Game Thread GAME# 79: BLAZERS @ NUGGETS - APRIL 5, 2019 - FRIDAY, 7:30 PM, ESPN & NBCSNW

[illmatic99]

We have as much of a chance at getting the 2 seed as we do getting the 5 seed.

Unfortunately, our chances for #3 are also the same. All three probabilities combined are about as much as us getting 4

 

[KingSpeed]

My guess would be that the league doesn't want home fans to have to see the same opponent in consecutive games. But I agree, that would be a very interesting wrinkle to the schedule.

It happens in baseball doesn’t it?

 

[KingSpeed]

Even more so when you think Utah is 2 games behind the Blazers as it sits right now. To be quite honest from the way it looks the only real battle is the 3 and 4 position between Houston and Portland and the 7-8 battle between OKC and the Spurs.
This is about the easiest year to figure out in a long time. A 2 game lead with 4 games left is tough to overcome.

Back in early 90s, Knicks were 5 games ahead of Celtics with 5 games remaining and they lost the division. If we lose 2 games and Utah wins 2, they have tiebreaker. Point is, anything can still happen. In playoffs, we can end up playing anyone except for GS or Denver.

 

[KingSpeed]

1) Casual fans make up most ticket sales and they don’t wanna see the same team twice in a row, especially shithole teams like the Suns. Watching two back to back games against the suns would be enough to drive fans away from a stadium for life.

2) Season ticket holders also don’t wanna see the same thing twice. The games already seem monotonous to them, this makes it worse.

3) There’s no fair way to balance the schedule if you do this. You obviously can’t do this back-to-back for every team, so the teams that had to play the warriors back to back would be at a disadvantage- as the warriors can easily adjust and rely on talent and beat teams that would have a better chance at winning if their games were 6 months apart.

Casual fans don’t go to back to back games anyway.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

It happens in baseball doesn’t it?

Completely different situation, since the variance in starting pitchers makes each game significantly different than the next.

 

[KingSpeed]

If we go 4-0 and get the 2 seed without CJ and Nurk, Damian Lillard should win MVP. No question. Giannis vs Harden was called too soon. Let the season play out.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

If we go 4-0 and get the 2 seed without CJ and Nurk, Damian Lillard should win MVP. No question. Giannis vs Harden was called too soon. Let the season play out.

No. Not even close. Giannis scores more in fewer minutes on better efficiency, is worlds better defensively, has basically an identical assist %, but is also an elite rebounder, and has led his team to a significantly better record. Giannis' MVP resume is massively better than Dame's--it's not even close.

 

[Portland2014]

Do you guys remember when we drafted McCollum ahead of Antetokounmpo?

yeah, i remember too...

 

[BonesJones]

Do you guys remember when we drafted McCollum ahead of Antetokounmpo?

yeah, i remember too...

I remember you. You always come back to whine about something.

 

[hoopsjock]

Do you guys remember when we drafted McCollum ahead of Antetokounmpo?

yeah, i remember too...

So did 13 other teams. However most of the other 13 teams didn't get a player as good as CJ though.

 

[kjironman1]

Do you guys remember when we drafted McCollum ahead of Antetokounmpo?

yeah, i remember too...

Situational. Yeah we all remember and most know why the decision was made. Would you now like to look at 2012 and Draymond Green? He was available when NO chose Leonard. Choose a year. I can find one in just about every one of them.

 

[kjironman1]

Back in early 90s, Knicks were 5 games ahead of Celtics with 5 games remaining and they lost the division.

Key words. "Back in the early 90's". Talking about a single situation that happened a quarter of a century ago doesn't change the fact that the Blazers are 2 games up on Utah with a schedule that matches. But yes the loss of two starters could create a four game losing streak. Problem i see is i don't see the Blazers going worse than 2-2 in the next 4. Maybe you do?

 

[e_blazer]

Do you guys remember when we drafted McCollum ahead of Antetokounmpo?

yeah, i remember too...

Do you remember that time you had something positive to say about the Blazers?

Yeah, me neither.

 

[tlongII]

Portland2014 is that East Coast DJ dude. I'm sure of it.

 

[BonesJones]

Back in early 90s, Knicks were 5 games ahead of Celtics with 5 games remaining and they lost the division. If we lose 2 games and Utah wins 2, they have tiebreaker. Point is, anything can still happen. In playoffs, we can end up playing anyone except for GS or Denver.

Ive literally looked this up before and you're wrong. Close, but not correct.

 

[BlazerBeav]

It would be a very nice end to a long week if the Blazers were to win tonight - so please make it so! It's not like Denver has a fanbase that cares anyway - they just use the Nuggets to pass the time till Broncos season.

 

[LayneStaley]

This will be a good test to see where we really are without Nurk, imo we have beat a bunch of weak sisters without him so far.

Go Blazers

 

[TBpup]

No. Not even close. Giannis scores more in fewer minutes on better efficiency, is worlds better defensively, has basically an identical assist %, but is also an elite rebounder, and has led his team to a significantly better record. Giannis' MVP resume is massively better than Dame's--it's not even close.

LOVE Dame, but even if the offense is close, the defensive is so massively tilted in Giannis's favor, that has to count for something.

The fight for #2/#3 is in earnest starting tonight. A few less losses against the Grizzlies and Mavs of the world would sure help about now.

 

[illmatic99]

LOVE Dame, but even if the offense is close, the defensive is so massively tilted in Giannis's favor, that has to count for something.

The fight for #2/#3 is in earnest starting tonight. A few less losses against the Grizzlies and Mavs of the world would sure help about now.

That home loss early in the season vs WAS is sticking out.

 

[BlazerBeav]

That home loss early in the season vs WAS is sticking out.

That is the one game that I cannot get over. We chose to chase Wall instead of staying home on Beal. God damn.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

That is the one game that I cannot get over. We chose to chase Wall instead of staying home on Beal. God damn.

Well... It was bad but also Washington was hitting some lucky shots in that game too and to be fair to the Blazers they've done extremely good at taking care of the teams they should this year.

 

[B-Roy]

That home loss early in the season vs WAS is sticking out.

When you're a good team these things tend to even out. For example, the win in Golden State where Dame hit the improbably 3 in OT and Durant missed an easy jumper to win stands out as well.

 

[BBert]

That home loss early in the season vs WAS is sticking out.

I wish you hadn't reminded me. That one stung. And continues to burn.

 

[DDolla]

Blazers are 0-2 against Denver with CJ and Nurk. Can we beat them at their own place without our 2 best players? Tough two games ahead for us. Murray and Jokic always torch us.

 

[wizenheimer]

.... to be fair to the Blazers they've done extremely good at taking care of the teams they should this year.

that's a big key to where they are right now: with a chance to take 3rd seed from Houston, and if not, good odds of denying the 4th seed to Utah

in the last 6 weeks, Blazers have only dropped the ball once against a 'bad' team...that game at Memphis a month ago

* in the same period, Houston has lost at Minny, at the Lakers, and at Memphis.

* and, Utah lost at home to New Orleans, and at Memphis and at Atlanta

in both cases, those are 2 game advantages for Portland. Without those advantages, Blazer would have practically no chance at 3rd seed and likely not have HCA as 4th seed

 

[hoopsjock]

That home loss early in the season vs WAS is sticking out.

Yeah, that one sucked but....

It's hard to single out that game in particular when Portland was a league best 24-6 against the East this year. If you told me before the season that we'd go 13-2 at home versus the East (only other loss was to Miami), I would take that in a heartbeat. 11-4 against the East on the road is more than acceptable too with the only losses being Miami, Milwaukee, Toronto, and Detroit.

 

[Lanny]

Well... It was bad but also Washington was hitting some lucky shots in that game too and to be fair to the Blazers they've done extremely good at taking care of the teams they should this year.

Dammit, don't jinx them!

 

[Lanny]

Yeah, that one sucked but....

It's hard to single out that game in particular when Portland was a league best 24-6 against the East this year. If you told me before the season that we'd go 13-2 at home versus the East (only other loss was to Miami), I would take that in a heartbeat. 11-4 against the East on the road is more than acceptable too with the only losses being Miami, Milwaukee, Toronto, and Detroit.

We should have won the Toronto and Detroit road games.

 

[hoopsjock]

We should have won the Toronto and Detroit road games.

Eh, that's kinda my point that even if we "should have" won those games you can't really expect this team to be better than a league best 24-6 against the East. If you want to nitpick wins it should be in the West where the Blazers are only 26-22 so far.

 

[Labinot41]

Fuck this fucking injurys