The second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs has been chaotic.
Teams like the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers are giving up 20-point leads like Halloween candy. The Boston Celtics are coughing up late-game leads like they’re allergic to them. Stephen Curry’s injury status now reads “at least 1 week,” which, let’s be honest, feels like Warriors PR playing Jimmy Butler-esque defense.
Make no mistake, though…this has been fun. Real fun. The kind of basketball that even a fanbase without a playoff stake can sink into.
In other words, this is for the everyday NBA fan. And as it turns out, the Portland Trail Blazers, in particular, have their fingerprints all over the remaining bracket.
Boston Celtics (Payton Pritchard)
Payton Pritchard isn’t just a reason to keep the Boston Celtics on in the background. He’s the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year and someone who represents Oregon Ducks fans in a major way.
If you’re not a Duck—perhaps you’re a Beaver—Pritchard should still make you feel good about the state. The West Linn product isn’t just the scrappy end-of-bench guy anymore; he’s become a real part of Boston’s rotation, he’s a trusted second-unit playmaker, and he’s also a big-moment shot-maker.
His Celtics are in serious trouble, headed to New York down 0-2. But Pritchard’s development into a playoff contributor feels like a small win for hoops fans all across the state, even if things don’t end well for Boston.
New York Knicks (Josh Hart)
There’s a bit of irony in that Josh Hart is the exact type of player Rip City has always loved and would unconditionally love today. But his departure from Portland was part of a bigger picture, and while the Trail Blazers’ picture is still unpixelating, the Knicks’ is looking clearer by the game.
With the Knicks now up 2-0 in a series they entered as underdogs, it’s not wild to picture this team not just advancing but representing the East in the Finals. Hart has been a huge part of that. He’s a rebounding machine, he’s coming up with clutch plays that don’t always involve scoring, and broadcasters (in particular, Reggie Miller) are gushing when he makes plays they remember once making themselves.
Of course, it still stings that Hart didn’t get a longer run in Portland. (I would’ve written the same thing about Norman Powell if his LA Clippers were still in the playoffs.) Hart was the guy Blazers fans immediately loved. He was relentless, gritty, and he was a stat-padding mast in the most substantial, non-potato-chip-calorie way imaginable.
Now, he’s doing everything in New York, on a bigger stage, and he’s doing it up 2-0 as an “underdog” in the second round.
Hart has become the heartbeat of a Knicks team that refuses to be out-toughed. Watching Hart fly in for a second…and third-chance rebound or take a charge against a power forward twice his size? That’s basketball poetry, and Blazers fans can at least feel good knowing he’s loved and appreciated by Knicks fans in NYC.
Denver Nuggets (David Adelman)
You’ve heard the last name. Now you’re hearing it more and more as David Adelman earns serious buzz as the NBA’s next head coaching hire.
The Denver Nuggets’ recent assistant now-turned head coach has been on the short list of “future head coaches” for years. Nobody expected he’d get his opportunity weeks before the 2025 playoffs after Denver shockingly fired Michael Malone, but he’s out to prove he’s not just an interim head coach, and he’s doing a good job, headed back to Denver tied 1-1 against OKC in the second round.
Adelman’s connection to Portland, of course, is obvious if you’re familiar with the team’s history. His father, Rick Adelman, led maybe the most beloved Blazers squads in franchise history. And maybe the most successful stretches in team history, despite never capturing a title.
The younger Adelman’s voice is becoming increasingly loud and authoritative in Denver’s huddles, and if they can recapture their 2023 title, he will instantly enter Nuggets legend status.
There’s something beautiful about seeing the Adelman legacy thrive in the playoffs, even if it’s coming in navy and gold instead of red and black. I’ll take that if the Nuggets end up doing the unthinkable.
Oklahoma City Thunder (Chet Holmgren)
OK, this one’s a little looser. But Blazers fans often claim Pacific Northwest basketball as a whole, and Chet Holmgren’s run with the Thunder is worth your attention.
The former Gonzaga unicorn is getting his first taste of playoff basketball and has held his own, blocking shots, altering everything at the rim, and stepping into pick-and-pop threes like it’s Spokane all over again.
It’s especially nice seeing him do this after sustaining such a devastating early-season injury and bouncing back to be a major contributor on the league’s premier contender.
If you’re rooting more for vibes and potential than for local loyalty, the Thunder are as fun as it gets. It also, honestly, doesn’t hurt that OKC dropped Game 1 to add a bit of drama to their season. Before that, it was looking like they’ve avoided all drama all the way, which would’ve put a damper on all the crunch-time classics we’re already seeing in Round 2.
Golden State Warriors (Terry Stots)
He’s back. Sort of.
Terry Stotts is currently serving as an offensive consultant for the Warriors, helping Golden State clean up some of the late-clock chaos that plagued them early in the season. And now, with Curry hobbled, they’re going to need all the tactical firepower they can muster.
While it’s not the head coaching gig many Blazers fans still believe he deserves (and his departure from Milwaukee right after Damian Lillard arrived is still a bummer to say the least), seeing Stotts on TNT broadcasts sitting next to Steve Kerr offers a strange sense of comfort.
The Warriors suddenly look like major underdogs with Steph’s injury, but should the Warriors do the unthinkable and win it all, Stotts getting a ring would be something Blazers fans could smile at…at least for a minute.
Honorable Mention
Minnesota Timberwolves (Joe Ingles)
Joe Ingles was once traded to the Blazers, which you may or may not remember. He never suited up. He was injured and was acquired strictly for salary-matching purposes.
But hey, if you want to claim him as a “Blazers alum,” you have the receipts to back it up. He was here. He was on the sidelines. And he, like all former Trail Blazers not named Raymond Felton (and some others), is a Forever Trail Blazers.
Ingles is now a locker room sage in Minnesota, occasionally hitting corner threes and making one pass per game that gets the nerdier corners of NBA Twitter riled up. If the Wolves win the title, the Blazers will no doubt shout him out on social platforms. That’s a small win for Rip City this spring. But Portland would take it and honor the legend himself, Jingles.
