Gaining the 3 Seed Gives the Portland Trail Blazers an Easier Path to the Western Conference Finals
By Jakob Ashlin
No Golden State
The Golden State Warriors did not have an amazing regular season and the Blazers were even able to secure victories against them twice. Nevertheless, the Warriors only true weakness is boredom.
The Warriors have five All-Star caliber players. That is unheard of in the modern era of basketball. I expect to them be locked in and focused in the playoffs.
The Warriors will be the favorites in any series, and the Blazers should want to avoid them as long as possible. Now that they are the three seed, they would not meet up until the Western Conference Finals. If Portland entered the playoffs as the fourth seed, they would have to face the Warriors in the second round.
They would have to get past the Thunder and Spurs/Nuggets first, but none of those teams are led by two top five NBA players. Due to the presence of Lillard, the Blazers would actually have the best player on the court in the second round.
At the very least, it is comforting to know that Portland would not have to face Golden State immediately after Oklahoma City.