Portland Trail Blazers Highlights to Get You Pumped Up for 2014-15 Season

The Portland Trail Blazers let loose a multitude of highlight plays last season, which fans can surely anticipate for the 2014-15 NBA season. Whether it was a certain game-winning, season-altering shot or an insane dunk, the players of Rip City can be counted on to do the same this season.

The Blazers' season won't officially start until October 29 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, so let's take a look at some of last season's best plays to kill the time. 

Let's get started. 

Damian Lillard's Three-Point Shooting

It's a rather pedestrian act on a game-to-game basis, but it deserves recognition nonetheless.

Damian Lillard has cemented his place among the best three-point shooters of the league, knocking down a total of 218 shots from long distance last season. He trailed just the “Splash Brothers” of the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, in total made threes for the year.

Looking forward to this season, Lillard will ultimately end up in a similar spot. His quick release and dead-eye aim make it difficult for opponents to close out and properly contest shots.

In doing so, Lillard will add to his already substantial career total from long range. Another season of similar production would launch the guard into the upper echelons of career NBA shooters. To be exact, Lillard would rank in the top 200 shooters in NBA history by the end of the season, in terms of career three-point field goals, if he continues at his current pace in just his third season.

Portland’s pick-and-roll offense frees up space for all the team’s shooters, but none will have a bigger impact than the point guard.

Portland's Three-Point Shooting

Just while we’re in the realm of three-point shooting, it seems appropriate to touch on the Blazers’ shooting as a team.

Last season, the Blazers set a franchise record by hitting 21 three-point shots in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 14. The video above, however, represents a repeat of the same achievement against the then-Charlotte Bobcats on January 2.

In doing so, Portland became the first team in NBA history to knock down 20 or more threes twice in a season.

Lillard might be the front-runner in terms of long-range shooting, but guys like Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum and Dorell Wright will get in on the action as well. Portland was tied for second in made threes per game last season at 9.4, converting on 37.2 percent.

Though the team lost guard Mo Williams in free agency, veteran shooter Steve Blake was signed to fill the void. Sophomore guard C.J. McCollum, who was unable to fully break into the rotation last season, will join the party as well.

As a whole, the Blazers have a multitude of shooters to deploy on offense this season. It’s far and away the team’s best weapon, which spaces the floor for LaMarcus Aldridge’s mid-range shooting or Matthews’ post-up play on smaller guards.

In any case, look for Portland to shoot the lights out all season long.

*The footage of the game against the 76ers can be found here.

Chris Kaman's Versatility off the Bench

In an effort to bolster the reserve unit, the Blazers added veteran big man Chris Kaman in free agency. Looking to next season, fans can look forward to his play off the bench.

Kaman had a shaky season with the Los Angeles Lakers last year, playing without a clear role under former head coach Mike D’Antoni. Per Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, Kaman said: "Obviously, I would have never came here if they had said, 'We're not going to play you at all.' I thought I had a good opportunity coming here."

Portland will use its new addition to the best of his abilities, as the reserve unit was extremely weak last season and ranked dead last in a number of major categories, per Hoops Stats.

The video above shows footage of Kaman’s monster game with the Lakers, putting up 28 points, 17 rebounds and six assists against the Phoenix Suns. The first minute displays the big man’s aptitude in the post as well as his mid-range shooting and passing.

In an offense that’s already quite potent, Kaman will fit right in. Whether he’s playing the pick-and-roll with Lillard or Batum, coming off a screen for a mid-range shot or taking the ball into the post, Portland fans can look forward to his contributions this season.

The Play of C.J. McCollum

After a shaky rookie season, C.J. McCollum can look forward to a fresh start and a new role this year.

After being selected No. 10 in the 2013 NBA draft, McCollum broke his left foot during practice. He went on to miss a large portion of the season, foregoing a crucial period to adapt and become integrated in the rotation.

He’s had no such setbacks thus far this season and is already showing what he’s capable of. McCollum is an able scorer and distributor and will work well as the eventual sixth man of the team. He has a terrific shooting touch and can handle the ball well, which are both staples of the Blazers offense.

The footage above is of McCollum’s 28-point game in the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League, where the guard went on to average 20.2 points on 47.9 percent shooting, which was good for No. 4 among all players.

As Lillard rests an injured ankle, McCollum got the starting nod from head coach Terry Stotts in a recent preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers on October 12. He chipped in 19 points and six assists in 26 minutes, helping lift the Blazers to a 119-114 win (highlights can be found here).

It’s still just the preseason, so the consistency of competition isn’t quite on par as the regular season, but it’s still notable to see McCollum play so well against NBA-level competition.

Last season was a disappointing start to his NBA career, but McCollum looks ready to put it behind him this season.

The Scoring of Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better guard-big duo with such a shooting touch.

Save for perhaps the Cleveland Cavaliers’ new twosome of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love or the Dallas Mavericks’ Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki, the Lillard-Aldridge combination is truly formidable offensively.

Lillard’s long-range stroke and nimble ball-handling complement Aldridge’s mid-range touch and post prowess so well, it’s genuinely a “pick your poison” situation for opposing defenses. There was a plethora of strong games from either player, but the above video represents the All-Star tandem going at it together.

Lillard scored 28 points on 5-of-10 shooting from long range, with Aldridge dropping 32 points and 18 rebounds in a 108-96 win over the Cavs on January 14.

The game in question had both players’ offensive abilities on full display, and the coming season will give plenty of opportunities for similar demonstrations. Portland’s two stars work very well off of each other, especially in pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop situations.

Lillard showed just how special an offensive player he was last season, especially during the postseason, and will likely receive a slightly larger portion of plays run for him this year.

Whatever the case may be when it comes to the Blazers’ offensive playbook, you can count on a few games with either or both dominating the competition.

The Clutch Gene of Damian Lillard

The “clutch gene” is an enigma to a certain extent. It can't be physically quantified and it may not even exist, but it just seems to be present in a number of NBA players. Few can be named into that elusive group, but Lillard has chiseled his name into the foundation after just two NBA seasons.

It’s arguably the last thing a coach wants to draw up at the end of the game, but players grow up dreaming of the chance to hoist up a shot as the buzzer sounds and net their team the W.

Over the course of last season, Lillard had many, many chances to do so for the Blazers, and in efficient fashion. Per NBA.com, Lillard shot 47.3 percent from the field and 44.2 percent from three-point range in the last five minutes of the game with the final margin within five points.

The most memorable shot came during the postseason, as Lillard knocked down a walk-off three to close out the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the first round. It won the Blazers their first playoff series since the 1999-00 season, back in the day when Portland was led by Rasheed Wallace and Scottie Pippen.

There’s sure to be a number of close games down the stretch this season, and while it’s uneasy to look forward to win-or-lose situations for the Blazers, it’s more so to marvel at Lillard’s relative ease when closing out games.

Not every attempt will be a game-winner, but each will push Portland closer to snatching another win courtesy of its young point guard.