Do you guys believe that Portland is a contender?

[BalancedMan]

Yes. I think that once you make the playoffs, if you can win 4 games out of 7, you have a pretty good chance. There isn't any team where I don't think that this is a possibility, albeit maybe not a good chance. We still have young players, but are playing very well. We are likely still another 1-2 years away from being in contention as the team to come from the West, but it can happen. Let's not play down the chance of injuries. We've seen a lot of good players go down recently, the same that happened about this time a year ago.

What happens if a star player is hurt right before or during the playoffs? Can we beat San Antonio if they only have two of the big three? Can we beat LA if they're missing either Pau or Kobe? New Orleans if they're without West, Paul or Chandler? Granted, that requires Roy and LMA staying healthy as well, but we have enough depth at other positions to get by if we have slight injury issues with our PG's, SF's or C's.

So yeah, there is definitely a chance. I'd throw it at 14% they get to the WCF and 5% they get to the finals this year, but those aren't odds impossible to beat. I mean, we won the lottery a few years ago when it was an even bigger longshot.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

And as the Spurs demonstrated, the Hornets were in fact NOT a contender last year, they were a paper tiger (just like us).

Really, going to game 7 against the spurs in the second round doesn't make them contenders . . . OK.

So that means either San Anotonio, the Laker or NO (or Denver) will not be contenders this year?

I guess this begs the question, what is a contender?

 

[Rodolfo]

*We have a great shot at making the playoffs.
*A decent shot at winning a series(especially if we stay in 4th place or better).
*Not much of a chance at getting deep in the playoffs. I'd love to be proven wrong though

 

[crowTrobot]

We are getting better almost every game

i think that's largely an illusion caused by a relatively easy recent schedule. the only
real quality win recently was against boston, and even they were in the middle of a
slump at the time. if paul doesn't go down we're 0-6 in our last 6 against
.500+ teams on the road. i don't see any obvious improvement vs. earlier
in the season.

 

[blue32]

We will win the championship, the superbowl, the big game, whatever. mark my words.

 

[mgb]

Title contender? Right now? No.

As most I think we might be able to get out of the first round, but I doubt we'd be able to go much further and certainly not make it into the finals. BUT if we continue to improve the rest of the season who knows? We might be a lot better when the playoffs start. There's a lot of time left. And the playoffs are played different than the regular season. I think we are a team that if we improve would do well in the playoff style of play. As someone mention in another thread Oden shouldn't get a lot of the tick tack fouls he's getting now. So now no, but maybe by then yes.

 

[KingSpeed]

Nope, not until they can win big games on the road against teams at full strength..

We won in Orlando, Miami, and Detroit, All three are playoff teams and all three were at full strength.

 

[KingSpeed]

Is that a joke? Of course the Spurs.

In two weeks, we will have a better record than the Spurs. Mark it down.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Really, going to game 7 against the spurs in the second round doesn't make them contenders . . . OK.

So that means either San Anotonio, the Laker or NO (or Denver) will not be contenders this year?

I guess this begs the question, what is a contender?

San Antonio with a busted up Manu, which is not what I would call the "real" Spurs.

 

[KingSpeed]

To answer the question, OF COURSE we are a contender. We're one of the top 7 teams in the league and are ranked 5th in the Sagarin ratings. Will the Blazers win the championship? Maybe, maybe not. But we are definitely one of the top teams in the league and that makes us a contender in my book.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

San Antonio with a busted up Manu, which is not what I would call the "real" Spurs.

So the spurs with a banged up Manu was a contender last year?

Because if the spurs with a banged up Manu were contenders, the the non-contender Hornets took them to a seventh game.

If the spurs with a banged up Manu were not contenders, then LA was the only contender out of the western conference last year?

Maybe this is really about it being a fine line of what contender means, but if NO wasn't a contender last year, then that is one tough line . . .

 

[Rastapopoulos]

If other teams' star players keep going down at the current rate, then yes, absolutely.

And I think this team could surprise. The Dunleavy-coached teams surprised for a couple of years - that JR Rider team that knocked the Timberwolves out, for example.

It depends what you mean by a contender. I can think of five teams that are OBVIOUSLY better than us without a beat. Could we rise above the remaining pack? Maybe. Could one of those five teams go down in flames? If they lose key players to injury...

 

[KingSpeed]

I don't think the JR Rider team ever beat the Timberwolves in the playoffs. That 99 team beat the Suns & Jazz, I believe. The earlier Rider teams lost in the first round to the Lakers, I think.

 

[mgb]

If other teams' star players keep going down at the current rate, then yes, absolutely.

And I think this team could surprise. The Dunleavy-coached teams surprised for a couple of years - that JR Rider team that knocked the Timberwolves out, for example.

It depends what you mean by a contender. I can think of five teams that are OBVIOUSLY better than us without a beat. Could we rise above the remaining pack? Maybe. Could one of those five teams go down in flames? If they lose key players to injury...

As long as our star players don't!

 

[Nikolokolus]

So the spurs with a banged up Manu was a contender last year?

Because if the spurs with a banged up Manu were contenders, the the non-contender Hornets took them to a seventh game.

If the spurs with a banged up Manu were not contenders, then LA was the only contender out of the western conference last year?

Maybe this is really about it being a fine line of what contender means, but if NO wasn't a contender last year, then that is one tough line . . .

Contender to me means a legitimate threat to win it all ... last year I would say the Spurs minus Manu were also not a contender ... the only club that had a decent chance of upending the Celtics Juggernaut was LA, and even they got manhandled.

It's not a knock on the Hornets last year and the Blazers this year to say that neither are legitimate championship material, both are/were very good teams with lots of room for improvement, but not a serious threat to beat the top 1 or 2 teams in the league. We're parsing the words here pretty finely, but I'd say the Hornets and the Blazers fall into the second tier of teams you might call "Challengers;" they can keep it competitive, and give somebody a workout, but just aren't there yet, minus some serious lucky breaks.

 

[KingSpeed]

I think this all just comes down to the definition of "contender." Considering the #6 seed won the championship in 1995, I think you have to at least consider the top 6 records in the LEAGUE as contenders.

 

[Minstrel]

I don't think Portland has a chance to win it all. I think they have a decent chance to reach the second or third round.

 

[ehizzy3]

probably not unless we make a trade for butler or a different sf. i think there is a slim chance though without a trade that we could get to the WCF.

 

[KingSpeed]

I don't think Portland has a chance to win it all. I think they have a decent chance to reach the second or third round.

If you make the final 4, you are "contending" for the title, don't you think?

 

[B-Roy]

To answer the question, OF COURSE we are a contender. We're one of the top 7 teams in the league and are ranked 5th in the Sagarin ratings. Will the Blazers win the championship? Maybe, maybe not. But we are definitely one of the top teams in the league and that makes us a contender in my book.

Once we drop a couple games, will you go back to moping about how we might miss the playoffs?

 

[KingSpeed]

Once we drop a couple games, will you go back to moping about how we might miss the playoffs?

Absolutely not. I have faith at this point that we will get it done. I'd hope we get a top 4 seed, but I'd put my money on the 6th seed.

 

[KingSpeed]

The win that put me over the top was the Utah win. We absolutely needed that win and we got it. We're in great position now.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Contender to me means a legitimate threat to win it all ... last year I would say the Spurs minus Manu were also not a contender ... the only club that had a decent chance of upending the Celtics Juggernaut was LA, and even they got manhandled.

It's not a knock on the Hornets last year and the Blazers this year to say that neither are legitimate championship material, both are/were very good teams with lots of room for improvement, but not a serious threat to beat the top 1 or 2 teams in the league. We're parsing the words here pretty finely, but I'd say the Hornets and the Blazers fall into the second tier of teams you might call "Challengers;" they can keep it competitive, and give somebody a workout, but just aren't there yet, minus some serious lucky breaks.

It is hard to argue Blazers (or for that matter NO) are a legit threat to win it all. I only put Boston, LA and maybe SA (because it is their year) in that category. So I agree Blazers are not a contender (and I agree NO was not a contender last year as I don't think they had a chance against LA . . . I do think NO had a chance against SA with game 7 at home)

But, because I'm a Blazer fan I will expand the defintion of contender to kingspeeds defintion. So I think the Blazers are a contender.

 

[B-Roy]

Absolutely not. I have faith at this point that we will get it done. I'd hope we get a top 4 seed, but I'd put my money on the 6th seed.

You seemed to do that earlier this season when we dropped a couple in a row....

 

[The_Lillard_King]

The win that put me over the top was the Utah win. We absolutely needed that win and we got it. We're in great position now.

Don't put to much stock in taht Jazz win. Utah was ccoming off a back to back game, have not been good on the road this year and were missing AK (Boozer too, but he has been out a good part of the season) . . . all the while the Blazers had a tune up game at home with a rest befoer playing the Jazz.

I think tongiht's game will be very a good indication of where the Blazers are right now . . .

 

[Minstrel]

If you make the final 4, you are "contending" for the title, don't you think?

Not if you have no real chance of winning both the WCF and the Finals. I think there would be an element of over-performance for Portland to reach the WCF and, at that point, they'd be in a final four with three much better teams...the Lakers, Celtics and Cavaliers. At that point, their chances of winning two seven-game series would be essentially zero.

 

[Nikolokolus]

You seemed to do that earlier this season when we dropped a couple in a row....

God forbid we lose to the Mavs tonight (we always suck in Dallas) or against the Thunder on Friday (who pose a serious matchup problem in Durant and Westbrook; serious athletes at the wing and point guard which always seems to give us fits).

I will say this however, if the Blazers actually win tonight and Friday and do it in convincing fashion then I'll be much more optimistic about their ability to close this season out -- they will officially be on a hot streak.

 

[Natebishop3]

Contender yet? No, but very soon.

 

[Natebishop3]

God forbid we lose to the Mavs tonight (we always suck in Dallas) or against the Thunder on Friday (whom poses a serious matchup problem in Durant and Westbrook; serious athletes at the wing and point guard which always seems to give us fits).

I will say this however, if the Blazers actually win tonight and Friday and do it in convincing fashion then I'll be much more optimistic about their ability to close this season out -- they will officially be on a hot streak.

If Oden doesn't dominate against OKC, I will be severely disappointed. Who is their starting center anyway?

 

[B-Roy]

God forbid we lose to the Mavs tonight (we always suck in Dallas) or against the Thunder on Friday (who pose a serious matchup problem in Durant and Westbrook; serious athletes at the wing and point guard which always seems to give us fits).

I will say this however, if the Blazers actually win tonight and Friday and do it in convincing fashion then I'll be much more optimistic about their ability to close this season out -- they will officially be on a hot streak.

That's funny, because I don't recall ever facing Russell Westbrook.

Oh, and when have small forwards ever dominated us? Besides Bron.