In reviewing the 2015-16 season for all 30 NBA teams, Sports Illustrated awarded the Trail Blazers a grade of "A-" as the team enters game No. 82 Wednesday night with a record of 43-38.

The Blazers entered the season expected to win as few as 26 games by media and oddsmakers after the departures of four starters in the offseason. Instead, Portland exceeded the preseason projections by becoming one of the league's hottest teams after January 1. With one game to go, the Trail Blazers can clinch the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a win Wednesday over the Denver Nuggets.

Writes Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver:

"After a rocky “Still getting to know each other” first half, the remade Blazers bucked conventional wisdom and tanking advocates by picking up serious steam down the stretch. Whereas many young teams tend to fade late, Portland rode a top-10 offense, powered by Damian Lillard and Most Improved Player candidate CJ McCollum, to the West’s fourth-best record after the All-Star break. The Blazers held tough when many of the West’s middle class slipped thanks in large part to good health: Lillard, McCollum, and seven other key contributors all logged 70+ games this season. That lineup continuity helped compensate for defensive shortcomings and a somewhat weak interior cast, putting the Blazers in position to claim the West’s No. 5 seed and push the Clippers in the first round. There’s no question that Portland ranks among the biggest overachievers this season, placing Terry Stotts near the top of the Coach of the Year conversation."

Portland was one of eight teams to be graded an "A" in the review after the Blazers were given a "C+" in SI's midseason grades. See the full list at SI.com.

