ed davis

Casey Holdahl

Before the first round of the Western Conference playoffs even started, many who cover the NBA couldn't help but discuss how exciting a second round matchup between the Clippers and Warriors would be. Sure, there was still the little matter of the Portland Trail Blazers facing the Clippers in the four-five first round series, but to them, Los Angeles moving on was nothing short of an inevitability.

Though nobody bothered to tell the Trail Blazers that. Actually, they did, they just didn't care to listen. In a season in which their quality had been doubted well before training camp, hearing their chances of advancing to the second round of the playoffs dismissed before a single second of postseason basketball had been played was nothing new. And in some ways, it was probably expected.

"The same people who said that are the same people who predicted us to be last, so that really doesn’t mean nothing to us," said Ed Davis. "We could use it as motivation, but this late in the year, with what we’ve got at stake, we don’t really need bulletin board material. We’re motivated enough. People gonna talk man -- that’s their job -- but we just focus on us and we come ready to play."

Which is what they've done in their last two games at the Moda Center. After starting the series by losing the first two games by an average of 20.5 points, the Trail Blazers have taken Games Three and Four at the Moda Center to tie the series at 2-2. Winning a game at Staples Center, which they'll have to do eventually if they're to advance to the second round, seemed all but impossible a few days ago, but with the way the Trail Blazers played in the last two games, one has to wonder if some are rethinking the notion that the Clippers would be a shoe-in to meet the Warriors come the Western Conference semifinals.

"We don’t care what they say," said Damian Lillard. "They’re they. They didn’t expect us to make the playoffs, so why would they expect us to come in the playoffs and beat the Clippers? That’s just the way it is, they expect the Clippers to be that team that advances. We’ve heard the talk, we’ve watched TV and seen them talking about the second round series that isn’t here yet, but we stayed here. We know that they still have a series with us. I said before the series started that it’s not going to be easy, we not going to come out here and lay down and say, ‘Hey, we wasn’t supposed to make it but we did.’ We’re here to compete, we’re here to win and that hasn’t stopped."

In fact, it's probably picked up momentum, especially with important Clippers experiencing multiple significant injuries, including point guard and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul, who suffered a fractured bone in his right hand in the third quarter of Game Three. With Paul likely out, not to mention Blake Griffin battle a quad injury and JJ Redick dealing with the effects of a bruised heel, and the series tied, the notion that Portland was a road apple on L.A.'s path to the second round seems specious.

"We don’t listen to they, block them out," said CJ McCollum. "You’ve got to go play your game, you’ve got to control what you can control. Winning home games is big and now we’ve got a tough road game coming up. Game Five, we need to be ready to play. We can’t listen to what everybody else is saying, it’s just white noise. We’ve just got to stick together, stay as a unit and trust the process."

Even after winning Game Three, there were some that wondered if perhaps the Trail Blazers, a team that next-to-nobody picked to make the playoffs at the start of the 2015-16 season, would be satisfied enough in avoiding a sweep. And four months ago, that might not have been an outlandish assumption, even if none of the players nor coaches would admit it. But times have changed, and so too have the Trail Blazers' metric of what constitutes success.

"I’d say earlier in the year, we were happy just to be fighting for the playoffs," said Davis. "This league is all about confidence. As you get better, players start to play well, you get more comfortable and coach starts to get more comfortable with the players. Our mindset changed throughout the year. Coming into this series we felt like we had a good chance to win. It’s the four-five so it’s not like it’s the one-eight where we’re these big underdogs. There’s still three games left, could be two, and we’re going to fight and give it our all. Win or lose, we’re going to fight."

Not only is Paul likely out for the series, but Warriors point guard and reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry will miss at least the next two weeks with a MCL sprain, so either the Trail Blazers or Clippers will be taking face a shorthanded Golden State squad, at least for the first few games, in the second round. That would still be an incredibly daunting task for the Trail Blazers should they somehow manage to prove the experts wrong once again by beating the Clippers, but one thing is for sure: they won't be happy just getting there.

"Sixteen teams make the playoffs, and I would be really surprised if any of those teams, whether the one-seed or the eight-seed, was here to say, ‘We know we’re not going to win the championship but we just want to compete,’" said Lillard. "That’s not what it is. You’re here to go after it. You never know, anything can happen. We’re going to put our best foot forward until somebody takes us out."

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Despite What They Say, Just Getting To The Playoffs Was Never Enough For These Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers held shootaround in Los Angeles Wednesday morning in preparation for Game Two versus the Clippers tonight at Staples Center (tipoff scheduled for 7:30 pm on KGW, TNT and 620 AM). Some notes from the last few days of practice...

• Though no one outside of Gerald Henderson shot particularly well in Portland's Game One loss on Sunday, much of the discussion in the run up to Game Two has revolved around what adjustments would be made to help Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum get going offensively after combining to shoot 10-of-28 from the field. The Trail Blazers backcourt was stymied by a swarming Clippers defense that employed well-executed traps on pick and roll sets in Game One, and the consensus seems to be that if they're to steal away homecourt advantage in Game Two, Portland will need to figure out a way to counteract those traps.

"The first game we had a lot of opportunities, we got some open shots, they gave our pick and rolls a lot of attention," said Lillard. "We know that guys are going to get open looks, we looked at some things to help myself and CJ get freed up. We go out there and see what the adjustments look like against what they do."

It's not as if the Trail Blazers haven't faced these kind of tactics before. Plenty of teams have tried to force the ball out of Lillard and McCollum's hands, with varying degrees of success. But what made the approach so effective for the Clippers Sunday night was that Portland's supporting cast weren't able to make L.A. pay for double teaming the backcourt by hitting shots, especially from three.

"Dallas did it," said McCollum. "I think (Al-Farouq Aminu) got, what, 13, 14 three-point attempts in Dallas? So some teams have done it throughout the season, I figured they would. Other guys got to step up and make shots and be aggressive and once we get the ball in the middle of the court we’ve got to be decisive in our decision-making."

Considering that Aminu and Maurice Harkless, the two players most responsible for generating their own offense when teams key in on Lillard and McCollum, combined to shoot just 3-of-13 on uncontested field goal attempts in Game One, the best adjustment the Trail Blazers could make going into Game Two would be to simply shoot closer to their season averages on open looks.

"Other teams have done it before and it worked (for Portland)," said Aminu. "I hit the shots and it opened everything up and we was able to win some games like that. So I know that it’s vital for me to keep the pressure on them so they just can’t double our guards like that."

• On Tuesday, the league announced that Clippers reserve guard Jamal Crawford had won the 2016 Sixth Man of the Year award for the third time in his career. Crawford, in his 16th season, averaged 14.2 points and 2.3 assists in just under 29 minutes per game this season, helping the Clippers win 53 games while finishing fourth in the Western Conference.

And while he obviously didn't win, Trail Blazers center Ed Davis did manage to get one first-place vote, five second-place votes and one third-place vote to finish eighth in Sixth Man voting.

"Coming off the bench, it’s tougher than people think because sometimes the game is moving so fast," said Davis, who appeared in 81 games, all off the bench, for the Blazers this season. "You’re thrown out there and the other team might be on a 10-0 run or your team might be on a 10-0 run and as soon as you get out there, the game might change. Coming off the bench, the main thing, you just want to be consistent. Me personally, that’s what I try to be every night, bring the same thing, the same energy, the same everything so the team knows what they get out of me."

While some measures rank the 6-10 center as one of the most efficient offensive players in the league, Davis' averages of 6.5 points and 7.4 rebounds in 20.8 minutes per game are not the kind of statistics that tend to draw in awards voters, so finishing eighth, mostly behind players known for their ability to score off the bench, is still rather impressive.

"Most the people that do get the award, they’re definitely taking a lot of shots," said Davis. "Usually guys like me don’t win the award, but it don’t make really no difference to get the award or not. Obviously it’s a great award to have but I’m not gonna lose no sleep over it if I got it or if I didn’t get it. Props to Jamal Crawford for getting it for the third time. That’s history and that says a lot about him."

And Davis' reaction says a lot about him. While he enjoys adoration as much as the next guy, awards are not what drives the veteran big in his sixth season out of North Carolina. After floating around the league over the last few seasons, Davis has found a spot where he fits in Portland, which is good enough for him.

"Honestly, I really don’t care," said Davis of not winning Sixth Man. "I’m happy with my situation, I’m happy with the money I make. I’m cool. The award didn’t come my way, I’m not tripping over it."

Not the case, said Lillard at shootaround on Wednesday. It's not that he's avoiding Twitter, he just hasn't had anything Tweet-worthy to post over the last few days in Los Angeles.

"Ain’t got nothing to say!" said Lillard. "I just haven’t been on it, don’t really have a reason. I ain’t a believer in getting off social media and all that stuff. I’m gonna live my life and be who I am. It hasn’t been on purpose, I’ve been on Instagram, been on Snapchat, but I just haven’t tweeted anything."

A quick scroll through Lillard's account shows that, while he usually posts at least a few tweets a day, it's not uncommon for him to go for a few days every now and then without updating his 995,000 followers regarding his where he's at and what he's doing. So in this case, it's merely a coincidence that his most recent dry spell on Twitter just happens to coincide with the first round of the playoffs.

"I don’t believe in all the, ‘It’s playoff time, I’m not going on Twitter’ and all of that," said Lillard. "It ain’t gonna make me make or miss a shot getting on Twitter."

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Easy Adjustments, Davis 'Cool' With Not Winning Sixth Man And Lillard Isn't Avoiding Twitter

The Portland Trail Blazers know they're going to have to be their absolute best to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the 2016 Western Conference playoffs. The Clippers have home-court advantage, took the season series 3-1, won nine more games than the Trail Blazers and have a more veteran team with five-times the playoff experience. And when you compare the two teams, one could argue Portland doesn't have have a significant advantage at any position, if they have an advantage at all.

But there is a sincere belief among Portland's players and coaches that they can beat the Clippers in a best-of-seven series. They'll have to get contributions from the entire roster, take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way and maybe even get a little bit lucky. And perhaps most importantly, they'll need to get nasty.

"I think it’s going to be a tough series," said Trail Blazers center Ed Davis. "At times, it’s going to get ugly. That’s playoff basketball, but it’s going to be a tough series for both teams. They’ve got a lot of stuff going on, we’ve got a lot of stuff going on and I think we’re going to have to make it ugly for us to win anyway, so that’s what we’re going to have to do."

Davis wouldn't elaborate on exactly what making it "ugly" means, answering the followup question with an ominous "You'll see." But if you've watched much playoff basketball, you've probably got a sense for what Davis is talking about. Playing physical defense on every possession, never giving up an easy basket, making your presence felt on both ends of the floor, scraping and clawing for every loose ball, an elbow here, a forearm there. It falls short of being dirty, but it is more than being competitive.

"We’re going to have to be a grimier team," said Damian Lillard. "(The Clippers) play that type of game and if we want to this this series, let alone win a game, we’re going to have to play that way as well. We’ve got to junk the game up and let them know we’re here to compete. It’s not going to be one of those series where you come out and it’s a tuneup for the next round."

The increased intensity that comes with knowing the ever play could be the difference between advancing to the next round and starting your offseason coupled with matching up against the same team up to seven games in a row tends to make a playoff series a bit contentious. Given that, there can be a compulsion to cross the fine line that separates playing "ugly" and/or "grimy" from all out hooliganism when the stakes are high, but the Trail Blazers will need to play on that edge if they're to overcome the Clippers' advantages.

"I want us to play well, whatever it takes to play well," said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. "By nature of the NBA playoffs, they get emotional, they get chippy. That’s part of it. It will happen. You’ve got to be able to play through it intelligently without backing down. That’s going to be one of our challenges throughout the playoffs."

The Trail Blazers are going to have to be much more than ugly if they're going to win just their second playoff series in the last 15 years. They'll have to shoot well from the perimeter, win the battle on the offensive glass and figure out a way to get at least a few easy looks a game against one of the best defenses in the NBA. But if they can do those things, and then some, while uglying up the game, the Trail Blazers can put themselves in position to do something beautiful.

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Trail Blazers Ready To Get Ugly And Grimy In Game One

PORTLAND -- It's probably too early in the season to spend much time scoreboard watching with an eye on the the Western Conference standings. But after the Trail Blazers' 112-97 victory versus the Kings in front of a sellout crowd of 19,390 Tuesday night at the Moda Center, there's nothing wrong with pointing out the obvious: If the playoff started today, the Trail Blazers would be in.

"It sounds good today," said Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard of Portland's current standing in the West. "Everybody in here would like to stay in that spot, maybe move up. We've just got to stick with it. You can't act like we made the playoffs just because if it started today we'd be in."

Tuesday night's win moved the Trail Blazers into the 8th spot in the West with a 21-26 record overall and a 12-10 mark at home this season. The win is Portland's fourth-straight versus the Kings and their fifth consecutive home win.

Tuesday's game was a close affair through the first half. Portland build a seven-point lead in the first quarter and a nine-point lead in the second, though Sacramento was always able to answer. It was until late in the third quarter that the Trail Blazers were able to extend their lead to double digits. Portland outscored Sacramento 14-7 in the final 3:19 of the third to take a 14-point lead into the fourth. From there, Portland would extend their lead to as many as 22 before winning by 15 against a team that was obviously gassed after losing in double overtime the night before.

"We started off pretty strong," said CJ McCollum. "I think defensively we had a really good second quarter, kept them under 100 for our defensive rating for the quarter. We knew as the game wore on they'd be a little more tired. Cousins had a heavy load in that double overtime, so wanted to try run them as much as we could after we got stops. I think, down the stretch, we did a better job of getting stops and getting easy baskets."

The Trail Blazers had seven players finish in double figures Tuesday night for the first time this season. McCollum led the way with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field , five assists and a rebound in 29 minutes. Lillard, who assisted on seven of Portland's first 10 field goals, finished with 15 points, a career-high tying 13 assists and five rebounds in just under 33 minutes.

While the backcourt led the team in scoring, it was Portland's big man platoon that made the biggest difference Tuesday night. Along with holding Kings center DeMarcus Cousins to his worst shooting night of the season (17 points on 4-of-21 shooting), Portland's power forwards and centers combined to score 41 of Portland's 112 points.

"Our bigs did a great job," said Lillard. "They played physical from the jump. They took the challenge... We have to give a lot of credit to our bigs for how physical they played. They challenged shots, they took fouls when they needed to. They just did a great job and that gave us a chance to win."

Mason Plumlee finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 22 minutes, Noah Vonleh had one of his best performance in the NBA with 10 points, seven assists and a career-high tying two blocks in 22 minutes. Ed Davis went 4-of-5 from the field to finished with 11 points and four rebounds. And Meyers Leonard played 24 minutes, with much of that time spent fighting in the block with Cousins, to finish with nine points and seven rebounds.

"(Cousins) is a very good player, able to score in many ways – down on the block, on the perimeter, etcetera," said Leonard. "But I thought for the most part, I did a good job on him and the rest of the guys did a good job on him – the guards digging, double team schemes a couple times, so we were really locked in to what we needed to do tonight and it was just a great team effort."

Cousins was reluctant to give Leonard and the Trail Blazers the credit for his poor shooting night after scoring a combined 104 points in the previous two games before Tuesday's loss.

"I could tell what their scheme was: to try to frustrate me," said Cousins. "Leonard took advantage of the situation a little bit more. If you want to credit them, go ahead. A lot of shots didn’t fall. I don’t feel like we had a good flow offensively. There’s a lot of factors there. Even with that being said, early in the game, I thought we had a good chance to pull in a win. We just didn’t."

Portland got stellar production from their reserve wings Tuesday night as well, with Gerald Henderson scoring 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting and Allen Crabbe adding 13 points and three rebounds on 27 minutes.

Kings point guard Rajon Rondo finished with 15 points and 11 assists and rookie Willie Cauley-Stein added 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.

Next up, the Trail Blazers continue their longest homestand of the season by hosting Nicolas Batum at the Charlotte Hornets Friday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 pm.

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Trail Blazers Move To 8th, Extend Win Streak Versus Kings

After getting all but run out of the gym in their first two games playing without Damian Lillard, who's been out since the loss to the Heat in Miami due to plantar fasciitis, the Trail Blazers seem to have found their footing in their two most recent games. One could write off blowing out the Cavaliers at the Moda Center on the day after Christmas as a fluke, though after beating the Kings the next night in Sacramento, it's reasonable to believe the Trail Blazers are successfully applying a few things they've learned during Lillard's absence.

"I was probably more excited than anybody else because we struggled for a second and (then) it was two huge wins," said Lillard after practice Tuesday afternoon. "Now we’re right outside of the playoffs. It’s funny that we are. I hope we continue to win. We’ve had different guys stepping up. Last game CJ played a great game, so I hope we can continue that. The more we win, the more I can be careful with my foot."

While it's surely been comforting for Lillard and the coaching staff to see the team play well without their only returning starter from last season, there's no doubt that Portland's chances of winning on a night-to-night basis are improved dramatically when their all-star point guard is the court. Which is why the question everyone wanted to ask at the first Trail Blazers practice at their facility in Tualatin in weeks was whether or not Lillard would be available for Wednesday night's game versus the Denver Nuggets.

While it's possible that Lillard could suit up first time since Dec. 20 (he was upgraded to questionable Tuesday afternoon), there still been no determination whether the 6-3 point guard in his fourth season out of Weber State will be available, and that's not likely to change until a hour or so before tipoff Wednesday night.

"I wanted to get out there, move around a little bit," said Lillard after practice Tuesday afternoon. "It felt fine, a little bit stiff but I felt good. I just don’t know my status yet... Especially the way I play, I’m all over the place, so I want to do as much of that as I can and be comfortable with it before I just say ‘Alright, I’m going to go play in a game’ and then I can’t get out there and be myself. When I get out there I want to be able to do what I do. Until that point, I won’t be out there."

Lillard has been participating in light workouts ever since the pain from the plantar fasciitis in his left heel increased dramatically during the third quarter of Portland's 116-109 loss in Miami, though he is yet to go through a full contract practice since then. While Lillard said that pain is no longer an issue, which is not an insignificant development considering the discomfort associated with plantar fasciitis, he also said that there's more to his return than being able to run up and down the court without feeling like there's a knife stabbing at the sole his left foot.

"It’s not pain, it’s just a matter of getting comfortable," said Lillard. "And I haven’t played since the Miami game so I’ve got to get my wind back under me and stuff. I’m sure it won’t take much, but it’s a matter of being comfortable... It’s just a little bit stiff. I haven’t played on it. I’ve been so busy trying to take care of it and do all the right stuff that it’s a little bit stiff."

Which might be why Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts opined that, if the game were Tuesday night, he didn't think Lillard would be able to play.

But luckily, they've got a little more time that that, so the plan is to see how his foot feels after various workouts before decided his status for Wednesday night. They'll see how his foot reacts to Tuesday's workout when he wakes up Wednesday morning. Then again after shootaround. And then again after his pregame workout at the Moda Center. Only then will Lillard and the team's medical staff make the final call.

"I want to make sure that I’m 100 percent ready to go," said Lillard. "I don’t want to be out there feeling restricted or uncomfortable, so when I feel that I’m ready to go, then I’ll play."

As for Ed Davis, who sat out Sunday's win in Sacramento with a bone bruise in his left ankle, Stotts said the 6-10 reserve center went through "the whole practice" Tuesday afternoon in Tualatin. The team then announced Tuesday night that he had been upgraded from out to probable for Wednesday night's game.

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Lillard (Plantar Fasciitis) Pain-Free But Questionable, Davis (Left Ankle) Probable

SACRAMENTO -- The Portland Trail Blazers secured their biggest win of the season against the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers Saturday night at the Moda Center despite playing without starting point guard Damian Lillard. And while Sunday night's opponent may not be as formidable, Portland will be charged with getting their first road win in over two weeks without Lillard and another important rotation player.

The team announced this morning that reserve center Ed Davis, by some accounts the most efficient offensive player in the league who is averaging 6.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.8 minutes this season, is out for Sunday night's game versus the Kings at Sleep Train Arena (tipoff scheduled for 6 pm on CSNNW and Rip City Radio 620 AM) with a bone bruise in his left ankle. Davis joins Lillard, who will miss his the fourth game of his career thanks to plantar fasciitis in his left heel, on the inactive list.

Davis suffered the injury while fighting for a rebound at the 10:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter of Saturday night's 105-76 win versus the Cavs. The 6-10 center in his sixth season out of North Carolina landed on Anderson Varejao's foot after trying to corral an Iman Shumpert miss. Davis almost immediately limped to the locker room after being replaced by Mason Plumlee and did not return.

The injury was initially described as a left ankle sprain, though that was changed to a left ankle bone bruise upon further examination. Davis said after the game Saturday night that he was to undergo an x-ray on the ankle before the team departed for Sacramento, which evidently revealed a bone bruise. Both the severity of the injury and how many games he could miss because of it are not known.

"It's sore right now," said Davis after Saturday night's game. "I think everything is fine, but it's sore."

Sunday's game will be the first Davis, one of Portland's most reliable performers off the bench, has missed in his first season with the Trail Blazers. Among bench players, Davis ranks first in the NBA in offensive rebounds, second in total rebounds and sixth in blocks. Plumlee, Meyers Leonard, Noah Vonleh and Chris Kaman could see their minutes increased with Davis sidelined, especially against a Kings team that features a starting frontcourt of DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Kosta Koufos.

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Davis (Bone Bruise) Joins Lillard (Plantar Fasciitis) On Injured List Versus Kings

When you think about the premier offensive players in today's NBA, your mind probably goes immediately to the likes of Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook and Paul George, players who can win a game almost single-handedly on any given night with their ability to put the ball in the basket. All of the aforementioned players average at least 25 points a game on no fewer than 17 shots a game and are generally the first option when their respective teams are in desperate need of a score. They have plays ran for them regularly and are typically the primary focus of opposing teams' scouting reports. In short, they're certified bucket-getters, to use a parlance popular with NBA players.

And then there's Trail Blazers reserve center Ed Davis. The 6-11 big in his seventh season out of North Carolina is averaging 4.4 attempts per game, which he's converting into 7.0 points on 65 percent shooting. Solid numbers off the bench to be sure, but hardly the kind of player whose game is synonymous with offensive prowess. He can probably count on his fingers the number of times in his NBA career that he's had a play called for him, has attempted exactly one three-pointer, which he missed, in over 8,000 minutes of game action and has only taken two shots this season from more than nine feet away from the basket. These are not the habits of highly effective NBA scorers.

But offense is about more than scoring, which is why, despite having per game counting statistics that pale in comparison the NBA's elite, Davis is the top ranked player in terms of Offensive Rating according to Basketball Reference, an NBA statistics website that is indispensable for those covering the league. Dean Oliver, whose work is greatly responsible for developing advanced basketball analytics, describes his version of Offensive Rating -- and there are multiple statistics referred to as "offensive rating" which are calculated in various ways -- as "the number of points produced by a player per hundred total individual possessions." In Davis' case, that number is 126.4 points per 100 possessions, making him the most efficient offensive player in the league, even if he's not certain why that is.

"I think I’m shooting 65 percent from the field, I don’t turn the ball over much, I guess, and average like one assist," said Davis in an attempt to explain his high marks in Offensive Rating. "I think all those things come into play, but I don’t really even know. I’m not really big into all the numbers and all that stuff or whatever. I just play."

Davis beats out players one would assume would rate highly in an all-encompassing offensive metric such like Curry, who is ranked second, and Durant, currently fourth, along with guys like Kawhi Leonard, Harrison Barnes, Andre Igoudala and Enes Kanter, players who are certainly talented on offense, but not considered great by your average observer. Understanding the formula for Basketball Reference's version of Offensive Rating requires a level of mathematical understanding most people never had or have long since forgotten (your humble blogger included), so it's difficult to parse out what exactly Davis does that makes him the owner of the highest Offensive Rating thus far this season, though his prowess on the offensive glass -- he's 12th in offensive rebounding this season at 2.9 a game despite playing significantly fewer minutes than most of the players above him -- and predilection for finishing putbacks -- his 69 points off putbacks are the fifth-most in the NBA this season -- would seem to have something to do with it.

"I think the offensive rebounding, I think I’m averaging almost three a game, so that right there is giving us an extra three possessions, which can lead to six to nine points," said Davis in a continuing attempt to explain his elite standing. "That helps. I don’t know if it goes screen and roll guys getting shots or whatever. Honestly I don’t know."

Looking back through their archives, it becomes apparent that low usage bigs who get most of their points around the rim tend to come out on top of Basketball Reference's Offensive Rating rankings, as was the case last season when Tyson Chandler, then a member of the Mavericks, finished with the top rating of 133.7 points per 100 possessions (Davis finished fifth last season). And perhaps it's got a little something to do with how Terry Stotts runs his offense, as Robin Lopez, a player who shares various similarities to Davis in terms of their offensive skillsets, took top Offensive Rating honors during the 2013-14 season in his first season as a Trail Blazer.

But whatever the reason, Davis isn't putting much thought into why he's ranked so highly. He's won the admiration of his teammates and Portland fans alike thanks to his toughness, no-nonsense attitude, both on and off the court, and a team-first outlook that also sets him apart from some of his contemporaries on the Offensive Rating standings.

"I take pride in winning, said Davis. "Whatever I can help the team do, I take pride in, try to lead the league in offensive rebounds and things like that. But not really into analytics because, I won’t say no one, but the average fan doesn’t really look at like ‘Oh, he has the highest offensive rating.’ It’s more ‘How many points does he average? What’s he shooting from the field? How many rebounds?’ things like that.... I’m not going to be on my phone studying that stuff at night. I’m just going out, playing hard and trying to help the team win."

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Ed Davis, The NBA Leader In Offensive Rating

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Damian Lillard's stone cold three-point shooting in the fourth quarter of Friday's 102-91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers will lead the highlight reel, but it was the dirty work of Ed Davis and Mason Plumlee on the glass that helped pave the way for the Portland Trail Blazers to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Though not a common tandem in the Portland frontcourt, Davis and Plumlee combined for 35 points and 25 rebounds against one of the NBA's top big-man combinations in Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The Trail Blazers edged the Clippers in rebounding 55-42 on the night to go with Davis and Plumlee shooting 13-for-17 from the field. 

“I like their experienced together," head coach Terry Stotts said after the game.  "I liked the matchups with Jordan and Griffin. I thought that was something we wanted to look at, especially with Meyers [Leonard] out. I thought Noah [Vonleh, who started the game at power forward] gave us good minutes, but I liked their experience. I think that showed in the second quarter, it gave everybody confidence with it. After it did well in the second quarter, I kind of knew we’d be finishing with that.”

Added Plumlee: "[The lineup] was kind of on the fly, we haven’t looked at that a lot. Our advantage is our rebounding, and I think you saw what it produced. The big boy lineup worked."

On the offensive end alone, Davis grabbed 10 rebounds -- the same amount as the entire LA roster. Often describing himself as an "energy guy," Davis' effort on the offensive boards helped provide 25 second-chance points in the win. That energy rubs off on Davis' teammates, according to Stotts.

"I’ve never been one to preach offensive rebounds," Stotts said. "I think that it’s great when we have them and we rely on our big guys to get those. It takes a lot of work to get offensive rebounds. They don’t just fall in your lap. [Davis] wasn’t getting a lot of free-throw rebounds or anything like that. He worked for them. Those types of plays really energize everybody else. Whether he gets it and puts it back in or he kicks it out and you get another possession. Those energy plays are contagious."

"[Davis] really controlled the game on the glass, and all those extra possessions are huge," echoed Plumlee. "Not only did we capitalize on a lot of them, but just making them guard again — it can wear on you mentally."

For Davis, his strategy on the offensive end is simple: lose his man and get the put-back. Having guards like Lillard and CJ McCollum that like to drive in the paint makes his job as a rebounder a bit easier. 

"We’ve got guards that attack the rim, they attract a lot of attention," Davis told reporters. "My man usually goes to try to block the shot, and I usually have wide-open put-backs."

While it's just one win, the strong play from Davis and Plumlee against a top frontcourt should provide some confidence going forward in the long NBA season, starting with Sunday's meeting with the Lakers in Los Angeles. 

"Wins don’t come easy in this league," said Plumlee.

"We earned it tonight; it’s something to take on our road trip."

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Davis-Plumlee Frontcourt Powers Trail Blazers Past Clippers

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