Did Portland already clinch a "Playout Spot" as the 9th seed?

[RoseCity07]

I dont know if its fear with the blazers and lillard but its definitely respect. like he said.


if you arent worried about the blazers then you arent paying attention because he is a coldblooded killer who can capitalize on the lakers shitty play

The big problem is our defense. They can’t get stops. We have two reliable bench players. Whiteside playing lazy since the start so really we have one good bench player. Blazers have no reliable depth.

[E_Stamkos]

I dont know if its fear with the blazers and lillard but its definitely respect. like he said.


if you arent worried about the blazers then you arent paying attention because he is a coldblooded killer who can capitalize on the lakers shitty play

This

Can't ever sleep on a Dame led team. Dude shreds...

[CTbasketball92]

i dont understand this narrative "Blazers is a scary team, no one wanna face them at round".
is they are so scary, they wouldnt be in 8/9th spot.

You're severely underestimating the addition of Nurkic. He's a guy that's a good defender, a capable scorer who could average 18-20 ppg on good efficiency and can pass the ball really well for a big man. He meng makes it so he can also be a second option. I think Nurk can be at least a top 25 player and a legit top 5 center and all-star talent. CJ can be hot and cold because he relies on his jumper too much. Now, with Nurk also able to get 20-25 points on any given night, CJ's scoring droughts aren't so harmful. And so when he's going and CJ's not, Portland's offense can survive. And then you've got Melo who's been solid and can space the floor, along with Gary Trent. Overall this makes the Blazers a way better team. There's a reason they won 53 games last year.


I think the Lakers will beat them, but it could be a harder first-round series.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

You knew Dame was gonna come out big after yesterday's performance.

After all that hoopla, he drops a 50 piece. Killer DNA. Definitely want to see Portland in the playoffs.

[ArbitraryWater]

i dont understand this narrative "Blazers is a scary team, no one wanna face them at round".
is they are so scary, they wouldnt be in 8/9th spot.

Well that’s pretty dumb logic

Would they have also not made a WCF?

[NBAGOAT]

Kcp, Danny, and Caruso are the lakers perimeter defenders and all pretty good. The lakers certainly have flaws but perimeter defense and defense in general shouldn’t be one of them

[Manny98]

Grizzlies & Suns currently winning their matchups

Not looking good for Portland, if they don't beat the red hot Nets they're out

[Axe]

Don't be so retarded. They haven't started the game yet.