It is now safe to say we are contenders.

To be fair, Dallas won an NBA Championship with this style of ball.

 

Half way thru the season and we have the 4th best record in the league and play in the much tougher western conference. You're a knucklehead if you don't think we are contenders.

 

Yea well, what does our coaching staff know about that?!?

 

Ha ha!

 

Dallas is our receipe book. I hope we follow it step by step . . . but the Dallas model is a unique model that doesn't seem to lend to a dynasty or dominamace for a peroid of time . . . more like lighting in a bottle. Maybe this year Blazers have that lighting.

I guess everyone here thinks the Blazers are now in that elite class of contenders . . . personally I see why the national pundits aren't ready to annoit them. I also don't think it is a dis to say that the Blazers are a very good team this year but not convinced they belong with the elite teams. Half a season does not make a team like the Blazers (no recent history of palyoff success) a contender, IMO.

 

The teams playoff success will come down to two things staying healthy and defense. The offense is a motion half court offense which will work fine in the playoffs the defense on the other hand has been average at best. In addition, outside of this latest little Batum tiff we have had no injuries to our starters to overcome.

 

Same could be said about Indiana last year, and they proved they were in fact contenders. I think we'll prove it also.

 

Meh, Dirk is older and got injured as well as key players left that Dallas team (Barea, Kidd, Chandler).

 

Good point. I don't follow Indy closely but did they go from not being even a playoff team to doing what thye did last year? Becuase Indy was a contender last year and I probably would have not thought it safe to call Indy a contender if they did not have prior playoff success with that roster. Hope Ptd does the same thing this year . . . I'm just not ready to say they will do what Indy did last year. Not saying they won't, just not convinced they go into the playoffs and do what they did to the first half of the regular season this year.

But I'm a Blazser fan and if Ptd ends up with the 4th best record at the end of the season, I don't need playoff games to have the opinion they are contenders. So I'm almost with the crowd, just another half season of dominace to go.

 

Dallas was old when they did it. We are young. We aren't going to be dismantled or washed up after this season. However we fare this season, we will be better next year. The playoff experience will be golden.

 

This, pretty much!

 

we've seen this story a million times. Unless you have a top 10 defense OR the best player in the game you won't win a ring.

http://wagesofwins.com/2012/11/13/does-defense-win-championships/

 

Dallas was a top 5 defensive team too though

 

They were 8th in defensive rating.

 

A contender is a team that has a chance to win the title this year. With our record against OKC/Indy/SA (5-1) and our elite road record, that would suggest we have a legitimate chance. Whereas, the Grizzlies aren't a contender this year even though they reached the WCF last year. Atlanta has been to second round many times but has never been a contender. They don't have the record we've had on road and vs great teams. Bulls and Warrirs made second round last year, I don't consider them contenders because they haven't played on the elite level we have.

 

Indy was not a contender last year. At no point during the season was it considered that Indy was one of the teams who could win a title. This year, their record suggests that they are contender.

 

Dallas was a surprise team that wasn't even considered a contender at any point during the season.

 

you're right, my bad, i was going off bad info. still top 10 though

 

If you add Houston into that contenders group though then that W-L falls to 6-3. Still good but I don't really want to see Houston come playoff time with a (hopefully?) healthy team together

 

OK so don't exactly follow the Dallas playbook . . . let's not wait till the Blazer players are old. Although maybe a high powered offense only works in the playoffs when you have seasoned vets????

Any young teams that made it to the NBA championship based mainly on offense?