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Western Conference finals possible?

with the way we have been playing late "do the Blazers have what it takes to get to and maybe even win the conference championship" and now i hear they bynum may be out the rest of the season i think it could happen if we get top four thus home court i think that would only help our chances my only to concers would be the l@kers but now not soo much and the other scary team is san antonio but other then that i think we could definatly contend

Poll
can the blazers reach the Western Conference Finals
yes
134 votes
no
81 votes

215 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs  |  Comment 28 comments

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Comments

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If you don´t vote "Yes, we can" you are not a good American.

Sergio + Rudy = 16
Sergio + Bayless = 16
Batum 8+8=16

by amlmart1 on Feb 1, 2009 7:57 AM PST reply actions   1 recs

I voted no

How about you?

When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.

by jscot on Feb 1, 2009 9:30 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

i voted yes

The Lakers are the only “unbeatable” team in the mix. Denver, Utah, San Antonio can all be beat in a 7-game series. To say nothing of N.O., Houston, Phoenix or Dallas. The right matchup we can make it to the conf. finals.

M, period. Fresh, comma.

by manzell on Feb 1, 2009 10:46 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I voted yes.

I´m a renowned linguist at Oxford, you know, and for a linguist you “can” always when you have more than 0%.

Sergio + Rudy = 16
Sergio + Bayless = 16
Batum 8+8=16

by amlmart1 on Feb 1, 2009 10:52 AM PST up reply actions   3 recs

my thoughts exactly

and +1 for the pop culture “yes we can” reference. You’re on a roll today.

Want more aggressiveness? Try less Baylesslessness.

by prezofdeath on Feb 1, 2009 11:02 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I agree, you'd have to be mighty down on the Blazer's to give them no chance

Exhibit 1: Arizona is in the Superbowl

".. is gumby an alien?"

by staylost on Feb 1, 2009 12:24 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

good point!,

 I`m also a cunning linguist :-)

by 2phattoplay on Feb 1, 2009 2:31 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

do you really go to oxford?

if so which college? my girlfriend went to LMH

Being a Blazer fan is fun!

by Blazermaniac77 on Feb 1, 2009 7:37 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

It´s an old Jscot´s joke we keep rolling.

I never have been there. Or maybe I have.

Sergio + Rudy = 16
Sergio + Bayless = 16
Batum 8+8=16

by amlmart1 on Feb 1, 2009 9:03 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Hrmph

Now you’re calling me old. As if there were such a thing as a young jscot.

When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.

by jscot on Feb 4, 2009 2:27 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I'm going to have to say no, unfortunately.

WCF sounds like a stretch. Teams that make it that far don’t give up the kind of FG% that the Blazers allow this year.

In a playoff series we will end up seeing a ton of the persistent doubleteams on BRoy that kept the Blazers from scoring down the stretch in some games early this season, and unless Webster makes a full recovery by then there may not be enough weapons to spread the floor.

This is one of those times I’d love to be wrong.

Dunk

by Billy Ray Bates on Feb 1, 2009 8:29 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Speaking of the doubleteams on Brandon,

it is pretty exciting to see teams playing Jordan Rules defense against him. That’s a sign that you have arrived.

Dunk

by Billy Ray Bates on Feb 1, 2009 8:30 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I voted no but,

it is possible. If we were to make it to the WCF a lot of things would have to start clicking for us with consistency, that right now we only see in spurts. Things like our recent advantage in the paint, and Greg’s game (except for last night) would need to become what is expected every night all night. We’d also need to improve our defense, no way do we stay with LA in a pure offensive game (there defense is just too much better than ours right now). We also need to figure out how to deal with good wings…in order to make it to the WCF we’ll have to figure out how to contain good wing players like Tony Parker, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Carmelo Anthony (if he gets back to 100%), T-mac, and etc.

by Gelvalst on Feb 1, 2009 8:36 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Possible but very unlikely. Experience matters in the playoffs. Thus far, the blazers haven’t played well on the road against the top west teams and their defense isn’t good enough to succeed in the playoffs.

Having said that, playoff positioning will be key for this team if they are going to advance. A key injury to an opponent can make a big difference in the playoffs as most teams aren’t as deep as the blazers are.

by tucsonhanny on Feb 1, 2009 9:03 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Can or Will?

Can they? Yes, absolutely they can.
Will they? Probably not

I was thinking about this the other day. Let’s says LA and SA end up 1-2. Let’s say we get the 3 or 6 seed and beat whoever had the other one. That puts us up against the Spurs in round 2. I think it’s possible. Sure, they’ve got ALL the experience going for them, but A) they aren’t deep, and B) they generally don’t blow teams out, which always gives you a chance.

Rule #1 of nitpicking is to get it right.

by douglast on Feb 1, 2009 9:12 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Exactly, it's going to take some the right kind of draw for us to end up in the WCF

just like Utah needed a couple years ago when they only had to beat Houston and GS to make it, if we can end up in a bracket with, say, Denver in the first and then Houston/Utah/Phoenix/Dallas (whichever teams make it) pull an upset and we get them in the second, I’d say we have a chance.

On the flip side, I really would not like our chances against any of the L*kers, Spurs or Hornets in a series.

by Royster on Feb 1, 2009 10:21 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

No! Not this year

The Blazers are learning, but they still havejump shots on the brain a little too much. The Utah game was evrything that has been talked about by the coaching staff. Portland was hot from outside early in that game I think they hit 4 straight tre’s built a mild lead in the 1st quarter but by halftime had only a 5 pt. lead. The Jazz hung tough and were not having to work on D. The outside shot went cold and Utah was right there just grinding it out. The second half was the ballgame Portland started to go to the rim draw some fouls and get the inside points that establish a teams presance. Okufor got into foul trouble Millsap had five fouls early in the 4th and just looked like he became disinterested in the game.
Portland becomes a contender when post play and presance become the priority, I dont hate teams that shoot the 3 but I do know that they are not going to hit them very often consistanly and they are not going to be drawing the critical fouls that can break another teams will to win.

I try to help with everything," Fernandez said. "If the coach says go rebound, I go rebound. I work for the team.

""If I'm playing this game to get media and attention, I shouldn't be here," Aldridge said. "I'm here to play basketball, and do what I can do to help this team win."

by Dragonage on Feb 1, 2009 9:20 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Don't read too much into a dinged team on the road playing the tail end of a back-to-back...

OF COURSE, they’re gonna fade in the second half, especially when they’ve got the Jazz’s record in such situations… (now 1-11).

The cilantro in your tapioca pudding since 2007.™

by timbo on Feb 1, 2009 9:48 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I didn't know you were friends with Damon Stoudamire

So based on a win over a mediocre Utah team we’re supposed to go to the conference finals? For the last four weeks we couldn’t defend, or shoot for that matter, and now we’re goin to the finals. Same team, same problems, but fun to watch.

by oregonslee on Feb 1, 2009 9:43 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Of course the Blazers CAN make the finals, and they CAN win a championship, too...

Will it happen this year?

Not bloody likely, mate!

The cilantro in your tapioca pudding since 2007.™

by timbo on Feb 1, 2009 9:46 AM PST reply actions   1 recs

I love the collective reverse-jinx from BE

Absolutely no one says that we can get to the WCF this year. I don’t expect to, but it wouldn’t be the craziest thing ever.

by Jiggamant on Feb 1, 2009 10:13 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

So far, Portland is seeded as a 5. That means a first round date with the New Orleans Hornets. The second round would probably be against the L*kers. The third round is harder to predict because there are more possible combinations (2/7, 3/6 — probably Spurs over Mavs, and Nuggets over Rockets), but it doesn’t look very favorable.

Basically, I think at this point that there are long odds that Portland will make it out of the first round, let alone get to the WCF.

HOWEVER, on the plus side, Portland is still a young team with some unknown elements. If the team were more of a veteran team, what you see would be pretty much what you would expect to get, and the upside might be more limited. There are some promising pieces that have just shown flashes of living up to their brilliant potential: Oden and Bayless are the primary culprits. And it ALMOST doesn’t bear repeating that Webster has been MIA all season….when he comes back, we don’t know what we’ll get out of him, or how he’ll acclimate back into the rotation. The second half will either wear us down, or it will see us gel and peak possibly at just the right time. At this point, too many things would have to bounce just right for Portland to get into the WCF.

by SonicBlazer on Feb 1, 2009 10:33 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Well we could make it...

but the way this team plays right now, probably not. Oden would have to consistently stay on the floor longer, and our achilles heel the perimeter D would have to tighten up a lot, as guard play is much more important in the playoffs. I’m hoping for the second round, but who knows?

by dario argento on Feb 1, 2009 10:36 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Exactly.

Our D is way too inconsistent.

by hotstuffdb22 on Feb 1, 2009 2:43 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Anything is possible in the playoffs

that’s why you play them, instead of have an NBA Live ’09 simulation. So much of the playoffs relies on two things:

1) Who is hot coming into the playoffs?
2) Who’s injured?

Chris Dudley for three!

by wilbjammin on Feb 1, 2009 12:06 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

i think we can

get there only if we get top four because we are so good on the home floor

 hotson im not worried about they hav not made it out of the first round
lakers i dont like it if they have bynum but he might be out (and updates on that by the way)
NO this is the scary team for me
denver we can beat them
jazz if they make it i think the only way we beat them is id we are top 4
san antonio i like our chances dont know why
phoenix or dallas im more scared of dallas i dont think phoenix even makes the playoffs

sorry if i forgot any one

by BLAZERS#52 on Feb 1, 2009 2:23 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

I think we can push for the fourth seed

 If we can get home court advantage on the Hornets I think we could realistically make it to the second round.

by BeloHorizante on Feb 1, 2009 2:56 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

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