Us and the 8

[UNO Gracias]

How do we stack up against the rest of the people fighting for spots 6-8 (which should be a realistic goal)?

How do we fare against the Suns, Thunder, Mavs, Rockets, and Spurs?

Who can least afford an injury to a top 3 player (because injuries happen)?
Who can least afford a 2-3 game losing skid?
Who has the best dogs for this stretch of the schedule?
Who can best manage their remaining strength of schedule?
Who do you predict making a big move in order to secure a spot?
Who will crash and burn on the way to April?

Just some fun questions.

[isitsunday]

For us and this seems to be a trend since monty has been here but it seems like we really come on after the all-start break and the i'll with the suns and blazers who can't afford to get a real injury and the mavs can't afford to go on the losing streak

[DroopyDawg]

How do we fare against the Suns, Thunder, Mavs, Rockets, and Spurs?

We can beat all of these teams... depending on which schizophrenic Pels team shows up. We seem to have found our stride, and that's with our starting PG missing. Its good that Reke has run the point in the past.

Who can least afford an injury to a top 3 player (because injuries happen)?

I would say OKC and Durant... they stumbled out the gate without KD, and Westbrook can't carry the team the way KD does. I also think Houston would really suffer if they lose Hardin. They don't have anyone else on their team that can do what he does for that team. In the games that he doesn't play so well... they lose. So imagine if they don't have him for a stretch of games. Could be devastating.

Who can least afford a 2-3 game losing skid?

I think the Rockets can least-afford a slip, because everyone will "blame" it on Josh Smith, and that may do something with the chemistry in their locker room.

Who has the best dogs for this stretch of the schedule?

Since the Spurs are on the list... I'll never count out the champs. They live for the stretch run and the playoffs. Pop sits his vets during the season just for that time of the year. If the Spurs were not on the list I'd go with OKC. Durant and Westbrook are tough, and their role-players actually play their roles.

Who can best manage their remaining strength of schedule?

Of the teams on that list I don't think Phoenix can beat the "better" teams in the league. They do however beat the teams that they "supposed to beat".

Who do you predict making a big move in order to secure a spot?

I still think OKC finds a way to get lopez form Brooklyn. no way they go into the stretch with no center. Perkins sucks, and Steven Adams is not a center.

Who will crash and burn on the way to April?

My vote goes to Houston. I just think josh Smith will find a way to screw up that locker room and send them on a downward spiral to missing the playoffs.

[Caffeinedisastr]

Who can least afford an injury to a top 3 player (because injuries happen)? Houston
Who can least afford a 2-3 game losing skid? Suns
Who has the best dogs for this stretch of the schedule? Spurs
Who can best manage their remaining strength of schedule? Thunder have the weakest schedule left of these teams.
Who do you predict making a big move in order to secure a spot? Thunder or Rockets
Who will crash and burn on the way to April? Here's hoping it's OKC or Phoenix.

[Alvis]

Who can best manage their remaining strength of schedule? Thunder have the weakest schedule left of these teams.

That's the biggest thing for me. We all should stop worrying about the Suns and the Thunders. We have to beat the Suns no matter what to get to the playoffs anyway and it's far from certain that we can keep ahead of the Thunders till the end so that means our objective should be to beat one of the other 7 teams (well truthfully I really doubt that GS can fall that much so it's more like the 6 other teams) to be sure to get in the playoffs .
OKC has a weaker schedule left, have already been plagued by injuries. Obviously, it's not a sure thing but the Thunders are a cornered beast with no more room for doubts so they will give a good fight and should get close to 50 wins at the end of the season (unless they keep getting plagued by injuries).

The good question is which teams are the more likely to slip ... an unlucky injury put aside. So here is the list and my though on them :
-Memphis : Quite unlikely, they will have ups and downs depending on their energy on the court but that's similar to what they had in the first half of the season

- Portland : LA is already injured and is playing through it so that could backlash I guess but still this team have enough talent and grind around to make it through IMO

- LAC : The bench can't get worse than what they gave them in the first half. So unless CP or Blake get injured no reason to think they can drop that easily.

- Houston : This one is more interesting. Harden shoulders the entire offense on this team (no other passable creators) so for some reasons he loses his mojo that is likely to create some doubts in the team. I'm not even talking about Jsmith filling in a team where chemistry is already not that good ... that said McHale has proven enough for me to think that any slip should not last unless Harden is injured but there will probably be some.

-Dallas : This team main risks are frontline depth, defense and backcourt chemistry with Rondo coming in. That said, they have good BBIQ and experience (and an unstoppable offense) so it feels pretty unlikely that they can't find a solution to any bumps they find on their way.

- San Antonio : Defending champion that have already been plagued by injuries for the first half of the season and still managed to look unreachable for us. Nobody honestly thinks they will get worse than that (yeah I know they aren't getting any younger but that should be enough for this season anyway).

So, what does that say overall? Mainly that our best hope to get to the playoff is for us to get better (obvious) and that a key player on one of those teams get a 6+weeks injury ... if that does not happen just pray that Houston or OKC collapses for some reasons but it does not feel likely to last.