I do wonder how the team is going to respond to the two 10am EST start times. Crazy to me that the March 3rd game will likely be over before my church service begins that morning.
We need at least go 4-3 on this trip but the important one is the first one with the Nets. That one could either start trip with confidence or not.
@ Miami Heat 111 120 @ Minnesota Timberwolves 96 112 @ Dallas Mavericks 102 111 @ Memphis Grizzlies 83 92 @ Sacramento Kings 107 115 @ Dallas Mavericks 101 102 the Blazers have booted a few road game this year when they were seemingly superior. Certainly Cleveland should be an easy win, but But Brooklyn had an all-star in Russell who has had some monster games this season, and Charlotte has Kemba Walker. Memphis still has Conley and have added Avery Bradley so they have a pretty solid defensive guard tandem. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Portland shouldn't be favored. But some of these teams are not pushovers, and 5 of the 7 games are against teams fighting for playoff position...and Portland has a 10-15 road record and a 6-12 road record against teams that were playoff teams at the time Blazers could overcome all of that and go on a tear...they've done it every one of the last 3 seasons, but all those hot-streaks coincided with a home-heavy schedule
Nurk can't handle Whiteside; Miami's a bad matchup for us. Plus much like Carlisle, Spoelstra's a better coach than Stotts. No surprise that we lost both games to them this year. Sacto is a good team. Losing on the road to them is not an upset. I'm not saying that there's no way the Blazers lose those games. I am saying that the Blazers are far enough superior to those teams that the grind of travel is not/should not be an excuse if they do lose them.
ok then, that's a little different and I agree with you there. They will be starting that trip after 8 days off so they should be rested. It's not like 7 games in 10 days either. It's 7 games in two weeks and not a single back-to-back. If Portland drops any of those games, I'd be confident it will be for reasons like stupid turnovers, or horrible shot selection, or some opposing player going into superstar mode
6 and 1 This is it-the start of the winning streak on the way to winning the WCF and the NBA Championship! The Blazers learned how to have the team chemistry to win over the NBA Champs GSW and have new scoring weapons, defensive determination, and improving discipline that make a difference from last season. Let's imagine what can be!
A combination of playing good teams on the road, not overreacting to the win last night, guys getting used to each other, and their current road record.
All valid points. I tend to think that the team is starting to come together and they'll have one of their typical springtime surges. But then, I am an eternal optimist. How else could I survive following this team for so long?
Impossible to say. Let’s wait and see how Kanter fits in. This win over the Warriors may be the beginning of something very, very good.
This is certainly how it always feels like on a road trip, especially when we're playing well. I'm going to predict 2-5, cementing the likelihood we go 5-2.
