Assuming it takes 50 wins to make the playoffs, the Blazers need to go 21-15 in their remaining games in order to sew up a berth. Of those remaining games, 18 are at home and 18 are away. 17 are against teams having a record of .500 or less. Only 4 are back to back games.
And if I remember right don't the Blazers have 12 more opponent back to backs remaining? The Blazers have been nearly perfect this year in opponent back to backs with the only loss to the Magic at home if i remember right. I think we can all agree that all signs point to the playoffs, and possible HCA.
i doubt it - odds are utah won't go 23-11 from here out. they're 3-7 in their last 10 and have a ton of tough games left.
I don't care if we go .500 the rest of the way and we squeak in as the 8th seed, just get in, get the experience of playing in the post season and see what all the hoopla is about. I sort of expect to see us bounced in the first round regardless of seeding and who we play -- and that's OK too; anything else is gravy.
If the Blazers sweep this road trip then I'll start believing that they are indeed poised to make a big run, but teams -- even the bottom feeders with veterans -- seem to play just a little bit better in the second half of the season, and aside from the whupping we laid on Utah the other night, January's record still feels a bit like a mirage to me. I hope they surprise me and get hot, but I'm not counting on it.
Up until last week, .600 ball is exactly where we've been the entire season. Considering the fact that veteran clubs usually ramp up their play after the all-star break, I'd be thrilled to see .600 from this point forward. That said, 7-2 over our next 9 is wholly feasible, which would put us at 36-19 with 27 left. .500 ball from that point would be a bit of a disappointment, so I guess I'm not sure what to expect...
I don't want to be the 8th seed because I don't want the Lakers to knock us out... and I think that LA is the only team that we're not capable of beating in the first round. Ed O.
Nah...through the opening "Toughest Schedule in NBA History" we were 14-6 for a .700 percentage. Then we slumped in DEC (6-8 from Boston to LAL) with injuries to Roy and tough losses to ORL and the Clippers. Since BOS we're 9-3, with a relatively easy schedule making up for Blake being out. If Roy, Oden/Joel and LMA stay healthy, I don't see us at under a .600 clip. (If one of them go down, all bets are off). Our depth helps us here...we can survive injuries to "minor players" like Blake, Outlaw, Sergio, Batum, etc. and still play well. We don't have "star depth", though, so if Roy misses a week we could conceivably go 0-3. I still hold out hope that we'll continue to refine our offense to get more touches in the paint (whether Oden or LMA), stop effing switching all the time on D, and maybe get to the 58 games I predicted (longshot, having to go 29-9). But 25-13 is around .660 or so, and I think that's doable.
If Portland makes the playoffs there is no point to setting your goals low and be satisfied with the "making the playoffs" goal. If there is one lesson that should be learned from the Blazers loss in the WCF to the Lakers years ago, it should be the fact that you don't know how many chances you are going to get to win a ring, and if you get hot at the right time, you can win it. That being said, if Portland makes the playoffs their goal should be to win it all, even if they don't.
I'll be a little disappointed not to get HCA in the first round. Not terribly disappointed, but considering: -They're right on the cusp of it in terms of record -They've played better than their record by point differential) -They don't have any players over-performing (hopefully Roy isn't) and a number of players one would expect to play better going forward (Oden, Bayless, Rudy, Batum...maybe Aldridge) -The schedule the rest of the way is easier than what they've already played ...well, I think they should win the division and play the 5 or 6 seed in the playoffs. But I won't kick the team if they don't achieve that. I think they've earned higher goals than merely making the playoffs with their play so far, but I will still leave making the playoffs as the base measure of success.
The playoffs are a whole new season. I actually believe the Blazers can compete with any team in the Western Conference, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them do quite well.
10 days ago we were 10-10 in our last 20 games. since then we are 4-0... against the wiz, clippers, bobcats, and a tired struggling jazz team. in december and january we had a grand total of 5 road games against teams .500 or better, and went 0-5 in those. it's nice to be optimistic, but i don't think we've done anything yet to prove we might be more than a first-round exit waiting to happen.
I'll simply take making the play-offs and be satisfied with that after what we've seen as fans the past 6 seasons. That's all I hope for at this point. Once a play-off berth is clinched, I may change my expectations to winning a few games or even a series, but as a fan, at this point I only crave to watch this team in a play-off game.
