2018 NBA Playoffs - What the "Experts" are Saying

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Reep said:
There is definitely a path for Portland to make WCF. If they and Houston make it that far, Houston better watch out.

Anyone else feel the destiny of a Portland-Sixers final?
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I think it's certainly in the realm of possibility. I think it would be a great matchup too.
 
Bill Simmons and Ryan Russillo playoff preview podcast. Blazers-Pelicans coverage starts around 1:01:17. Both picking Pels to upset Blazers, which is too bad because they also think POR has a legitimate shot at beating GSW in the second round, if both teams make it that far.



BNM
 
538. com differs from Vegas odds. East, they give Raptors 42%, 76ers 30%, Cavs 14%, Celtics 9%. West, Floppers are overwhelming 57% favorites, with Rip City, Mormons, Seattle Turncoats and Cupcakes all more or less equal and Geriatrics a bit behind.
 
BBert said:
The Blazers were indeed fortunate that the Clippers were not at full strength in that series. Just as many other teams have been fortunate due to many other teams' injuries, including an ugly history of Portland injuries, over the years. The only thing I called out was the one moron who thinks the Blazers franchise gets 'all the breaks'. I've been a Blazers fan since day one, and unless by breaks he meant bones, that guy is, at best, astonishingly ignorant.

:cheers:
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Totally agree with you.
 
Boob-No-More said:
Bill Simmons and Ryan Russillo playoff preview podcast. Blazers-Pelicans coverage starts around 1:01:17. Both picking Pels to upset Blazers, which is too bad because they also think POR has a legitimate shot at beating GSW in the second round, if both teams make it that far.



BNM
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Pretty sure Russillo picked the Blazers and at the end Simmons said Blazers in 7, but likes the Pels for the upset.
 
Boob-No-More said:
Thought I'd start a thread about what all the media types are saying about the upcoming NBA post season. I'll start the ball rolling by posting a couple links, with quotes relevant to the Blazers vs. Pelicans first round match up. Please add additional links and comments as you find them.

2018 NBA Playoffs: The Biggest Questions For Each First-Round Series

By Ben Golliver - Sports Illustrated:

2017-18 Net Point Differential Between First-Round Opponents

  • Raptors +7.2 over Wizards
  • Rockets +6.3 over Timberwolves
  • Sixers +4 over Heat
  • Celtics +3.9 over Bucks
  • Warriors +3.1 over Spurs
  • Blazers +1.3 over Pelicans
  • Jazz +0.9 over Thunder
  • Pacers +0.5 over Cavaliers
7. WILL ANTHONY DAVIS FINALLY BREAK THROUGH?
There are some striking parallels between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis as the two young superstars enter the postseason. Like Antetokounmpo, Davis is searching for his first playoff series win. Like Antetokounmpo, Davis played at an MVP level during a turbulent season. (The former lost coach Jason Kidd and the latter lost DeMarcus Cousins.) And like Antetokounmpo, Davis must be happy with his playoff draw.

Just as Antetokounmpo will avoid LeBron James, the top-seeded Raptors and the surging Sixers in the first round, Davis had to like what he saw once the dust settled on Wednesday night. His Pelicans won’t have to face the league-leading Rockets, the Warriors (who swept them out of the 2015 playoffs), or the red-hot Jazz. No need to keep up with Houston’s insane offense. No need to deal with Draymond Green. And no Rudy Gobert lurking around the hoop to break up lob passes and challenge dunks.

Instead, Davis draws the Blazers, who lost five of their final six games and will struggle to counter his length, agility and overall offensive polish. New Orleans split its season series with Portland 2-2, after going 1-3 against Houston, 1-3 against Golden State and 1-3 against Utah. What’s more, the Pelicans have an All-Defensive level point guard in Jrue Holiday to deploy against Blazers star Damian Lillard.

Portland deserves to be favored due to its superior depth of talent and its quality offense/defense balance. But Davis has been waiting six years to make real noise in the playoffs, and this is easily his best shot to date.

Early Thoughts on the NBA’s First-Round Playoff Matchups

By Rohan Nadkarni - Sports Illustrated:

(3) BLAZERS VS. (6) PELICANS

Do not, I repeat, Do not pick the Pelicans. That way you won't get egg on your face.
Anthony Davis is in the playoffs for the second time in his career, while the Blazers are hoping to continue the success of a strong second half. These teams are pretty evenly matched, with both entering the last night of the season with 1.8 net ratings. The Pelicans have found life in a post-DeMarcus Cousins world by relentlessly feeding Davis and inexplicably letting Emeka Okafor anchor their defense to solid results. Nikola Mirotic has added a nice spacing punch in New Orleans, and lineups with Davis at center are thriving. Portland’s success is predicated on its defense, but I’m curious how it will hold up when the Pelicans spread the floor. The role players are going to be important here. If the Blazers’ wings hit their threes, they become nearly impossible to beat. Meanwhile, Dame and C.J. are liable to win a game themselves by going supernova from three. I’m excited for this series, and I’m really tempted to pick the Pelicans.

More to come...

BNM
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By Shaun Powell - NBA.com:

"Two years ago, the Blazers reached the Western Conference semifinals by taking advantage of an LA Clippers team that lost Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to injuries. This time they get the Pelicans without DeMarcus Cousins. Some teams get all the breaks."

LaRue Martin, Bill Walton, Sam Bowie, Brandon Roy, Greg Oden. "All the breaks" in tibia's, knee-caps, menisci, etc....WTH is this guy talking about? Is there any franchise in the NBA that has had worse luck with high draft picks and/or injuries? That guy above calls himself an NBA writer while the post below by @PtldPlatypus is from a simple fan. Who should really have the job? Uniformed ignorance or just the normal willful stupidity/laziness of much of the media today. I'll take the poster's assessment of that EVERY time.

PtldPlatypus said:
Nobody disagrees that the Blazers were recipients of some good fortune that year; it's the implication that the Blazers have "all the luck" that is ridiculous, because this franchise has much more often been on the opposite side of that coin, and it's highly disingenuous for an analyst to point out where we've benefited and completely disregard where we've been negatively impacted.
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crandc said:
538. com differs from Vegas odds. East, they give Raptors 42%, 76ers 30%, Cavs 14%, Celtics 9%. West, Floppers are overwhelming 57% favorites, with Rip City, Mormons, Seattle Turncoats and Cupcakes all more or less equal and Geriatrics a bit behind.
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Fun fact: 538 predicts that we are more likely to make to the second round than the Warriors!
 
TBpup said:
By Shaun Powell - NBA.com:

"Two years ago, the Blazers reached the Western Conference semifinals by taking advantage of an LA Clippers team that lost Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to injuries. This time they get the Pelicans without DeMarcus Cousins. Some teams get all the breaks."

LaRue Martin, Bill Walton, Sam Bowie, Brandon Roy, Greg Oden. "All the breaks" in tibia's, knee-caps, menisci, etc....WTH is this guy talking about? Is there any franchise in the NBA that has had worse luck with high draft picks and/or injuries? That guy above calls himself an NBA writer while the post below by @PtldPlatypus is from a simple fan. Who should really have the job? Uniformed ignorance or just the normal willful stupidity/laziness of much of the media today. I'll take the poster's assessment of that EVERY time.
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What a lazy and stupid take by Powell. First, there's the supposition on his part that the Pelicans would be significantly better if Boogie was available. The Pelicans were 27-21 on Jan. 26th, the date of the game against the Rockets where Cousins went down. They stumbled through their next 6 games with a 1-5 record as they figured out how to adjust their game to his absence. Since then they went 20-8. Yeah, boy, the Blazers are a lucky team to face a Pelicans squad with AD energized and playing like an MVP. Not to mention the additional fire power they picked up with the Mirotic trade.

Then there's the absolutely stupid notion being put forward that the Blazers are the only team getting "all the breaks" due to facing teams with significant injuries. I guess he overlooked the fortunate Spurs facing the Warriors without Curry. Or, vice versa, the lucky Warriors who would likely get bounced without Curry playing if Leonard was available to suit up for the Spurs. And the Bucks chances didn't improve at all against the Celtics when Kyrie went down (not to mention Hayward, Smart, and Theis). I would imagine that the Sixers chances against the Heat would look better with a healthy Embid. And then there are the T'Wolves and Wizards trying to reincorporate major players (Butler and Wall) just back from injury. I guess that the Rockets and Raptors aren't getting any break from the fact that those guys and their teams aren't likely to be 100%?

But no, the Blazers catch ALL the breaks.
 
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