Blazers New Goal: Just Make the Playoffs.

Last week I wrote 6000 words about the different views one could have regarding the Portland Trail Blazers' chances to make this year's playoffs. I sent it off for editing only to find after sending that the file was corrupted and the entire piece of work lost. 6000 words up in smoke, just like that.  I can't help but think this to be an ominous sign.

To begin the season, the entire team and organization made it clear that they would make the second round of the playoffs and they stayed on message like Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign. Team members, color analysts, general manager and owner all repeated at every possible moment, "we want to get to the second round of the playoffs". However, entering the final stretch of the season after every obstacle has been placed in front of the team; this confident goal now seems more like an idealistic dream.

No longer is anyone mentioning potential second round match-ups.  The Blazers simply want to get into the playoffs and are hopeful to avoid the 8th seed.

Looking at the Blazers' schedule for the remainder of the season, one can assume that the Blazers' shouldn't have any trouble getting at the very least an 8 seed. But what I am concerned about is the April schedule, during which the Blazers close out the regular season playing the Mavericks, Lakers, Thunder and Warriors. Although March is a fairly easy month comparatively speaking, the Blazers have not shown a consistent ability to close out weaker teams and have little room for mistake in April.

Starting out March with 2 wins is a great start. The Blazers have a huge game against the Denver Nuggets, which most assuredly will be a loss and then play several games on the road against teams the Blazers' have struggled to dominate. This leads me to predict that the Blazers end the month of March with 7 wins.  This could potentially create a problem for the Blazers going into April when teams like the Hornets and Grizzlies close in on the 8^th seed. The Blazers would be forced to string together several meaningful wins against title contenders in April.

Good luck with that.

As I have written before, the Blazers' success at this point is based upon whether Brandon Roy is healthy and playing. If he's injured, taking nights off or doesn't play for a couple games in a row, the team doesn't make it. Since Roy is seemingly here to stay and will contribute big minutes, even during blow out wins against horrible teams, it is safe to say the Blazers will have just enough to secure a spot in the playoffs.

What do you think?

Sophia Brugato | Twitter: @sophiabiabia | s.brugato(at)gmail(dot)com