There's really only 6-8 teams that clearly have more talent then we do so this ranking is definitely on the high end our potential outcomes, but it's possible.
NBA.com's final preseason rankings have the Blazers up 4 spots to #13, but still last in the NW Division, trailing all of OKC (#6), MIN (#9), DEN (#11) and UTA #12). Here's what they said about the Blazers: Hero team of the preseason: Portland (5-1) -- The Blazers' only loss came as a result of garbage time of their first game. Jusuf Nurkic picked up where he left off at the end of last season. Portland Trail Blazers 2016-17: 41-41 Pace: 99.1 (14) OffRtg: 107.8 (11) DefRtg: 107.8 (21) NetRtg:-0.0 (15) If Evan Turner's preseason (15-for-25 shooting, plus-62 in 77 minutes) is an indication of things to come, the Blazers are going to be great. Winning their last five preseason games is a good sign, because they need to get off to a strong start, having one of the league's easiest schedules over the first five weeks. Pat Connaughton will take Allen Crabbe's spot in the rotation and may start on Wednesday with C.J. McCollum serving a one-game suspension. One Team, One Stat: Nurkic-fueled turnaround Week 1: @ PHX, @ IND, @ MIL They may have us at 13th overall, but currently have us ranked as 9th in the West. That illustrates how much better the West is than the East and how ridiculously deep and talented the NW Division has become. Question for you NBA history buffs: has any NBA team ever finished last in their division and still made the playoffs? It's certainly mathematically possible. Right now, it looks like the battle for the 8th seed in the West may come down to the 4th and 5th place teams in the NW battling it out with the 2nd place team in the Pacific (likely LAC) and the 3rd place team in the SW (probably MEM). I actually think the Blazers will be no worse than 3rd in the NW. I see them finishing ahead of at least 2 of DEN, UTA and MIN. All three of those teams have had major roster changes. MIN, especially, and DEN, in theory, look better on paper (although DEN still doesn't have a rim protector or starting PG). It will take time to integrate those new players. Some will work out fine. Others just won't fit as well as hoped with their new teams. Will UTA be able to score enough to win? Will DEN be able to stop ANYONE from scoring. It's interesting that the two teams raked immediately ahead of the Blazers are so one-sided. DEN is all about the offense and after losing leading scorer Gordon Hayward, UTA thought their best option to replace him was to shore up their already stellar defense. How will those two approaches work? With a full season of Nurk, the improved play of Evan Turner and the addition of Zach Collins, I honestly think the Blazers will have enough balance (finally) to finish ahead of both. But, that's why they play the games... BNM
It actually happened just 3 seasons ago, when the Pelicans just barely beat out the injury-plagued Thunder for the 8th spot, putting the entire SW division in the playoffs.
Thanks. I thought I remembered it happening, and I thought it was the SW Division, but wasn't sure about the details. BNM
