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This offseason has been witness to the union of some of the greatest duos this league has ever seen — LeBron James and Anthony Davis with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with the Brooklyn Nets, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George with the Los Angeles Clippers, and most recently, James Harden and Russell Westbrook with the Houston Rockets.
However, ESPN analyst Jalen Rose believes that the general public seems to be forgetting about one dynamic duo that has been in existence for some time now. In his mind, Rose believes that we are all underestimating what type of impact Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will have for the Portland Blazers in the upcoming season.
“People know about Philly, people obviously know about the Splash Brothers and the duos in L.A.,” Rose said, via Kelsey Driscoll of AOL.com. “so I would think that [Lillard and McCollum] are the underrated duo.”
It's easy to set aside this duo — and the Blazers, for that matter — especially considering how they were swept by the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals last season. As Rose argues, it's always the negative that makes the most impact.
“The problem is, they got to the playoffs the past few years and they got swept,” Rose added. “What ends up happening is we dismiss what they do in the regular season and say, ‘Show us in the playoffs.' Then this year, they made it to the Western Conference Finals.”
Rose does make a very valid point here, and the Blazers are by no means going to be pushovers. However, it's difficult to imagine how they will be able to match the other powerhouse duos in an even more ruthless Western Conference this coming season.
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