Game 5 between the Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets had all the makings of the greatest playoff game ever. But critical errors by the Trail Blazers turned it into one of the most anti-climactic games we've seen. Looking at the bigger picture, the Trail Blazers have some inherent weaknesses that exposed themselves even more in Game 5. The Nuggets coaching staff must be licking their lips right now as they're watching some game film.

If you're the Trail Blazers, you should be looking at some game film as well. Their weaknesses have been pretty apparent at this point. Ironically, some of their strengths, such as Damian Lillard's offensive prowess, are actually working against them. With that said, here are some three adjustments the Blazers must make to force a Game 7 vs. mighty Denver Nuggets.

Keep the Pressure Early On

The Denver Nuggets came out hot from the get-go, dropping 38 points in the first quarter alone. They were able to hold as much as a 22-point lead. This is the second time this series that the Nuggets were able to mount a 20+ point lead against them. The game eventually corrects itself somehow.

But the Trail Blazers shouldn't just rely on this. The fact of the matter is: a strong start gives them a better chance at winning. They may survive a game or two but there's no way that they can survive an entire series with these antics.

Lillard Was Great, But He Shouldn't Be Doing Everything

Damian Lillard took the spotlight with his 55 points which included 12 3-pointers on 17 attempts. Of course, who could forget the two 3-pointers to send the game to two overtimes? Game 5 was definitely a great individual performance. However, the Trail Blazers should avoid relying on Lillard that much moving forward.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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Statistics reveal that Lillard scored 17 of his team's 19 points in the overtime period. After his 12th 3-pointer, Lillard just went cold — and so did his teammates who didn't score a single basket as well. They had great opportunities but botched them. Robert Covington missed a slam that couldn've given them all the momentum. CJ McCollum stepped out of bounds with 9.1 seconds left. These trivial errors should be cleaned up.

Lillard is the best player on the team. But he can't keep on doing superhuman efforts all series long.

More Bench Production Please

It's known that the Nuggets are one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Players like Paul Millsap, MaMychal Green, and Monte Morris could chip in an easy 10-15 points each off the bench on a good day. In Game 5, it was Morris who was the most productive with 28 points. So far in the playoffs, the Nuggets get 36.0 points per game from their bench which ranks fifth overall.

Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers get just 25.0 points from their bench which ranks third to the last this postseason. It's certainly an odd picture. Coach Terry Stotts has Carmelo Anthony, one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, who, at this point in his career, could still drop an easy 10-15 points on a consistent basis. Enes Kanter, who averages 11.2 points per game, was nowhere to be found in Game 5.

If the Trail Blazers want to stretch this series to seven games and eventually win, they have to pick up their bench production.