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On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...
• 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
• Get out to Moda Center for Game 3
