Playoff opponent predictor

[FNG]

The playoff prediction thread is too congested tracking 8 teams, so this thread is dedicated to forecasting which team we might play in the first round. Currently the consensus is that the Wolves will finish 3rd, although there's still a chance of catching OkC for second, or, if Scott Foster decides to put $100,000 on the Wolves to beat Denver twice, to even finish first! So assuming the wolves end up 3rd, who do we think might finish 6th? The 4 teams most likely to finish 5th through 8th are currently healthy with the exception of Ingram who is expected to miss at least 2 weeks (only counting top 5 scorers for each team, so ignoring Huerter)...so I see the Pelicans dropping from 5th to 8th during his absence. Currently I am forecasting 5th through 8th to be:

Suns: 49
Kings: 48 (Currently have the tiebreaker over Dallas)
Mavs: 48
Pels: 47

So much is going to change in the final three weeks of the season, but I would like the above outcome. Even though Sac-town beat us 2 out of three times this season, they are still our most favorable matchup I think. Plus, Wolves/Kings games the past two seasons have been wildly entertaining.

So i would like to play the Kings in the first round. Thought?

[Coolbreeze44]

I think I agree that the Kings would be the most favorable matchup. However I'm not ready to settle for 3rd place. I have us going 9-3 down the stretch and that should get us at least to 2nd place. And who knows, we are a great road team so nothing is impossible. We should do a go-fund-me for Scott Foster, it might get us a few more calls.

[Q-is-here]

I also would prefer the Kings in the 1st round.

And wow, Houston has really come on strong.

[Q-is-here]

Love seeing SGA and OKC get their asses beat by Milwaukee. They have led a charmed existence this season and I wonder if the lack of adversity has made them a bit soft. Their top 7 guys in the rotation have missed collectively 15 games out of 490 total "man games". That is crazy good injury luck.

To put that in perspective, Boston's top 7 players have missed 63 games; Denver's 33 games; and Minnesota's 36 games (and counting as KAT will continue to be out).

In addition, this road trip OKC is on will be the first one where they have more than 4 consecutive games on the road. The Wolves on the other hand have already had three road trips with 5 or more consecutive games on the road!

And lastly, SGA and his foul baiting may be getting caught onto a bit more. He was averaging 9.1 FTAs per game prior to the All Star Break and since then he has averaged 7.5 FTAs. He's barely average 7 over the last few games, so the trend is downward and the whistle is only going to get looser in the playoffs.

I'm not going to say their success is all smoke and mirrors, as they actually play a very well-executed brand of basketball. But I wonder how well they will hold up in the muck and grime of a 7-game series.

[Q-is-here]

Clippers lose at home again! Now we are a full 5 games ahead of the Clips and Pels, who are tied for 4th.

[BloopOracle]

We have both tie breakers as well iirc

[FNG]

The race to see who the Wolves (most likely) get in the first round at #6 is going to change almost daily. In the last few days, the Suns klunked against the Spurs and the Kings antied against Orlando. Here are the current standings:

5th Kings: 49 (still two games behind the sinking Clippers for 4th)

6th Mavs: 48 (hold the tiebreaker against the Suns)

7th Suns: 48

8th Pels: 47 (Tim has them at 52 wins, but I see them maybe losing their next 5 without Ingram)

Anybody worried about a first round series with Dallas?

[Q-is-here]

The race to see who the Wolves (most likely) get in the first round at #6 is going to change almost daily. In the last few days, the Suns klunked against the Spurs and the Kings antied against Orlando. Here are the current standings:

5th Kings: 49 (still two games behind the sinking Clippers for 4th)

6th Mavs: 48 (hold the tiebreaker against the Suns)

7th Suns: 48

8th Pels: 47 (Tim has them at 52 wins, but I see them maybe losing their next 5 without Ingram)

Anybody worried about a first round series with Dallas?

Well, I'm worried no matter who we play! I just want to at least get out of the first round, and so yes, Dallas worries me. I'd probably prefer the Kings or even the Clippers in the event they fall down far enough.

[Coolbreeze44]

The race to see who the Wolves (most likely) get in the first round at #6 is going to change almost daily. In the last few days, the Suns klunked against the Spurs and the Kings antied against Orlando. Here are the current standings:

5th Kings: 49 (still two games behind the sinking Clippers for 4th)

6th Mavs: 48 (hold the tiebreaker against the Suns)

7th Suns: 48

8th Pels: 47 (Tim has them at 52 wins, but I see them maybe losing their next 5 without Ingram)

Anybody worried about a first round series with Dallas?

Not worried at all Fungo

[FNG]

The race to see who the Wolves (most likely) get in the first round at #6 is going to change almost daily. In the last few days, the Suns klunked against the Spurs and the Kings antied against Orlando. Here are the current standings:

5th Kings: 49 (still two games behind the sinking Clippers for 4th)

6th Mavs: 48 (hold the tiebreaker against the Suns)

7th Suns: 48

8th Pels: 47 (Tim has them at 52 wins, but I see them maybe losing their next 5 without Ingram)

Anybody worried about a first round series with Dallas?

Not worried at all Fungo

Love the confidence, cool. I think we would beat Dallas too, but I would be a little worried.

The Kings klunked big time last night and the Mavs antied, swapping the two teams in the standings for 5th and 6th. So as the forecast stands today, the 3rd place Wolves get the 6th place Kings again!