No, not the toughest loss since 2000.
Yes, it's bitter; twice the team was close enough to taste victory, twice the bread was taken from their mouths. (I must be tired to talk like this!)
This team was not supposed to sniff the playoffs. They are the lowest seed standing. The Warriors were HUGE (as a certain bigoted businessman says) favorites in this series; look at the odds for all four semi-finals and I think this was the biggest spread.
The Blazers clearly are not one of the elite teams in the NBA, yet. But they are making the best team in the NBA work their asses off and sweat out every win in this series. They are absolutely refusing to roll over and play dead. Sure, in Hollywood movies the ragtag team beats the favorite. This is not Hollywood. In sports usually the better team does win. We can and should grouse about refs and who gets tossed; and yet fact is the Warriors won 73 games, almost 30 more than Portland. And Portland is hanging with them every minute of this series.
The defending champs, with two-time MVP putting on a show, the overall no. 1 seed, needed everything they have to beat the ragtag Blazers, who were supposed to be the worst team in the NBA.
This team has NOTHING to be ashamed of. Like my Rudy, they are going out fighting.
Go Blazers. Now, I just wish I could get some sleep maybe tonight.