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NBA Playoffs 2017: Power ranking all 16 playoff teams

By Chris Barnewall

January 16, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates in front of Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 16, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates in front of Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 8, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with teammate guard CJ McCollum (left) after scoring 59 points in a game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center. The Trail Blazers won 101-86. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with teammate guard CJ McCollum (left) after scoring 59 points in a game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center. The Trail Blazers won 101-86. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

12. Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers making the playoffs is truly stunning. They were not a good team for a large chunk of the season with a solid offense and a horrendous defense. Then, the Jusuf Nurkic trade happened and saved their season. When Nurkic successfully forced his way out of Denver, the Blazers picked up a young big that perfectly fit their system. With Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum firing away from deep, it opened up giant holes of space for Nurkic to work in. As a result he’s playing the best basketball of his career.

However, the Blazers are only ranked as high as they are because of their strong finish to the season. They overcame a tough crunch in the West to grab the final playoff spot and that was impressive, but they spent so much of the season digging a hole for themselves that it’s left them with a No. 1 – No. 8 matchup against Golden State. Their goal will be to win a game and hopefully create some momentum to build off into next season, but that seems unlikely. The Warriors have the best offense in the NBA and with Portland’s defense sputtering all year this one could be four very ugly games.

However, the atmosphere inside Portland for those two games is going to be a blast. There are few places better than a playoff game in Portland and maybe the home court advantage will propel Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic to an exciting finish in Games 3 or 4.

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