05-09-2021, 10:46 AM
(05-09-2021, 10:40 AM)F Gump Wrote: The POR finishing schedule looks tough on paper (playing Utah, Phoenix, and Denver), but might be super easy instead, allowing the Blazers to sweep them all. That's the unfortunate reality if the Mavs are chasing 5th.
It remains to be seen at what point their opponents will pull the plug and start resting players for the playoffs. If we count the tiebreaker as a 0.5 game edge in the standings, Utah-Phoenix will finish 1-2, but the gap is 1.5 games with only 4 to play. And Denver trails LAC by 1.5 with only 4 to play.
I would say that the next four games are crucial must-wins. If we win those, we conclusively avoid the playin and can likely come close to determining our playoff destiny in the final game. If we avoid the playin, there's no need to do the pre-playoff "rest players" thing for us - a good week off to prepare for the playoffs.