No reason this team can't get the 8th seed.

With jrue back and zion coming wednesday and with the break out of Ingram they are most talented team. If they get in it would most likely be a matchup vs the lakers.

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Originally Posted by Speakthetruth

With jrue back and zion coming wednesday and with the break out of Ingram they are most talented team. If they get in it would most likely be a matchup vs the lakers.

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We would have nothing to lose vs the lakers and everything to gain. I just wanna see Zion out muscle ad

Yea pels would have house money

Would be like the 2011 playoffs.

Honestly, people might call me crazy.... but I think we can fight for the 7 seed.

I really believe in this team and I think we can make a big run!

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Originally Posted by HartOfaPelican

Honestly, people might call me crazy.... but I think we can fight for the 7 seed.

I really believe in this team and I think we can make a big run!

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Getting Zion his minutes will cause a domino effect. Its like getting a free agent mid season. Plus Zion is a 19 year old rookie, so he has growing pains to deal with.

There still will be lots of hiccups between now and April. Just getting that 8h seed after all the turmoil will be monumental.

8th seed is a given. The SOS lines up do well for us

It's a long climb to 7 or 6, though, but the Rockets, Mavs, and Thunder have dropped a few games, lately. Now, OKC has a slightly easy end to their schedule (not as easy as ours) and Dallas, SA, Portland, and Houston have average SOS to end.....but Memphis, Minnesota, and Phoenix have brutal ones.

1 game at a time

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Originally Posted by luckyman

Getting Zion his minutes will cause a domino effect. Its like getting a free agent mid season. Plus Zion is a 19 year old rookie, so he has growing pains to deal with.

There still will be lots of hiccups between now and April. Just getting that 8h seed after all the turmoil will be monumental.

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I would typically agree in regards to people coming into a lineup mid season, especially rookies. However, I believe Zion is the talent that we all think he is. I give it 4-5 games and this team is rolling!

If we can go one game above .500 in that stretch I think the run is on.

I agree. We've all had issues with this team, and it's been far from pretty at times, but the reality is that the bottom of the Western playoffs is still open, we're still there, and we have all kinds of reasons to expect improvement for our team and our record.

I also agree that getting the #8 seed and going up against the Lakers in the first round would be huge. We almost certainly wouldn't win a 7 game series (we're currently 0-2 against LA so far in the regular season, for what that's worth) but we've played them relatively well for the most part when we matched up with them so far this year. I could easily see us taking a game or two off them, and bloodying their noses in a way nobody would expect.

Given that, I would have to be somewhat concerned about the structural integrity of the Smoothie King Centre. Could it handle the inevitable explosion when Zion dunks on AD in a playoff atmosphere?

That 8th playoff spot is going to be a dogfight there are 7 teams who could realistically get it.I like the Pels chances with Zion.

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Originally Posted by Wecandothis

That 8th playoff spot is going to be a dogfight there are 7 teams who could realistically get it.I like the Pels chances with Zion.

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Luckily, we have tons of games left against those exact teams (we play Memphis 3 more times, Spurs 3 times, Minnesota again, etc) to give them extra losses, and our schedule actually gets easier from hereon in; many of these other teams, by contrast, have had it fairly easy so far and are about to get it worse, like San Antonio.

Like you said, it's a dogfight, but I do think that we have the advantage in terms of scheduling and momentum.

As much as I enjoy getting to the Playoffs. But 85% to play either LA team. That is a soft pass from me.

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Originally Posted by Taker597

As much as I enjoy getting to the Playoffs. But 85% to play either LA team. That is a soft pass from me.

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You're telling me you wouldn't have any fun watching the Pelicans and the former Laker players getting a series against Anthony Davis and Lebron James? Especially if Zion is healthy? I don't really care if we lose, or even get swept, I'd have fun watching that.

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Originally Posted by Taker597

As much as I enjoy getting to the Playoffs. But 85% to play either LA team. That is a soft pass from me.

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You say that, but when we make the 8th seed and take game 1 from the Lakers in the Staples Centre, you'll be having fun with it.

There's almost zero incentive to tanking this year. Anthony Edwards looks a tier above the rest but still not usual #1 pick status. And then 2-15 is pretty much all the same. Its a gamblers draft.

Try to make the playoffs as long as you aren't jeopardizing player health in the process.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

You say that, but when we make the 8th seed and take game 1 from the Lakers in the Staples Centre, you'll be having fun with it.

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I'm not giving into the mid season scramble for a 1st round exit.

I lived through 2014 & 2017 season. I don't want that stress in my life

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Luckily, we have tons of games left against those exact teams (we play Memphis 3 more times, Spurs 3 times, Minnesota again, etc) to give them extra losses, and our schedule actually gets easier from hereon in; many of these other teams, by contrast, have had it fairly easy so far and are about to get it worse, like San Antonio.

Like you said, it's a dogfight, but I do think that we have the advantage in terms of scheduling and momentum.

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Spurs - 4x's.

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Originally Posted by Taker597

As much as I enjoy getting to the Playoffs. But 85% to play either LA team. That is a soft pass from me.

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I would love to play the lakers

http://www.tankathon.com/remaining_schedule_strength this team has the second easiest schedule remaining for now

Memphis and suns have brutal schedule and spurs middle of the pack

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Originally Posted by Taker597

As much as I enjoy getting to the Playoffs. But 85% to play either LA team. That is a soft pass from me.

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Getting into the playoffs, first round sweep or not, is so beneficial at this point in the development of the team. It's such an invaluable experience for the rookies, even for Lonzo, BI, and Hart, who still haven't had a taste of the postseason yet.

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Originally Posted by Pelifan

There's almost zero incentive to tanking this year. Anthony Edwards looks a tier above the rest but still not usual #1 pick status. And then 2-15 is pretty much all the same. Its a gamblers draft.

Try to make the playoffs as long as you aren't jeopardizing player health in the process.

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Is this realgm Pelifan?

I don't understand why some people prefer missing playoffs entirely to a chance to beat the hell out of the Lakers. Even if the draft were strong we are stoked with young prospects so no need for tanking. I fully expect this team when 100% healthy is a formidable matchup for both of the Los Angeles teams.

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Originally Posted by HartOfaPelican

I would typically agree in regards to people coming into a lineup mid season, especially rookies. However, I believe Zion is the talent that we all think he is. I give it 4-5 games and this team is rolling!

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To piggy-back off of this, traditionally rookies are not better than replacement level, so adding them into a lineup would have negative value. In this case, Zion will clearly have a positive impact on the floor as long as he's truly healthy. Even if he's a little lost on the defensive end, you have to look at who he is taking minutes from.

Additionally, Zion is the type of player that is not going to be ball dominant this season and plays extremely well off of others. His skills along with his hustle and effort should blend seamlessly into our system.