The Blazers are also young and new to all this, but … not two-time champion Jrue Holiday, who is already accustomed to being the team’s vocal leader. Robert Williams III has been 20-games deep into the playoffs. This’ll be Jerami Grant’s fifth journey to the postseason. And Damian Lillard isn’t playing, but he has played in 68 playoff games and will very much be on the plane and the bench and in the locker room.
And do you know who played in 65 playoff games and won a title? Blazers coach Tiago Splitter. The Blazers are young, and sometimes can get a little tight. They are about to enter basketball’s finest and most intense finishing school, which will bode well for similar situations in the future. The learning is incredibly valuable, and sometimes painful. But on this team, I’m guessing no small about of the learning will come from coworkers who have been there, and winning—at least a game or two.
