When LeBron went west, the Blazers became something of a trendy pick when prognosticators had to guess which team would fall out of the playoff bracket to accommodate the Lakers. Portland, though finishing third in the conference last season, was only three games ahead of the ninth seed, and then the Blazers faltered in the playoffs against the small-ball Pelicans. And yet, halfway through November, Portland currently sits second in the West, with talented squads like the Rockets, Jazz, and Pelicans on the outside looking in. Perhaps even more surprising is for the second straight year the Blazers are getting after it defensively.
The Blazers Are Building a Defensive Juggernaut
