After barely holding on against Corey Brewer and the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, the Portland Trail Blazers enter the most crucial stretch of the season so far, and it’s not exactly for the reasons you’d expect.
After this six-game stretch, the Trail Blazers won’t have the murderers’ row of games against playoff teams like they had early in the season. That’s a good thing, as far as I’m concerned, and it’s another reason why Portland needs to take care of business in this road stretch against the Eastern Conference.
Portland has dropped more than a few very winnable road games this season against bad teams, and that’s yet another reason why the Trail Blazers need to win these games on their last big road trip before the playoffs.
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In the next six games, Portland will host the Detroit Pistons, and then head out on the road to take on the Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, and Orlando Magic before finishing the road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies– all between March 13th and March 21st. That is going to be brutal; especially the Memphis game at the end of the road trip on a back-to-back.
The NBA, where players’ bodies are destroyed by a tough schedule.
Here’s a quick look at what Portland will be facing in this stretch:
March 13: Detroit Pistons (23-41)
Trail Blazers’ record vs. Pistons: 1-0
The Pistons enter the Rose City as losers of their last eight games. It just hasn’t been going well for the Pistons since they traded for Reggie Jackson. With the Pistons, Jackson is averaging 15.1 points per game, but he’s shooting just 37 percent from the field and 23 percent from deep.
To win: Portland has to contain Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. They haven’t been playing well lately, but those two are a force on the interior if they can get going.
March 15: Toronto Raptors (38-26)
Trail Blazers’ record vs. Raptors: 1-0
When Portland met Toronto early in the season, the Trail Blazers held on for an overtime victory. While the Trail Blazers are playing some of their best basketball of the season, the Raptors have been on a downward slide since the beginning of February. The Raptors have lost nine of their last 10 games and 11 of their last 16 games, dating back to February 2nd.
To win: Portland has to bring the energy and contain Kyle Lowry. No one on the Raptors is playing well, and Portland can’t let them get their crowd into the game. Toronto is hungry, but Portland needs to keep them at bay and secure the victory.
March 16: Washington Wizards (36-28)
Trail Blazers’ record vs. Wizards: 1-0
Like the Raptors, the Wizards have been struggling lately. Dating back to January 21st, the Wiz kids are only 7-15 in their last 22 games. Also, like Toronto, the Wizards are going to be playing with a little extra desperation.
To win: Portland has to take the Wizards’ punches, keep John Wall out of the lane and make him shoot jumpers. That’s the recipe for beating the Wizards.
March 18: Miami Heat (29-35)
Trail Blazers’ record vs. Heat: 1-0
The Heat aren’t half the team they would be if they had Chris Bosh, but they still have Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic, and Hassan “Mr. Brightside” Whiteside. Oh, and Luol Deng. That lineup could give the Trail Blazers some issues.
To win: Portland is going to have to turn up the intensity and take away Dragic in the pick-and-roll. That’s where the Miami Heat can do damage. I wouldn’t be too concerned with Wade or Deng with Arron Afflalo and Nicolas Batum on them, and Robin Lopez has to keep Whiteside off the glass. That’s the game plan.
March 20: Orlando Magic (21-45)
Trail Blazers’ record vs. the Magic: 1-0
The Magic are not good.
To win: Portland has to get off the bus. If the Trail Blazers show up, they can beat the Magic. Now, watch Portland lose to the Magic because I wrote that.
March 21: Memphis Grizzlies (45-19)
Trail Blazers’ record vs. the Grizzlies: 0-3
This is a huge game for Portland, and it is unfortunate that it comes on a back-to-back, the end of a five-game East Coast road trip, and the sixth game in basically eight days. The Trail Blazers need to beat the Grizzlies once for a confidence-builder heading into the playoffs. There is a very real possibility that these two teams meet in the conference semi-finals. Heading into that hypothetical series, it’d be nice to know Portland could win.
I know Portland can beat Memphis, but they’ve squandered late leads in every game against the Grizz this season. I want to see Portland finish out the whole game.
To win: Portland has to keep Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph from getting their usual numbers. The strength of Memphis is on the interior, and Portland has to make Memphis play through other players. If Mike Conley or Jeff Green get hot, then you fight another day, but Portland can’t continue to let Z-BO and Gasol pound the paint.
Ultimately, going 5-1 over the next six games would be ideal for Portland, and it would likely move them up in the standings to the third-seed.
Right now, though, seeding matters a lot less than getting Afflalo and C.J. McCollum ready for the playoffs. The Trail Blazers are going to need them to lock down the shooting guard position and hold their own against the best teams in the Western Conference coming up in a few weeks. This road trip is a great way to get those guys more experience in a very short amount of time.