Game Thread 2024-25 GAME #62 - BLAZERS @ 76ERS - MARCH 3, 2025 - MON - 4:00 PM - CHARGE - BLAZERVISION

[42N8Bounce]

This season has been a story of 2 different teams. Something changed halfway through the season.



If the Blazers are going to make the play-ins, they're going to have to be right around 500. They're currently on pace to get there, but with the strength of the remaining schedule, it's going to be tough. But then again, I didn't expect them to take the Cavs to OT on the road. This team has me believing.

 

[wizenheimer]

3-3 against good teams is nothing to scoff at.

3-3 would be pretty good. But Portland is 3-6 against the 'good' teams in this stretch, and have lost 5 in a row

Oklahoma City Thunder L 108 118
Milwaukee Bucks W 125 112
Indiana Pacers W 112 89
Sacramento Kings W 108 102
@ Minnesota Timberwolves L 98 114
@ Denver Nuggets L 117 146
@ Denver Nuggets L 121 132
Los Angeles Lakers L 102 110
@ Cleveland Cavaliers L OT 129 133

they get a big opportunity to prove they are a good team over the next 11 games. 9 of 11 are against teams with winning records; and 6 of those are at home

 

[KingSpeed]

We are not bad enough to get a high draft pick but we aren't good enough to make the play ins... is that good?

But we’ve gone from 13-28 yeam to a 15-6 team. So we’re good enough to make the playoffs even if it’s too late for that.

 

[blazerkor]

Again, hopium addicts, I have never said that we don't have a good young core and I've never said that we couldn't win against bad teams if we tried. The only thing I said is that beating bad teams doesn't mean shit. It's making sure you're beating playoff teams more than half the time and still beating the bad teams. I'd be glad to be wrong about my opinion that management is fucking up this season but that would mean that our team would get to play in some meaningful aka playoff games. The way things stand we aren't making the play-ins let alone the playoffs.

Right now we're about to play teams projected to be in the play-ins or playoffs the next 5 games. At the same time we have to go 13-7 the rest of this season just to make it to .500. I think the tenth seed in the West will be better than .500 and I think our record over our final 20 games will be worse than 13-7.

I think the worst outcome in a season just looking at what your team's record gets them is to not make the playoffs and have a low lotto pick. It doesn't mean our future will be ruined, it doesn't mean we can't get lucky either in the lotto or by getting the steal of the draft, it just means that we didn't manage the season well/intelligently.

I had fun watching us beat the Sixers without their starters and then I returned back to a reality where my favorite team is being mismanaged.

 

[wizenheimer]

But we’ve gone from 13-28 yeam to a 15-6 team. So we’re good enough to make the playoffs even if it’s too late for that.

Utah had a 15-4 stretch last season and were 2 games over .500 on the season. Didn't make them a playoff team

 

[KingSpeed]

Utah had a 15-4 stretch last season and were 2 games over .500 on the season. Didn't make them a playoff team

I’d prefer to compare us to last year’s Houston team that got before missing the playoffs but became a Top 5 the following year.

 

[crandc]

I hope we can agree the Blazers have shown significant improvement, we can even call it turnaround, this season. Regardless of final record or playoffs. A year ago and earlier this year they were losing to bad teams. For the first time in years I see a future and team is fun to watch again.

 

[Foxx]

Again, hopium addicts, I have never said that we don't have a good young core and I've never said that we couldn't win against bad teams if we tried. The only thing I said is that beating bad teams doesn't mean shit. It's making sure you're beating playoff teams more than half the time and still beating the bad teams. I'd be glad to be wrong about my opinion that management is fucking up this season but that would mean that our team would get to play in some meaningful aka playoff games. The way things stand we aren't making the play-ins let alone the playoffs.

Right now we're about to play teams projected to be in the play-ins or playoffs the next 5 games. At the same time we have to go 13-7 the rest of this season just to make it to .500. I think the tenth seed in the West will be better than .500 and I think our record over our final 20 games will be worse than 13-7.

I think the worst outcome in a season just looking at what your team's record gets them is to not make the playoffs and have a low lotto pick. It doesn't mean our future will be ruined, it doesn't mean we can't get lucky either in the lotto or by getting the steal of the draft, it just means that we didn't manage the season well/intelligently.

I had fun watching us beat the Sixers without their starters and then I returned back to a reality where my favorite team is being mismanaged.

Not being an eternal pessimist doesn’t assume you a hopium addict. This fan base has reached full peak toxic

 

[wizenheimer]

Blazers have shown improvement; that can't be denied. Eyeball test confirms

but I wonder how many games the Blazers could have won last season without the deliberate tank that lasted nearly the entire season. 30 wins? 33 wins?

Simons missed 36 games; Grant missed 28; Sharpe missed 50; Ayton missed 27; Brogdon 43; Scoot 20. There were some legitimate injuries but the Blazers milked the hell out of them; especially at the end of the season when they lost 15 of 17 in a very blatant final burst of tanking. So yeah, if the Blazers would have spent all of last season trying to win games like they have spent all of this season, I'd think at least 30 wins, maybe 33-35.

the only substantive differences between last season and this season is replacing 39 games of Brogdon with 58 games of Avdija; and adding Clingan.

if anyone wants to use the gauge of 21 wins as a gauge for this year's improvement you need to consider the context of those 21 wins

 

[PtldPlatypus]

if anyone wants to use the gauge of 21 wins as a gauge for this year's improvement you need to consider the context of those 21 wins

Is anyone using last season's win total as a gauge for this year's improvement? Seems like most people are pointing to defensive rating and net rating in 2025 as their gauge

 

[wizenheimer]

Is anyone using last season's win total as a gauge for this year's improvement? Seems like most people are pointing to defensive rating and net rating in 2025 as their gauge

some have. More probably using eyeball test

if you're using net and def. ratings...in what context? Compared to last season? It's been a 5.6 net rating improvement which is substantial. By the way, the biggest improvement was in off. rating, not def. rating. Of that 5.6 net improvement 2.3 is on defense and 3.3 is on offense

this is all going to be tested over the next 13 games. 11 of those 13 games are against teams with winning records. And 10 of those 11 games are against teams in the top-7 of offensive rating:





it's a murderer's row of winning teams with top offenses. We'll get to see just how much the defense has improved

with the Kyrie Irving news, I wonder what the Blazer record needs to be over those 13 games. 4-9 probably won't be good enough. Will need to go 7-6 or at worst 6-7

 

[Wizard Mentor]

People seem to forget that Meyers Leonard was a lottery pick. Meyers Leonard would not help this team.

Yes, I'm hoping we get someone better, but "swinging big" comes with a lot of risks.