Tuo Ji: Winning against the Warriors shows that we are not a rebuilt team. We have a chance to beat the Lakers without Doncic.

Today, Trail Blazers reporter Reese Kunz published an article talking about the Trail Blazers' current team positioning. The following is the full content.

The Portland Trail Blazers previously defeated the Golden State Warriors with a huge 20-point advantage and achieved their first victory of the 2025-26 season, proving that they are no longer a rebuilding team that other teams can easily defeat.

This game comes on the heels of the Warriors' overtime victory against the Denver Nuggets. Nonetheless, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr emphasized that Portland truly deserved the win and praised their culture and established identity, leaving Blazers fans excited for the team's future.

Opponents have begun to take notice of Portland's new identity. There have been several games where key players or head coaches have praised the Blazers' progress. First of all, superstar Edwards praised their lineup after scoring 41 points against the Trail Blazers: "You will never have an easy night when you play Portland, and you will never have an easy victory. To be honest, I like their team."

The Trail Blazers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first game, and were overtaken by their opponents 30-19 in the fourth quarter. They could have started the new season with a 2-0 record, but now have a chance to improve their winning percentage with back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Clippers (morning on the 27th) and Lakers (morning on the 28th). Lakers superstar Luka is reportedly out for at least a week with a sprained finger on his left hand and a contusion on his left leg, which is good news for the Trail Blazers. No matter who the opponent is, or whether the opponent is fighting consecutively, it is obvious that the Trail Blazers are no longer the easy opponents they have been in past years.

Given the competitive state of the Western Conference, ending a four-year playoff drought will be a difficult task for them. But since they have established a defensive identity, they will be competitive every night. Kerr said once that watching Trail Blazers games as a fan has become more fun. Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has turned his vision for the team into reality this offseason, and opponents are starting to take notice. It won't be long before the entire league realizes this.

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