The first quarter of Game 1 gave merit to the audacious prediction that the Portland Trail Blazers would upset the Los Angeles Lakers. Portland dropped 36 points against the league’s third-best defense and convincingly led by 11 as the first of four buzzers sounded.
Portland ultimately won the game, but every quarter since then has encouraged the pundit army, spearheaded by Charles Barkley, to double back on their takes. The Blazers have scored more than 30 points in only one other quarter—excluding the garbage time of Game 2 and Game 4—and haven’t reached 25 points in seven quarters.