With Nurkic’s status uncertain, Blazers will need Noah Vonleh against Warriors
With a two-time MVP in Stephen Curry, a former MVP in Kevin Durant, an All-Star deadeye shooter in Klay Thompson, a versatile player and expert defender in Draymond Green and a whole cast of excellent role players, the Golden State Warriors are the favorites to not only make the NBA Finals for a third straight year but to also win the championship. This is an expectation that the Warriors have embraced this year, dominating in the regular season by winning 67 games and finishing with the best record in the league.
The Portland Trail Blazers on the other hand, have had their struggles after a busy offseason that saw players like Allen Crabbe and Maurice Harkless re-signed to large deals and Evan Turner joining the team on a long-term free agent contract. Portland went 41-41 during the regular season and was able to secure a spot in the postseason. However, their defense was atrocious at times and besides the stellar backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, Portland didn’t get consistency from any other key players.
With this in mind, it seems unfathomable that the Blazers stand a chance against the Warriors in the first round. Even more so when you consider that Portland went 0-4 against Golden State in the regular season and lost by an average of 19.5 points. And then there’s the fact that history isn’t on Portland’s side. In NBA history, they have only been five No. 8 teams that have beat a No. 1 team in the first-round.
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Don’t tell the Blazers that, though. Despite the insurmountable odds facing them, the Blazers are heading into the series with confidence, which is what they need to do if they want to shock the world by beating the Warriors.
“I saw something where we had a one percent chance to win,” Lillard said at practice on Friday. “That means if we did [win], it would be shocking the world. I’m not going around trying to make that the name of the series or nothing like that. But that’s just what it would be.”
What makes this challenge even more difficult for the Blazers, is the status of Jusuf Nurkic. The Blazers acquired Nurkic a few days before the NBA trade deadline in February and he has lived up to his nickname of the “Bosnian Beast.”
With his sheer size, rebounding, defense and passing ability, Nurkic instantly injected the Blazers with a jolt of energy that sparked their late season playoff push. Yet he fractured his leg at the end of March and hasn’t played since. His status for Game 1 is listed as questionable.
“I feel better, I make good progress,” Nurkic said. “But I think we’re still undecided if I’m going to play.”
While the Blazers are undecided, Nurkic wants to play, saying “If it’s up to me, I play right now.” Yet with Nurkic’s long-term future at stake, the Blazers are being cautious about his possible return.
“He’s improved, his leg is better, he’s made good progress,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said about Nurkic.
It seems likely that Nurkic could play on Sunday or perhaps later on in the series. But if he doesn’t, Portland will likely need to get a big performance from forward Noah Vonleh, who has played exceptionally well as of late.
Consistently starting for the Blazers since Nurkic was acquired, Vonleh has been playing the best basketball of his young career. His numbers aren’t eye popping (4.4 points, 5.2 rebounds) yet Vonleh’s athleticism and length have allowed him to be a solid interior defender and scorer for Portland. Nurkic’s injury has also forced Vonleh to play center in a small-lineup and he has played quite well in this role. This will be especially key against the Warriors since Golden State’s “death lineup” is with Green at center.
Vonleh is looking forward to the challenge of matching up against Green though and is ready for the intangibles the Warriors bring on both ends of the court.
“I’m ready to go,” Vonleh said. “I’ve guarded Draymond multiple times before. I’m just going to try to make it tough and pressure him. I just got to pressure him and take away his vision.”
Green’s versatility is what makes him such a special player so Vonleh will likely have his hands full matching up with the Warriors All-Star. Yet Vonleh’s agility and ability to switch on defense, means that he, at least in theory, has the tool to handle the matchup.
“Noah has really grown on the defensive end,” Stotts said. “His ability to switch on to perimeter players has helped us and he’s gotten better at it.”
But let’s be real, Vonleh won’t be the deciding factor for the Blazers to shock the world and actually beat the Warriors. Golden State is just too talented and too good for Portland. Yet if Portland wants to not get swept and push the series past four games, they will need Vonleh to step up. Lillard and McCollum will get theirs but with Nurkic’s status undetermined, Vonleh will need to do the little things, like setting screens, rebounding and playing defense. This is all a big if, especially since this is Vonleh first true experience of being part of a playoff rotation.
But that’s really all the Blazers have to count on right now. The hope that Vonleh can step up and the belief that they can win is helping to put Portland in the right frame of mind heading into a daunting matchup against the Warriors.
Next: Trail Blazers Playoff Preview: Portland and the long, winding road to growth
“Noah has played great, down the stretch, the last 15, 20 games of the season,” Lillard said. “As long as he continues that, we should be fine and he should be fine.”