Is it time to be looking at HCA? (Merged)

Or is it way too early at this point? Can we assume that the Blazers will hang on and get into the playoffs?
With a favorable schedule down the stretch, we just need to go 20-15 the rest of the way to reach the playoffs.

My gut tells me that I still want to see us get that lock into the playoffs first, but with every Western Conference team seemingly having injury after injury and us being fairly healthy, we could have a shot at one of the top four spots.

Also Rice brought up the idea of looking at HCA now for a second until MB quickly shut him down.

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

this is getting crazy. we are only 4 games ahead of the 9th team lol..... just making the playoffs will be hard enough. everyone is getting carried away after a game we should have lost badly.

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

You were saying that three weeks ago when we were up 1.5-2 games... now it's just "only" four games up. Then it'll be we're "only" eight games up (hypothetically). I'd hate to see if you were a Boston fan and saying we're "only" 18 games up on 9th.

We're closer to second than we are falling out of the playoff picture. And making up four games for Utah is nearly 2 weeks worth of games if we play mediocre and the Jazz somehow get hot.

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

if we were playing like the spurs....id say yes BUT

we have beaten the wiz, clips and bobcats while beating up a broken down jazz team and a paul-less hornets team.

if we beat dallas on wed....that would be a quality win where you feel good becaus ethose are the kind of games we need if we are to MAKE The playoffs

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

when they get boozer and AK back...they wont lose many so be careful

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

So those wins against Boston, Houston, Phoenix, Orlando and Denver don't count? You want to play the Lakers and Cleveland all 82 games?
All the other teams have padded their record with easy wins also, it's not like we're the only ones who have beaten the Wiz, Clips and Bobcats. You play the schedule man... and we've had our brutal stretch.

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

It's WAY too early to talk about HCA. There's not a lot of breathing room right now between #4 and #8.

Plus I'd say from watching us match up with a Hornets squad with CP3, we still aren't in the top tier of the West in terms of defense and offensive execution.

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

We are closer to the 2nd seed than the 9th.

And that game we "should have lost badly" is called a win and that's how it shows up in the standings. It counts just the same as the previous game against Utah when the Blazers led wire to wire.

BNM

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

HCA is completely within grabs. Before last night, I had Denver narrowly edging us out for the NW Division. Having won against New Orleans though, I now have us edging out Denver by 1 game.

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

Who is this HCA guy?

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

We should not be looking at HCA.

Obviously, we should be looking at HCP

I'll start looking at HCA when we're 6 gao9.

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

That home game where we beat a Jazz team in the 9th playoff spot without Boozer and AK-47? Solid win, but not exactly putting the rest of the league on notice that we've arrived. Not sure if that's a great yardstick for measuring this team.

I get the whole "a win is a win in the standings" argument. But if we can take care of business against the Mavs at full strength tomorrow, it will be the best win IMHO since Boston. We've been padding our record with good wins over mediocre teams, but we need to prove we can win on the road in the West before we seriously talk HCA.

 

Should We Be Talking About HCA?

Or, realistically speaking, is/should the conversation simply still about just getting to the playoffs?

BTW, the Blazers are 4-0 since I arrived in PDX a week ago yesterday.

 

Re: Should We Be Talking About HCA?

Isn't this the same as the othe HCA thread?

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

I was not using it as a yardstick for measuring this team, or putting the rest of the league on notice. I never made either claim. My point, and I thought I was being clear, is that both games count the same in the standings whether you come from 20 down late in the game or lead wire-too-wire.

Discounting wins becuase other teams have injuries or don't play their best is nonsense. A win is a win is a win. Nobody is going to give back the games we lost when Roy was injured. So, why do some posters act like when we win against a team missing a key player the win doesn't mean anything. It means one very important thing - one more in the win column and moving up in the standings.

Injuries are part of the game. That's why you need a deep bench. The Blazers have that and are able to still compete when Roy or Oden is out. The Hornets, have a horrible bench, and that showed last night.

BNM

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

WAY too early.

Let's get a little more distance between us and Utah before we start talking about HCA.

 

Re: Should We Be Talking About HCA?

Yes, sorry.

Mods, please delete this thread.

Thanks,

ABM

 

Re: Is it time to be looking at HCA?

I can remember a 13 game winning streak last year where many thought we'd make the playoffs. We have to keep playing well accross the finish line.