The Brief Case

Casey Holdahl

Greetings from North Portland. With the Trail Blazers' 2025-26 season now officially in the book after being eliminated from the playoffs with a Game 5 loss to the Spurs in San Antonio Tuesday night, it seemed like a good time to do a little bit of looking back on the 207th edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino...

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• The Trail Blazers having their postseason come to a close with a loss to the Spurs in Game 5 in San Antonio Tuesday night

• The way Portland lost Game 5 was a good reflection of the issues they had during the regular season

• You really need outside shooting in the modern NBA and that's especially true in the playoffs

• Tiago Splitter opted not to make changes to the starting lineup and it's hard to imagine it would have made much of a difference

• Takeaways from the Trail Blazers' first playoff appearance in the last five years

• The Trail Blazers were able to develop young players and win enough to make the playoffs, which seems like a successful season for a team in their position

• The Trail Blazers currently don't have any picks in either round of the 2026 Draft

• Portland made progress this season but still plenty of questions remain heading into an important offseason

• Mark your calendars: A live recording of The Blazers Balcony with Brooke Olzendam coming to Spirit Mountain Casino on May 22

Again, many thanks to all of you who have watched/listen/read my work this season though there will be plenty to discuss this offseason so please consider subscribing to The Brief Case on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube, IHeartRadio, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, PlayerFM. And don't miss the live show at Spirit Mountain Casino on May 22!

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The Playoff Run Is Over And The Offseason Begins On The Brief Case, Episode 207

After the Trail Blazers dropped Game 3 and 4 to the San Antonio Spurs after holding significant leads in the third quarter, I figured it was time to get at least a few brief thoughts down in podcast form on the latest edition of The Brief Case, which you can listen/watch below...

Topics on this the 206th edition include...

• The Trail Blazers faltering in the second half to lose Game 3 Friday night despite Victor Wembanyama not playing

• Game 4 playing out in a similar fashion to Game 3, though this time with Wembanyama

• If first-half, double-digit leads mattered, the Trail Blazers would be heading back to San Antonio with a lead in the series&nbsp;

• After doing a good job of taking care of the ball the Trail Blazers had as many turnovers as made field goals in the second half of Game 4

• Trail Blazers need more from a number of players if they're to extend the series

• Tiago said he would consider changes, but what changes are there to make?

• If you play well enough to win in the first half, what changes can you really make in the second half?

• The Spurs seem to up their defensive intensity in the second half

• Multiple Trail Blazers might need to have career games in order to get the series back to Portland for a Game 6

Thanks as always for watching and listening.

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It's Win Or Go Home On The Brief Case, Episode 206

Greetings from North Portland. It seems every week or so for the last month there's been a new "best Trail Blazers win in the last five years" game to talk about, and this week is no different with Portland evening the series versus the Spurs with a 106-103 victory in Game 2 Tuesday night in San Antonio behind an all-time performance from Scoot Henderson. Given that, there was much to discuss on yet another Playoff Edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino...

• The Trail Blazers rallying yet again in the fourth quarter to defeat the Spurs in San Antonio to even the series at 1-1

• At this point building a lead, losing it and then going down double digits in the fourth before coming away with the win is the Trail Blazers' SOP

• Scoot Henderson has the best game of his life to tilt the scales in Portland's favor while becoming the youngest Blazer to score at least 30 points in a playoff game

• Scoot gets it done on both sides of the ball by leading the Trail Blazers in scoring and geting "the box"

• Scoot finally has his moment after staying the course through three up and down seasons

• Jrue Holiday, Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara all made timely plays in the fourth

• Robert Williams III has been the Trail Blazers' second best player through the first two games of the series and why you absolutely love to see it

• Victor Wembanyama is in the concussion protocol and what that might mean for his stats for Games 3 and 4 in Portland

• Get out to Moda for Game 3 (Friday at 7:30 p.m) and Game 4 (Sunday at 12:30 p.m.)

It's starting to get real interesting so now would be a great time to subscribe to the Brief Case on Apple Podcasts,&nbsp;Spotify,&nbsp;Youtube,&nbsp;IHeartRadio,&nbsp;Amazon Music,&nbsp;TuneIn,&nbsp;Podcast Addict,&nbsp;Podchaser,&nbsp;Pocket Casts,&nbsp;Deezer,&nbsp;PlayerFM.

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Scoot Has His Moment As Blazers Win Game 2 To Even The Series On The Brief Case, Episode 205

Greetings from North Portland. After the Trail Blazers started their first playoff run since 2021 with a 111-98 loss to the Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs Sunday night in San Antonio, had to get some thoughts about the performance, areas of improvement and Deni Avdija on the 2024th edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, which you can listen/watch/subscribe to below...

• The Trail Blazers losing 111-98 to the Spurs in Game 1 of the two/seven matchup of the Western Conference Playoffs

• Trail Blazers hang around for the first three quarters despite not playing all that well

• Portland gets to within two early in the third, but a few turnovers later, the lead was back to double digits and would remain there for the rest of the game

• Deni Avdija joins LeBron James as the only players to post at least 30 points, at least 10 rebounds and at least five assists in their playoff debut

• Scoot Henderson and Robert Williams III were both up to the task Sunday in San Antonio

• What the Trail Blazers did well (taking care of the ball, defending without fouling) and what they'll need to improve upon (second chance points, three-point shooting) to have a chance in Game 2 Tuesday in San Antonio

• Deni Avdija is named a finalist for the 2026 Most Improved Player Award along with Atlanta's Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Detroit's Jalen Duren

• All the MIP candidates have a good case, but Deni is the only one who can claim to also be Most Improved AND the best player on his team this season

• And if we're looking at Game 1 playoff performances (and the votes are already cast, so w're really not), Deni's Game 1 was considerably better than Duren or Alexander-Walker

You can subscribe to the Brief Case on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube, IHeartRadio, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, PlayerFM.

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Losing Game 1, Bouncing Back In Game 2 And Deni A Finalist For Most Improved On The Brief Case, Episode 204

Greetings from North Portland. With the Trail Blazers getting their biggest win in years Tuesday night versus the Suns to claim the seven-seed in the 2026 Playoffs, I had to get yet in another edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, before calling it a night...

• The Trail Blazers beating the Suns in Phoenix in the seven/eight matchup of the 2026 Western Conference Play-In Tournament

• Portland qualifies for the playoffs with the win for the first time since 2021

• Tuesday's win versus the Suns was similar to a number of the Trail Blazers' wins in the last month of the season

• Portland goes up, then down, then up again

• Refusing to fold after enduring a 22-4 run even with another chance of making the playoffs

• Deni Avdija with 41 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists is taking his place among the elite forwards in the Western Conference

• Jerami Grant comes up huge in the fourth quarter in his first game back from a calf strain

• Shaedon Sharpe with some big minutes as well in his third game after missing a few months with a stress reaction

• The seven-seed Trail Blazers will now head to San Antonio to face the two-seed Spurs with Game One scheduled for Sunday

• No one can't stop Victor Wembanyama but the Blazers might have enough to slow him down

• You'll want to get your tickets for Games Three and Four at Moda Center ASAP

Also if you tried to listen to the audio version and found it was an old episode, go ahead and try again. Sorry about that, late night.

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Defeating The Suns In The Play-In, DENI AVDIJA And Face The Spurs In The Playoffs On The Brief Case, Episode 203

Greetings from North Portland. After the Trail Blazers finished up their 2025-26 regular season Sunday night with a win versus the Kings and before they face the Suns in Phoenix on Tuesday in the seven/eight matchup of the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, your humble broadcast crew of Brooke Olzendam and I, Casey Holdahl, had to record yet another edition of The Blazers Balcony, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino...

Topics on this, the 164th edition, include...

• The Trail Blazers finishing the season eighth in the Western Conference standings&nbsp;

• Defeating the Clippers on Friday to win the tiebreaker

• Taking care of business in the season finale versus the Kings on Sunday

• Portland playing their best basketball and getting healthy at the exact right time

• No more local broadcasts for the postseason

• The benefits of having to be "locked in" for the last month of the season

• There's not much playoff experience on the roster outside of Jrue and Rob

• Deni is back to form, Toumani is playing the best basketball of his career, Jrue is unflappable, Donovan is a double-double, Scoot is finding his rhythm and Shaedon can get you a bucket

• Matisse, Rob and Kris have made a huge difference off the bench

• What, if anything, can be taken from the three previous games this season versus the Suns

• Sometimes you need guys like Dillon Brooks

• A win sets up a playoff matchup versus the Spurs while a loss mean another game at Moda Center on Friday

• New graffiti at Brooke's house, I'm not buying the new "Summer House" scandal, what do DJs really do anyway and thanks so much for listening! 

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Trail Blazers To Face Suns In The Play-In On The Blazers Balcony, Episode 164

Greetings from North Portland. There was ample time with a few days off before setting out for the final road trip of the regular season to record yet another edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, which you can listen and subscribe to below...

Topics on this, the 201st edition, include...

• The Trail Blazers defeating the Pelicans on Thursday to move into sole possession of eighth in the West with four games to play

• Jrue Holiday continues to assert himself

• Toumani Camara sets the league record for offensive fouls drawn and Donovan Clingan sets the franchise record for offensive rebounds in a season

• Gaming out the final games of the season for the Trail Blazers and Clippers and how the most likely scenario would result in the winner of the April 10 game between the two teams getting the eight-seed in the play-in tournament

• Breaking down the tiebreakers should the Trail Blazers and Clippers end the season with the same record

• Tom Dundon, Sheel Tyle and Andrew Cheurng, three of the members of the Rip City Rising ownership group, are introduced for the first time prior to Thursday's game

• Dundon's comments about the "big splash" trade the Trail Blazers considered at the 2026 trade deadline and how that might have played out differently under new ownership

• The Rip City Remix defeating the Mexico City Capitanes to advance to the second round of the G League playoffs (Update: they lost 107-95 Friday night, congrats on the great season Remix!)

• A conversation with Trail Blazers great Buck Williams about his time in Portland, memories from the title runs in the early 90's, the current team, how the NBA has changed and his candidacy for the Naismith Hall of Fame, which will announce their 2026 class on Saturday

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Moving Up To Eighth, Breaking Down Tiebreakers, Rip City Rising Arrives And A Conversation with Buck Williams On The Brief Case, Episode 201

Greetings from North Portland. The team got in rather late Tuesday night/Wednesday morning after defeating the Clippers at Intuit Dome, but that didn't stop us from recording yet another edition of The Brief Case podcast, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino...

Topics on this, the 200th (!!!) edition include...

On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers defeating the Clippers in L.A. Tuesday night in what was Portland's most important game of the season thus far

• Why coaches and teams sometimes pretend some games aren't more important than others (even if everyone knows it's not true)

• The team taking Tiago Splitter's word to heart with their performance versus the Clippers

• Tuesday's game being a perfect example of why you trade for Jrue Holiday

• Robert Williams III, Matisse Thybulle and Kris Murray all turning in excellent efforts that are not properly credited in the box score

• Deni Avdija playing his best game since the back injury

• The considerable support Tuesday night at Intuit Dome for both Deni Avdija and the Trail Blazers in general

• Tuesday's win doesn't really matter if they can't back it up with another Thursday versus the Pelicans

• The Trail Blazers need to go 3-2, if not better, to give themselves a real chance to get into the eighth seed in the play-in tournament

• The "Rip City Rising" ownership group officially takes control of the franchise

• The seven-seed Rip City Remix heading south to face the two-seed Mexico City Capitanes in the first round of the "win or go home" G League playoffs

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An Important Win, The Race For Eighth Is On, New Ownership Arrives And Remix In The Playoffs On The Brief Case, Episode 200

Presented By

Moda Health

<p><a href="https://www.nba.com/blazers/weather" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Important Weather Update for Tonight's Game vs. the Phoenix Suns</a></p>