Portland Trail Blazers
Current Record: 4-3
Standings: 4th in Division, 10th in Conference
Oddly enough, each of the other four teams in the Northwest Division currently has a 4-3 record. However, according to the standings on NBA.com, the Trail Blazers are the lowest seed of the bunch for now due to various tiebreakers, so we’ll move on to them next.
Despite the fact that the Blazers currently find themselves out of the presumed playoff mix, I’m still very optimistic about their chances. Their embarrassing six-point second quarter against the Toronto Raptors on Monday notwithstanding, Portland has played well and were very close to starting the season 6-0 had it not been for a clutch Blake Griffin buzzer beater in their loss to the LA Clippers and a career night from Giannis Antetokounmpo in their tight loss to the Bucks.
However, much like the Nuggets, the Blazers have yet to log a victory over any team that is all that remarkable. Their four victories have come against the Phoenix Suns, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Indiana Pacers, who in their defense have actually been playing quite well of late.
Still, the Blazers have looked solid as they boast the league’s second best three-point percentage on the year thus far (42.1 percent) and are in the top ten in both offensive and defensive ratings at this point. They’ve also been an excellent rebounding team as they’re currently pulling down the second most boards per game of any team in the league. If they can maintain those figures, they will without a doubt be a tough out for any foe.
The Blazers somehow only scored six points in a quarter against the Raptors https://t.co/KZ3Qeuxg4I pic.twitter.com/23tTJjnSuK
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) October 31, 2017
They’re of course led by an impressive backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum who are already averaging an outrageous 47.5 combined points per game.
Ironically enough, they’ll face off against the Utah Jazz tonight in what should be a great measuring stick game for both teams. The Jazz have had their share of offensive struggles and have historically had a hard time containing Portland’s backcourt, but the Blazers are also looking for their first win over a Western Conference opponent not named the Phoenix Suns.
Although there are many that continue to doubt the Blazers, I still think they have what it takes to make the postseason and that with Lillard and McCollum willing them to victories, they’ll find a way to sneak in come season’s end.