I said what I've been saying since the first week of the season. Portland isn't a threat to anyone and certainly isn't a threat to the rockets in terms of seeding when we were neck in neck.
Don't be ridiculous. Remember how Portland would not be willing to trade for Asik because "they have great chemistry" among their starters? Who needs defensive anchor when you have such great things like chemistry? Imagine if the Blazers actually made a trade for Asik. They'd truly be a beast right now.
Portland is likely to drop below the #5 seed. GS and Memphis will fight it out for the #5 spot each of which would be a tougher matchup for the Rockets in the first round than Portland.
Their collapse was inevitable and I said it on this board. They were leading the NBA is 3 attempts and shooting 40% from three... There was no way they could sustain it. Couple that with their two best players being chuckers (LMA and DL) and you will struggle with consistency ... Add in the worst defense in the NBA and you have a team doomed to float back to mediocrity.
They have no low post presence. Their biggest guy, LMA, won't go anywhere near 5 feet of the rim he just shoots jumpers outside of that range.
Losing LMA was a big blow to them. I expect them to hold on to 6th spot if they even just beat the teams they are suppose to beat. Would love the Rockets to play them in 1st round....this is the team that Rockets would love to play...our offense can match them but our defense is way above and beyond. They won't be able to outscore us in a 7 game series. Hope we get 3rd spot.
i just think they've been playing selfish ball lately, particularly Lillard who has a big head now since his all-star showing... Before LMA went down, they were fun to watch, a lot similar to the LA clippers, they moved the ball, shared duties, rebounded well... I watched their last two games, Lillard was forcing the issues, trying to be the hero, chucked a lot threes and did not make them...
This was very easy to predict, they were clearly an aberration of unsustainable shooting. I was desperately hoping to get them in the 1st round, but that seems extremely unlikely at this point. At this point, as crazy as it sounds they are not even a lock to make the playoffs.
Feels good looking through an old thread and not regret what I said. Well, except for wasting my time arguing about how ridiculous it was to call LMA mvp. Still awaiting those Tony Parker for MVP threads, fellas. Dangit, I have to stop that.
The Blazers are only 2 games ahead of PHX in the loss column. They really need to be worried about even making the playoffs. They are 5 behind the Rockets in the loss column -- at this point I've stopped rooting for them to lose even.
I really don't care which lower seed team we face in the 1st round, but Dallas I think will give us a run for our money.
Not true. Dallas is not a threat. Clippers are our biggest weakness; it would be nice to avoid them altogether [in the playoffs].
You must be a lin fan only they use these kinds of terms because of their lack of basketball knowledge
It's hard for me to be scared of facing a team in a playoff series that can't score in the paint and can't stop others from scoring in the paint. With that said... damnit, Portland! Step your game up. Don't let Memphis overtake you.
