The Blazers lost to the Nuggets because they’re so much better

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum vs. “Little Buddy” and Austin Rivers

BY HENRY ABBOTT

The Nuggets might have Nikola Jokic. But they don’t have Jamal Murray or Will Barton—also known as their entire starting backcourt. Instead they rolled into the playoffs starting 30-year-old mini-rookie Facundo Campazzo and Austin Rivers, who has spent much of this season unemployed.

“We’re like the Statue of Liberty,” said Nuggets coach Mike Malone. “We take everybody.”

And they happened to draw the Blazers, a team that, more than any other in the NBA, is built around guards: Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. After Game 1, it looked like the disparity in talent might just be all that mattered.