The Portland Trail Blazers are in the Western Conference finals for the third year in a row, and they've never played better since they emerged as an NBA power in the 1989-90 season.
"They have the characteristics and quality of a championship team," Phoenix playmaker Kevin Johnson said after the Blazers eliminated the Suns from the playoffs 118-106 Thursday night.Portland coach Rick Adelman says the Blazers are better than they were two years ago, when they made a surprise appearance in the NBA Finals, and last year, when they won 63 regular-season games but were upset by the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs.
"We came on the scene so quickly three years ago that everbody thinks that it's really easy to get to the finals," he said. "We're getting better each year. The guys are playing more together. We have guys who are raising their games. We have more ways we can go at people.
"We're much more experienced and know what we have to go through."
Portland has little time to savor its win. The Blazers open the Western Conference finals at home Saturday against Utah.
"I understand the reason. TV is the reason," Adelman said. "But it makes no sense to me. If you're going to the Western Conference finals, why would you only have 36 hours to get ready for the first game?"
Phoenix coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, who is moving to the front office as player personnel director next season, said the Jazz are in for a tough battle against the Blazers.
"They remind me of the early '80s with the Lakers," he said. "They're so explosive."
Winning in five games against the potent Phoenix team was unexpected.
"I really didn't think it would be 4-1," Adelman said. "Four-one is very misleading in this series. They played us tough every game."
One reason for the Portland victory, Adelman said, was hustle, particularly by Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey and Cliff Robinson.
"The hustle plays that Jerome and Clyde and Cliff made were incredible," Adelman said. "We just talked about the game today and one thing they all agreed on was that we will not be outhustled."
Portland's backcourt continued the dominance it showed throughout the series. Drexler scored 34 points Thursday and averaged 31.4 points per game in the series. Terry Porter, who got the best of Johnson in the battle of point guards, averaged 25.8 points per game, scoring 20 Thursday.
Kersey also continued his strong playoff performance with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals.
And, throughout the series, Portland repeatedly did what it had to do down the stretch to win.
In Game 5, the Blazers trailed only once, 43-42 midway through the second quarter, and led by as many as 16 early in the third period.
The Suns, playing their final game under retiring coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, closed to 97-94 on Tom Chambers' fast-break basket with 10 minutes to play. Portland scored the next eight points to pull ahead 105-94, and the Suns got no closer than nine again.
"That stretch was the backbreaker," Adelman said. "They worked very hard to get back to three, but I think they kind of wore out after that. Once we had a couple of baskets, I think that was it."
Tim Perry and Tom Chambers scored 19 apiece for the Suns.
Johnson, bothered by a sore groin muscle, was held to 12 points and six assists, and Hornacek scored 16 points for Phoenix. Johnson was scoreless at the half.
The game was the most one-sided of the series and marked the end of Fitzsimmons' coaching career in Phoenix. Assistant Paul Westphal will take over as head coach.
"I have no regrets," said Fitzsimmons, who never made it to the NBA Finals in 19 seasons as a head coach. "I don't look back very much. I look forward. I look forward to trying to improve this team."
For two quarters, both teams continued the hot shooting they displayed in Game 4, when Portland won 153-151 in double overtime in the highest scoring playoff game in NBA history.
In the first half, the Blazers shot 63 percent, Phoenix 52 percent.