Utah has the worst matchup. Brooks v Williams is bad. Boozer v Yao. And our biggest strength in the playoff is going to end up being our ability to play good defense. But our two best defenders will end up guarding Brewer/Miles/Ak47. New Orleans has Chris Paul, but I think we matchup well against them. If we can make Chris Paul have to be the man, then we win. Scola does a good job against West. Yao can sag on Chandler because he isn't a great shooter. Battier/Artest should be able to hold down their shooters. Denver has Billups, but I think we can wear down Melo over the course of a playoff series. Portland has Roy. Although I think we can matchup with him well. LA might give us trouble, he has in the past. They don't really have the role players that will hurt Yao/Brooks. Pryzbilla and Oden mean Yao basically doesn't have to play defense. I'd say my list would be Portland, Denver, NO, Utah. I think we could beat Utah, but it would be close. I think we'd destroy Portland to be honest. Rookie playoff team, not really any major matchup issues.
NOT Utah because we'd get destroyed by deron, yao cant defend boozer. Preferably Not Portland either, cuz Roy will lit a fire under our asses. i think any other teams fine, including lakers and spurs
Shouldn't be to hard.. 1) Jazz 2) Jazz 3) Jazz 4) Jazz Come on guys, have some balls. Revenge would taste so sweet!!
You know, we actually want to advance? Unless you are willing to break Deron Williams or Carlos Boozer's legs. Then I wouldn't mind facing them.
exactly, i mean come on, everybody knows in the back of their mind ITS GONNA HAPPEN! i for one wouldnt have it any other way, for those worried i have 2 words for you NO LAYUPS!!!
Anyone but Jazz & Lakers. We can't be physical with the Jazz because they flop, and the Lakers have Kobe.
My order of preference. Denver Dallas N.O. Utah BLAZERS Lakers S.A. To those that are taking the Blazers lightly.... you're in for a rude awakening. I think ROY is going to go off and make a big name for himself in the national spotlight. The Playoffs... where True Superstars are made. They're young and have ZERO playoff experience and that makes them all the more dangerous. They have absolutely NOTHING to lose and everything to gain. They can just go out and play free. They haven't made the playoffs in 6 years yet they've always had one of the most loyal fan bases for as long as I've lived in Portland since '83. Even through the "Jail Blazer Era" fans were loyal. I expect nothing short of Oracle Arena in terms of atmoshphere when the Warriors upset the Mavs a couple years ago. If the Blazers steal a game against any first round opponent while on the road it could spell disaster for the team with HCA. I'd be surprised if any Blazer matchup didn't go 7 and I wouldn't be shocked to see them upset somebody and get out of the 1st round. 3 Major things goin for them 1.) Brandon Roy 2.) Nate McMillan. Excellent underrated/appreciated coach 3.) Quality big men. Aldridge,Oden, Pryz (although Oden and Pryz don't have much offensive game they're big bodies that are going to protect the paint and be monsters on the board and create second chance opportunities) Going to be huge in the halfcourt/slow tempo playoff situations. X factor = Fans. My ideal situation is the Blazers face the Jazz and knock them off since they're my 2nd favorite team.
Umm Yao can't defend Okur. Okur shoots threes. The closest person to the basket is usually Boozer who is way too quick for Yao to guard, so the Jazz are a tough matchup for us.
People here would rather take a chance losing against Utah because they want revenge than getting out of the 1st round against those easier teams?
I think people are over estimating Portland. Do they have any major rotation players with playoff experience? Roy, Oden, LA. I mean... we don't have "winning" playoff experience, but at least we've been there more than Portland. I think people are over estimating Roy. He's basically the best matchup for Battier and Ron Artest in the playoffs. They are both good 1 on 1 defenders, Roy is going to demand the ball. Having Ron Artest and Battier on Brewer and Ak47 is basically a waste of a player. And its not like Battier is going to shut down Brewer, because he gets his points off of Williams doubleteams. Plus, of all the western conference coaches. The Blazers coach has to be the least experienced. Sloan, Phil Jackson, Pop, Rick Carlisle (took a few Pacers teams deep), Byron Scott (took Nets to the finals), George Karl (on all time wins list), Rick Adelman... all better coaches than Nate McMillan, all have more playoff experience. Portland has to be at the top of the list, the only mismatch is Aldrich vs Scola. Roy is obviously going to get his but I think we can hold him to below his average. Portland is probably the easiest aside from Dallas, and maybe Denver.
