Hope. Expectations. Playoffs? Before the season I was mentally prepared for a 30-35 win season full of frustration but looking forward to seeing how the guys came together. I've tried hard to hold off any thought of hope, playoffs, etc. but dang! There it is. Hope. Expectations. Belief. Gramps...
I understand your depression. After the game I, too, was crying about losing our 2013 draft pick if we continue at .500. But then I realized, just hang in there, it's not the end of the world.
I turn to Nik and HCP now- tell me how I should feel about this team? Do we have a shot at playoffs? Or is it just a 35 win season this year? Guide me with your expertise and temperance.
I am usually a pretty big rah, rah cheerleader type but I still don't see us making the playoffs even with the way we have played lately. Our schedule gets very tough soon and I think POR prefers to keep that pick this year.
I don't know... its hard not to get excited but 9 points off the bench doesn't get you deep into the season, much less the post season... but still, go Blazers!
don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating putting a deposit down on WCF tickets, but we were pretty universally picked as the 13th- or 14th-best team in the West.
Hey Gramps, way down yonder in New Zealand, you should title threads like this. http://sportstwo.com/threads/227254-The-World-is-Upside-Down...
Aren't games in NY and Memphis considered very tough? We're winning the "tough schedule." We also beat Houston twice, and the Nuggets and Spurs once. Aren't those "tough" games? As for what Portland "prefers," Lillard's job is to win games. Are they gonna tell him not to win or yank him with a fake injury? It doesn't matter what "Portland" prefers. But like I said, I want to know what HCP and Nik think. In 2007-08, after a thirteen game win streak, we were 18-12 and leading the division. I was talking championship. HCP was talking lotto. He was right.
KingSpeed says some silly shit sometimes, but I'm coming around to his point of view: the tough games are here, but so far we've won two of them. It's going to be touch and go, one game at a time, all that cliche crap, but the players are there to win games, and they will try to win them.
Well sorry if this is limited to them only. I still think it is lotto (but not high lotto pick like I thought before the season).
You see us finishing as one of the 12 worst teams in the league? That's the only way we're in the lotto. Right now, we're the 13th BEST team in the league. You see us falling to 19th or worse? And why?
No, I think we will be better than a lot of the East teams (not sure why you are lumping them in there when we are talking about playoffs in the West). We have beat some good teams lately but almost everyone was missing their main guy (or at least second banana). Time will tell of course but I see us finishing behind the Nuggets and Lakers (as much as I hate to say it) and I don't see HOU GS or MEM dropping out. We can't honestly think the LAL will miss the playoffs right? I would love to see that happen but the NBA would start fixing games before that came true. I didn't even mention DAL which may or may not make it but always have a chance if they get Dirk healthy. Schedule gets really rough late January and early Feb so that will be a good test and should tell us what our chances are.
Ugh. Pay attention. I'm well aware the lotto is bottom 14 but We're not IN the lotto if we finish Bottom 13th or 14th. We compete with East teams for lotto position. I just don't think we're getting a lotto pick this year. People have to come to terms with that and hope we get as high of a playoff seed as possible.
Wrong. If we finish with the best non-playoff record (14th-worst, maybe?), we're in the Lotto. If we win the 1st, 2nd or 3rd, we keep our pick/ Is this a "learn the game..." situation?
This draft sucks. I'd be okay with sacrificing a 13/14 pick. I'd be okay with anything out of the Top-6, really b
