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A22 SPORTS
Thursday 22 February 2018
Blazers hope for another post-All-Star break revival

By ANNE M. PETERSON 33. Shortly thereafter, an
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The overtime loss at Detroit put
Trail Blazers have enjoyed them 11 games under .500.
post-All-Star break revivals But in March, Portland
the past two seasons. caught fire and went 13-3,
Those late-season rallies will best in the NBA. Lillard was
no doubt be an ongoing named the conference's
theme in the congested Player of the Month, aver-
Western Conference play- aging 29.1 points, 4.4 re-
off race once Portland bounds, 6.0 assists and 1.4
resumes play on Friday in steals in 16 games. Terry
Utah. Stotts was named Coach
"I mean, I think that's in of the Month.
the back of our minds. We Center Jusuf Nurkic, who
know that we're usually a came to Portland in a trade
better team in the second a handful of days before
half of the season," Port- the All-Star break, went on
land guard Damian Lillard to average 15.2 points, 10.4
said. "We can't just go into rebounds and 1.9 blocks
it saying, 'All right, we're al- in 20 games with the Blaz-
ways good at this part of ers. Portland was 14-5 with
the season.' I think mentally the 7-footer in the starting
we have to understand lineup.
how close of a race it is In this Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018 file photo, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, right, dribbles Portland made the playoffs
and that we've got to be past Los Angeles Clippers forward Wesley Johnson during the second half of an NBA basketball for the fourth straight sea-
sharp all the way through." game in Los Angeles. son, but fell in the opening
Portland is 32-26 at the Associated Press round to the Warriors.
break, tied for sixth in the This season, Portland is in
West, which is better off a 123-117 victory over like he was taking it upon after winning eight of nine the thick of the race. Lillard
than it was last season at Golden State, snapping a himself to improve the Blaz- games going into it. The leads the team with 26.1
the same point. seven-game losing streak ers' playoff position. Blazers finished the regular points per game, sixth in
But the Blazers are one of to the Warriors. Lillard had "Each season, it's always a season 44-38 and in fifth the league, while also aver-
five teams in the West with 44 points, his third straight few teams that fall by the place in the West. They got aging 6.6 assists. Backcourt
26 losses. The Warriors and game with 39 or more and wayside and we've just past the Clippers in the first teammate CJ McCollum is
Houston Rockets sit com- the best scoring stretch of got to make sure we're not round of the playoffs be- averaging 21.7 points, and
fortably atop the standings his career. His 133 points one of them," he said. "As fore falling to the Warriors in Nurkic is at 14.1 points and
with the next eight teams over the last three games a leader, I've got to be the the conference semifinals. 8.2 rebounds. Stotts was
jostling for position. is the best such run in fran- guy to lead that charge." Last season, Portland lost asked just before the break
The Blazers headed into chise history. In 2015-16, Portland was three straight games to whether he was happy with
the All-Star Game with Afterward, Lillard sounded 27-27 at the All-Star break go into the break at 23- the team’s position.q

RE-SEEDING playoffs. You have Eastern one point, then you had
Continued from Page 17 Conference and you have Boston that dominated the
The league has always had Western Conference. You league. In the '90s, you had
teams from the Eastern and have Eastern Conference Chicago that dominated
Western Conferences com- champions, you have guys the league. San Antonio
pete separately in the post- from the Eastern Confer- also had its run. We had our
season with the respec- ence that win the big run in the East with Miami,
tive conference winners dance and sometimes you Golden State is having their
meeting in the Finals. At have it from the West as run."
last weekend's All-Star fes- well." James said he never gets
tivities in Los Angeles, Silver James loved the change caught up in the East vs.
advanced the discussion in this year's All-Star game West comparisons.
about a potential change as he and Steph Curry "For what? You go out and
in the playoff structure, of- were voted as captains play," he said. "I've been
fering two options that by fans and got to choose a part of the Eastern Con-
both included teams be- their teams. James' team ference my whole career
ing re-seeded regardless of edged Curry's in one of the and we've been very, very
conference connection. Team LeBron's Russell Westbrook, left, of the Oklahoma City more competitive events in competitive. There's been
"You also would like to have Thunder, and Team LeBron's LeBron James, of the Cleveland recent years. years where we weren't as
Cavaliers, cheer from the bench during the first half of an NBA
a format where your two All-Star basketball game against Team , Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018, But as for the Finals, James good. If I can think from
best teams are ultimately in Los Angeles. doesn't see a need for once I got into the league,
going to meet in the Finals," Associated Press change. He noted that it's been us (Cleveland),
Silver said. "You could have there has been confer- I've done it three times, De-
a situation where the top Any change would require spectful. ence imbalance before, troit, Boston, Miami in '06,
two teams in the league a majority vote by league "It just changes the land- but time usually evens the that's like seven champion-
are meeting in the confer- owners. scape of the history of the score. ships out of 14 years. "That's
ence finals or somewhere For James, who has been game," he said. "It's cool to "There's been dominant half, right? So what are we
else. So we're going to con- to seven straight Finals with mess around with the All- conferences throughout talking about?" James was
tinue to look at that. It's still Miami and Cleveland, al- Star Game, we proved you time," he said. "In the '80s slightly off as the Western
my hope that we're going tering the playoff format can do that, but let's not you had the Lakers who Conference has won eight
to figure out ways." would be somewhat disre- get too crazy about the dominated the league at of the past 14 titles.q