The Portland Trail Blazers excelled in last season’s NBA Playoffs due in no small part to the fact they avoided bad matchups and lined themselves up for a collision course with the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
Not only did avoiding some bad matchups help carry the Blazers through the first two rounds, it also helped bolster their marketability and social media presence by playing in triplet of a very exciting series. Battling it out against two division rivals — one of which led by a rival superstar guard and the other considered one of the best up-and-coming teams in the NBA — certainly helped bolster the team’s national profile.