In NBA.com’s most recent Power Rankings, the Portland Trail Blazers ranked second overall.
After their solid stretch of play, the Portland Trail Blazers were placed second on NBA.com’s Power Rankings. They sit between the Toronto Raptors (1st) and Milwaukee Bucks (3rd). Portland currently holds a 10-3, good for second in the Western Conference.
The writer of the Rankings, John Schuhmann, added about his pick:
” …the Blazers are 6-1 in games between the 15 teams that currently have winning records, with the only loss coming when they shot 6-for-35 from 3-point range against the Lakers…
It’s true, the Blazers have been remarkably strong against a sampler of who’s-who in each conference. From the San Antonio Spurs to the Milwaukee Bucks, to as recently as the Boston Celtics, the Blazers have taken care of business. Their dominance against the strongest opponents between each conference undoubtedly played a role in this ranking.
Throughout all of their success, Portland has relied on getting offense from anyone at any time. When Damian Lillard only gets 13 points, he can lean on CJ McCollum to drop 40 like they did against the Bucks. When the game gets tight and the stars need some extra firepower, they can fall back into the safety net that is Nik Stauskas with 24 off the bench.
Whenever the team has needed an answer offensively, someone’s been there to provide it.
The team has also found itself with some “good luck” as of late, facing a few underpowered teams like the New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets. Portland ultimately handled both these teams easily, as one would expect them to. Their consistency against worse groups has been paramount to their success.
Of course, the Blazers may possibly sit even higher in the Power Rankings had the Washington Wizards not outlasted them in overtime or they hadn’t fallen so far behind so early in their second matchup against the Lakers. And maybe they could’ve even snuck into first place had they gotten the sweet taste of revenge against a full-loaded New Orleans Pelicans team.
Probably not though, considering the Toronto Raptors are currently balling with a 12-1 record.
But maybe, as the season continues, the Blazers could continue on this pace and eventually dethrone those dinosaurs. A win against them on December 14 wouldn’t hurt either…
