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Jonathan Chen
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Posted by
Jonathan Chen
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Its the Trailblazers vs the Pelicans. Two teams that at the beginning of the season were not considered surefire playoff teams in the competitive Western Conference. With Damian Lillard emerging as an MVP candidate this year and Anthony Davis leading his Pelicans to a 48-win season, it will be an interesting series and may be one of the hardest to predict.
For the Portland Trailblazers, this year was supposed to be like last season. They would sneak into the playoffs as the 7th or 8th seed and lose in the first round to Warriors or the Rockets. However, the complete opposite has occurred. Led by their superstar point guard Lillard on the offensive end (and surprisingly the defensive end), the Trailblazers have shot up to the third seed and are poised for a deep playoff run. The Trailblazers can score with anybody, as both Cj McCollum and Lillard can explode at any given moment. They have also become one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, making the Trailblazers a dangerous dark horse team in the Western Conference.
On the other side is the New Orleans Pelicans, a team that entered the season with their sights set on the playoffs. It was looking good until DeMarcus Cousins suffered a torn Achilles on January 26th. It looked the Pelicans were doomed once again, as their roster was filled with below average NBA players. However, once again, the opposite occurred. Anthony Davis took the lead and became a dominant force on both ends, leading the league in block shots and averaging the second most points per game. Davis improved as the season went on, which is a scary though because he is already a Top 10 NBA player (maybe in Top 5). And the rest of the team responded. Jrue Holiday, Rajon Rondo, E'Twaun Moore, Nikola Mirotic (their trade deadline acquisition) and Solomon Hill have all played vital roles in getting the Pelicans to the playoffs.
This series may be one of the most underrated and most competitive in this years playoffs. You have two MVP candidates in Lillard and Davis that will be going at each other. However, I truly believe the Pelicans have a slight advantage. The Pelicans have Holiday and Rondo, two great long defenders to throw at McCollum and Lillard. Meanwhile, the Trailblazers have no one to really stop Davis. Add in the experience and impact that "playoff" Rondo has and the shooters they have to space the floor, the Pelicans are going to surprise many people.
I have the Pelicans defeating the Trailblazers in an extremely competitive 7 games.
For the Portland Trailblazers, this year was supposed to be like last season. They would sneak into the playoffs as the 7th or 8th seed and lose in the first round to Warriors or the Rockets. However, the complete opposite has occurred. Led by their superstar point guard Lillard on the offensive end (and surprisingly the defensive end), the Trailblazers have shot up to the third seed and are poised for a deep playoff run. The Trailblazers can score with anybody, as both Cj McCollum and Lillard can explode at any given moment. They have also become one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, making the Trailblazers a dangerous dark horse team in the Western Conference.
On the other side is the New Orleans Pelicans, a team that entered the season with their sights set on the playoffs. It was looking good until DeMarcus Cousins suffered a torn Achilles on January 26th. It looked the Pelicans were doomed once again, as their roster was filled with below average NBA players. However, once again, the opposite occurred. Anthony Davis took the lead and became a dominant force on both ends, leading the league in block shots and averaging the second most points per game. Davis improved as the season went on, which is a scary though because he is already a Top 10 NBA player (maybe in Top 5). And the rest of the team responded. Jrue Holiday, Rajon Rondo, E'Twaun Moore, Nikola Mirotic (their trade deadline acquisition) and Solomon Hill have all played vital roles in getting the Pelicans to the playoffs.
This series may be one of the most underrated and most competitive in this years playoffs. You have two MVP candidates in Lillard and Davis that will be going at each other. However, I truly believe the Pelicans have a slight advantage. The Pelicans have Holiday and Rondo, two great long defenders to throw at McCollum and Lillard. Meanwhile, the Trailblazers have no one to really stop Davis. Add in the experience and impact that "playoff" Rondo has and the shooters they have to space the floor, the Pelicans are going to surprise many people.
I have the Pelicans defeating the Trailblazers in an extremely competitive 7 games.
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