February 1991 was approaching, and the All-Star game was getting ever closer.
Larry Bird's back injury recurred at the end of January during a game against the New York Knicks, sidelining him for two weeks.
The Celtics lost several games in a row, while the Trail Blazers maintained steady performance.
They didn't have long winning streaks like they did last season but would often take a look back every three steps, winning four or five games before losing one.
Injuries were the main reason. The veteran Mychal Thompson was constantly in and out of the lineup and almost faded out of the regular rotation.
Mark Bryant, Antonio Davis, and Pinkney often took to the court to consume minutes, introducing more instability to the Trail Blazers' frontcourt.
The fragile knees and ankles of Sabonis made Beelman pay extra attention to his protection; as his game responsibilities increased, so did the risk of his injuries.
