Either. There is no easy team in the Western Conference. Let's win as many of our remaining games as possible. We can't control what other teams will do. Then, after the season is over, we will be whatever seed we will be and will face whoever we will face. And then let's go out and destroy them.
If we matchup with Dallas, will Chandler Parsons claim he's the best SF in the series, again? Last night: Ariza 19 pts on 6-12 shooting with 6 Reb 6 Ast 2 Stl 0 TOs Parsons 11 pts on 3-9 shooting with 4 Reb 4 Ast 0 Stl 2 TOs
Well to be fair, Parsons was playing hurt last night. He experienced knee pain after their game against OKC, but still wanted to play against Houston.
We could easily end up facing the Spurs or Clippers as the 3 seed. It will be tough to hold on to the 2. Memphis has an easier schedule, especially if GS ends up resting players in their last two games. If we win our last 3 division games and one other game then we'll probably lock up the 2. I still believe we go unbeaten the rest of the season though What I posted last night in the game thread: 1. Tonight's game is tough. Both teams on b2b's. In Dallas. Dwight's well rested. TJones will release all that tension from the car ride on the Mavs. 2. OKC is tough at home. But it's an ABC game so we'll probably win. Beard loves the lights. 3. Spurs playing OKC the night before. Dwight's numbers against SAS this season, game 1: 32/16/2, game 2: 24/17/1/1. 4. At home against SAS. D12 will smash again. 5. We don't really play well against NO. But we haven't had TJ in the last 3 matchups. He plays well against AD. 6. Charlotte has a losing home record. Our only b2b the rest of the season. 7. We're at home. Utah's not good on the road. Gobert will not happen again. Dwight's back. According to these likely playoff lineups, I rather see Mavs in the first round than Blazers, than Spurs, than Clippers. At this point, we could end up facing any of these teams.
I don't think we match up real well against Portland. I don't want to see another series against them anyway. Dallas would be my choice. No push over, but I like our chances against them.
The only team I fear is the Rockets' mistake-prone doppelganger, because when we have everyone healthy and we're on point, no one can beat us. Not having Bev as our patented pest is a bummer, but Prigs is showing a lot of poise and good decision making.
To be honest, it has to be Dallas. It's going to be hard either way, but Dirk isn't going to drop 80 points in 2 games. Dirk and Monta may be clutch, but it's only going to be in the last minute. Their defense isn't as good as ours and if our guys are locked in defensively we should handle Dallas. Their fans are overly-confident for no reason. Every fan of a team in the west wants the Mavericks. Not the Blazers, Rockets or even OKC. It can be a toss up between OKC and Dallas, but after that every other team actually has a decent chance of going far into the playoffs.
I don't like hoping for a certain seed to play/avoid certain teams but I would be lying if I didn't say I think Dallas is the best 1st rd opponent the Rockets could hope for. Dallas could win a game or two against us but I do not think they can get us in a series.
Portland When you have any big, tough or complex job you want to tackle the hardest part first. Not that the NBA gets easier but getting past Portland after last year seems like step 1 to establish that we are worthy. More than revenge, it's just a psychological hurdle we need to get past to establish our Championship identity. Without that win we are just another team. Get that dirty job done and we can go on to play some glamour games.
This. Perfectly put. There is mo easy way out and we need to stop looking for one. Let the cards land where they will. If we want that respect, If we want to be considered contenders, if we want to be taken seriously, and most importantly if we want that ring, we have to prove we can be successful in the playoffs. So screw looking at who we can play, and let's just put our heads down and play hard.
Ideally I would want to win the championship through this road: 1st Round: Mavs 2nd Round: Clips Conf Finals: Spurs Finals: Heat I think beating all those teams to a championship would bring out the most satisfaction.
