When It Comes to the West Playoff Seeding, These Sorry Losses Matter Most
The NBA playoffs begin today, and for several Western Conference teams, they begin on the road.
I usually shun numbers-only articles because they do not tell a complete story. These numbers, all representing playoff teams' losses to lottery-bound squads, speak for themselves.
I excluded the three teams in the 60-win club and the Orlando Magic. Since several squads in the East finished with sub-.500 records or were too inconsistent, I omitted them, too.
From the second through eighth seeds in the West, three teams jump out on this list. Is it any wonder all three of them will open the postseason in someone else's building?
When you lose to the Grizzlies in December, you tend to brush it off as a singular evening of disgrace. When playoff seeding comes down to two or three games, these defeats, not ones to postseason peers, are the ones that sting.
If the Rockets, Jazz, and Mavericks had taken care of business against the lousiest of the lousy, they might enjoy home-court advantage this weekend, instead of their perception as roadkill.
Here are the stinkers:
DENVER NUGGETS
| Wed, Nov. 5 | @ Golden State | L 101-111 |
| Sat, Feb. 7 | @ New Jersey | L 70-114 |
| Sun, March 8 | @ Sacramento | L 106-114 |
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
| Mon, March 16 | @ Oklahoma City | L 76-78 |
| Tue, March 31 | vs. Oklahoma City | L 95-96 |
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
| Tue, Nov. 18 | @ Golden State | L 106-111 |
| Fri, Dec. 12 | vs. LA Clippers | L 112-120 |
| Fri, Feb. 6 | @ Oklahoma City | L 93-102 |
| Thu, Feb. 12 | @ Golden State | L 98-105 |
HOUSTON ROCKETS
| Sat, Dec. 13 | @ LA Clippers | L 82-95 |
| Mon, Dec. 29 | vs. Washington | L 87-89 |
DALLAS MAVERICKS
| Sun, Nov. 9 | @ LA Clippers | L 92-103 |
| Fri, Dec. 19 | @ New Jersey | L 97-121 |
| Sun, Jan. 11 | @ Sacramento | L 95-102 |
| Mon, March 2 | @ Oklahoma City | L 87-96 |
| Fri, March 13 | @ Golden State | L 110-119 |
NEW ORLEANS HORNETS
| Wed, Nov. 19 | vs. Sacramento | L 96-105 |
| Fri, Jan. 30 | vs. Golden State | L 87-91 |
| Fri, April 3 | @ Golden State | L 103-111 |
UTAH JAZZ
| Wed, Nov. 12 | @ Washington | L 87-95 |
| Fri, Nov. 14 | @ Charlotte | L 96-104 |
| Sat, Nov. 29 | vs. New Jersey | L 88-105 |
| Wed, Jan. 14 | @ Oklahoma City | L 93-114 |
| Sun, March 8 | @ Golden State | L 96-116 |
| Sat, April 11 | vs Golden State | L 108-118 |
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