PORTLAND, Ore. — The NBA season is a month old and the Portland Trail Blazers find themselves in an unfamiliar position: first place in the Western Conference.
The last time the Blazers were in first place in the Western Conference standings this late in a season was during the 2013-2014 season, Damian Lillard's second year in the league. On January 19, 2014, Portland was 31-9 and tied with the Spurs for the top spot in the conference.
This season, Portland's point differential of plus-6.9 is the third-best in the league. The Blazers rank fifth in the NBA in offense (112.3 points per 100 possessions), eighth in defense (105.7 points per 100 possessions) and third in net rating (plus-6.7).
The Blazers are one of only four teams in the NBA that rank in the Top 10 in offense and defense. The others are the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets.
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National NBA pundits continue to give the Blazers credit for their strong start to the season. Even with losses in two of their past three games, Portland ranks as high as third and no lower than fifth in the latest batch of NBA power rankings.
NBA.com: Blazers rank No. 3 (down 1)
What they wrote: Coach Terry Stotts has changed up his substitution pattern this season, sitting Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum together for a few minutes per half, instead of having one of the two on the floor at all times. Thus far, the Blazers have survived (outscoring their opponents 2.1 points per 100 possessions) those no-Lillard-or-McCollum minutes (with Evan Turner running the point) pretty well and Stotts stuck with a 10-man rotation over the weekend, giving rookie Anfernee Simons some burn in place of the injured Seth Curry. The Blazers lost the first two games of their trip (their loss in Minnesota on Friday was the first time they've been held under a point per possession), but an easy win in Washington on Sunday and the Warriors' three-game losing streak has Portland in first place in the Western Conference. Their first meeting with the champs is Friday in Oakland, the conclusion of a six-game excursion in which they will have changed time zones four times.
Sports Illustrated: Blazers rank No. 3 (up 2)
What they wrote: Did you expect Damian Lillard to do anything besides put 40 on the Wizards to end Portland’s two-game losing streak? Even with a not-so-great week, the Trail Blazers have moved into a tie for first in the West. Upcoming contests against the Bucks, Warriors and Clippers will be a litmus test for just how good this team is right now. Dame and C.J. are sure to do their thing in those meetings, but seeing how the role players perform in those games and just how well the two stars can create for them will say a lot about just how excited people should be about this team come April.
CBS Sports: Blazers rank No. 4 (up 1)
What they wrote: Nik Stauskas is a nice story for the Blazers. He stole the show on opening night when he dropped 24 points on the Los Angeles Lakers. And he gives the Blazers another 3-point threat. But since opening night, he's scored more than 10 points only once — and his net rating at minus-7.7 points per 100 possessions is by far the worst on the team.
ESPN: Blazers rank No. 5 (down 1)
What they wrote: The Blazers now have the best record in the Western Conference despite losing two of their past three games. Give credit to All-Star Damian Lillard for leading the way, as he already has racked up three 40-point games this season.
The Athletic: Blazers rank No. 5 (no change)
What they wrote: Don’t look now but the Portland Trail Blazers legally have the best record in the West. Their .688 winning percentage is slightly higher than Golden State’s at 12-6 (.667). It might not be time to celebrate if you’re Portland. They moved out to 10-3 on the season before dropping games to the Lakers and Wolves. Portland bounced back with a convincing win over the Wizards, but everybody gets convincing wins over the Wizards these days. That’s like saying, “Sure, Wesley Snipes found himself in some tax trouble but give him credit for putting the correct social security number on the forms.” That win over the Wizards put them at 1-2 on this road trip. They still have games in New York, in Milwaukee, and in Golden State. Beating the Knicks should be a lock for them, especially with how Damian Lillard expects to put on a show at The Garden. If they can steal a win at Milwaukee or in Oakland, this becomes a much more palatable trip for the best team in the West. If they come back 2-4, it’ll be hard to convince a lot of people to take Portland more seriously this season.
Jared Cowley writes about the Trail Blazers and other topics for KGW.com. He's also the co-host of the 3-on-3 Blazers podcast (listen here). You can reach him on Twitter @jaredcowley.