It used to be — and sometimes still is — said that you don’t have to watch an NBA game until the final two minutes because that’s when it’s invariably decided.
As Portland prepared Monday for Game 2 of its Western Conference semifinal series against the Warriors, the Blazers stressed the importance not of the final two minutes, but of the first two.
Well, actually the first 12.
“They’re a first-quarter team,” Portland head coach Terry Stotts said of the Warriors. “They’re the best in the league at getting off to good starts.