The Portland Trail Blazers still have a winning record despite all that has transpired this season, which puts them firmly in the race for the NBA Championship. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report examines why, exactly, the Blazers could succeed — or not. Naturally, one reason the Blazers could win the chip is Damian Lillard. Despite the absence of so many starters, the Blazers have kept going.
The Blazers have played 47 games so far. CJ McCollum missed 25 of them. Nurkic missed 32. Zach Collins hasn’t played one. Surely a rash of injuries like that buried this team, right?