2015 NBA Playoffs: Trail Blazers’ first round opponent breakdown

Feb 22, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) defends Portland Trail Blazers center Chris Kaman (35) at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies

The post-All-Star Break Grizzlies are a mere 14-11, despite holding down the second seed in the conference right now. It only takes one loss to slip down the seeding ladder in such a tight race, and the Grizzlies are at their most vulnerable; especially given the strength of their remaining schedule.

APR 10 @ UTA (36-42)
APR 11 @ LAC (53-26)
APR 13 @ GSW (63-15)
APR 15 vs. IND (35-43)

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If they lose to the Clippers in Los Angeles on the second night of a back-to-back, the Clippers (having a better in-division record) win the tiebreak. So not only would the Grizzlies lose some massive ground in a full-game swing, they would not be able to make it up by finishing with an identical record to their heated rivals unless it was good enough to win the Southwest Division (higher tiebreak).

This drastically increases the chances of the Grizzlies falling into fifth seed range, where they would meet the Trail Blazers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Since the Trail Blazers tend to struggle against teams with a strong presence in the low post (as evidenced by their 0-4 record against the Grizzlies this season), this possible matchup is a worst case scenario.

Next: Potential first round opponent #2