A baker's dozen of games remain, sports fans. For various reasons, here's my list of which games I think will be the biggest: ~~~~~ Phoenix Suns - Thursday, March 26th: Even though the Suns probably won't make the playoffs, I still look to this as a relatively big game in light of the fact that Phoenix pretty much has had the Blazers' number over the past years. It would be very nice to grab two-in-a-row on them, help send them out of the playoffs.....on the way to getting that pesky monkey off the Blazers' collective backs. Utah Jazz - Tuesday, March 31st: I think it goes without saying that the Jazz have been one of the biggest Blazers' rivals (nemesis) over the years. IMO, It's always meaningful when we play them. Naturally, this game has even greater importance as the Blazers are in a dogfight for playoff position and the NW Division title. @ Oklahoma City Thunder - Friday, April 3rd: OK, normally this probably isn't that big of a game. However, the Thunder beat the Blazers rather handily in OKC last month. Not only is it time to exact some revenge against these cats, but the Blazers need to show that they can win the road games that they should be winning as a playoff-bound team. @ Houston Rockets - Sunday, April 5th: Huge game against a team the Blazers may very well be playing in the playoffs. Might even be an ABC game. Can anybody tell me the last time the Blazers won in Houston? @ San Antonio Spurs - Wednesday, April 8th: Ya think the Spurs will have forgotten the humiliating butt-whipping they experienced in the RG? I thought not. Another huge game as part of the Texas swing. Not to mention, 2nd game of a back-to-back. (@ Memphis the night before.) To me, for sheer "establishment" purposes, this potentially may be the 2nd biggest game of the lot. (behind the Nuggets game) Los Angeles L*kers - Friday, April 10th: Nuf said. Denver Nuggets - Wednesday, April 15: Last game of the regular season. This game may very well determine who wins the NW Division, HCA in the 1st Round, all that. How sweet would a win against these guys be?! ~~~~~ OK, there ya have it, folks. My list of biggest remaining games. If you agree, disagree, have others, please don't hesitate to chime-in. It's A Great Day To Be A Blazer!! (IMO, that should be the motto of our board)
My hope is against Utah...as the 3rd seed. Man, would I love to knock them out! IMO, it would take HCA to do such, though. 3rd seed keeps us out of the Lakers bracket, I believe.
With all due respect, I don't think at this point you can look at "big" or "not big" games. We know that even one loss can drop a team in the West 2 or 3 slots. Had the Blazers lost at Milwaukee, that would have been a huge blow to hopes for HCA, yet who would have listed that as a "big" game? All we can really say is that intra-division games (Denver, Utah) are especially huge because of the two game swing. IMHO, the Blazers need to approach every game as a must win. Essentially, the playoffs have already begun in the West.
Agreed. They're all big now. Every last one of them. It's just some opposing teams (i.e. - LA, Utah, Denver) will likely bring a little more electricity to the arena. The game I'm most worried about is the Phoenix game coming up actually.
I hear ya. From my perspective, I suppose it's more of a matter of "big" vs. "bigger" wins. Perhaps, though, I could have stated it as "meaningful" wins. Must wins, or not, all things considered, some are of more emotional value to me.
This is creeping up the charts as the game I want soooo bad. Not only are we in a playoff dogfight with these guys, I hate them second....only to the L*kers:
