I have a question for everyone. So the Blazers have had a 6 game, 7 game and 2 4 game road trips this season. OKC's longest road trip of the year is 4 games which only happens once. The Wolves have 1 4 and 1 5 game trip. Why do the Blazers constantly get the shaft.
Yes it matters. 7 games on the road, the team is dead from being away for that stretch. Never having to go on extended road trips is a great advantage.
I've read that long road trips are a great way for teams to build chemistry. Especially with a veteran team because usually players don't hang out much while at home since they have families and such. On the road they have no choice but to hang out in the hotel with each other. But that's about the only advantage haha
Because the Blazers have to travel the most, the NBA should give us more short trips instead of long ones. But hey, one more way they can fuck us
Portland only had 5 games from Jan 31 thru Feb 20; 5 games in 3 weeks is a luxury. They had 8 days off before this road trip started. They didn't have a single back to back, and no 3 games in 4 nights, or 4 games in 5 nights. It was a game every other night allowing the team to develop a rhythm. Yeah, it was a 7 game trip but it wasn't the brutal type of trips that teams used to take the Spurs have their rodeo road trip every year and usually that's 8 games, sometimes 9. They have taken those trips when they've been an older team, and they've done well on those trips, and they've even won championships the Blazers didn't get screwed nor did they suffer some significant hardship. This 7 game trip has just evened out their home/road records; 32 each
The spurs did have a 8 game road trip this year. Of course 3 were after the all star break, so really only a 5 game trip and a 3 game trip.
The "other teams don't get long trips" narrative is over-stated, because other teams will often have single home games mixed in with multiple road games, effectively functioning identically to a road game as far as travel is concerned. For example, take a look at the stretch in which the Thunder (mentioned in the OP as having no "long trips") are currently in the middle: From February 26 through March 14, they play 10 games in 17 days (including 3 back-to-backs), never playing two consecutive games in the same city. Consider carefully--is that not significantly more difficult than our 7-game stretch?
The Spurs rodeo trip is usually broken up by the all star game so it really isn't as long as you are making it out to be. This year they played 5 on the road and then had 10 days off before playing 3 more.
Thunder are also more centrally located and playing at home is substantially more difficult than playing on the road and traveling. I would take the OKC schedule over that period than 7 games in 15 days on the road.
If I’m not mistaken, the “rodeo” trip is always split in half by the all star break. So it’s not really looked at as ONE trip.
Good call, makes total sense. I worked out of town a lot doing oilfield work when I was a little younger, and have become pretty tight with people I probably would have never made friends with otherwise. People from all walks of life that I still stay in contact with. Being thrown out of your element and having to struggle together for a common goal is enough to build comradery.
