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Originally Posted by
SoCal4Pels
Funny being a crazy fan of them for the last 21 years--I even have a ball signed by the team when we had Shaq, Kobe, Malone, and Payton. But as I said in my introductory thread, I had to ask myself what I really was a fan of anymore. From ownership to the FO to players (outside of Kuzma), the team is now full of people I have never liked. Will still watch their games because it is gonna be crazy around here for the foreseeable future with the Clippers vs. Lakers dynamic. Gonna be rooting for the Clippers, though I must say PG13, historically a classy guy, left a bad taste in my mouth after his whiny poor sportsmanship comments after what Dame did to him. Not unforgivable I guess, and you gotta respect people like KL, Rivers, Jerry West, and ownership.
As far as the playoffs, unless there is a major injury, I find it pretty much impossible that 7 of the 8 slots are not already reserved: Clippers, Golden State, Lakers, Denver, Portland, Utah, Houston. Going to be super interesting because it is so wide open--there will definitely be some teams that will surprisingly overachieve (my picks are GS, Portland), and some that surprisingly underachieve (Lakers, Houston).
If the Pelicans can squeak in at number 8 in this insanely stacked conference, it will be a massive, massive success for this year with such a young team that hasn't gelled. But it is refreshing to be rooting for a team that I am assuming has a fanbase that can appreciate the team even when they don't win a championship. I like Portland too; kinda feels like Zion/Jrue could be like Dame/McCollum in that regard.
Looking forward to it!