Bollocks. This season IS a success. Just because the team drastically outperformed expectations early on doesn't mean you can change the standards set before the season started. That's like a marathon runner setting a record for the first ten miles so you move the finish line farther away...
Blazers playoffs: 2001 Lost First Round to Los Angeles Lakers, 3-0 2002 Lost First Round to Los Angeles Lakers, 3-0 2003 Lost First Round to Dallas Mavericks, 4-3 2009 Lost First Round to Houston Rockets, 4-2 2010 Lost First Round to Phoenix Suns, 4-2 2011 Lost First Round to Dallas Mavericks, 4-2 Yeah, let's just settle for this again. Like I said, if we get bounced in round 1, it sucks because we just have that monkey on the back of the franchise again. Season will suck. Questions about the team all summer. We are "that team".
Our team progressed from the cluster bomb last season. The icing on the cake would be the 2nd round for me!
My goal all year has always been to get out of the first round of the playoffs. I've never deviated from that.
I love what we have done and no taking away from it. It has been an awesome ride! The "when and where it matters" part for me is in the playoffs however.
I liken it to the Clippers last year. They had a great record, they did awesome during the regular season (dominant at times), then lost in the first round of the playoffs. Season was a disaster despite it was the clippers and they historically suck. Everyone made fun of them, they fired their coach, etc.
Did they have home court advantage last year? I don't recall. I know this will be controversial but sometimes I think POR (Brass, Players, Coaching Staff - you pick) meant to slump a little as to not be a top 4 seed. Much easier to explain to your fanbase if you get beat in the first round provided you don't have Home Court advantage.
Read it and weep bitches. I called 5th place. I called 50+ wins. I should have put some fucking money on it. The wins prediction was made in July!
how do U figure it's a disaster if we lose 1st rd? we have already overachieved almost anyone's expectations for wins this season, we still are thin and need a better bench which can be addressed this summer, I actually expect a first rd loss and even with that will think of this as a good year - I hope we win a rd and will be ectastic if we do. It will also give Olshey impetus to improve the team this summer as we were better this yr than either he or PA thought. The "disaster" IMO is your thought process on this
I'd be happier if we were a 7th or 8th seed and got out of the first round versus being 82-0 and being bounced in the first round. The regular season doesn't mean anything to me, its a conveyance to the only matter of franchise success = winning in the playoffs. How many times have we "come back" in the last 10 years to make the playoffs only to have the team fall apart through injury or trade? The Blazers are a team that are frequently mentioned for not getting out of the first round of the playoffs since the Game 7 2000 Disaster. Like I said, the sooner we get past that the faster we'll be on the way to winning a ring.
it's a process, if we get out of the 1st rd we will be lucky no matter who we play. The success we had this yr IMO should be viewed a stepping stone to getting out of the 1st rd next year and being legit contenders - that IMO falls directly on Olshey and his staff to add the necessary pieces to get that done, we will see
It's a disaster if a team, one year out of the lottery, with key new component parts playing together for the first time, and most of its principal players with little or no playoff experience, loses in the first round? Surely you jest?
Told me in October we'd win 20 MORE games than last season AND make the playoffs, I'd take it in a heartbeat!
