Monday, the Portland Trail Blazers begin their toughest stretch of games they’ve had this season.
Fresh off a five-game road trip, they are home to face the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs eviscerated the Blazers and every other team they faced in the playoffs on their way to the 2014 title.
And it’s stuck with the Blazers.
Since media day, references to the Spurs, either directly or indirectly have been omnipresent.
“We’ve seen what one through 15 can do,” said Wesley Matthews following their win against Minnesota on Nov. 29.
The question Matthews was asked had nothing to do with the Spurs but his reference to them is clear.
The lessons the Blazers have learned since that loss in May — about execution, or seeing the need for contributions from all over the roster — have stayed with them.
Thomas Robinson likened the loss to the Spurs to losing to your big brother. Dorell Wright used the Spurs as an example for Portland’s players to accept their roles.
But aside from the narrative threads that connect the Blazers to the Spurs, San Antonio presents Portland with an opportunity to improve against the West’s elite.
At 18-6, leading the Northwest Division by seven games and fourth place in the Western Conference, the Blazers have taken care of business against lesser opponents. They’re 12-2 against sub-.500 teams after stumbling against the Timberwolves last week.
They’re also 11-1 against the Eastern Conference.
Portland has a respectable 7-4 against teams above .500 overall. But a deeper look into those numbers raises an eyebrow. In five games against teams who qualified for the Western Conference playoffs last year, the Blazers are 2-3.
One of those wins was against the Russell Westbrook-led Thunder on opening night. While they are currently under-.500, they are only 1½ games out of the eighth seed with 2014 MVP Kevin Durant coming back into the lineup.
The Blazers also made curious but crucial and out-of-character mistakes, both mentally and in terms of execution, late against the Warriors and Clippers last month that cost them those games.
Over the next few weeks the Blazers will have an opportunity to challenge themselves against contenders again.
Four out of Portland’s next six games are against Western Conference playoff teams from last season including two against the defending champs.
Portland’s defense has improved and its overall numbers reflect a more well-rounded team on both ends. But their offense, which has yet to replicate its dynamism from last year, will have to face some tough defenses.
Houston, San Antonio and Oklahoma City all have defenses that rank in the top-five in defensive rating according to NBA.com.
Only one of their next six games will come against defenses that don’t rank in the top-10 in the league. The only team that doesn’t has MVP candidate Anthony Davis.
In the tight West, the Blazers are two games out of second place but one game from falling back to seventh.
With a slate of tough opponents from the West and a precocious Milwaukee Bucks team, the Blazers have an opportunity to solidify that improvement with big wins. Or, give more fuel to those that doubt their elite aspirations.
Their seven-game lead in the division over the Thunder seems large. But things in the NBA are rarely settled before Christmas.
But the Blazers could get reinforcements soon. Injured guard CJ McCollum, recovering from a broken finger on his shooting hand, has been working out for the past week, shooting and dribbling with his injured hand.
The next step for McCollum will be getting fully cleared for “contact,” which could happen early this week. The Blazers gave a four week timeline before he would be re-evaluated and Monday marks four weeks since his injury on Nov. 17.
