What West Lottery Team will make the playoffs this season?

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by Rastapopoulos, Jul 10, 2018.

?

Which team(s) in the Western Conference will transition from lottery to playoffs in 2019?

  1. Nuggets

    31.1%
  2. Clippers

    2.2%
  3. Lakers

    75.6%
  4. Kings

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. Mavs

    2.2%
  6. Grizzlies

    6.7%
  7. Suns

    4.4%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    You may vote for more than one.
     
  2. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    I'm going to say Memphis because last year they were just devastated by injuries and I really like who they've added (JJJr and Slo Mo). I'm actually not totally sold on the Lakers (provided Kawhi DOESN'T go there) because they just don't seem that much better than LeBron's Cavs team which was in serious peril of not making the EAST playoffs. Suns are going to be much better, but not THAT much better. Nuggets are tough because they were thisclose but may not have improved, and others have. Clippers absolutely will not. I would be AMAZED if the Kings did. Mavs are a dark horse.
     
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  3. TorturedBlazerFan

    TorturedBlazerFan Well-Known Member

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    Playoff teams that won’t make it next year?

    Anyways My vote is the Lakers and that’s kind of it.
     
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  4. PtldPlatypus

    PtldPlatypus Let's go Baby Blazers! Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    I picked the Grizz for the same reasons you did, and the Lakers because of Lebron.

    Could be a problem for our beloved Blazers.
     
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  5. illmatic99

    illmatic99 formerly yuyuza1

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    There is no way the NBA will let a Lebron team miss the playoffs. That too, when the team is in LA
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2018
    riverman, dviss1, Eastoff and 2 others like this.
  6. PtldPlatypus

    PtldPlatypus Let's go Baby Blazers! Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    The West is going to be a bloodbath this year. I think there are 11 teams with legit playoff aspirations. 12 if Jordan and Doncic are able to elevate the Mavs. I agree with Rasta--Suns, Kings, and Clipps are the only teams I don't see as real playoff contenders.
     
  7. SIeepwalker

    SIeepwalker The lone sane poster

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    I say none

    Edit: (If the lakers don't make another move)
     
  8. TorturedBlazerFan

    TorturedBlazerFan Well-Known Member

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    T
    The West should be even better than before, teams like the Suns and Mavs have some really young talent that I think could blossom into special teams just think it’s a couple years from getting there.
     
  9. HailBlazers

    HailBlazers RipCity

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    Time to eliminate conferences for the playoffs.
     
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  10. illmatic99

    illmatic99 formerly yuyuza1

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    I agree, but I think they'll still need to do something about the regular season as well. West teams will be playing only 4 or 3 games against the western teams, and only twice vs. the east, while the eastern teams will have an easier regular season.

    Not an even playing field.
     
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  11. Hoopguru

    Hoopguru Well-Known Member

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    CowTown good surprise. They have a ton of talent!
     
  12. PtldPlatypus

    PtldPlatypus Let's go Baby Blazers! Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    If Bagley is as good as advertised, and Fox, Jackson and Giles all make significant leaps, and Hield and Bogdanovic are productive on the wing...
     
  13. e_blazer

    e_blazer Rip City Fan

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    Injuries will have way more to do with the bottom half of the brackets than how impressive rosters look on opening night. That’s why the preseason prognosticators always end up looking silly.
     
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  14. UKRAINEFAN

    UKRAINEFAN Well-Known Member

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    I saw that too late!
     
  15. SportsAndWhine

    SportsAndWhine Dumbass For Hire

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    The east coast doesn't really need to participate.
     
  16. santeesioux

    santeesioux Just keep on scrolling by

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    Just imagine if they did miss the playoffs though? That fanbase and team would never ever hear the end of it. It would be like when Malone and Payton failed.
     
  17. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    The NBA did a calculation and doing that would
    (a) add THOUSANDS of flight miles for the teams, but
    (b) only really affect one or two teams

    The problem is more in the regular season. East teams' REGULAR SEASON records are artificially inflated because they play weaker teams more often and stronger teams less.
     
  18. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    True dat. I've predicted the Blazers would miss the playoffs every year since Aldridge left. I had Memphis as a safe playoff team last year.
     
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  19. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    As Sabonis once said, if my grandmother had a beard she'd be my grandfather. (I think the less polite version substitutes "balls")
     
  20. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    It's a separate question which teams will drop out. Prime candidates in my view are us, San Antonio (finally) and Minnesota (especially if Butler forces his way out).
     

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