The wild, wild west is giving writers around the country headaches as they try to make sense of incredibly competitive NBA Playoff matchups. The Trail Blazers made things interesting, waiting until the last possible moment to secure the third seed and a first round matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pels, who are without DeMarcus Cousins after he suffered an achilles injury earlier in the season, will be relying on Anthony Davis to put the team on his back against a hungry Portland squad with home court advantage.
Below, see what writers around the country think of the Blazers' chances in the playoffs.
Shaun Powell at NBA.com thinks the bench and home court will give Portland the slight edge in a tight matchup:
Over at ESPN, Marc J. Spears from The Undefeated doesn't have a prediction, but pegs Portland vs. New Orleans the most intriguing of the first-round matchups:
Adam Fromal at Bleacher Report cites Blazers vs. Pelicans as the toughest pick:
Sports Illustrated's Rob Mahoney has the supporting cast playing a major role in the Blazers taking a W in the first round:
Colin Cowherd at Fox Sports (pivot to video warning) is riding high on the Blazers:
USA Today's experts were unanimous in picking Portland in the first round, but no one has them getting past the Warriors in the semifinals.
FiveThirtyEight doesn't have much to say about the Blazers, but it's worth noting their CARM-ELO model gives Portland a 3 percent chance to win the NBA championship, up from a <1% chance in the preseason. They also give Portland a 26% chance to make the Western Conference Finals.
The ESPN Forecast gives Portland a 65% chance to defeat the Pelicans in the first round, with series likely being decided in 6 games.