NBA Playoffs: 5 Scenarios in Which Trail Blazers Make the Postseason

In a season so full of turmoil, personnel changes, injury, uncertainty, and at-times, just good old-fashioned bad basketball, it may be a surprise to most fans that the word playoffs is still being uttered in Portland. 

Assumed to be a lost season after Coach Nate McMillan's firing and the spring cleaning of the roster that ensued, most would have expected the Blazers to enter "tank mode", providing some young players the chance to mature while building up their chances for a comfy position come lottery time. Instead, the Rip City roster has shown a surprising amount of grit, refusing to submerge themselves in the bowels of the league under interim coach Kaleb Canales.

With nine games left in this lockout-squeezed season, the Blazers find themselves within reach of a playoff birth. How tangible is it? That would be a matter of faith. 

To even have a chance at sneaking into the 8th spot in the west, the Blazers will need more than just a strong finish to their schedule. Currently sitting in 11th place and 3 1/2 games out of the last playoff spot, Portland's fate will rest in their competition's hands as much as it does their own. Ahead of them are three conference foes, all of whom will have to make a misstep down the stretch if Portland has any chance at the post-season.

If they do, the Blazers will still have to rally a team that until now has failed to show it can play at a playoff caliber level, and overcome the inconsistency and mediocrity that has plagued them this season.

The victory over Dallas last Friday proved the Blazers have the ability to do so. However, if Portland is to make a run at the 2012 postseason, this is what will need to happen.

Win out at Home

If the Blazers wish to stand any chance of making the postseason in 2012, victory in their four remaining home contests will be essential.

Portland is leaps and bounds better when playing in the Rose Garden, posting a 19-10 home record against an 8-20 road record, and will need the normally-raucous Rip City crowds to help propel them past conference foes Houston, Golden State, Dallas, and Utah.

Any chances Portland has at making the postseason will hinge upon W's in these upcoming home games, and if the Blazers fail to close out strong at the Rose Garden, expect them to be at home come playoff-time. 

Win at Least 3 of 5 on the Road

If the Blazers are able to muster the strong showing necessary to win their remaining home games, they will have to face a much more daunting challenge, one that seems especially tough considering their performance this year: win on the road.

The Blazers have been abysmal on the road this season, yet they'll need to reverse that trend and win at least three of the next five road games if they want any chance at the postseason. Sacramento (19-38) and Utah (29-28) are absolute must-wins, and Portland will have to take one of the remaining three games against San Antonio, Memphis and Phoenix.

Of the five remaining road opponents, only Sacramento has a losing record. Memphis and San Antonio are well above .500, and Phoenix has won four of their last five.

Yet if Portland can build off the Dallas victory and sustain that kind of effort against the aforementioned teams, they may have a shot at knocking Denver out of 8th place.

Denver Begins a Late Season Slide

Even if Portland is able to rally as the season closes, they'll need Denver to fall.

The Nuggets are currently in 8th place at 30-26 and 3 1/2 games ahead of the 11th place Blazers. Portland needs Denver to lose at least six of their last ten games to have a chance.

Fortunately for Portland, Denver's remaining schedule is harder than their own — seven of the their last ten games are against teams with winning records. Denver still has to go to Oklahoma City, Phoenix, and Los Angeles to play the Lakers. If they falter down this tough stretch, it creates an opportunity for the Blazers to sneak in.

Which is true if...

The Suns Burn out

The Blazers still need to overtake the Suns (29-27, the current ninth seed.

Phoenix has been on a tear in the second half of the season. They've gone 15-7 since the all-star break. If the playoffs are in Portland's future, it will mean the Suns cooled off.

The Blazers will need to win in Phoenix on April 16th and the Suns will need to drop at least four of their last nine games, which is not as far-fetched as it sounds. Phoenix still must play Memphis, Oklahoma City, the Clippers, and the Spurs twice.

Beat Utah Twice, Hope for the Best

If the stars do somehow align and both Phoenix and Denver falter enough down the stretch to give the Blazers an opening, Portland's playoff hopes still rest on their ability to stop the Jazz (29-28), currently sitting in 10th place, two games and one spot ahead of the Blazers in the west.

The Jazz play the Blazers twice more before the season ends, once at home, once in Utah, allowing the Blazers the best chance to directly overtake them out of the three teams mentioned. If Portland wins both contests, the Jazz will still have to lose at least four of their remaining seven games. Again, this is as fanciful as it sounds — only two (including Portland) of the nine teams left on Utah's schedule have losing records. The Jazz still have to go through Memphis, San Antonio, and Orlando.

If Portland and others can follow this script, then this thought-to-be wasted year can turn into one last shot at greatness.

Hey, a fan can dream, right?