Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

It really seemed like The Blazers were going to get this one. Even the bookies in Vegas gave them odds to win. They were ahead most of the game, at times stretching their lead as high as 18 points, but man, no lead is secure against Golden State. It’s annoying. It sucks. The Blazers began to collapse in the third quarter, and fully ran out of gas midway through the fourth as Golden State passed them by and then stretched their lead to double digits. The Blazers had to win this game to keep the series competitive. But they didn’t, and now they are down 3-0 in the seven game series, an insurmountable deficit. It’s been a killer season and this team won’t give up yet, but unless something truly crazy happens, the Blazers aren’t going to the finals this year.

Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

There was a wonderful air of excitement around the Moda Center before tip-off. Portland hadn’t hosted a Western Conference Finals match-up in 19 years and now all the basketball big-shots had rolled into town. Scottie Pippen sat court side. Nearly the entire Seattle Seashawks roster showed up to cheer on the underdog Blazers. Outside an enormous screen had been erected to show the game to fans who couldn’t get tickets to the big show. Things hadn’t gone so well down in Oakland, but Rip City was full of hope. If they could win this game 3, then suddenly the series was on. Golden State, still without the services of two of its star players, Kevin Durant and Demarcus Cousins, was vulnerable. Or was it?

Portland’s own Storm Large stood ready before the game to belt out the national anthem:

Things began well for the Blazers. The big surprise was Meyers Leonard, the often erratic 7-footer, starting in place of Enes Kanter. It was a gamble putting Meyers out there in the crucial opening minutes, but it appeared to pay off as Leonard played solid defense and knocked down the open shots he was given by Golden State. The warriors defense keyed in on Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum all night, so once again it was going to be up to role players like Leonard to take advantage of the opportunities they were given. In the first half, they did just that.

Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

The Moda Center crowd was predictably keyed up for this big game and every time the Blazers scored or made a nice defensive play the place went wild. Also predictable was the invasion of Bay Area fans waving their blue and gold in Portland’s faces. Tickets for this game were going for thousands of dollars on the secondary markets, but even so they were far cheaper than anything you could buy for the same match-up down in Oakland. Once again, fans were treated to a Curry brother rivalry as big brother Steph went head-to-head with his younger sibling Seth on this national stage. In game two Seth made some impressive steals and hit key shots. On this night, most would agree Steph made the bigger mark on the game.

Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

The Blazers led 66-53 at the half. They had played well and shown more poise than in game two where their early lead dwindled before the break. But Golden State has become known for their brutal third quarter runs. Would the Blazers be able to withstand the inevitable onslaught? After two quarters of play, improbably, Meyers Leonard was the Blazers’ high scorer. Was this a sustainable game plan? As we ponder this question, let’s have a look at the fans in the hallways during halftime.

This dude came ready to ball:


These two knew how to rep Rip City:


As mentioned, the arena was infected with a large number of warrior fans. It was probably an even split between those who had traveled up from the Bay Area for the game, and those who had moved here and refused to root for their new home team. This guy used to live in the Bay Area and now lives in Idaho:


And look, it’s Tres Shannon (right), founder of Voodoo Donuts. Always ahead of the curve, Tres wore a Meyers Leonard Jersey, somehow predicting the big man’s big impact on this night:


And now we get to the third quarter. Draymond Green provided the spark for the Warriors, pushing the ball ahead and showing grit and determination which had at times been absent from his game during the regular season. Without Durant on the floor, it appeared Green was ready to fill his role, and more. The Warriors took the lead late in the third and the Blazers struggled to find their mojo. The Blazers scored only 13 points during that fateful third quarter, a bad sign of things to come.

Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

For a brief moment early in the fourth, the Blazers tied the score and the fans urged them on, but even the Warriors bench guys were finding their shots on this night. When guys like Alfonzo McKinnie and Quinn Cook stick your team for key buckets down the the final stretch, you know you’ve got a problem. Lillard and McCollum, the excellent backcourt on whom the Blazers have relied so faithfully throughout this great season, seemed overwhelmed in the final minutes. They missed solid looks, and the defense faltered and just like the the game slipped out of reach.

Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

So now the Blazers are down 0-3 in a first-to-four series. No NBA team has ever come back from such a deficit. It would be just like this gutsy Blazers team to make a run at this record and turn the series into something worth watching, but it also seems likely that our guys have simply run out of gas. They’ve exceeded expectations time and again this season, and truly, no one expected them to make it this far. We all wanted this series to be more competitive, to further brighten Portland’s star in the NBA universe, but perhaps that wish was not to be. What remains now is a fight to prevent the dreaded four game sweep. The last time these teams met in the playoffs obnoxious Golden State fans brought brooms to game four at the Moda Center, and the warriors did indeed sweep them. On Monday night they will meet again for another game four with a sweep on the line. The Blazers mostly likely won’t win this series, but it would still be satisfying to prevent the sweep, maybe even take another game a draw it out to a six game series. That would still be something on which to hang one’s hat after all that Rip City has been through this year.

Seahawks in the house after the the game

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