CJ Mccollum uses the high screen and all the space he has, to just raise up and hit a clutch 3. One of the many shots that he hit to get to his 41 points and help the Blazers win an epic 4 overtime deathmatch.
And while the attention has been on him and I tip my hat off to CJ for his monster game, I just wanted to show a different perspective like I usually do,
and focus on all the little things that happened on defense which ultimately secured the win for Portland.
What up everybody my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it.
In regulation down by 2, the Blazers need to get a stop here. A 4 point lead with 90 seconds left could put them in an uncomfortable position.
So initially in my opinion Kanter does an ok job to stay with Murray, and the help defense plays this perfectly as they don’t allow the pass at the rim, but then look at this.
As Murray throws it outside, Barton is open, but the effort from both CJ and Dame to sprint towards the ball, has Barton looking and hesitating as he bobbles it, giving the defense enough time to get back. And at the very end of the shot clock, Mccolum does everything to force a tough shot.
Next key moment for me happened during the first overtime. Again the Blazers are down by 2 and this time only 20 seconds to go.
This steal is huge because it opens up a fast break not allowing the Nuggets to set up their defense. And both Aminu and Mccolum are trailing here, not anticipating a make, and the clutch tip here by Aminu, staying active, giving Portland another chance which ultimately CJ is going to use it.
And right here possibly a deciding moment. I’m not sure how much of it is forced by the pressure of Harckless, but Jokic fails to see a wide open Murray next to him. This could have ended things, but instead Nikola shoots a heavily contested 3, and to his credit almost makes it.
You can see him recognizing his mistake at the end however.
That takes us to Overtime number 2. Final seconds again, and the Nuggets were always looking to put Kanter in the pick and roll, but here, good effort by both CJ and Kanter, even tho I feel like Jamal had to be a bit more decisive. Late pass to Jokic, and another good but contested attempt that almost goes in. This is the definition of playoff basketball, where miliseconds count.
A moment too early or too late, and the play is broken.
Notice how until now the plays haven’t really been about the baskets and the makes, rather about the defense and the misses. Until now, because this is really a big moment in the game.
Down by 4 in the third overtime, with only half a minute to go- the Blazers need to score quickly.
And look at this. To me this is a designed fake action out of the time out to produce a quick bucket.
Everybody is spreaded out, and as Kanter goes to set the screen, of course Jokic goes with him to switch, freeing up the paint. And with all the attention on that screen, Dame just takes off and not a lot of guys can catch him once he goes full speed. A nice sneaky play for Portland.
Which sets up this key defensive play by CJ. Applying pressure instead of just fouling right away, he pokes the ball out of bounds, and we wouldn’t have this 10 years ago, but the beauty of super slow motion, and the great angles, helps Portland and gives them a chance to tie the game yet again which they’ll use it.
This is an example of Dame’s notoriety that he’s gained. The recent epic game winner against the Thunder forces Craig to come out close to Lillard, which opens up a big opportunity for a blow by, and I like the presence of mind to not settle once again for the three, and go to the basket.
Here another nice effort by Kanter on the switch but yet again poor decision making by the Nuggets on the last play as look at how far Jamal is instead of forcing the issue against a slower player.
And just fyi, I include these clips of Enes contesting and holding his ground in the pick and roll because he is proving that although not the best at it, he certainly isn’t unplayable as Billy Donovan was once caught saying about his player back in OKC.
Anyway, maybe the deciding moment of the game is this gallop right here. The fresh legs of Rodney Hood who got in the game in the fourth overtime when all the players were exhausted.
And he used that as well as the size advantage to go right at Jamal Murray and score on 3 straight possessions including the game winner, by just staying calm and pump fake instead of rushing the shot. As you can see he got himself wide open, and was able to knock it down.
At the end, honestly I was kinda bummed to see this game end by Jokic missing a free throw, who played 65 minutes in this game and gave everything he had.
At the end a heroic win for the Blazers and this series is proving to be 1 of the most interesting ones despite lacking the hype and the anticipation that some of the other matchups have.
Now Denver needs to bounce back after such a tough loss and step up big in game 4.
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