And why? I pick the Rockets since they're all banged up and we're 1-0 against them so far this season.
Rockets won't even make it. They're already minus Alston and McGrady, now Yao's injured, and they're two and a half games ahead of the ninth place Suns.
Rockets. The Suns worry me because they're always capable of winning in an offensive explosion. The Rockets are a team that I think Portland matches up well with (especially if Oden is healthy, because that means a very quality big on the floor all the time) and is better than.
I picked the Rockets for two reasons. One having already been stated by a few folks, the other because of their late mental difficulties getting passed the first round (not since 1997, in fact).
Nuggets because I feel we match up very well against them. I was impressed with our first two games against them
Cleveland because that means we made it all the way to the finals. You didn't specify first round. edit: but seriously I picked New Orleans since I think we usually play pretty good against them.
I picked the Rockets as well. The Suns are playing better now that they are running again. The Jazz are well coached and a tough team to play against. We don't seem to match up that well against the Mavericks. New Orleans could be okay, but I'm not anxious to watch was Chris Paul do to us again what he was doing to us before he got hurt last time. I don't like the idea of having to go back and forth between Portland and mile high Denver several times to play the Nuggets. The Spurs are still a good time and it is an odd year. The Lakers are a great rivalry, but they are the Lakers, Bynum's status could make a difference though. We beat the Rockets earlier in the year in a really exciting game. The Rockets are having injury problems. I wouldn't mind seeing Aaron Brooks play, I wouldn't even mind seeing him play well as long as the Blazers win. All in all, give me the Rockets.
On the other end of this question, which team do you least want to see us play in the playoffs? I'd go with the Mavericks or Nuggets.
This is easy for me: Lakers then Spurs, in that order. I don't want to play the best team in our conference (Lakers) or a team with a million times more experience (Spurs).
A healthy Utah would be a bear. I'm excluding LA and San Antonio as a bit obvious, as they are the two toughest possible opponents in the West.
Houston as well. We've got the big to match up. But other guys would have to step up since Artest is one of the few who can really shut B. Roy down.
Lakers! Imagine the meltdown in LA if we actually managed to knock them out first round? And it's not impossible, win out at home and steal a game in LA. I went down the list and there isn't really a team that we've had the habit of owning. The Suns in particular are the team I'd like to avoid, Nash and Shaq have always killed the Blazers.
