and we make the playoffs.

mos def.

that we upset the Lakers at Staples for our first game and first win.

Oden, Rudy, & Bayless are each worth 10 wins.

I do however think that you’re underrating the T-Wolves. I think they’re the akin to what the Blazer’s were last year, a very surprising young team that wins more games than anybody anticipated.

Eva will be with us. How cute a double date! :)

At least more realistic than my 164 and -82 prediction above.

I think if Portland wins 45 games this year that it will be a success. Forty-five, despite what everyone is saying, will just squeak into the playoffs, as the East is a little stronger this year than last.

prez you have us losing all of our games vs. washington and new orleans (5 total). last year (if i remember right) we did pretty good vs. new orleans, splitting the season with them. Also arenas usually does stupid things vs. us, like proclaiming hes going to get 50 and then only getting 8. Also we’re the only franchise he hasn’t dropped at least 30 on in his career (or so said the commentators last time arena played us). I say we win at least one against each, for a total of 50-32.

Other than that very nice predictiguesstimation.

love this one:
“Melo and Iverson go off for a combined 75.”
“Melo and Iverson go off for a combined 25.”
lol

We’ll take at least 1 of 2 from them.

It really shows how fragile the NBA season is. I can see that 48 wins is very realistic, but you are only a few possesions from going to 50 wins and a 7 seed or 46 Wins and out all together. Of course we focus on the Lakers and Spurs and the Jazz, but its those games in mid Jan – Feb, Golden State on the road, or New Jersey that scare me. I know the Blazers will be up for the best teams. Its the games they should win that I worry most about. I guess thats the real difference between young teams and veteran teams, but I expect their talent to overcome some poor performances. In the end I think you are spot on with your predictions.

Bonzi Wells??? (answere to trivia)

To be more than 90% right the siuts will burn you at the stake

Rod Strickland?

Terrific post—good work. Above all I enjoyed Oden’s dunk over Bogut at the buzzer.

However, I think the Blazers will have a tough time replicating last year’s win total. The loss of James Jones I think we have underestimated. And as excited as we get about the vicious three-headed Cerberus of Oden, Fernandez, and Bayless - and as much as the media feeds that hype - I believe they’ll take at least a year to adjust to the pro game, to treating winning games as a way of life, as a habit. The Outlaw shot at the buzzer last year? Great win, no doubt - one that I have youtubed countless times - but that was young team’s celebration, a team not used to close victories. Eventually post-game conferences will become as boring as the ones in the Rip City years. “Wow, you guys won! What do you have to say?” the reporters ask. Roy or Oden or whoever, they’ll just shake their head. “What did you expect? A loss?”

More importantly, my biggest criticism with the W-L schedule posted above is the Blazers’ record against very good teams, by which I mean teams with a large points scored/points allowed disparity in 2007-2008 (Boston, L.A., Utah, etc.). According to your predictions, the Blazers trump good teams: apart from Detroit, who beats them twice, the Blazers either post a .500 record against the strongest, or they win the season series outright. Take, for instance, the Lakers. The Blazers are typically good against the hated yellow-bellies, but I have a hard time seeing them winning the series next year with Bynum back in the lineup. And even scarier - again, according to your prediction - the Blazers choke against the small fry. To Atlanta? And the Clippers? That worries me.

I say, if the Blazers get a 41-41 season, and they consistently beat the weaker teams, with occasional victories against the strongest teams, that would be a huge success. Good teams easily beat up the weak and compete valiantly against the strongest. Remember the Rip City days, games against Denver and Sacramento? The Blazers would roll up about 145 points and win by thirty. Ainge was raining threes all over the Kings.

45

Can’t beat the Spurs at home…Parker, Batum, and Sophia are seen at Buffalo Wild Wings before and after the game.

Maybe the game prediction is right, but NO way do wealthy french dudes eat at that awful place. The frog legs at Clyde Commons, more likely.

6 seed in the West

Overall, the Blazers have a better season in my scenario, but I don’t have them losing games to second tier teams, and have them with an excellent record at home and a .500 road record. Pretty much a best case scenario.

Fri, Oct 31 – We beat the Spurs. Welcome to the season, guys, you’re not getting any younger!
Wed, Nov 5 – We lose at Utah at the Salt Palace. Why is it so hard to win there?
Thu, Nov 6 – We lose at home to Houston, after traveling 1000 miles to play a back to back.
Tue, Nov 18 – We should win at Golden State, and we do
Fri, Nov 21 – Sacramento is in a rebuilding year, we are built, and win.
Fri, Nov 28 – New Orleans not quite good enough to win this one in the Rose Garden.
Sun, Dec 7 – Toronto is not all that, Jermaine O’Neal is hurt and doesn’t play. We win.
Thu, Dec 18 – The Suns find out Portland is much tougher at home, and when not coming off back to backs like we were the first two times we played them.
Mon, Dec 22 – Denver misses Camby and Najera. We play defense, and that turns out to be the difference as the Blazers win.
Fri, Jan 2 – Chris Paul does not want to come to Portland anymore, NO comes up short.
Sun, Jan 4 – LA L*kers outplay us in Staples. Blazers lose.
Mon, Jan 12 – Coaching in the NBA is hard! Bad news for Del Curry, we win.
Wed, Jan 14 – Philly is rusty after too many days off, Blazers sneak away with a road win.
Sat, Jan 24 – We owe the Wizards a spanking, and it is delivered.
Wed, Feb 4 – Dallas plays well at home, and the Blazers drop another one.
Wed, Feb 25 – San Antonio realizes the Portland home opener was no fluke, we pick up a close win on their home floor.
Sun, Mar 1 – The Spurs get their revenge on national TV. It’s an odd year, so don’t count them out. Blazers lose.
Wed, Mar 4 – Indiana players do not want to follow a Blazer home loss. Blazers come out hungry and win.
Fri, Mar 13 – A close loss at home to the Nets on a night where the team can’t seem to put it together. A rare exception to the not losing to lottery bound teams trend.
Mon, Mar 16 – Memphis not ready to play with this Blazer team this year – we win.
Mon, Mar 23 – Philadelphia can’t put all the pieces together against the Blazers this year, this is a Blazers victory.
Tue, Mar 31 – Utah needs this win to assert their divisional dominance. They don’t get it, we win at home again.
Wed, Apr 8 – We lose a squeaker in San Antonio. We have their attention now.
Sat, Apr 11 – The Clippers are playing for lottery position at this point, the Blazers are jockeying for a better playoff spot. We win.
Wed, Apr 15 – With third place in the division locked up, Nate rests his starters and we hand this victory to the lottery bound Nuggets on national TV.

Final record: 57-25, home record 35-6, road record 22-19
Record on second game of back to backs: 8-6, it sure is nice to have young legs!

Go Blazers!

I wouldn’t want to. There would be no point in watching the games. I think we will win 50 games, maybe more. I think we have a chance to win every single game no matter what team we play now. Sort of like how the Spurs are usually favored, I see myself becoming that confident in this team.

thats if all thing dont go glorious. I also think that it wont take as many wins this year to snag the top spot, as this years east will be stronger then last years weakest east ever.

Link Google Doc Table.

I call it a “good case”: We win a few games against the great ones, have winning stretches, but also sustain some losses that might have been avoided against weaker teams. It’s neither the worst one where we lose a lot of games against both superior and inferior teams but also neither a best one where we win all the time and crush weaker competition. Blindly, I was saying we would go for 50 wins and make the playoffs with the addition of Oden, Bayless, Rudy. Now going through this tough schedule, I came to a gloomier prediction (give or take a win or two):

44 – 38

That gets you to the playoffs in the East, but in the West it might not be enough. Sorry. But hey, we will make a big trade for RLEC with Memphis before the deadline to improve for next year (see comments) ;-)
I will update this at least once before opening day when the rosters are more defined and there is less uncertainty.

When GO went down last year, everyone was moaning
and groaning about another losing season. I predicted
40 to 42 wins, and the rest is history. Many fans didn’t
see the improvement BRoy, Smooth and others had
in store for the NBA.
This year will be special (with good health) for several
reasons. We still have some great chemistry with mostly
homegrown players. GO will give us the much needed
force in the middle with D, Rebounding and everything within
TEN feet being thrown down. Moving Joel to the white unit
will give us toughness, screens (and O fouls) and the defense/
rebounding we didn’t have on the white squad last year.
Smooth, Martell & TO will all be improved with off season
strength and ballhandling work. Adding Rudy & T-Rex will give
the white unit additional scoring punch to go with TO’s step
back jumper and Frye’s pick and pop game. The team will
be much better amidst some ups & downs. I think we will
contend for home court advantage in the 1st round and if
healthy, we could go to the WCF.
Just one Blazermaniac/GOF/Homer’s opinion. Now . . .

BRING BACK OUR BLAZERVISION !! COINCAST . . . !!!!!

31 is my lucky number and I know we are winning 50, so 51 and 31 it is.

We’re a good team. Might even win the NW with that record.

Mortimer!

I do a prediction thread too. End of preseason and then I link to it halfway through the season and year end so that people can have bragging rights and prove the predictions.

last year… boy was i off on webster.