I know it sounds crazy. Should Portland intentionally lose the 3rd seed which is all but locked up, to get the 7th seed? I don't know how they would do it without gambling on missing the playoffs all together, but if they did they would see Golden State without Steph instead of with him in the second round. A few weeks ago I would have said it made no sense, but today it makes some sense. They could potentially cost Paul Allen millions by still getting knocked out in the first round, but if they seriously think they can compete, this would be the smartest way to the WCF. Again, I'm not entirely sold on the idea, but it does have its advantages. If the goal is to get out of the first round, don't do it. If the goal is to get to the WCF, they should do it.
No, it be too difficult to do in a very competitive 3-10 slot in a hard conference for a benefit that isn't guaranteed. Plus HCA is nice
I agree, the logistics are just too difficult after further review. Would you do it if you were them and could guarantee the 7?
no the 3rd seed and HCA is still better than the 7th seed and facing GS with no HCA even without Curry, GS is still easily a 50+ win team with KD, Klay, and Draymond
I guess the real gamble is getting the 8 or not making the playoffs entirely, but if they try and end up 6, it might be justified. They still will see the Warriors in the 2nd round without HCA at 6th seed, if they truly believe they are a top team( which they and most experts do) they should still beat whoever replaces them at the 3rs seed without HCA. As far fetched as any of my schemes are, are they more far fetched than beating the Warriors at full strength?
Portland would have HCA against their 1st round opponent which gives them a good chance of advancing to the 2nd round which would be a successful season for them.
As a Blazers fan: Never lose games on purpose. Winning mentality creates a winning culture. We are going to try to win every game we play.
I have not really considered that since I read Curry is now out for the 1st round. If Westbrook knocked Durant out of the playoffs. Oh man that would be legendary.
If they mucked it up, they could end up playing us. And I don’t want them playing us, tiring us out for the later rounds. Teams can’t control wins and losses. Too many variables to depend on that outcome. Plus, I like the idea of playing the Jazz. Clint has hung with Gobert, and they aren’t a “hail mary” risk for us.
Seeds 4 - 8 are separated by 2 games. The 10th place team is 2 games out of the POs. You have the same possibility finishing 9th or 10th & out of the POs as you do 4th - 8th. If Portland would in that range, it's a 25% chance of finishing 7th. Not worth the risk!
Thats stupid, POR will run into GSW anyways, so why not at least have a playoff win over SAS/UTA/DEN/OKC/MIN under your belt beforehand? As for some of the stupids around the internet claiming that "OKC is built 4 da playoffs because muh all starz!!!", Portland is basically better at OKC at everything except Center, and even then Nurkic can hold his ground against Adams. Lillard is the superior player to Westbrook, and unlike Westbrook, actually elevates his play in the 4th quarters of playoff games. Westbrook takes big shots, Lillard makes them. Portland is also a better defensive team than OKC, and has been a better offensive team since the all-star break, being 3rd overall in point differential since then as well, only behind HOU and TOR. But nobody thinks that Portland has a real chance of upsetting a healthy HOU or GSW compared to OKC, why? Marketing and name recognition. Westbrook has become the primary face of Nike since his stat padding binge cumulating in a 5 game 1st round exit Triple Double MVP campaign. Melo became hilariously overrated by playing with the Knicks, a 10 win player at his absolute peak, Melo has been declining for years, but all we heard was how "He's an unstoppable scoring machine" while wilting under the lime-light of new york. Melo statistically put up the same season last year as he is this year, yet he became and all-star thanks to playing for the Knicks. Paul George is why Kawhi should consider signing with Adidas/Reebok/Under Armor/Puma/BBB and leaving Nike behind. Both players have the personalities of a cardboard box, yet Paul George, playing in an even smaller market than San Antonio, got his own signature shoes with the company, and is one of their primary marketing faces, along with LeBron, Durant, and Kobe. Kawhi, despite making it to two finals and WINNING FINALS MVP AGAINST LEBRON, compared to Paul George putting up low-efficiency numbers while getting nothing but "you tired" banners for "taking the heat to 7" a few years ago. Anyway, George is only a big name thanks to Nike making him one themselves, he's no where near as good as a Jimmy Butler yet he has double the fame. TLDR: OKC = Overhyped Mediocrity
Yes, it is! It wouldn't be a bad idea if we were the 3 seed, but doing it at the 1 seed would sacrifice home court advantage. Plus, we aren't as desperate as Portland.
