Facing The Suns In The Play-In Tournament On The Blazers Balcony, Episde 164
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The Blazers Balcony hosts Rob Will, Brooke Olsendam, and Casey Holdall recap the Portland Trailblazers' dramatic 2025-26 season, culminating in an 8th-place finish in the Western Conference and a spot in the 2026 SoFi Play-In Tournament. After a season marked by resilience, coaching changes, and key injuries, the Blazers finished with a 42-40 record—matching their best win total since 2021—and secured the tiebreaker over the LA Clippers via a better conference record. Their late-season surge, including wins over the Clippers and Kings, showcased significant growth, particularly in defensive discipline and mental toughness. The team now faces the Phoenix Suns in a winner-takes-all game in Phoenix, with the winner earning the 7th seed and a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, while the loser hosts the 9-10 winner at Moda Center. The hosts express excitement about the team’s cohesion, youth, and improved play, especially from players like Timonik Mara, Drew Holiday, and Donovan Klingon, while acknowledging the lack of playoff experience across the roster. They also reflect on the emotional weight of the moment, the end of a long playoff drought, and the bittersweet reality that local broadcasts won’t cover the postseason anymore. The episode closes with a lighthearted digression on reality TV scandals, contrasting the current buzz with past cultural moments like Scandavalt.
The Blazers secured the 8th seed with a 42-40 record, ending a four-year playoff drought.
The team showed significant growth late in the season, especially in defensive focus and mental toughness.
Timonik Mara played every game this season—earning the nickname 'Belgian Ironman'—a rare feat in modern NBA.
The Blazers must win their Play-In game against the Suns in Phoenix to advance to the postseason.
If they lose in Phoenix, they’ll host the 9-10 winner at Moda Center on Friday, giving them a second chance.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Season Wrap-Up and Play-In Path
“The Blazers, if they win that game, I mean... If you were like, hey, the Blazers are going to finish the season seventh and make the postseason. That would be in if you told me at the beginning of the year, I'd be like, boy, that's a great season for this team.”
Team Growth and Mental Toughness
“They've had a response immediately. A lot of those times were, speaking of Drew, Drew Holiday going like, okay, well we got to get a big bucket here. And he did hit a shot and not just him, but I feel like he did it that more than others at that, at those times.”
The Play-In Matchup: Blazers vs. Suns
“I think if you're Portland, you're you, that's definitely like one of the things you're like, boy, if we can kind of jump on them early, maybe we can, they can kind of get out and, and give ourselves a good chance to, to get that one.”
Player Performances and Bench Impact
The hosts praise the Blazers’ bench depth, spotlighting Chris Murray’s consistency, Rob Williams’ shot-blocking dominance, and Shaden Sharp’s return as a scoring threat. They also highlight Donovan Klingon’s defensive impact and offensive growth, calling him a cornerstone of the franchise.
The Challenge of Inexperience
The hosts reflect on the Blazers’ lack of playoff experience, noting only Drew Holiday and Rob Williams have prior postseason experience. They discuss how the team’s recent high-stakes games have served as de facto playoff prep and question how the young roster will handle the pressure of their first real postseason test.
“The Blazers, if they win that game, I mean... If you were like, hey, the Blazers are going to finish the season seventh and make the postseason. That would be in if you told me at the beginning of the year, I'd be like, boy, that's a great season for this team.”
“They've had a response immediately. A lot of those times were, speaking of Drew, Drew Holiday going like, okay, well we got to get a big bucket here. And he did hit a shot and not just him, but I feel like he did it that more than others at that, at those times.”
“It's just possible. It's just possible. It's sports. Anything can happen.”
Hosts
Guest
Portland Trailblazers
other
Casey Holdall
person
Brooke Olsendam
person
Phoenix Suns
other
Timonik Mara
person
LA Clippers
other
Drew Holiday
person
Donovan Klingon
person
Rob Will
person
Devin Booker
person
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