably not on that day given how the game transpired.

A loss to the 76ers would have ultimately caused the Blazers to be eliminated after finishing behind Memphis and Phoenix.

However, it must be pointed out that the 76ers played the Suns after the Blazers. So, if one were to say that the Blazers would have lost to Philadelphia with Simmons and Embiid, then it must also be said that the 76ers would have defeated Phoenix, as well.

In that scenario, Portland finishes ninth and would have needed to defeat Memphis twice in the play-in round.

No. 7: PURE DESIRE

Portland Trail Blazers’ CJ McCollum reacts to a shot against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo via AP) APAP

The first three entries are based on pure speculation regarding what might have happened had certain opposing players been healthy.

What isn’t speculation is that regardless of the health of each opponent, they all had to deal with a team that was clearly on a mission.

The bubble restart began with 15 out of 16 playoff spots essentially decided. So, the only real drama revolved around the race for the No. 8 seed in the West.

After months off, it would have been totally understandable that a team with a 29-37 record when the NBA halted play in March would struggle to find the drive and determination to regroup, enter a bubble situation and give maximum effort to fight for the No. 8 seed.

But to the Blazers’ credit, they went to the bubble determined to chase the No. 8 seed as if it were a championship prize.

The same can’t be said for the New Orleans Pelicans, who had the easiest schedule gifted to them yet went 2-6.

The Blazers wanted this and they did everything possible to make it happen.

No. 6: PAUL GEORGE AND PATRICK BEVERLEY

Lillard, a competitive guy, most certainly would have sought to make amends for his poor performance at the end of the team’s loss to the Clippers even without the fuel provided by Beverley and George mocking him as they did.

But once they showed up Lillard like that, it was on like Donkey Kong.

Those two acting like third-graders while showing up an All-Star was probably fair game given that Lillard had waved bye-bye to the Thunder and George last season after hitting that deep three to eliminate the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.

You dish it, you must be able to take it.

But all it did was fire up Lillard even more. He poured in 51 points on the 76ers and then had 61 against Dallas the following game. Even when the Brooklyn Nets attempted to start double-teaming Lillard in the parking lot, he found a way to score 42 while handing out 12 assists.

Again, Lillard likely didn’t need the added motivation, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he has pictured the faces of George and Beverley on the heads of every defender he has faced since that loss to the Clippers.

No. 5 LILLARD’S TRUST

Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum speak with ESPN after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in an NBA basketball game Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo via AP) APAP

So, I cheated. There is a Lillard entry, but it has more to do with his approach rather than his dominance.

All too often, star players get criticized for not taking and/or making key shots in big games. Often times it’s a hideously poor talking point because what should matter more than anything is making the right play.

Several times late in games at the bubble, Lillard penetrated only to kick the ball out to a shooter, usually Gary Trent Jr., Carmelo Anthony or CJ McCollum, for a key shot. It happened again in Saturday’s 126-122 win over Memphis.

The Blazers led 119-116 with 42.3 seconds remaining. Lillard, who didn’t make a field goal the entire fourth quarter, got into the lane, where he encountered too much attention to get off a good shot. So, he passed out to a wide-open Anthony, who stuck a three-pointer to make the score 122-116 with 21 seconds left.

Lillard said the ability of McCollum, Anthony and Trent to hit big shots is why the offense has been so difficult to defend.

“When I’m getting attention and I’m looking at those three guys out on the perimeter, if I see a crowd, I’m not going to hesitate to make that play, kick it out to them, because I have a 100 percent confidence that they will make that shot,” Lillard said.

Smart stars make smart plays and Lillard made many at the bubble.

No. 4. CJ McCOLLUM’S TOUGHNESS

McCollum got out to a hot start at the bubble with 33 points on 14 of 21 shooting in the first win over Memphis. Then he began to play unlike his normal self, aside from a 29-point effort in the loss to the Clippers.

Following his 2 of 14 performance against Dallas, it was revealed that he had been fighting through a back issue since the restart began.

Imagine where the Blazers would be had he not found a way to push through the pain and perform.

McCollum gave Portland 25 points Thursday in a must-win against the Nets and then came right back with 29 on 11 of 19 shooting Saturday. McCollum closed out the game with 14 points in the fourth quarter. Included were two isolation plays down the stretch in which he hit a step-back three and an elbow jumper against Ja Morant.

“He didn’t make no excuses,” Lillard said. “He didn’t sit out. He didn’t look for a way out. He just stayed with it.”

No. 3. A RE-ENERGIZED CARMELO ANTHONY

Portland Trail Blazers’ Carmelo Anthony (00) and Gary Trent Jr. (2) celebrate a three point basket against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo via AP) APAP

The thing about aging veterans is that no matter how much their overall skills diminish, their IQ and shooting stroke never fade.

Anthony, a 10-time All-Star, is clearly not the same player he once was. But Portland never needed the 36-year-old to average 25 points per game, as he has done nine times in his career. The Blazers simply needed him to remember how to make plays as the team’s third option.

Anthony averaged 17 points in nine games at the bubble and scored more than 20 points five times. More important, he came up huge in big moments. His two three-pointers late in the fourth quarter against Memphis on July 31 helped push that game into overtime. Against Dallas, he hit two three-pointers in the fourth quarter. The second one tied the score at 117-117 with 2:23 remaining.

Anthony scored eight fourth-quarter points in the win over Philadelphia. On Saturday, his three-pointer and two free throws in the final 21 seconds helped ice that victory.

Blazers coach Terry Stotts said Anthony has been great about picking his spot and using his wits.

“He just kind of fills in, does what he needs to do,” Stotts said. “We call a few plays for him but he just knows how to play. He’s smart.”

No. 2. GARY TRENT JR.’S FREAKISH HOT STREAK

The Blazers are not still playing without the emergence of Gary Trent Jr. at the bubble.

He cooled off a bit down the stretch after getting off to a 62% start from three-point range, but he was essentially the only reliable guy off the bench for most of the nine games.

Trent’s clutch play had huge impacts in wins over Memphis, Houston and Denver. He shot 15 of 25 from three-point range over those three victories while averaging 20 points per game.

His defensive prowess made him a rotation player for much of the season, and he had flashed abilities as a scorer. But with small forward Trevor Ariza not along for the ride, Portland needed Trent to function as a defensive stopper at the bubble.

The fact that he also became a reliable sharpshooter absolutely proved invaluable to the Blazers’ run to the playoffs.

No. 1. THE RETURN OF JUSUF NURKIC

Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard, left, and Jusuf Nurkic celebrate the team’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers in an NBA basketball game Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo via AP) APAP

Portland ’s season would have ended Thursday against Brooklyn if not for the return of its starting center, who before the bubble hadn’t played a game since breaking his leg in March 2019.

Nurkic had a few poor games that included foul trouble. He fouled out against the Clippers and Mavericks. But his big games were impactful. In nine games, he averaged 18 points and 11.4 rebounds. He also continued to demonstrate why he is such a good passing big man with 4.2 assists per game. His 22-point, 21-rebound performance in 41 minutes against the Grizzlies on Saturday also included six assists.

Plus, Nurkic did all of that while dealing with the failing health of his beloved grandmother back in Bosnia. Nurkic on Aug. 2 announced that Hana was in a coma after testing positive for COVID-19. She died before Saturday’s game against Memphis.

“I think that just speaks to the value of his character and who he is and how much it means to him to be back out there and be a part of this team,” Lillard said.

Portland is a heavy underdog against the Lakers. But the team-oriented factors above that reveal this team’s level of determination give the Blazers a puncher’s chance.

— Aaron Fentress | afentress@oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).

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