Are we all in a dream? Seriously, pinch yourself. Count your fingers. Look at a clock. Try floating. Re-read this first paragraph. Are the words swimming on your screen?

No? Then this somehow must be reality — a reality where the Portland Trail Blazers are 5-1, third in the Western Conference standings, and have engineered a prolific top-three offense to pair with an unforeseen top-seven defense. It's an existence where Portland has overcome double-digit deficits in three games, triumphing on the road against the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and their epochal international superstars.

Portland's volcanic start is nothing short of astounding. Sure, there's 76 regular season games left, and Ja Morant's hamstring injury is reasonably concerning from an individual standpoint and the team's, a tough stretch of games looming in November. But considering the mountain of doubt and pessimism that surrounded the Blazers in the offseason — ranging from roster construction, hiring and firing controversies, to ownership decisions — there's not many places better to be than 5-1.

Will Portland's high last? Maybe. Maybe not. But to quote 19th century American politician Theodore Sedgwick (I'm not playing, look it up): what goes up, must come down. A crash might be inevitable, but it's highly unlikely to occur against the 1-4 Phoenix Suns.

Scoring palooza

Would it be cliché to state that this game will be decided by defense? Should I really be starting another paragraph with a question? Regardless, defense, or the Suns' lack thereof, is the matchup's biggest factor.

Don't expect another 83-point outing by Phoenix, a clear outlier in its season. Both teams are more than capable of scoring the ball. If they so wish, the game can easily become a shootout that rivals the Blazers' contest in Los Angeles a few games ago.

Powered by Deni Avdija and Damian Lillard, Portland is third in points scored per 100 possessions (121.8), according to Cleaning The Glass, while Phoenix is 12th (115.3). The Blazers sit third in effective field goal percentage (57.0 percent); the Suns are eighth (55.5 percent). They both do a decent job limiting turnovers and are ninth and 10th in 3-point accuracy, per Cleaning The Glass.

The disparities really start to show on the defensive end. While Portland's fifth in efficiency differential (+11.3), Phoenix is 28th (-13.4). A team many believed to be undersized beyond Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III, along with a certain lack of perimeter stoutness, the Blazers lap the Suns in almost every defensive category.

Portland is 11th in points allowed per 100 possessions, 11th in opponent effective field goal percentage and second in opponent offensive rebound rate. Phoenix, meanwhile, is dead last in all three statistics. The lone advantage the Suns have over the Blazers is opponent turnover percentage, but, as mentioned earlier, Portland protects the ball fairly well (seventh in turnover percentage).

Unless Portland shoots bricks all night or stinks it up defensively, channeling their inner Cam Thomas and Enes Kanter, the Blazers should manage fine, capturing their third consecutive victory and their fifth straight on the road.