TUALATIN, Ore. — After their most notable game of the season, the Portland Trail Blazers took more questions on the bizarre events of Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers as well as ones about their opponent Friday, the historically great 33-2 Golden State Warriors.
After being a surprise inactive, CJ McCollum was asked if he was worried about him becoming the butt of jokes in the sports media world.
McCollum then answered with a modern-day version of “do your worst.”
“I don’t care about that, it’s over with. If they want to give me the Jordan crying face, it’s fine,” McCollum said, referring to the internet meme that involves putting NBA legend Michael Jordan’s teary-eyed face, from the night he gave his hall of fame speech in 2009.
McCollum and head coach Terry Stotts, who took the blame for the mistake after signing the forever famous line-up card, both appear to be taking the ordeal in stride.
Stotts — who said he woke up “a little early” — once again voiced his disappointment for what happened, for the team, McCollum and the fans.
“You have to accept it and move on,” Stotts said. “I don’t want to belabor it. Hopefully this will be the last time we talk about it. It was disappointing on a lot of different levels. Mostly in my mind for CJ and the team.”
And while the events of the last night would keep any coach up, the Warriors have a similar effect.
“I had a few things on my mind I guess, maybe it was the Warriors,” Stotts said.
At 33-2, the Warriors enter Friday night’s game against the Blazers with the best all-time record for a team through 35 games. Comparisons to Michael Jordan and his 1995-96 Chicago Bulls who went 72-10 are not hyperbole.
Stylistically, they couldn’t be more different, given the eras that both teams played in, but in terms of their impact on the league, Stotts sees them equally.
“I think the only comparison you can make is they have a very good chance of winning 70-something games,” Stotts said. “Other than that they’re different style of team, they do it in different ways. The fact that they’re as dominant in their era as the Bulls were is the best comparison.”
McCollum made jokes that he hasn’t even been able to go 33-2 in a video game and while the Blazers are doing their best to prepare like it’s any other game, it’s clear that it isn’t.
“Obviously with them being the defending champs and with what they’ve done this season as well has been special,” Lillard said.
Any high scoring backcourt is going to be compared to Golden State’s duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson when they face the Warriors.
But Portland’s duo of Lillard and McCollum have a ton of respect for what they’ve done.
McCollum was at the Finals for Game 1 and vividly remembers a “jumping” atmosphere. Lillard remembers them earlier in their journey, just before he started his own.
“It was kind of the end of their season and Klay had just started playing a little bit,” Lillard said of the summer before he was drafted and back in Oakland. “They weren’t going to make the playoffs. And that’s kind of where it all started for them. They turned into a championship team. They’re further along as a team than we are, but I think that’s fair.”
