2023 Play-In Previews
Feb 6, 2023 11:03:12 GMT -5
Tampa Bay Bull Sharks, razorbacks, and 2 more like this
Post by Miege22 on Feb 6, 2023 11:03:12 GMT -5
WEST: Portland vs. Utah
How They Got Here
Portland finished 11-5. They were second in the Pacific Division and closed the season on a 3-game winning streak.
Utah finished 10-6 to grab the #5 seed in the Western Conference. They were third in the Midwest Division.
Postseason History
This is the 5th playoff appearance for the Blazers. The last time they made the playoffs, they lost in the first round to Houston.
All-Time Playoff Record: 3-4
Finals Record: 0-1
Titles: 0
This is Utah's 11th playoff appearance, but it is their first appearance since 2019.
All-Time Playoff Record: 9-10
Finals Record: 0-3
Titles: 0
Regular Season Meeting(s)
These two played in week 6 (Nov. 21-27). The Jazz won, 5-4.
Statistical Rankings Among Playoff Teams
Portland
FG %: 7th (11th)
FT %: 2nd (4th)
3PTM: 6th (6th)
REBS: 6th (6th)
ASTS: 1st (1st)
STLS: 6th (8th)
BLKS: 1st (1st)
TOS: 10th (20th)
PTS: 4th (4th)
Utah
FG %: 4th (6th)
FT %: 3rd (5th)
3PTM: 2nd (2nd)
REBS: 3rd (3rd)
ASTS: 8th (10th)
STLS: 7th (13th)
BLKS: 8th (16th)
TOS: 5th (5th)
PTS: 2nd (2nd)
KEY INJURIES
Portland – Kevin Durant (knee – out); John Wall (abdomen – out)
Utah -Marvin Bagley (hand – out); Bobby Portis (knee – out)
Series Notes
-Portland's all-time record is 118-104
-Utah’s all-time record is 162-60
-The play-in round was introduced last year for the first time, and the Western Conference version certainly lived up to the billing as the 5th-seeded OKC Thunder completed a thrilling comeback on the final day to knock off the 4th-seeded Houston Rockets.
-This will actually be the third time these two teams have faced off in the postseason. Back when the Trailblazers were known as the Cleveland Cavaliers, these two faced off in the first and second seasons in league history. Portland (then Cleveland) won the first meeting in the WCF, while Utah got the better of them the next year in the semifinals.
OK, who in Portland is making wishes with the monkey paw?
No, seriously, go back and look at the playoff preview for the last time Portland made the playoffs in 2021. It’s ok. We’ll wait…. You back? I know! Crazy, right? Ok, ok, if you didn’t look, the first question we asked in 2021 was whether or not Kevin Durant was coming back. And sure enough, here we are in 2023 asking ourselves the same damn question. If he doesn’t, the Blazers could have a hard time against a very deep Utah squad. If he does, though? Goodness, this team is stacked. PG is finally back, and he looks like an all-star again. All of Trae Young’s real life teammates may be trying to figure out how to frame him for murder, but the man puts up big numbers for fantasy purposes. RJ Barrett is also a 20-point scorer. Brook Lopez is this close to being the only man in the league to average at least 2 threes and 2 blocks per game. They’ve even gotten production from the lesser of the Wagner brothers. John Wall is here(!)… for some reason. All that said, how far they get will depend on Durant, and only Durant. With him, they can win the whole thing. Without him… let’s just say the trail home has already been blazed.
Is that… are the Jazz back?
You better believe it, buddy. After being one of the dominant franchises in this league’s history, Utah made the first 5 WCFs and 3 straight Finals, the Jazz fell on some hard times. They missed the postseason for the first time in franchise history in 2020, despite going 11-5. They missed the playoffs by a game the next year. And last year they hit their nadir, going just 5-11. Years of playing for the present and moving draft picks looked like it was going to sink this franchise. Did they respond by selling off players for future assets and rebuilding? Hell no. They leaned into it and brought in more distressed assets. Jordan Clarkson on a tanking team? Come in, young fella. Russ in constant trade rumors? Sure, let’s take him. John Collins with one foot perpetually out the door? That’s ok, we put an awning up just in case. And would you believe it… it worked. Clarkson has been fantastic. Russ is a contender for 6MOY. And John Collins… well, they’d still prefer he get moved, but he does stuff. Not to mention the previous distressed assets paid off in a big way, like Lauri Markkanen, Buddy Hield, Thomas Bryant, and Jamal Murray. The music is back on in Utah, and it’s only getting louder.
Portland’s highlight of the season... week 1 vs. Seattle
You could argue their win over Colorado was more impressive, or their defeat of Vegas to clinch a playoff spot was more satisfying, but let’s go back to the beginning of the season for a moment. If you’ll recall, Portland and Seattle were widely believed to be the two best teams in the Pacific Division. They’d battled it out for Pacific supremacy in 2020 and 2021, and even though both Golden St. and Phoenix knocked them out of the top spots last year, these two looked to have the most talent on paper. That’s why their week 1 match-up was so fascinating.
Utah's highlight of the season... week 3 vs. Houston
There were a lot of options, but we went with the first win that made people stop what they were doing for a second to process the final score. The general consensus had Utah battling for the top lotto spot, and winning against Vegas in week 1 didn’t dispel that notion. Nor did losing in week 2 to Kansas City. However, their week 3 demolition of a full strength Houston team? That was different. DeMar DeRozan and Lauri Markkanen were dominant, Jordan Clarkson dropped in 14 threes, and the Jazz made 92/103 free throws. It was emblematic of the team as a whole. They scored lots of points, shot the ball well, and got after it on the boards. They’d ride that formula for most of the year, and after a tough loss the next week to Colorado, they ripped off 5 straight wins to cement themselves in the playoff picture.
Who to keep an eye on for Utah... Thomas Bryant
Bryant stepped up in a big way when Anthony Davis went down, averaging 14-9 on 62/83% shooting as a starter. However, it’s a been a little iffy from a production standpoint with AD back. It Utah wants to make a run at a title, they’re going to need Bryant to find his footing now that AD is back.
Who to keep an eye on for Portland... Reggie Jackson
Lot of players here to choose from, but will go with the mercurial Clippers point guard. There was a stretch not long ago where Jackson fell out of the rotation and looked doomed to the bench. Then John Wall got hurt, and Jackson has stepped in and played well. This Blazers team is loaded with Clippers, so even if Kawhi or PG take the night off (the latter the Blazers would not like to see, for the record), they have backups for those spots.
I'm a neutral observer, why should I root for Portland?
The Trailblazers are in the middle of what has been a very frustrating run for the franchise. Since moving from Cleveland, Portland has been an incredibly solid organization, winning double-digit games each of the last three years. And yet… they have no playoff wins to show for it, and they didn’t even make it that far last year despite a 10-6 record. Some key decisions loom this off-season, with both Trae Young and Mikal Bridges up for re-signs, yet only one spot left. Not to mention RJ Barrett’s kicker, and whether or not the team wants to continue to ride the KD health roller coaster. This could be the end of the line for this iteration of the Blazers. A… last dance… of sorts.
I'm a neutral observer, why should I root for Utah?
Because why wouldn’t you want to root for this ragtag crew? Maybe this team is the 2011 Mavs; they continued to stay in the playoff picture, refusing to tank into the night, until one year it all came together in a singular, glorious run. Now, there’s no 2011 Dirk on this team… but why couldn’t DeMar DeRozan fill that role (from a fantasy perspective)? There’s a case to be made that DeMar is the best player in this match-up, and anything can happen in a single week. Why not DeMar?
POSTSEASON ROSTERS
Portland
Allen, Grayson
Barrett, RJ
Batum, Nic
Bridges, Mikal
Durant, Kevin
George, Paul
Green, Draymond
Jackson, Reggie
Lopez, Brook
Poeltl, Jakob
Reid, Naz
Wagner, Mo
Wall, John
Young, Trae
Utah
Bagley, Marvin – IR
Bryant, Thomas
Clarkson, Jordan
Collins, John
DeRozan, DeMar
Eubanks, Drew
Hield, Buddy
Hyland, Bones
Kispert, Corey
Markkanen, Lauri
Murray, Jamal
Nunn, Kendrick
Portis, Bobby
Walker IV, Lonnie
Westbrook, Russell