Between my nosebleed seat ticket, hotel and other incidentals, I spent about $500 this weekend to attend Game 3 of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Finals between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. Some would consider this kind of expense for one game extravagant and possibly a little crazy, but I did not blink at paying it. This was the Blazers’ first trip to the conference finals since 2000, and their opponent was the Warriors, whose championship dynasty could possibly be concluding this year if rumors surrounding Kevin Durant and other members of the team turn out to be true. This was history, and I wanted to be there to see it.
As it turned out, the game was something of a repeat of Game 2 in Oakland, when the Blazers came out swinging, took a double-digit lead into halftime, and then succumbed to a Warriors second-half onslaught. This game, if anything, was even more decisive, with the 110-99 victory not really in doubt for the last few minutes. For all of the rightful attention on Stephen Curry’s shooting or Draymond Green’s all-around play, the Dubs truly won this game on defense, holding the Blazers to 13 points in the third quarter and 33 for the half. It was almost as if Dubs had deliberately let the Blazers and their fans build up hope just to shut it down as casually as turning off a tap. It certainly felt that way sitting in the crowd, which got very quiet late in the game except for isolated screams of frustration whenever Steph hit another three. It was an awesome performance, regardless of which team was your rooting interest.
Further analysis can come later. For now, I will let my pictures speak for themselves.
