Rip City, This Is Our Moment
The Portland Trail Blazers head into Game 3 on Friday night holding something they haven’t had in a long time: genuine playoff momentum, a home crowd that I am sure will be super loud. My guess is the NBA’s concussion protocol keeps Wembanyama out.
I think the Blazers win this one but I think it’s close. Not a blowout, but could be a statement game. A gritty, grinding, fourth-quarter kind of win or a comeback like what we saw in game 2. I was out to dinner with a bunch of colleagues at a steakhouse when it was going down and got funny looks as I pumped my fist in the air.
What Just Happened in San Antonio
If you missed it, Game 2 on Tuesday was a statement in itself. We got torched in Game 1 and the Blazers lost 111-98. Portland came back and stole Game 2 on the road, 106-103. That’s not nothing. That’s a team that didn’t panic, but built a pretty big lead early, lost it and came back.
And then fate intervened. Late in the second quarter, Wembanyama tumbled face-first to the court. As of today (thanks to my daily brief), he’s cleared to travel to Portland with the Spurs but his status for Friday is still listed as questionable. My guess is from watching the Spurs org over the years from sitting Robinson for a year, or Duncan for a whole playoff run they won’t let short-term gain override their long term plan. There’s a real chance Wembanyama is sitting in street clothes on Friday night, watching from the bench as Portland tries to take a 2-1 series lead. And the Spurs might just be fine with it.
I have tickets for the Sunday afternoon game. Although I would love to see him in person, I won’t cry if he takes more precautions and doesn’t come back till game 5 in San Antonio.
The Rip City Factor
This won’t be my first home playoff game, but it has been SO long that we have had team it feels like it. I know one thing from personal experience, the fans will be LOUD. And INTO IT. I still remember being in the 300 level with my buddy Rob, watching 50-something mothers belly bump each other when Dame hit the shot over 10 years ago.
Scoot Henderson said it after Game 2: “Oooh, I already know, Rip City is going to be turnt. Shout out Rip City. I got all love for them. I hope they break the walls down.”
He’s right. A home playoff game in Portland with the series tied is going to be electric. And the city’s complicated feelings about the new ownership simmering in the background won’t matter, at least for one night.
I’m in the Locked On Blazers Discord, and the energy in there after Game 2 was something else. Fans who’ve been following this team through the rebuild, through all the uncertainty, suddenly making plans to be in the building Friday. One user posted right after the game that he’d just grabbed his first-ever NBA playoff tickets. Another user is excited to bring his kid. These are real Portland people who’ve stuck with this team, and they’re about to be very loud.
The Jerami Grant Question
Not everything is sunshine in Rip City, though. Jerami Grant has been… rough. A -25 in Game 1. Only 20 minutes in Game 2. The Discord has been having a full theological debate about him — the best summary came from one user: “we must bear the cross of April Jerami to tap into the untold power of May Jerami.”
It’s funny because it’s half-true. Grant was instrumental in the play-in game against Phoenix — a clutch performance that got Portland into this round in the first place. Another user of the Locked On contributors, made that point clearly: without JG, we’re not even here. And there’s a theory floating around that he’s on a 20-minute restriction while he ramps back up from whatever’s been nagging him. If that’s the case, maybe the inefficiency is temporary.
Still, the community consensus is pretty clear: park in the corner, space the floor, do not try to shake-and-bake on Spurs wing defenders. The Suns were small and San Antonio is not. We can only hope that Splitter will figure it out, or he’ll shorten his leash.
Scoot and Rob Are the Story
We are seeing signs of life from our young core and they have been forced to step up. Scoot Henderson has been everything the rebuild promised he could be for a few games, and has looked much better the last two weeks of the season and the playoffs. He is inconsistent, but it makes me wonder how much positive impact Dame and Jrue have had. Rob Williams III had a big Game 2 performance that the Discord was still buzzing about Wednesday morning (“How about the game we got from Rob III! Love that guy”).
This is a young team playing without fear. That matters on a Friday night at home in the playoffs. I just hope that the moment doesn’t get too big for these guys and they play loose. I am worried about Deni though, I noticed that he left in the 4th with some type of leg injury and wasn’t his normal self. I am sure he will bounce back, but Deni when he is healthy and right makes this a completely different team. And without Wemby, we need the guy, he is a machine against teams that don’t have elite rim protection.
My Take: Blazers in a Close One
Without Wembanyama, the Spurs are a good team. Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, a capable supporting cast. But without him, I would say we are ahead in our rebuild. He is really a generational talent. He is the one player who can single-handedly change a game’s geometry. The guy who turned Game 1 into a showcase for why he might be the best player in the world.
The Blazers have the crowd, the momentum, and the matchup advantage if Wemby sits. I think they win. I think it goes down to the wire. And I hope Scoot and Deni have big moments in front of their home fans.
Rip City. Let’s go!!
Follow the series on NBA.com. And if you’re not already listening to the Locked On Blazers podcast — available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, or hanging out in their Discord — you’re missing out on some of the best Blazers coverage out there.