NBA Playoff Predictions: Odds for West Teams on the Bubble To Take No. 8 Seed
Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz and the Portland Trailblazers.
Let the battle begin! The above teams are all fighting to be in the playoffs, but all of them could end up in a tight race coming down to the final weeks.
This happens every single season, and it always makes it exciting to watch the teams that are not in the news every day battling it out.
It gives the players a chance to shine and the coaches a chance to show their genius.
Let's see who makes the playoffs baby!
Memphis Grizzlies
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Memphis is a great young team, and if only they did not play in the West, they would be a perennial playoffs team in the East.
However, now they look to be in the playoffs this year and maybe pose as a spoiler for some of the higher ranked teams.
The team stars Zack Randolph and Michael Conley as the main attractions due to the injury of Rudy Gay, who is their star player.
This injury could come into play later on as teams are trying to win as many games as possible and trying to make a push for the playoffs.
Memphis is a great team, and their future looks to be very solid, but this year, they will really need to work together in order to make the No. 8 seed against some of the other surging teams.
It will be interesting to see how things play out, but I would not doubt the Grizzlies. With that said, Rudy Gay is a key part of the team, and they will most likely have to play the most important games without him.
Chances of grabbing the No. 8 seed: Above Average (60%)
Utah Jazz
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The Jazz are going through some serious problems right now in trying to get their roster working without the help of elite point guard Deron Williams.
While, the team is by no means terrible, the West does have very high standards and losing the MVP of the team and then hoping to squeeze into the playoffs is a very tough sell.
I don't think any Jazz fan is sitting comfortably knowing his team will pull it out.
The Jazz will have to pull things together very quickly and play at a simply amazing level in order to capture that last spot in the playoffs.
My personal opinion is that even though they have great players in Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Devin Harris—they won't make the playoffs, but they will sure put up a fight.
They are in no way a bad team, but the other teams competing are better.
Chances of capturing the No. 8 seed: Slim (30%)
Houston Rockets
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The Rockets entered the season with reasonably high hopes and expectations.
Well, Houston has not met any of them, and if the playoffs started today, they would not even be close. Their ability to finish the season and go on to the playoffs is hinging on all the wrong players.
Scola, Martin and Lowry are keys to their hopes, and they need them to come through in a big way for them.
With that said, they will also need to get lucky and win some games against opponents like San Antonio, Miami, Dallas and Boston.
Their only hope is that those teams rest their players in preparation for the playoffs, and that might let them steal a few there.
Unfortunately, the Rockets don't look like the type of team to pull off the feat of climbing over Utah, Memphis/Portland or the Suns.
I don't see it happening.
Chances of capturing the No. 8 seed: Very Slim (20%)
Portland Trailblazers
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For me to include Portland here could actually be very controversial due to the fact that they hold the No. 7 seed at this time.
However, their lead is very slim, and they could very well find themselves in and out of the playoff picture as the season comes to a close.
They have great players on the team that are very versatile and have many ways in which to score and defend.
Defense will be key for them down the stretch, but they need to be consistent as they have a very difficult schedule ahead.
They have to face the Lakers twice, Dallas twice, Oklahoma City twice, San Antonio twice and the Hornets.
Not to mention they have games against Memphis and the Jazz who are both trying to squeeze into the postseason ahead of them.
This is very tough, but considering how young the team is, they could very well falter.
Chances of capturing the No. 8 seed: Below Average (40%)
Phoenix Suns
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Ladies and Gentlemen, I show you my pick to snatch the No. 8 seed of the NBA Playoffs in the West.
Are you surprised? Don't be.
The Suns made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last year, and I believe they can pull off another miracle by making the postseason.
Steve Nash is still one of the top point guards in the league, and in my opinion, the best offensive point guard of all time.
He wants to win, and I can't picture him allowing the Suns to miss the playoffs like they did just a couple of seasons ago.
Nash is the trump card for the Suns above all the other teams on this list. He is known to be a very clutch player, and I think he is going to put on a show in the last weeks leading up to the playoffs.
This squad also has some experience going for it because they are the only team on this list to make the Western Conference Finals since the Jazz in 2007, and much of that roster is gone.
Experience will prevail here, and greatness will show. It is also fair to point out that out of all these teams, Nash is the only first ballot Hall of Famer.
That stands for something, and you cannot deny that.
Chances of capturing the No. 8 seed: Very High (80%)
