Which playoff race is more exciting?

by Devenex on Mar 14, 2009 11:10 PM PDT

The Eastern Conference has no less than 6 (CHI, MIL, NJN, NYK, CHA, and IND) teams battling it out for the 8th and final playoff spot, although they are all well below .500. The team in 8th seems to change almost nightly, and there is quite a bit of jockeying in the top and middle seeds as well. Numbers 1 though 3 (CLE, BOS, and ORL) are separated by four games, and 4 through 7 ( ATL, MIA, DET, and PHI) are separated by 5. Really the only two teams out of the playoff race are TOR and WAS, and everyone else is either in the fighting to be in or fighting for a better spot as nobody has a spot locked in.

I'm sure everyone here is most aware of the Western Conference playoff race, but I'll recap anyway. LAL have pretty much sealed the 1 spot, and hopefully they pull a Dallas in the first round for it! But after that it gets very murky as there are still 8 good teams fighting for the last 7 spots. Right now PHX is on the outside looking in while being 4 games over .500, but 5 games back of the 8th spot as they've been on a skid winning 3 of their last 10. DAL in 8th is only 4.5 games back from SAS who are in 2nd, so these standings will be very fluid right up until the end of the season in all liklihood. In addition to this a top 4 seed is guaranteed to the winner of the NW division, which is anything but decided as POR, DEN and UTA are within a half game of eachother (DEN and POR tied + play the final game of their seasons against eachother).

Now my fine fellow bedgers, I ask which race would you find the most exciting if the Blazers were not competing for a playoff spot in one of them? (poll included but please feel free to elaborate below)

Poll

Which race would you find the most exciting if the Blazers were not competing for a playoff spot in one of them?

East: Almost everyone still alive, nothing set in stone

10 votes

West: 9 good teams + 8 spots = Awesome

50 votes

NCAA Tourney (MARCH MADNESS!!!)

20 votes

80 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

The East is pretty cool, but it's kind of like a

who-wants-to-get-buzz-sawed-first? competition

they all suck and are going to get squashed by Cleveland, Orlando, Boston.

The West is cool, but everyone knows the Fakers are a leap ahead of everyone else.

March Madness on the other hand is going to be CRAZY!!!! The top 25 has shifted around sooo much this year it’s not even funny. So many stories, so many teams that could go all the way. There is going to be upset specials all over the place….going to seriously be crazy.

by prezofdeath on Mar 15, 2009 12:08 AM PDT reply actions

You got to figure in the East

They are wondering about the draft lottery or first round exits. What would you rather have? The draft lottery would be crappy for for Portland but might help another team.

by tominhawaii on Mar 15, 2009 6:18 AM PDT up reply actions

you mean 8 teams battling for the last 7 spots.

"There are a few teams you have to watch out for in the fourth quarter."
"Yeah, but Portland definitely is not one of them."

-New Orleans Hornets broadcasters at the end of the third quarter with the Hornets leading 74-59. Portland later ends up winning 97-89.

"They don't mind him shooting that shot at all. Rudy Fernandez is not that great of a 3pt shooter."

-New Orleans Hornets broadcasters right after a Rudy Fernandez missed 3pter. Rudy Fernandez finished the game with three 3pters on six attempts.

by Tofu Anonymous on Mar 15, 2009 12:53 AM PDT reply actions

Whoops

I caought that earlier but forgot to post the edit, thx for reminding me.

"I don’t have the first clue who he is talking about, because all I worry about is Jerome." – Jerome James, on comments by coach Nate McMillan about Seattle SuperSonics players being selfish.

by Devenex on Mar 15, 2009 1:06 AM PDT up reply actions

I gotta say the West

Even though the L*kers have the top spot locked up, the East isn’t so much of a playoff race as it is a mediocrity race. There are two teams who hope that winning half their games is good enough for the SIXTH seed. There are 6 other teams who hope that being 7 games under .500 nets them the 8th seed. Even Miami, currently the 5th seed, is struggling. They barely have a positive point differential despite being seven games over .500.

And, prezofdeath is right. The “race” for the 7th and 8th seed is really just a race to be Cleveland or Boston’s first round punching bag. I don’t think you could find a single rational person who thinks those top teams are going to be upset in the first round.

The West on the other hand is far more exciting and not just because Portland is in the thick of it. Sure the top seed is going to the L*kers, but that’s no different from the East, where it’s the top THREE seeds which are locked up already. I don’t have to go into detail about the tight race the remaining six teams are in (the suns are basically done). While there may not be a playoff birth on the line, every seed (save 1st) is up for grabs and it’s going to stay that way until the last day of the regular season.

Furthermore, the West has the only remaining exciting division race. And, completely unlike the East, the bottom seeds at least have a fighting chance against the top seeds. Every team, of course, has weaknesses that can be exploited, but that’s not what I mean when I say an upset is more likely to occur in the West. Every team in the west playoff race is dangerous. Utah is getting healthy, Portland can shoot your lights out and play 10 deep, Dallas has a dangerous combination of veteran leadership and offensive firepower (plus wouldn’t dallas as an eighth seed upsetting the first seed be poetic after being on the wrong side of that?).

Every matchup in every round in the West is going to be exciting because of how close all the teams are. I think the only matchup that is going to be interesting in the East is the Cavs-Celtics rematch. Maybe Detroit-Orlando.

How about this for the West (not what I think will happen but what would be the best storylines):

1. L*kers
8. Mavs

Can the Mavs pull an even bigger upset than the 2007 Warriors?

2. Spurs
7. Blazers

The most consistently great team of the last 10 years against the team that many people predict to be one of the best teams for the next 10 years. Could this be a changing of the guard?

3. Rockets
6. Nuggets

Which team FINALLY makes it out of the first round?

4. Jazz
5. Hornets

Williams vs. Paul…..The two best point guards in the game. Need I say more?

"It’s a good ol’ fashioned Rip City beat down!"

by Magnum on Mar 15, 2009 1:57 AM PDT reply actions

I'm starting to think that San Antone could still be a contender

they looked nice knocking off Houston on the road, and Manu’s only been healthy for 38 games so far this year, and Parkers only played 55, and they still have the second seed all but locked up. I REALLY don’t want to face them first, against all logic, I think I would prefer a match up with the lackers over a healthy Spurs squad.

West coast for sure.

Superman wears Tyler Hansbrough underwear. - JTDuck22

by maid tu rek on Mar 15, 2009 2:17 AM PDT reply actions

The West

The East is a just a game of who wants to get owned by Lebron (or Celtics). Battle for the 8th should make from some fun games between those teams but…

In the west you have 8 teams fighting for 7 spots in which 1 or 2 games can change everything. That means every game is huge.

by Bskey on Mar 15, 2009 4:04 AM PDT reply actions