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Playoffs!

Presuming we want #6, we're certainly not in the driver's seat.

We still need one more win or Dallas loss to ensure that we don't get #7. So we're probably not going to try to lose our next game against Dallas. Then we just have one game left to (possibly) manipulate against the Spurs (who may be in desperation mode, and we still may feel like we need a win).

On the other hand, OKC still has 4 games remaining. If they want to lose some of them to try to ensure a #6 seed, they can end up with more losses than we can no matter what we do. Importantly, they have a game the last day of the schedule, while Dallas and Utah will have both completed their schedule the night before. If they need a loss to end up #6, they'll be able to do whatever they want that last day.

Of course, still a lot to happen, but we're really not in control here.
I'm really hoping that pride wins out over reason here and Chris Paul goes ape-**** crazy to get a shot at Harden and the Rockets.

In looking over the season series, OKC is 1 and 2 vs the Nuggets and 2 and 1 vs the Rockets, so there's that as well.
 
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It's hard to be excited about the playoffs when the team has played so poorly. Granted they played the Lakers well enough, but they've beat two teams they should beat (by not many points either) and got absolutely crushed by a team that they should be at least equal with.

Some of those turnovers they're committing really makes me not want to watch the team. It's not like they're just the garden variety bad turnover. They are just horrendous, and they happen multiple times a game. If they can get that cleaned up I'll be a lot more interested in the playoffs.

Not that I'm not going to watch every single minute.
Like Conley dribbling off his foot when not even being pressured. Guys didn't even do that in the old man's league I played in.
 
I'd be cool with dropping to 7 and getting the Clippers. We'd lose, but it would be a good series.

Maybe not! Of the four possible playoff opponents for us, the Clippers are the only one we have a winning record against! We're two and one this year vs the Clips. We're one and two vs the thunder, one and two vs the Rockets (thanks to Bogey), and we're zero and three vs the Nuggets. I say we control the outcome, move up in the draft, avoid the Rockets and Harden and take our chances against the Clips. We've got no shot against the Rockets with Harden and Westbrook, not without Rubio to get into Westbrook.
 
I don't think regular season matchups say much when it come to the playoffs. Don't remember for sure, but hadn't we lost the season series in our two upset playoff series wins against the Thunder and Clippers?

The thing I've been neglecting in all of this is that if any teams are angling for a playoff matchup, it's to try to match up with us. We'll (rightly, I think) be underdogs in any series. We may be angling for the Nuggets, or whoever else, but ultimately everyone wants us in the first round. But there's still enough uncertainty left that I'm not sure that any team has the upper hand in this. They may not be able to do much to confidently increase their chances to get us until the last day or two of the seeding games.
 
Hopefully Quin's man crush on lard *** Niang comes to end that guy is a scrub but still better than Bustum
 
Here's the remaining high-and-low seeding possibilities for teams currently ranked 2-7 in the West, if I understand things right, prior to Monday's games:

(Current seed 2) Clippers: (games remaining: Nuggets, Thunder) likely in 2-spot, but Denver controls their fate. Denver takes 2-seed if Nuggets win out. Could theoretically fall to 4-seed if lose out and Rockets win out. Have slight advantage in maneuvering for seeding with game on the final day.

(3) Nuggets: (vs Lakers, Clippers, Raptors) will take 2-seed if win out. Can fall as low as 5-seed. Have slight advantage in maneuvering for seeding with game on the final day.

(4) Rockets (vs Spurs, Pacers, Sixers). Could theoretically rise to 2-seed if win out and Clippers lose out (would hold tie-breaker) and Denver loses two games. Could fall to 6-seed by losing out along with Jazz winning 2 games and Thunder winning 1 game. Have slight advantage in maneuvering for seeding with game on the final day.

(5) Thunder (vs Suns, Heat, Clippers) Could rise to 3-seed if win out and Nuggets lose out, along with Rockets losing at least once. Could fall to 7-seed by losing out, Dallas winning out and Jazz beating Spurs. Have slight advantage in maneuvering for seeding with game on the final day.

(6) Jazz (vs Mavs, Spurs). Could rise to 4-seed if win out and both Houston loses out and OKC loses twice. Can fall to 7-seed if lose out and Mavericks win out. No game on the final day; thus slight disadvantage in maneuvering for seeding.

(7) Mavs (vs Jazz, Portland, Suns). Can only avoid 7-seed if win out and one of Thunder and Jazz lose out. Can rise to 5-seed if Thunder and Jazz both lose out. No game on the final day; thus slight disadvantage in maneuvering for seeding.
 
Mavs have a B2B against the Jazz and Blazers. They want to rest their stars for one of those games, so they'll concede the #6 seed. Jazz should beat the Mavs (without Luka) and can rest or do whatever against the Spurs. TBH, I'd prefer that they drop their last game. Hopefully, the Spurs will have something to play for and won't have been eliminated.

If the Rockets lose one more game, and concurrently if the Nuggets win at least one more game, the Rockets will end up in the #4 seed.

I'm interested to see if the Clippers and Nuggets are going to fight with each other to get the #3 seed and play Utah. The Clips and Nuggets play each other this week. Will be interesting to watch.
 
Mavs have a B2B against the Jazz and Blazers. They want to rest their stars for one of those games, so they'll concede the #6 seed. Jazz should beat the Mavs (without Luka) and can rest or do whatever against the Spurs. TBH, I'd prefer that they drop their last game. Hopefully, the Spurs will have something to play for and won't have been eliminated.

If the Rockets lose one more game, and concurrently if the Nuggets win at least one more game, the Rockets will end up in the #4 seed.

I'm interested to see if the Clippers and Nuggets are going to fight with each other to get the #3 seed and play Utah. The Clips and Nuggets play each other this week. Will be interesting to watch.

So a win against Dallas makes it a lock for 6 for us then?
 
So a win against Dallas makes it a lock for 6 for us then?

Yes, but any win or any Dallas loss would guarantee the Jazz #6. TBH, the Jazz might want to lose today and play the young guys some more.

Dallas would have to beat both Portland and Phoenix in their final two games. Both of those teams are desperately trying to win.

The Jazz could also beat San Antonio on the last game of the season, at which point the Spurs are likely to already be eliminated from the post season.

The other scenario to pay attention to would be the Thunder losing enough to drop to 6, while pushing the Jazz up to 5.
 
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