Portland and Phoenix

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

This can't continue, right? RIGHT?!! We were supposed to be ahead of Portland and Phoenix was supposed to be terrible.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Being better than Portland was debatable. Their weakness last season was a horrific bench.

They added Mo Williams, Dorrell Wright and Thomas Robinson. Williams, especially, has made a difference.

Phoenix... wow. Nobody saw this coming. Not even those in Phoenix. Remember, they traded Gortat, too. Essentially, that was perceived as the white flag being thrown.

Those largely interchangeable guards, a shockingly pretty good Miles Plumlee and a bunch of pieces are forcing the hand of Suns' management. They might beyond the point of tanking at this point.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Portland is really good. I watched a lot of their game last night against Cleveland, and I was reminded how good they are as they won their third road game in 4 nights...admittedly all against Eastern teams. But that's still better than the Wolves could do in Boston.

If Martin is able to play tonight, I think the Wolves win fairly easily. I love to watch betting line movement to gauge how the wise guys view a game. This one opened as a pick 'em, but has moved to Wolves -2, which shows that the money is on the Wolves. Portland is decidedly the better team, just like the Wolves were a better team than Boston...but that doesn't always determine the winner in the NBA. The fact of the matter is that there are so many good players on every NBA team, that psychological factors often determine the eventual winner. Here are some important factors tonight:

1) The Blazers don't need this game. They have already won the first three games of this trip, so it will be deemed a success regardless of what happens tonight.
2) In contrast, the Wolves lost a disappointing game on Monday, and need a win to get back to .500. They will be highly motivated.
3) Teams rarely win in their 4th game in 5 nights, especially on the road. Portland's last two games have been close, and Portland's stars have logged a lot of minutes. They cant be expected to put out the same effort the Wolves do tonight.
4) If the Wolves jump off to an early lead, the Blazers' minds will already be on the flight home and their neglected Christmas shopping.

The Wolves are so thin (with Dante, Ronny and Bud out) that losing their second highest scorer Martin may be too much to overcome. Let's hope Martin plays, but even if he doesn't, the Wolves should pull this one out.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Portland is the real deal. They have one of the best starting lineups in the NBA. And don't discount Robin Lopez. He's efficient, doesn't turn it over, and blocks his fair share of shots and grabs boards. Mathews, Batum, and Lillard are all three point threats. And Aldridge is probably the 2nd best PF in the league after Love.

I would rank Indiana, Portland, and Golden State as the three best starting lineups in the league, when all are healthy. I think Minnesota is right behind them, but our bench has been pathetic compared to the other squads.

As for Phoenix, it's all about efficiency. They don't have a superstar like we do, but they have a collection of guys that make their friggin' shots. They remind me of Denver in that there is no singular force on their squad, but just lots of smart ball players that can make shots.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Portland is really good. I watched a lot of their game last night against Cleveland, and I was reminded how good they are as they won their third road game in 4 nights...admittedly all against Eastern teams. But that's still better than the Wolves could do in Boston.

If Martin is able to play tonight, I think the Wolves win fairly easily. I love to watch betting line movement to gauge how the wise guys view a game. This one opened as a pick 'em, but has moved to Wolves -2, which shows that the money is on the Wolves. Portland is decidedly the better team, just like the Wolves were a better team than Boston...but that doesn't always determine the winner in the NBA. The fact of the matter is that there are so many good players on every NBA team, that psychological factors often determine the eventual winner. Here are some important factors tonight:

1) The Blazers don't need this game. They have already won the first three games of this trip, so it will be deemed a success regardless of what happens tonight.
2) In contrast, the Wolves lost a disappointing game on Monday, and need a win to get back to .500. They will be highly motivated.
3) Teams rarely win in their 4th game in 5 nights, especially on the road. Portland's last two games have been close, and Portland's stars have logged a lot of minutes. They cant be expected to put out the same effort the Wolves do tonight.
4) If the Wolves jump off to an early lead, the Blazers' minds will already be on the flight home and their neglected Christmas shopping.

The Wolves are so thin (with Dante, Ronny and Bud out) that losing their second highest scorer Martin may be too much to overcome. Let's hope Martin plays, but even if he doesn't, the Wolves should pull this one out.

Dig the post Long. You're right. I've mentioned "Scheduled Losses" in the past. This has all the makings of one for the Blazers for all the reasons you cited.

Every team struggles with those games. Most just accept them. The truly elite still win them.

This game should be an interesting one, because you're right... it means a lot more to the Wolves than it does for the Blazers. And in the NBA... that's often enough.

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

Portland's STARTING LINEUP is the real deal. Their bench is only slightly better than the Wolves, which explains why they are about 4 pts/game better.

I expect a MIN win tonight. Every starter except Lopez Minor played at or above their season average in minutes last night in CLE, and it was a down to the wire emotional game.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Yeah, after the Gortat trade, I figured they were tanking for sure. Same thought for Boston, but its good to see teams not completely tanking like NY and Brooklyn.

I guess it's good to see the Jailblazers playing well as we're similarily constructed with good starters. Maybe we could run off a string like that with a little bench improvement.

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

Until Bud gets back, just remember one of the two phrases you're famous for:

Serenity now.

[foye2smith [enjin:6593248]]

Just seems like the type of game where Lillard and Aldridge will struggle giving the wolves optimism but Batum and Matthews will torch the Wolves. Matthews only averages 2.4 three pointers a game against the Wolves but it seems like every time they play he makes 6 and Jim Petersen talks about how much Matthews loves playing in the Target Center.

[KiwiMatt]

We are a year behind Portland.

Wolves are in the same situation that Portland were in last season. They had great starters who could match any other team in the league, but their bench was horrible. Exactly like us this season. Portland had a great offseason acquiring Robin Lopez to give them a starting center and strengthening their bench with the additions of Mo Williams, Thomas Robinson. C.J McCollum hasn't even played a regular season game yet! Lillard and Aldridge are Allstars, Batum is the modern era Kirilenko except with a better shot and Wesley Mathews is shooting 50% from the field and well over 40% from the three. They are firing on all 6 cylinders.

As for the Suns, I have know idea what their key to success. It's no secret their training staff are the best in the business and the Morris brothers are both playing like 6th man of year candidates. Bledsoe was a great pick up and Dragic is one of the most underated players in the league. They have no expectations coming in to this season, and have already surpassed them.