DENVER — It was in the closing moments of Tuesday’s Game 5 disaster when Damian Lillard stood from his seat on the bench and walked the line.



Palm out, he went to each player on the Trail Blazers’ bench and shook their hands. CJ McCollum. Rodney Hood. Enes Kanter. Maurice Harkless. Al-Farouq Aminu … right down the line, saying the same thing over and over with each embrace of the hand.



“We just need to get back here,” Lillard said he repeated to each player.



Back here to Denver. Back here for Game 7. Back here to continue a special season.



For most teams trailing 3-2 in a best-of-seven series, the focus would be about elimination. But for these Trail Blazers, their season today is not so much about elimination as it is preservation.



It’s about keeping alive something that has moved a city, touched a state, and captivated a national audience just long enough for them to take a second...