PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers closed out the first half of their schedule with an entertaining and impressive win over the Grizzlies in Memphis on Wednesday night. Jusuf Nurkic was great, Josh Hart and Justise Winslow were dependably productive and Anfernee Simons continued his ascent to superstar status.
It's four games and one week of very fun basketball. But it's OK to bask in the joy of a rewarding stretch of Blazers hoops. They've been good when they were supposed to be bad on purpose. Let's meditate on the unique reward of subverted expectations. (starts at 9:53)
Perhaps most importantly for the Blazers, this past week has showed their identity: what type of team they want to be under Chauncey Billups and what type of players the coach needs to get there. This group is playing with a clear plan and has developed the type of identity that can serve them as they close out this season and head into the next one. (starts at 17:44)
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About Locked On Blazers
Mike Richman has covered the Portland Trail Blazers in various capacities since 2014 as a beat writer for The Oregonian, a reporter at NBC Sports Northwest and now in the form of the only daily Trail Blazers podcast, Locked On Blazers. The Pass First Point Guard will get you closer to the team with reports from inside the Moda Center and by unpacking the statistics to know and about your favorite team. You will also find regular guests and can get your questions answered with weekly mailbag shows.
If you would like to participate in the weekly mailbag show, submit your questions to @mikegrich on Twitter or email lockedonblazerspod@gmail.com.
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