Can we make the NBA Finals?

[Draco]

I got to say I like our chances. If we were in the east we’d have no chance to get through Miami, Brooklyn and Chicago. But the west is wide open this year. The Spurs will be tired and a year older with only adding Belinili; that is not a good thing for them. The Thunder continue to lose their top bench player each offseason and are feeling the cap squeeze of huge contracts for Durant and Westbrook. The Clippers and Rockets might have the best odds in the west but both teams have large question marks. Lob city makes for great highlights but will their big men contribute more than dunks? Will Dwight return to his Orlando form and mesh with the supporting cast? The Grizzles and Warriors have exciting cores but are not terribly intimidating.

Our Blazer starting 5 was one of the best rotations in the league the first part of last season. We had huge wins against most the top teams in the league, at San Antinio, hosting the Heat, beating the Thunder. Yes we will need a few breaks to go our way but if they do we are on a similar level as any team in the West. The 1999 Blazer team wasn’t any sort of a preseason pick but they made it to the conference finals. The Grizzlies weren’t expected to get to the conference finals last year. No I don’t expect us to be the favorites to make the finals, but I expect us to have a much better chance than Vegas is giving us and will probably put money on the team. We are a dark horse team that can surprise a lot of people.

 

[julius]

sure, if all of the teams ahead of Portland have season ending injuries to their top players.

 

[Natebishop3]

Can we? Sure. Any team could reach the finals..... will we? Almost certainly not.

 

[Sedatedfork]

Got to walk before you can run.

 

[Blazinaway]

I got to say I like our chances. If we were in the east we’d have no chance to get through Miami, Brooklyn and Chicago. But the west is wide open this year. The Spurs will be tired and a year older with only adding Belinili; that is not a good thing for them. The Thunder continue to lose their top bench player each offseason and are feeling the cap squeeze of huge contracts for Durant and Westbrook. The Clippers and Rockets might have the best odds in the west but both teams have large question marks. Lob city makes for great highlights but will their big men contribute more than dunks? Will Dwight return to his Orlando form and mesh with the supporting cast? The Grizzles and Warriors have exciting cores but are not terribly intimidating.

Our Blazer starting 5 was one of the best rotations in the league the first part of last season. We had huge wins against most the top teams in the league, at San Antinio, hosting the Heat, beating the Thunder. Yes we will need a few breaks to go our way but if they do we are on a similar level as any team in the West. The 1999 Blazer team wasn’t any sort of a preseason pick but they made it to the conference finals. The Grizzlies weren’t expected to get to the conference finals last year. No I don’t expect us to be the favorites to make the finals, but I expect us to have a much better chance than Vegas is giving us and will probably put money on the team. We are a dark horse team that can surprise a lot of people.

chances are extremely slim and none, yet I am looking forward to a very fun and playoff bound season, but I am realistic and realize nothing is ever impossible

 

[Eastoff]

He's going full Mags! Look out!

 

[Rhal]

He's going full Mags! Look out!

You never go full mags!

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[magnifier661]

Fucking "a"! Let's win a ring!

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Fucking "a"! Let's win a ring!

We get to the finals, you and I are sitting court-side! (Yeah, I know that game was two years ago, but I don't care!)

 

[Haakzilla]

...is it even possible without Harrison "Fucking" Barnes though?!

 

[OSUBlazerfan]

...is it even possible without Harrison "Fucking" Barnes though?!

*shots fired*

 

[Nikolokolus]

Let's see if this team can play a lick of defense before we start crowning their asses.

 

[OregonHuskerMan]

Lol. Wow. No. You give us no chance in the East but OKC is better than CHI and Brooklyn. The Spurs are at least on par. As well as the Clippers.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Let's see if this team can play a lick of defense before we start crowning their asses.

About 6 major things need to go REALLY right, this is just one of them...

 

[HailBlazers]

About 6 major things need to go REALLY right, this is just one of them...

So your saying there's a chance!

 

[3RA1N1AC]

stranger things have happened

 

[C_note]

Is this a troll thread or is he for real?

 

[TripTango]

Is this a troll thread or is he for real?

My money's on joke, but the fact that we aren't sure says a great deal about this crazy board...

 

[julius]

sometimes this board is really hard to read and enjoy.

 

[PDXKass]

not saying we should expect it this year, but did anyone expect us to get to the finals prior to the start of the 1976-77 season?

 

[TripTango]

not saying we should expect it this year, but did anyone expect us to get to the finals prior to the start of the 1976-77 season?

I've never seen any preseason rankings from 1976, but I know that Portland's roster was widely viewed as fairly loaded... Sure would be curious to see some sports page archives from that season. The SI vault always makes for good reading, but they didn't seem to do much in the way of predictions or rankings back then.

 

[PDXKass]

I've never seen any preseason rankings from 1976, but I know that Portland's roster was widely viewed as fairly loaded... Sure would be curious to see some sports page archives from that season. The SI vault always makes for good reading, but they didn't seem to do much in the way of predictions or rankings back then.

unfortunately, i don't know a lot about that team. i had always figured any notoriety it had was from Walton and Lucas.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Can we make the NBA Finals?

As spectators sure. Players always have access to tickets.

 

[BrianFromWA]

uh, in this scenario, who's the Prime Bill Walton?

 

[PDXKass]

uh, in this scenario, who's the Prime Bill Walton?

Greg Oden?

 

[ABM]

unfortunately, i don't know a lot about that team. i had always figured any notoriety it had was from Walton and Lucas.

IIRC, the ABA dispersal draft helped quite a bit. Maurice Lucas for one. Moses Malone, but he got traded for a 1st rounder. I think that pick became Mychal Thompson...albeit, he had nothing to do with the championship team. I was thinking the Blazers got Twardzik in the dispersal draft. Could be mistaken, though.

 

[Haakzilla]

Let's see if this team can play a lick of defense before we start crowning their asses.

...they are who we thought they were. If you want to crown them, then crown their ass!

[video=youtube;aYKIcnj1MJY]

 

[Haakzilla]

Is this a troll thread or is he for real?

My money's on joke, but the fact that we aren't sure says a great deal about this crazy board...

...he is 100% for real, no joke!

 

[julius]

IIRC, the ABA dispersal draft helped quite a bit. Maurice Lucas for one. Moses Malone, but he got traded for a 1st rounder. I think that pick became Mychal Thompson...albeit, he had nothing to do with the championship team. I was thinking the Blazers got Twardzik in the dispersal draft. Could be mistaken, though.

Nope, the Moses Malone pick wasn't the pick that netted Thompson.

 

[Rhal]

Nope, the Moses Malone pick wasn't the pick that netted Thompson.

The pick kinda netted us Thompson. We got a pick from a NY team, I want to say it was the Braves, for Malone and we used that pick and something else to move up to #1 and pick Mychal Thompson.