1990-91 Blazers Cinderella Run Continues, 2001-02 Kings Await

1990 - 91年Trail Blazershave advanced to the Semifinal Round ofSB Nation’s bracket of the best NBA teams that came up just short of winning a title. The Blazers, who entered the field as the No. 6, remain as the clear underdog left in the competition (according to seeding).

Clyde Drexler and his crew of Rip City legends narrowly advanced past the 2011-12Thunder.SB Nation’s Mike Pradadiscussed the matchup, which included a tightly-contested seven-game simulation onWhatifSports. Regardless of losing their grip a 3-1 lead in the simulation, the fan vote pushed the Blazers over the top.

This is the most surprising result of the tournament so far.

I thought Portland was a bad matchup for the Thunder, since they had Jerome Kersey to bodyKevin Durant,Terry Porterto take advantage ofRussell Westbrook’s roaming, and a deep bench to account for James Harden. That’s why I picked Portland to win.

The simulation nearly agreed, but the Thunder rallied from 3-1 down to win the series.Durantcarried them to victory, dropping a 39-point, six-rebound, five-assist, four-block, four-steal line in Game 6 and a 30-6-8-4 line in Game 7.

我想最近雷爱carry OKC to victory in the fan vote, but boy was I wrong. I didn’t know the Blazers had so many admirers.

The Blazers face another tough task in this round as they cross paths with the 2001-02Kings. This matchup features a battle between two of coachRick Adelman’s best squads. Coincidentally, both teams suffered from the same fate nearly a decade apart: a heart-breaking loss to theLakersin the Western Conference Finals.

Voting is open until 7:00 AM PST on Thursday. You can access the entire Semifinal Round ballot byCLICKING HERE.