Predicting the Portland Trail Blazers’ 2014-15 Win Total
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The Portland Trail Blazers came out of nowhere last season to stake their claim as one of the best teams in the ultra-tough Western Conference.
It was pretty remarkable, as the team jelled together, and on the strengths of their two stars, LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, the Blazers shot to the fifth seed in the West. They dispatched a more experienced Houston Rockets team in six games before falling victim to the buzz saw that was the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in five games.
So now the question going into the 2014-15 season is was the 2013-14 edition of the Blazers a fluke, or is Portland for real? Well, for the most part, Blazers management decided to stand pat, with the exception of adding Chris Kaman, who could provide Portland with some solid low-post scoring off the bench.
But the Blazers management are banking on the same nucleus making a bigger run this upcoming season, and I just don’t know if the Blazers can live up to those expectations. Yes, Portland is saying all of the right things, but the season is going to hinge on Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews having the same type of seasons that they had a year ago, and that’s asking a lot.
Another thing that’s standing in the young Blazers’ way is the rest of the Western Conference. Although the Blazers have the talent to get back to the playoffs, the talent still isn’t there for Portland to make a strong playoff run. Their bench is still weak so, once again, it’s going to have to be up to the starters to push this team.
Although the Blazers can improve, I see this team slipping, as Portland will not have the element of surprise on its sides this season. Look for the Blazers to finish with 50 wins and be either the seventh or eighth seed in the West.
Kareem Gantt is a featured writer for Rant Sports. For more from this author, ‘follow’ him on Twitter, ‘like’ him on Facebook, and ‘add’ him to your network, on Google.
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