The Race for Eighth

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Suns up to 10th now. Only one game behind us.
 
Maybe it's possible we end up rooting for a Memphis win at some point... so they get the 9th seed instead of Phoenix. If they are both tied Memphis has the head to head tiebreaker, so if Phoenix wins out they still need 3 Memphis losses.

Obviously more important we get 8th seed locked up first.
 
WesleyMatthews said:
Yeah I agree, they are 4-0 so far! They just won now.

I think even with 3 more losses we may stay above SAS/NOP/SAC.... but I don't think PHX is going to lose two of their next 4, especaily when a team like Dallas probably rests guys the final game.

So Blazers likely need at least 3 wins and may even need to win 4.
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Yeah, they beat the Pacers by 15 and had the game in control the last half of the 4th quarter and the Pacers are good. I don't think we have to worry about them passing us because I think we will win against everyone but the Clippers but who knows. We might lose a few games but Phoenix may also cool off, young teams can be very streaky. One thing is for sure, when the Suns are playing their best, they're pretty damn good.
 
blazerkor said:
Yeah, they beat the Pacers by 15 and had the game in control the last half of the 4th quarter and the Pacers are good. I don't think we have to worry about them passing us because I think we will win against everyone but the Clippers but who knows. We might lose a few games but Phoenix may also cool off, young teams can be very streaky. One thing is for sure, when the Suns are playing their best, they're pretty damn good.
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They should’ve waited to vote on awards until after restart. Monty Williams and Devon Booker might’ve gotten some votes for Coach of the Year and All-NBA.
 
I keep getting a feeling that the race for 8/9th is between us, phx, and the spurs. this group all plays a bunch of of teams that are locked into the playoffs so those teams might not care and rest players. We kinda at an advantage, but so do the others. Just win!
 
The Suns are coming

4-0 in the restart

Upcoming:

MIA
OKC
PHI
DAL
 
Interesting, Utah is tanking tomorrow to avoid the Rockets in the Playoffs, which also means Spurs gonna win that game.

 
Glancing at Utah’s available roster, we’re all going to become Jordan Clarkson fans tomorrow. Spurs are a bad basketball team. They could still lose. Not sure why Utah wants to lose. It’s impossible to control what your opponent will be at this point. Whatever they’re trying could backfire.
 
Spurs aren't a bad basketball team right now. Their small lineup is playing well, and Rudy Gay is playing his best basketball in a long time. Jordan Clarkson has played well, and will have to go nuclear for the Jazz to have a chance. Joe Dingles will have to go off as well. Blazers control their own destiny now. I like that.
 
Even if those Jazz players were playing, a win wasn't a guarantee vs. SA. Missing Bogdanovic really kills their chances in the upcoming playoffs more than anything else.
 

  1. Following Thursday's action, the squads still in the hunt for a first matchup against LeBron and Anthony Davis were broken down by FiveThirtyEight's projection system as follows:
    • Portland Trail Blazers (68 percent)
    • Memphis Grizzlies (14 percent)
    • New Orleans Pelicans (13 percent)
    • Phoenix Suns (4 percent)
    • Sacramento Kings (1 percent)
    • San Antonio Spurs (less than 1 percent)
 
Bleacher Report also rates Portland as having the best chance to beat the Lakers of the six teams fighting for the 8th spot:

  1. The Lakers would obviously be the betting favorite, but Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers pulling off the exceptionally rare 8-over-1 upset wouldn't be stunning.

    Lillard has an ability to seize command of entire games in a manner rivaled only by a healthy Stephen Curry. If you give him even a hint of space coming off a ball screen, whether right at the three-point line or five feet behind it, he's likely to make you pay.

    On Thursday, he torched the Denver Nuggets for 45 points on 13-of-21 shooting. He also dished out 12 assists and was an outrageous 11-of-18 from deep.

    According to StatMuse, he became just the second player in league history to have a game with at least 10 threes and 10 assists (James Harden is the other).

    Dame looks determined to get his team to the postseason. Once there, he has the ability to push the Lakers in a way no other individual player identified here can.

    He's not alone, though. After a season in which the Blazers were decimated by injuries, the hiatus helped a couple of contributors get back to full health.

    Zach Collins has stretches in which he looks like a legitimate 3-and-D pest who is willing to do a lot of the dirty work a guard-heavy team needs.

    Jusuf Nurkic is the more important return, though. Last season, Portland was plus-10.1 points per 100 possessions when he shared the floor with Lillard and CJ McCollum. His steady positional defense, low-post game and point-center abilities made him one of the most impactful players in the league in 2018-19.

    After missing most of this season recovering from a broken leg, Nurkic hasn't missed a beat since returning. In four bubble games, he's averaging 22.0 points (second to Lillard's 31.3), 11.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.0 blocks.

    Gary Trent Jr. has been a revelation as well. For much of the last two years, Anfernee Simons was seen as the more promising young Blazer. Trent, a gritty, multipositional defender and deadeye shooter, has definitely usurped him. After hitting seven threes against the Nuggets, he's averaging 20.3 points and 5.5 threes in Orlando.

    Then, of course, there's McCollum. On the rare nights Lillard doesn't have it going, the Blazers still have a chance to steal games thanks to McCollum's elite mid-range game.

    Altogether, the Trail Blazers are looking more and more like the team that made it to the Western Conference Finals last season.

    Again, they probably wouldn't beat the Lakers in a seven-game series. Few duos in NBA history had as much raw talent as LeBron and AD. But the Blazers can introduce some chaos with Lillard's captivating hot streaks and a rejuvenated supporting cast.

    https://bleacherreport.com/articles...gest-first-round-threats-in-2020-nba-playoffs
 
We get to play the Lakers in the first round......... fun!
 
UKRAINEFAN said:

  1. Following Thursday's action, the squads still in the hunt for a first matchup against LeBron and Anthony Davis were broken down by FiveThirtyEight's projection system as follows:
    • Portland Trail Blazers (68 percent)
    • Memphis Grizzlies (14 percent)
    • New Orleans Pelicans (13 percent)
    • Phoenix Suns (4 percent)
    • Sacramento Kings (1 percent)
    • San Antonio Spurs (less than 1 percent)
Click to expand...
I saw that. I have to say I don't get the logic. The rest of their schedule is hardly a cake walk.
 
The Grizzlies play the Bucks/Raptors/Celtics all with their seeds essentially locked up. That is going to quite a break for them. Gotta lose to OKC tonight.
 
Holy shit the Grizzlies are starting Anthony Tolliver. Blazers fans know the pain...
 
oldmangrouch said:
I saw that. I have to say I don't get the logic. The rest of their schedule is hardly a cake walk.
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Blazers can get the #9 spot locked up with going 2-2 on the remaining games & having the Spurs/Suns loose 1 game a piece.

Pels/Kings would need to win ALL their games and hope the Blazers go 1-3 or worse to have a shot at #9.

Of course, that also doesn't account for the Griz. If they just win 1 of their remaining games, there's a high probability that they still make the #8/#9 playoff games.
 
tester551 said:
Blazers can get the #9 spot locked up with going 2-2 on the remaining games & having the Spurs/Suns loose 1 game a piece.

Pels/Kings would need to win ALL their games and hope the Blazers go 1-3 or worse to have a shot at #9.

Of course, that also doesn't account for the Griz. If they just win 1 of their remaining games, there's a high probability that they still make the #8/#9 playoff games.
Click to expand...
I really hate rooting for OKC to win anything. Especially with Chris Paul on the team.
 
I cannot believe Dillon Brooks got a 3/35 contract. He is the WRONG type of chucker you want on your team.
 
Thunder with 2 points in the 2nd quarter with 4:50 left. Lmao
 
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