Rip City Project
Fansided

Projecting the Portland Trail Blazers record against Northwest Divisional rivals

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 17: The Portland Trail Blazers honor the National Anthem before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 17, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 17: The Portland Trail Blazers honor the National Anthem before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 17, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
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PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 17: The Portland Trail Blazers honor the National Anthem before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 17, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 17: The Portland Trail Blazers honor the National Anthem before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 17, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Portland Trail Blazers will have their work cut out for them in a loaded Northwest Division. Let’s predict how they’ll fare against these divisional rivals.

Although NBA divisional winners are no longer guaranteed a playoff spot, teams still face their regional rivals four times each throughout the season. Roughly twenty percent of the 82-game season is determined by how well teams fare against these foes. For the Portland Trail Blazers, they’ll have a steep mountain to climb against a very talented and tough Northwest Division.

This division consists of the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Oklahoma City Thunder. Portland won the division last year, but the difference between them and the bottom-seeded Nuggets was only three games – the Nuggets were the only team of the four to miss the playoffs.

And this year, most of these teams only got stronger and their playoff aspirations only more desperate.

Can Portland take the Northwest Division crown once again?

Here are my projections for how the Blazers will fare against these teams: