PORTLAND, Ore. -- There are no asterisks in the NBA postseason -- not for abbreviated seasons, and not for series wins over short-handed teams missing two All-Stars. Coaches and players sound this trope all the time: It's so hard to win in the NBA. Hard to win a game, hard to win a series, hard to win a title.
So please excuse the Portland Trail Blazers if they see their 106-103 Game 6 closeout win over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Moda Center on Friday night not as a fluke born out of Chris Paul's fractured hand or Blake Griffin's aggravated quad injury, but as a logical extension of a seasonlong process.