Utah Jazz: The J-Notes staff composite first round playoff predictions

#3 Portland Trail Blazers vs. #6 New Orleans Pelicans

Ryan Aston: The Portland Trail Blazers may have beaten the Jazz on the final day of the regular season, but they did not have an impressive close to the year. Over their last five games, they were outscored by five points per 100 possessions. C.J. McCollum‘s April was particularly rough — he made just 36 percent of his shots and 24 percent from distance.

None of this is what you want in your logline when you’re preparing to face Anthony Davis. These teams had a competitive regular season series, but I expect the Brow’s will to win will rule out in the end here. Pelicans in 7

Zack Padmore: This is another very intriguing first round matchup. Anthony Davis and the Pelicans are back in the playoffs, and despite losing Boogie Cousins, I think they have a real shot to win this series. Jrue Holiday, one of the better defensive guards in the league, will have a tough task defending Portland’s elite guards, but he is capable. I see the Pelicans’ size giving the Blazers some problems. Pelicans in 7

Jared Barker: The Blazers don’t have anyone that matches up particularly well with Anthony Davis so this is intriguing. Jrue Holiday can only cover McCollum or Damian Lillard so pick your poison on the perimeter for the Pellies. This should be a really fun matchup but I expect the Blazers to win in six because I’m not sure Anthony Davis can play for 48 minutes a night. His roster is pretty thin. I’m not sure I trust five of the Pelicans in the playoffs. I also don’t believe in playoff Rondo. Blazers in 6

Tyler Thorpe: #DameTime vs. the Anthony Davis show. The Utah Jazz saw first-hand how deadly Portland’s offense can be when their talented backcourt is knocking down shots. The scary thing is, Damian Lillard seems to elevate his game as the moments get bigger. The Pelicans, led by Davis, continue to play some of their best ball of the season, however, the Trail Blazer’s backcourt and offensive potency give them the upper hand in this matchup.

Portland struggled to close out the regular season. Before defeating the Jazz 102-93 on Wednesday night, Portland was trending in the wrong direction. Whether or not they have their mojo back is still to be determined. I wouldn’t be surprised if New Orleans stole the opening game of the series on the road. Ultimately, Lillard and CJ McCollum will knock down enough shots to set up a second-round matchup with Golden State. Blazers in 6

John Keeffer: In the Western Conference, this is going to be one of the hardest series to call. Post All-star break, the Pelicans and Blazers have almost played to a standstill. The Pelicans went 17-8, the Blazers went 17-7, and the two teams had an identical offensive rating. They also split the season series 2-2.

I am going to go with the Pelicans in this series because of the matchups. The two best players on the Blazers are Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, but the Pelicans have Jrue Holliday and Rajon Rondo to throw at them. As amazing as Lillard has been this season, Anthony Davis is still the best player in the series. Whenever a series is too close to call, I use the method of picking the team with the best player on the court, and that will carry the Pelicans to the second round. Pelicans in 7

Austin Leonard: Imagine the Pelicans without Anthony Davis (with or without DeMarcus Cousins healthy, doesn’t matter). Would they even scrap 30 wins? The fact that most people struggle to answer that question is a testament to what a transcendent talent he is. I can see Davis going nuts and powering his team to a win or two but the one man wrecking crew won’t be enough to top the Portland Trail-Lillards.

Not much has changed from this year’s Portland roster (3-seed) and last year’s roster (barely 8-seed). The difference has been Lillard’s ascension into true superstar territory. Who would’ve thought that the best NBA player to ever come out of a college in Utah would be from Weber State? Not me. Blazers in 6

Tyler Crandall: Damian Lillard is playing the best basketball of his life. He’s motivated and he’s deadly and there isn’t a player on this planet that can stop him right now. Jrue Holiday is a good defender. Really good, actually. But Dame will make mincemeat out of him. Portland is one of the best paint-protecting teams in the league, and the Pelicans will struggle to get going. Anthony Davis is going to fight, and he’s also hard to stop, but it won’t keep up long enough to make a difference. Blazers in 5

Hayden Van de Maat: Both the Blazers and the Pelicans have overachieved this season due to mammoth seasons from MVP caliber players. For Portland, Damian Lillard has further solidified himself as the go-to guy, partially because of somewhat of a letdown year from C.J. McCollum. But Lillard’s play has been nothing short of spectacular. For New Orleans, Anthony Davis has carried them the entire season and is putting up some historical, eye-catching numbers since DeMarcus Cousins went out with an Achilles injury.

In this series, it looks as though it will be determined by the ‘other guys’. In other words, if you take out Lillard and Davis, what’s left? And it’s simple really, the Blazers have a top five coach and one of the best systems in the league that compliments the talent on the roster. The Pelicans have an underrated point guard in Jrue Holiday, and…that’s about it. Therefore, I think the Blazers are going to take this one quite comfortably. Blazers in 5

Jared Woodcox: This one’s tough for me, especially considering that New Orleans ended the year on a five-game winning streak while Portland (aside from their win over the Jazz) didn’t close the season out well. The winner here will depend on which star – Damian Lillard or Anthony Davis – can carry his team the furthest. When all is said and done, I suspect Portland’s backcourt and their exceptional play on their home court will be enough to seal the deal. Blazers in 6

General Consensus: Blazers in 6