Dub Nation Rooting Guide #8: Denver Nuggets (3) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (6). & Open Thread
The Battle of the Warriors Victims
Quick Heads-Up
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Denver Nuggets
Ex-Warriors
Bol Bol. Child of Warriors legend Manute Bol.
JaVale McGee. We had some good times on the Warriors, didn’t we? JaVale got to rehabilitate his image, the Warriors got the funnest alley-oop target in the league.
Warriors Villains
No one is a real villain.
Petty Rivalries
Austin Rivers. Part of the rivals Lob City Clippers and also the 2019 Rockets team, this guy has been part of some pretty hateable teams. But, he also got into a feud with Chris Paul that got so red-hot that CP3 ended up assembling a militia to storm Austin Rivers and friends in their locker through a secret tunnel. Then they had to play together on the 2019 Rockets. Haha, isn’t the enemy of my enemy a friend? If that wasn’t enough, after many seasons of on-court physical annoying defense, Austin and Stephen Curry ended up as co-brothers-in-law, details at (subs only) Explain One Play: Stephen Curry Family Feud with Austin Rivers.
Facundo Campazzo. The rare defender that got Stephen Curry talking trash. His tough, physical, rule-defying wrestling earned the hostility and grudging respect from Steph.
Nikola Jokic. The dazzling playmaker who plays like a guy at the YMCA made a deal with the devil, he will probably beat out Steph Curry for MVP.
Team Grudges
DEN has played GSW surprisingly tough in the Dynasty years, but this year the tables were turned, as GSW dealt out devastating wins. I mean devastating in that DEN lost Jamal Murray in a GSW game. DEN fans were crying in desperation to avoid GSW in the playoffs, both for the bad matchup and for the injury bad luck.
Portland Trail Blazers
Ex-Warriors
None.
Friends
Damian Lillard is popular in Dub Nation, even getting elected last year as a Honorary Warrior For Life. He’s been a rival to Steph for king long-distance shooter and he gets used as a prop to diminish Steph, but ultimately, as I wrote:
Dame was born in Oakland, is proud to represent it, and he returns often for charity functions. His amazing peak performances and Oakland connections gather admiration, and he was one of the pioneers with Stephen Curry of the long-range three-pointer.
Conveniently, his Blazers have gone 0-3 against the Dubs, losing in 2016, 2017 and 2019 so few bitter feelings have developed from Dub Nation, and Lillard has refrained from trash-talking the Warriors in the press despite it all.
In fact, he has led stunning upset playoff victories over the most annoying Warriors rivals: James Harden’s Houston Rockets (2014), Chris Paul’s and Blake Griffin’s LA Clippers (2016) and Russell Westbrook’s OKC Thunder (2019).
He’s irritated Dub Nation since then, most recently saying Steph wasn’t an MVP candidate because he himself had been dismissed, and then early in the season, he said Steph was getting harder looks because his team was injured and young. Which was kind of obvious, but in those early days of the season, there was a (idiotic) prevalent storyline that Steph Curry had been old and decrepit for years and only KD kept him relevant, so Dub Nation did not listen to that with friendly ears.
Warriors Villains
No one rises to the level of a Villain.
Petty Rivalries
Zach Collins. The turd in a mostly likable team punchbowl, this guy uses every minute he can on court to irritate the Warriors. The rare guy that got Klay Thompson angry. If he played more minutes in more games against GSW, he might end up a villain, but he’s been injured for most of two seasons.
Enes Kanter. Known as one of the more strident KD critics after he left Kanter’s OKC team.
CJ McCollum. Had Dynasty-era KD on a podcast and then kept stirring the pot on Twitter.
Team Grudges
As mentioned, POR keeps losing to GSW, so you’ve got a whole “I Don’t Even Know You Are” vibe.
… so, who are you rooting for?
I’d accept either of these teams winning the championship over any of the favorites. Slight edge for DEN, figuring they’ll have a better chance to take down the mercenary super-teams.
If Mavericks put to bed Clippers tonight, can we have Jerry West back in the Bay? Maybe to lead our FO before the draft?
I really thought Lillard and Blazers would pull the upset off. No doubt Dame and company played their hearts out. Methinks the coaching let them down; can't believe there was zero adjustment when they were up 14 in the 3rd and the momentum shifted; not even a timeout...
Have to be content with the Lollakers ousting...Broke my heart to see another LBJ mercenary team bite the dust; should have consulted with Gentry to find out how difficult/frustrating it was to keep a healthy Davis on the court all those years in New Orleans. Dang those HOMEGROWN-core Warriors led by ET Cury who robbed him of the 6-ring legacy he desperately sought...Looks like Nets-Bucks is going to be bigger than the East Conference Tittle Series, and, for all practical purposes, even bigger than the NBA Finals Series. Methinks only the Giannis-led team can stop the HARDEN/KD/IRVING Mercenary team from winning the title it was built for..