NBA Preseason 2014: Schedule and Predictions for Remaining Exhibitions
One more day of preseason basketball—that’s all that stands between NBA fans and the start of the regular season on Tuesday.
Friday is the last day of the preseason, with nine games on tap that will feature superstars like Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, James Harden, Chris Paul, LaMarcus Aldridge and Derrick Rose, among others.
Here is a look at the remaining preseason schedule and predictions for each game before we dig into a preview of Friday’s most intriguing contest.
| Dallas | Orlando | 7:00 pm |
| New York | Toronto | 7:30 pm |
| Miami | Memphis | 8:00 pm |
| San Antonio | Houston | 8:00 pm |
| Minnesota | Chicago (in St. Louis) | 8:00 pm |
| Phoenix | Utah | 9:00 pm |
| Sacramento | L.A. Lakers (in Las Vegas) | 10:00 pm |
| Portland | L.A. Clippers | 10:30 pm |
| Denver | Golden St. | 10:30 pm |
Friday’s Game to Watch: Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Clippers
There is always the question of how much stars will actually play when discussing an NBA preseason game, but this is the last contest for both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers before the regular season begins.
There is certainly a chance that the regulars could play significant minutes because Portland doesn’t actually kick off the season until Wednesday, while Los Angeles begins on Thursday. If nothing else, playing in Friday’s game could help prevent some rust from building up before the games begin to count in the standings.
The things that jumps out about this matchup are the point guard and power forward showdowns.
This would be a perfect NBA Jam matchup with Paul and Blake Griffin on the Clippers’ side and Damian Lillard and Aldridge for the Trail Blazers. Fans in attendance will get to see the lightning speed of both Paul and Lillard, the high-flying acrobats of Griffin and the lethally efficient mid-range game of Aldridge.
Griffin is already one of the league’s best players, but now he has the chance to compete for MVP, according to Odds Shark.
While Griffin and Paul have NBA title hopes, this will be an intriguing season for Lillard, Aldridge and the Trail Blazers after stunning the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs last season. The question is whether they can take the next step and join the NBA’s elite after improving from 33 wins in 2012-13 to 54 in 2013-14.
Guard Wesley Matthews discussed the notion, according to Erik Gundersen for ESPN.com:
"I feel like we are the hunter and the hunted. We're still climbing, we still want to get certain places but we know we aren't going to sneak up on anybody. But at the same time, we still feel like we have some hunting to do like we did last year."
Portland signed veterans Chris Kaman and Steve Blake during the offseason to try to provide some help for Lillard, Aldridge, Matthews and Nicolas Batum, but the Western Conference is absolutely loaded.
Portland’s opponent on Friday is one of the reasons the West is considered so daunting.
There is little question as to whether the Clippers rank among the league’s best after they eliminated Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in a hard-fought seven-game series last year and then lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round in six games. While Los Angeles lost in six, it had the series tied at two games apiece and blew a golden opportunity to win Game 5 on the road, ultimately falling 105-104.
Like the Trail Blazers, the Clippers want to take another next step with Paul, Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and a deep supporting cast that includes Jamal Crawford, Spencer Hawes and J.J. Redick, among others.
Even with title aspirations, there won’t be that much intensity in this preseason matchup.
Still, it is not difficult to imagine this as a potential playoff matchup in the Western Conference, so each team may try to make something of a statement as they look to establish themselves in the Western Conference pecking order alongside the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks.
If you are going to tune in for a Friday preseason game, make it this battle between Lillard, Aldridge and the Trail Blazers and Paul, Griffin and the Clippers.
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