![Longtime Trail Blazers fan Robert Cash wears his Blazers hat while getting drinks with colleagues at Spirit of 77 in Portland, Ore., on April 15, 2026. "We'll win this series. I guarantee you," said Cash. "I just feel like everybody is in the right headspace for Portland and then we have a veteran like Damian Lillard back on our team guiding these young brothers [on] how to move and how to win."](https://opb-opb-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/RZBHNVLKT5A5VNJTUFFZPNXFIE.JPG?auth=a8cfd8c7eb96f037d9c799917bf850cd383d84298d00646485b4e253da5daf95&width=150)
Longtime Trail Blazers fan Robert Cash wears his Blazers hat while getting drinks with colleagues at Spirit of 77 in Portland, Ore., on April 15, 2026. "We'll win this series. I guarantee you," said Cash. "I just feel like everybody is in the right headspace for Portland and then we have a veteran like Damian Lillard back on our team guiding these young brothers [on] how to move and how to win."
Eli Imadali / OPB
Portland Trail Blazers fan Bo Mandoe felt “cautiously optimistic” when he started watching Tuesday’s play-in match against the Phoenix Suns.
His feelings over the next two hours were, much like the game itself, a roller coaster.
“I got very, very excited, and then I got very, very worried,” Mandoe said. “It was anxiety inducing, nearing the end.”
The Blazers closed the Suns’ double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and sealed the 114-110 win with only seconds to spare. That sends them to their first playoff match since 2021.
“They proved that they had what it took. It was amazing. I was so happy for them,” Mandoe said.
It’s the biggest win for Portland following multiple years of not making the playoffs, as well as a chaotic season that saw key-player injuries and the team’s former head coach, Chauncey Billups, arrested on illegal gambling charges. And, like Mandoe, many fans were floored to see the Rose City team advance.
Bar-goers are reflected in a framed Portland Trail Blazers shirt on display at Spirit of 77 in Portland, Ore., on April 15, 2026. The sports bar is named after the Trail Blazers’ only NBA championship season in 1976-77.
Eli Imadali / OPB
Season-ticket-holder Larry Stillman said he stepped away from the TV at the beginning of the fourth quarter, before the Blazers started their comeback. He was surprised when he walked back in to find his team closing the gap toward victory.
“It was shocking because I guess I’ve been so hardened to the downsides of this team that when everything starts to head south, I get very pessimistic about it,” Stillman said.
Mandoe resisted such pessimism, saying the team could be on track for more wins.
“This could be the beginning of a Cinderella story,” he said.
John Roe, a fan since the Blazers became a team in 1970, agrees.
“I say positive thought creates positive energy, which creates positive action, which creates a positive reality,” Roe said. “I say, give them a chance.”
![Leo Wan, a Trail Blazers fan for 30 years, looks at his new gear after picking it up at Rip City Clothing in the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on April 15, 2026. “I couldn’t sit down. When Deni [Avdija] made the and-1 play towards the end, I mean, I was jumping. I took a shot,” said Wan.](https://opb-opb-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DLHNECZIKVBMRMHNEWG54WW4QY.JPG?auth=6842949fb20c0bf2564bc4472f5cc8aa0ac9990d627c76190610ab5fd0c817a8&width=150)
Leo Wan, a Trail Blazers fan for 30 years, looks at his new gear after picking it up at Rip City Clothing in the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on April 15, 2026. “I couldn’t sit down. When Deni [Avdija] made the and-1 play towards the end, I mean, I was jumping. I took a shot,” said Wan.
Eli Imadali / OPB
However, the Blazer’s playoff match that starts Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs is a tough one for Portland. San Antonio had the second-best record in the league this season with 62 wins, compared to 42 from the Blazers.
The Spurs also beat the Blazers in two of the teams’ three head-to-head games this season. San Antonio’s 7-foot-4 center Victor Wembanyama, considered a contender for league MVP, did not play in any of those previous matchups because of injuries. He will play in the upcoming playoff series.
Dave Deckard, editor-in-chief of the Blazer’s Edge, was less than rosy about Portland’s prospects.
“Success is relative, right? In absolute terms, this was a small step for a mediocre team that’s likely not to go very much farther than this,” Deckard said. “There’s a very good chance that this is the pinnacle moment of the season and they’re going to get eliminated in the first round — and so be it.”
The first Portland-San Antonio playoff game tips off April 19 at 6 p.m. PST on NBC and Peacock.
