PORTLAND – The Portland Trail Blazer opened up the 2018-19 NBA preseason with its annual media day on Monday. Despite a poor ending to last year, the team is starting the new campaign with plenty of optimism.

“It’s going to be a challenging season because of the nature of the Western Conference,” said head coach Terry Stotts. “But I like our team. I like our players. We’ve done a lot of good things in the past and this is the time of year where everyone’s hopes are high. Expectations are high. [It] might be the best time of the year.”

Stotts will try to guide Portland and it’s large group of returning players back to the playoffs for a sixth straight year. The Blazers finished with home court advantage last year, but making the playoffs won’t be easy in the even stronger Western Conference. The addition of LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers is the most notable move to the Western Conference this off season.

All-Star Damian Lillard, who has made the playoffs every year of his career, expects the post season chase to be just as in year’s past.

“I think the Western Conference is just a tough conference to play in period,” Lillard to reporters at media day. “It will be really, really tough. But the good thing is, this is the conference we’ve always played in. So, I think we just look at it the same. We prepare for a tough season.”

The Blazers begin their preseason schedule on Saturday against the Toronto Raptors in Vancouver, British Columbia. The regular season begins Thursday, October 18 against the L.A. Lakers.