Minnesota Sports Forum

Ok, I'm back from trick or treating, so my judgement may be clouded by the sugar high. But the first two road wins of the season have me in the mood to begin cheering against the teams that we have to beat to sneak into the...gasp... playoffs. I know some of you will want nothing to do with this thread, but I'm so hungry for playoffs after a decade of drought, that I'm ready to start scoreboard watching early.

Here's how I see it. There are four teams that, barring terrible injuries, are a lock to make the playoffs...Spurs, Thunder, Clippers and Warriors.

There are four teams that I see as being worse than our Wolves, and thus have no chance of making the playoffs: Lakers, Nuggets, Kings and Trailblazers.

That leaves seven teams competing for the four remaining playoff spots: Wolves, Mavs, Pelicans, Suns, Rockets, Grizzlies and Jazz. We have to beat three of them. As of today, I am actively cheering against the other 6 teams.

Some of you will think I am crazy and want to put one or more of those teams in the "lock" category...like the Grizzlies, Rockets and Pelicans. I'm not so sure though. I have a funny felling about the Griz this year, that they're going to have an off year. Something goofy is happening in Houston too with two 20-point losses to start the year...remember that they were just fine without Howard last year, so their early ineptitude is for other reasons. And New Orleans is experiencing the kind of injuries that tend to linger, and they aren't very good with those players out...they may fall to 0-3 tonight unless they can beat the Warriors.

Think of this thread as my gift to the board. Those who want to play along can join in. But if the Wolves fall apart and start tanking in February, you can bump this thread as evidence that LST is certifiably insane!

So, which of the 7 teams in my middle category do you think should be locks to finish in the top 8? Make your best cases.

I can't do this yet LST. But I sincerely hope I have the need to join the discussion later in the year.

I would have said Memphis. They have their core intact and added some nice pieces in Barnes and Brandan Wright. But then they got blown out in their home opener vs Cleveland, so maybe we should wait until they prove themselves.

Houston would be the other candidate, but blown out by the Nuggets at home? They were missing Howard and Moniejunas, and it remains to be seen if Lawson is better than Beverly at the point. So we can wait for them to prove themselves as well.

So I like your list.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:I can't do this yet LST. But I sincerely hope I have the need to join the discussion later in the year.

Ha, I know cool. Rest assured that all will be welcomed here when they decide the water's warm enough to jump in!

Rockets and Grizzlies are locks for the post-season.

Houston was just the second seed in the West last year with 56 wins and all they've done to their roster is add Ty Lawson and Montrezl Harrell to the bunch. They've made the playoffs each year since the James Harden trade. They aren't going anywhere.

Memphis has made the playoffs the past five seasons with a core that has been together for what feels like forever. They're going to be among the best defense teams in the league like they always are and they have three All-Star caliber players in Gasol, Conley and Randolph. They won 55 games last year and added Brandan Wright and Matt Barnes this year to help bolster their bench. They also aren't going anywhere.

There are six playoff guarantees in the West barring any major injuries. There are two spots up for grabs.

I always seem to undervalue Memphis and they always come through, so they are likely to be the first team I bump up to the top tier. I still think there is something going on in Houston though that goes way beyond the loss of Howard after 2 20-point losses. Houston fans are worried about defense and offensive flow. Maybe they just need some time to adjust to Lawson, or maybe they decide Beverly's defense is what they need in the starting lineup. McHale must be worried though. He didn't make it into town for Flip's funeral today (jeez...they were roommates in college), but Wittman did even though it made him late for tonight's game. If they show they have it figured out, I'll bump them up too, but right now the jury's out.

Meh. Those two teams have established themselves as playoff teams. Five straight years for Memphis and three straight years for Houston (three-for-three in the Harden era). You can't, or shouldn't, deem them any less than that unless they lose a significant part of their nucleus, and neither team has as they've actually added talent. Have to give the teams that have been there consistently the respect they deserve.

Playoffs? You're talking about the playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs?

/oblig

Crap, SP beat me to it