Analysis Playoff Opponents Breakdowns

[ambchang]

As the playoffs are drawing closer, I thought it's probably time to breakdown the strengths and weaknesses of our potential playoff foes. Mods, if you feel this should go to the "Spurs are a playoff contender" or the "1st round playoff opponent" thread, feel free to merge.

I am going to list all the teams in the top 10 for the West, and a few of the teams that have a legit chance at making the finals from the east. Would love it if you guys can chime in your thoughts.

Team / ORTG (Rank) / DRTG (Rank) / NetRtg (Rank)

SAS / 119.3 (4) / 111.0 (3) / +8.3 (2)

Spoiler: OKC / 118.4 (8) / 107.5 (1) / +11.0 (1)

Following up on their historical (2nd best NetRTG ever behind the 72-10 Bulls) last year, the Thunder are at +11.0 this year, which would put them 9th all time. Of the teams who had a double digit NetRTG, only 15-16 Spurs (+11.3, 6th best ever), 15-16 Warriors (+10.7, 11th), 71-72 Bucks (+10.1, 14th) and 08-09 Cavs (+10.0, 15th) failed to win it all. That said, despite the Thunder having such a dominant regular season last year, they were not overly dominant in the playoffs, going 7 games vs. the Nuggets and Pacers, over a number of games with very controversial calls, and of course injury luck.

IMHO, OKC's biggest weakness is their rebounding. Last year, they ranked 16th in DReb% and 21st in OReb%, but their defense was top notch, ranking #1 in defensive eFG% by a margin of +.09 over the #2 Celtics. to put that in perspective, Celtics is about +.1 over #5 Wolves. Also #2 in TOV% by only 0.1% behind the #1 Magic (they are 0.6% over #3 76ers to put this in perspective).

This year, they improved a bit in rebounding and ranked 10th in DReb% but 28th in OReb%. Defensively, they are still #1 in the league, but their margin over #2 Pistons is only by 0.01% and 0.06% over #3 Spurs and #4 Celtics. They are #3 in TOV%, but only 0.3% behind the Pistons. However, they have fouled much less and ranked #3 in FTs allowed per FTA for opponents. From a play style angle, they focus heavily on forcing turnovers and transition baskets, ranking #1 in points off turnovers and outscoring their opponents by 7.6ppg in that department. They also gave up the most % of 3s from the corner, with their opponents shooting a decent 39.7% from there. Guess who loves to shoot from the corner?

Offensively the Thunder went from #3 in ORtg last year to #8 this year. They are also #8 in eFG%, they take care of the ball, ranking #2 in TOV%. They are middle of the pack in 3 pt shooting or scoring inside (but excellent in preventing their opponents in doing so), and is one of the rare teams thrive in the mid-range. They are a preposterous 52.6% from 10-16 feet, and that is a full .42% over #2 Celtics, well, we are the team giving up the most FGAs from 10-16 in the league, undoubtedly because of Wemby. This is the bigger gap than the one between the #2 Celtics and #15 Memphis. They are also heavily reliant on points creation in 2 pointers rather than ball movement (SGA), as they are ranked #29 in 2PFG Assisted in the league.

My personal opinion, we must take care of the ball, crash the offensive boards, and keep SGA out of the mid-range area to help shut them down effectively. On offense, take advantage of their corner 3 defence by using Wemby as the hub in the middle.

Spoiler: LAL / 118.5 (7) / 116.4 (20) / +2.1 (12)

The Lakers are coming on strong the last month or so, going 15-2 in March by outscoring their opponents 120.6 to 111.4. Their offence seems to be back on track, going back to what it was back in November, but their defence has improved every month since December.

On offence, their TS% has improved along with their eFG, but most comically, their FTA just somehow coincided with their record. In October and November, they were 15-4 shooting around 30FTA/G, in March, they went 15-2 shooting 28.1FTA per game, int he middle 3 months, they were 20-20 shooting about 25FTA/G. It is no secret they run a heliocentric offence around Luka, who is leading the league in FGM/A, 3PM/A, FTA,, PPG and USG. But besides Luka, Lebron and Austin Reaves are also heavy iso players who are known to create on offence. They are #2 in eFG%, and #3 in FT/FGA, but are not particularly strong in taking care of the ball or crashing the offensive glass (#28 in 2nd chance points). They are also not particularly good at scoring off TO (#11), running the break (#11) or scoring in the paint (#8). Their shot diet is interesting to say the least, ranking #22 in % of FGA from 3, 25 from 0-3 feet, #11 from 3-10 feet, but #3 from 10-16 and #13 from 10-16. Unlike OKC ,they are not exactly lighting it on fire from 10-16 either, ranking #7 in the league. What makes them truly exception is their FTr, where they are at .321, which is a full .014 over #2 Magic. They somehow ranked #2 in FTA per game, but also #3 in FTA by opponents. They are the only team to be top 5 in both categories and an incredible +5.7 FTA per game, the Mavs sit #2 at +4.2. I believe Miami is #3 at +2.8. Also shockingly, the lakers are dead last in # of 3s assisted at an abysmal .728 (2nd last Clippers is at .783) and a ho-hum #10 in assisted 2s.

On defense, the hot streak in March also coincided with their opponents going ice cold during that time, shooting 31.1%, but I am not sure if it's good defence or just luck as their opponents does shoot 35.2% from 3, which is still excellent and would rank them #6 in 3P defense. That said, their interior defence is awful, with opponents shooting 76.3% from 0-3 (worst in the league and 47.5% from 3-10 (9th worst). They are poor in opponent eFG% (24th), but are OK in forcing TOs (11th) and defensive rebounding (9th), while not fouling (8th). Curiously, with a bunch of aging, slow players, the Lakers are somehow by far #1 in the league in charges drawn.

Overall the Lakers still have issues on defence, I am not sure how real their 3 pt defence is during March. Allowing teams to shoot only 31.1% from 3 would be the best since 2003-04 Pistons and Raptors. Nobody since has allowed less than 32% 3P shooting. With the Lakers, it's no secret that if you stop Luka, you stop them, problem is that he is a generational offensive player. They are #2 in the league in eFG% and #1 in FG%, a big part of what drives that is they have 3 creators, where as players like Ayton, Rui and LaRavia can just focus on finishing. With Wemby manning the middle, Castle, and Harper as the on ball defenders, I am pretty confident the Spurs can match up with them.

Spoiler: DEN / 122.1 (1) / 117.3 (21) / +4.8 (7)

I have to admit I haven't watched too many Nuggets games this season, but I do know they are a phenomenal offensive team due to Jokic and their eFG%, ranked #1 in the NBA, backs it up. They take care of the ball (4th in TOV%), and gets to the line at a good rate (#4 in FT/FGA and FTr). I was shocked to find out that they don't shoot much from 0-3 (21st in the league), and is just middle of the pack everywhere else. Essentially, they shoot from everywhere, but are #1 in 3P% and really good from 3-10 and 10-16. While they are #4 in assisted 2P, I am shocked to find out they are only #21 in asst'd 3s. They are the worst in the league in points off TOs, and 21st in 2nd chance points.

Defensively they are not that good. They are middle of the pack in defensive eFG% and defensive FT/FGA, last in forced TOV%, but rebounds decently well. They don't give up a particular zone too much, but they are 5th worse in DFG% from 0-3, 3rd worst from 3-10. They are, however, 3rd best in the league in defending the 3 (surprising given Murray). They are 2nd worst in giving up corner 3s but 5th best at defending it by %). They are also the bottom half of the league in defending the fast break and paint defense.

For the Spurs, if we can take care of the defensive boards then head out on fast breaks off them, we can probably pick up a few easy points along with way. Wemby also has to focus on scoring in the paint rather than drift outside for lazy 3s, and Castle, Harper and Keldon have to attack the basket relentlessly.

Spoiler: HOU / 117.9 (9) / 113.3 (6) / +4.6 (8)

The Rockets started the year ho-hum, and seems to be ending the year ho-hum. This team is made up of a bunch of long, athletic players, but their offensive driving force (Sengun) is neither particularly long or athletic). Their defence, while good, is nowhere close to the degree whether they can mask their many issues.

On offence, they don't have much of a PG on FVV went down. Amen, while athletic, can't shoot (22% on 0.3 FTM). Reed Sheppard is getting routinely destroyed on D, and doesn't fit with their lineup philosophy. As such they rely on heavy 1-1 with Durant, Sengun, Amen, or anyone to make plays. They are #26 in 2pt asst'd and 15th in 3pt asst'd, which doesn't really matter because they are #26 in 3PM. They are #1 and #4 in FGA% from 10-16 and 16-3P (without being particuluarly good at either, ranking #19 ad #7 in %), but #26 and #28 in 0-3 and 3P, basically shooting low % low yield shots more than anybody else, at percenrtages that are not spectacularly. They don't even shoot that many FTs nor do they take care of the ball either! Their only saving crace is that they are far and away the best OREB team with a OREB% of 34.7 (compared to 31.3 from POR). Not surprisingly, they are #17 in eFG%

On D, they are middle of the pack in deflections, 2 and 3 pt contested, which is surprising given their athleticism. However, they do hold their opponents to a comparatively low eFG% without fouling much, but then they pull DREB at a middle of the pack rate.

Ever since text gate from Durant, the team seems to be splintering. Their defense looks less coordinated, and I will not be surprised if they will just get eliminated in the 1st round.

 

[ambchang]

Spoiler: MIN / 116.6 (12) / 112.9 (5) / +3.7 (10)

The Wolves are a tough team to read, they are good on paper, and they seem to be a playoff team. They do not do a single thing at an elite level on offence, but they aren't bad at any either (other than TO). However, they do have Antman, who, when he gets hot, is just unstoppable. He can shoot, he can drive, and he's uber athletic. Along with a bruiser like Randle and a bunch of good 3pt shooters in McDaniels, Dosunmu, DiVenzo, and even Reid, this team can be a pretty bad matchup for the Spurs. While Randle isn't a particularly good 3pt shooter, he can take it to Wemby with his physicality. Reid can take Wemby outside and open up the lane for their drivers. That said, this would mean that Gobert would be unplayable on offence, because whatever he can do, on offence (set screens, put backs, finish around basket) Wemby can counter, and without Gobert, their defence would be suspect.

Speaking of defence, without Gober, Castle, Harper, and of course Fox will just drive into the lane at will. Even with Gobert, Wemby can easily pull him outside of the paint. I am not sure if the Wolves can play Reid there for long without the entire defence crumbling. Even worse, if they put Randle there, he would be scored on, get into foul trouble, or both pretty early. The Woelves are a good defensive team, but I am not sure if their defense holds up particularly well to the Spurs.

Overall, I feel that the Wolves matches up with the Spurs very well on offence, but then the Spurs matches up with them very well on our offence as well. If we can find a way to contain Ant while limiting Randle's physical style (Keldon/Castle?), we should make quick work of the Wolves. However, if either or both of them go off, the Spurs could be in trouble.

Spoiler: PHO / 115.6 (16) / 114.1 (11) / +1.5 (15)

Lots have been said about the Suns matching up with the Spurs well. I don't know why, I can't figure it out. Booker has been struggling against us this year, but the team overall shoots decent against us, but at the same time, we don't shoot particularly well against them. Much is made out of Brooks being the Wemby stopper, but I just don't see it. Yes, he shot horribly against them this year, but he shot fine against Houston last year. Besides, the 2 losses this year were early in the season before the Spurs found their groove. The last game where the Spurs barely won by 1, Wemby was +18 in the game and CB and Kornhub were the ones who bled the most points. That said, Brooks, the Wemby stopper, didn't play in the two wins we had against them.

I would say all 4 games this year played were not a good reflection of what's to come in the playoffs. The Spurs have played much better since the beginning of the year, but the Suns have also done the same. In the two wins, Brooks didn't play, in the two losses, Wemby didn't play in 1 of them. Based on the matchups, I am pretty confident Castle and Harper can both do a good job on Booker, while the Suns do have good defenders in Brooks, Allen, O'Neale, Ighodaro and Dunn to throw at our guys. Wemby MUST destroy Brooks (and potentially Mark Williams or Ighodaro) for us to win this series.

Spoiler: LAC / 117.3 (11) / 116.2 (18) +1.1 (16)

After a disasterous start to the season, the Clippers are coming on strong in 2026, going 28-17. While this is not anything that is shaking the league up, it is way better than the 11-21 record they put up in 2025. The Clippers are not particularly strong in any aspect, but they do have Kawhi Leonard, who has played 61 of the possible 77 games so far in the season, and looked like an MVP candidate while he is playing. He is putting up close to a 50/40/90 season, and averaging 28/6.3/3.6/2 in the process, in only 32 MPG. The guy is a machine. With Harden and Zubac both gone, the team is now being carried by Kawhi, while Garland is integrating with the team.

As a team, the Clippers do not do a single thing at an elite level, other than .... wait for it, shoot a lot of FTs (must be an LA thing), where they are #3 in the league in FT/FGA and #4 in FTr. While not at the level of the Lakers, they still out shoot their opponents from the line at 3.7/100 possessions.

One of the biggest weaknesses for the team is that they not a good 3P defensive team, and make 1.2 3 pters less than their opponents per 100. While the Spurs are not particularly strong in this department, we should make them pay here. They are also a relatively weak rebounding team, both O and D. They are 4th worst in the league in 2nd chance points, 6th worse in fast break points, while being middle of the pack defensively for both. They shoot a very low percentage of their shots from 0-3 feet, not much from 3, and a decent amount from 3-10, 10-16 and 16-3P, however, they are efficient in all the distances except from 10-16. Their offence is iso-heavy which makes it more remarkable how efficient they are from these distances.

Defensively, they don't let teams shoot much from 0-3, and bait them into shooting more from outside, but other than from the 16-3P range, the Clippers are kind of ho-hum in DFG% from any range. they also close out reasonably well on 3s.

Spoiler: POR / 114.2 (22) / 114.7 (13) / -0.5 (20)

The Blazers are putting up a better record as the year progresses, but I'd say that is more due to scheduling and other teams tanking. in March, their only quality wins were against the Wolves (missing Ant), and if you want to count it, the Clippers. The rest are against the Bucks, Nets, Jazz, Wiz and such. The team fell off significantly from last year, where their defence appeared to have been worse this year.

On offence, they are not particularly good at any distance, and paticularly bad from 3, and despite the heroics of Avdjija, they aren't particularly good at going to the line either. However, while they aren't good at being efficient, they are VERY GOOD at getting O rebounds. They are #2 in the league in OREB and 1st in 2nd chance point. To beat the Blazers, the Spurs must turn up their defensive rebounding (already #1 in the league) and limit their 2nd chances.

Spoiler: GSW / 114.8 (19) / 115.1 (16) / -0.3 (19)

With Butler injured, and Curry out for a significant amount of time this year, the Warriors underachieved significantly this year. That said, even with those two in the lineup, I just don't see them being a serious contender this year. Other than shooting, one thing that made the Warriors great all these years was their defence. This year, they are just decent to bad in every meaningful defensive category, and I have trouble seeing how Curry and Butler could've changed that.

On offence, if Curry can round into form for the playoffs, this could still be a dangerous team. If Curry catches fire, he can absolutely still win you a game. That said, can he win you 4 in 7 games? I don't see it myself, but Curry is one of the top players in NBA history for a reason (I have him easily in the top 15, likely top 12, and arguably top 8). He is someone you fear when he steps on the court despite his advanced age. The Spurs don't have the personnel to handle to handle him, and letting him get his is not a good strategy when he can nail 3s like most people can nail FTs.

The Spurs are a VERY good defensive team in the paint, well, the Warriors shoots half their shots from 3, and while the Spurs are a pretty good 3P defensive team, someitmes you can't do anything when the offence just goes supernova. Surprisingly, the Warriors aren't a particularly accurate 3P shooting team, and I am counting on them not going white hot 4 out of 7 games.

 

[ambchang]

Spoiler: DET / 117.6 (10) / 109.5 (2) / +8.1 (3)

The Pistons have been able to play at an incredibly high level throughout the season, namely doing it on the defensive end. Because of their defence, they were still able to keep on winning even after Cade went down. Their last two losses were both in OT, 1st against the surging Hawks and then to the league best Thunder.

While the style of play is different, the philosophy of the Pistons are similar to OKC, which is to play a bruising helter skelter brand of D that leads to O. They are ranked #2 in points of TOs behind OKC, but they do their damage inside, where they are ranked #1 in the league in points in the paint. They are not particularly efficient from any part of the court, and in fact they are one of the worst teams in the league by 3Pr, but they are a big physical team that continues to attack the paint with drives fro Cade/Ausar/Holland, and bully ball from Duren/Beef stew/Paul Reed, coupled with a whole lot of offensive rebounds. Duncan Robinson, and Green are their 3P threats, but they are pretty much inefficient no defence chuckers who would be easily exposed in the playoffs, problem is the Pistons will be seriously cramped without them shooting from the outside.

On defence, they foul and worry about the rest later, leading the league in opponent FT/FGA. This may work to their advantage as the refs tend to swallow their whistles in the playoffs. Their physical style just wears the opposition down, and with big long defenders like Ausar, Duren, Beef Stew, Cade, Reed, and Holland on their team, playing against them is a full body massage. Beef Stew is probably the only crazy guy cut in the cloth of Metta World Peace left in the league, and if he can't manage it properly, could lead to brawls and possible suspensions to the detriment of the team.

I personally don't see them going past the Celtics, or even the Knicks in the East and am glad that is the case as even if the Spurs match up well with them, it's just an injury waiting to happen.

Spoiler: BOS / 120.7 (2) / 112.8 (4) / +7.9 (4)

I may be in the minority here, but I see the Celtics as the team to beat this year. I don't mean in the East, as mean overall. They are only 1 of the 2 teams who are top 5 in both O and D Rtg. The other team? The Spurs. Yes, OKC is far and away #1 in the league in NetRtg, but I have some reservations that their foul baiting style will work as well in the playoffs, and the mid-range focused game works well in the hands of the Spurs. Again, last year, OKC was even better than this year, and they struggled mightily against both the Nuggets and the Pacers in the playoffs, even with injury luck and some very controversial whistles. The Celtics though, looks legit.

The Celtics does most of their damage from 3, and rank dead last in FGA% from 0-3 feet. What they are good at though, is offensive creation. They are deadlast in the league in 2PT assisted, and 3rd last in 3PT assisted, and yet they are 2nd in the league in ORtg. They shoot well from everywhere except from 16-3P, which everybody shoots a very low percentage of their shots from anyways, and are OK from 3.

What they are good at though, is to bait the opposition into playing their game, where they are ranked 2nd last in the league in opponent 3PA%, but #1 in 0-3, despite them not being particularly good at defending from 0-3. They are able to limit penetration and control the pace to the slowest in the league. They have multiple ball handers and creators (White, Brown, Pritchard, and now Tatum), they are insanely well coached, makes few mistakes, crashes the offensive boards, very versatile, and extremely difficult to stop.

On defence, they limit their opponents to low percentage shots, doesn't gamble, limit their fouls, and crashes the defensive boards despite their small size.

If the Spurs make it far enough in the finals and face the Celtics, I think the Celtics experience will win out.

Spoiler: NYK / 120.0 (3) / 113.3 (8) / +6.7 (5)

The Knicks are a big team who matches very well with the Spurs on offence, but I also felt the Spurs matches very well with them on defence. Let me explain.
While they are only #12 in the league in 3PA rate, they have the most important weapon in having a workable lineup with 5 shooters on the floor without giving up size. With bigs like KAT and Anunoby, they can easily trot out 5 players who can shoot 3s at a high volume and high percentage. They have 9 players who shoots 36.8% or better from 3 so far this season, with 6 of them shooting more than 4 or more attempts per game (all 9 of them shoots more than 6/100 possessions. This draws Wemby out of the paint, and causes the Spurs defense to falter.

At the same time, they really have only 1 reliable offensive engine in Brunson. The other players are more finishers and if they create, I will have to live with that. Multiple players, namely Bridges, went supernova against us this year, but if Castle and Harper can be reasonable point of attack defenders against Brusnon, we have a decent chance of disrupting their offence. They have a fair share of 2nd chance points, but they don't run out on breaks much.

On defence, the Knicks are long and switchable. They limit their opponents on second chance points and points in the paint with their size. They may not be great defenders individually, but shooting over a bunch of tall guys (other than Brunson) is still a chore.

The Spurs must win the battle of the boards against them, and must work on a quick switching defence that will keep Wemby close to the paint while defending their 3s.

Spoiler: ATL / 116.1 (14) / 113.5 (9) / +2.6 (11)

The Hawks have gone from a potential Spurs farm team to a darkhorse finals pick. it's not likely, but the Hawks have been playing excellent ball since trading away Trae Young. With long, quick defenders like Daniels, Johynson, NAW, Gueye and Okongwu, the Hawks are a difficult bunch to go through. Their opponents have scored 110.5 points in March, compared to 125.4ppg in December. Part of this is a soft schedule, but their defensive coordination is visibly better compared to earlier in the year. There is more communciations and trust amongst the team.

At the same time, they are also scoring much better, scoring 122.5ppg in March compared to 119.8 in December (and 112.8 in January). They are rebounding better, passing better, defending better and shooting better since the trade, and it is truly remarkable, if not for the Spurs owning the swap this year.

While I have them here in jest originally, there is a non-0 chance they can make it out of the east. They match up reasonably well with the Celtics and the Detroit, and if they can avoid the Knicks, they may shock the world.

 

[ambchang]

To summarize, I have created this table below, based on my own opinions for strengths and weaknesses, of course:

Team	ORTG (Rank)	DRTG (Rank)	NETRTG (Rank)	Strengths	Weaknesses
OKC	118.4 (8)	107.5 (1)	+10.9 (1)	Reigning champs, quick physical defence, SGA can score whenever he wants, well coordinated offensive and defensive engine.	Foul dependent, not particularly good around the rim or from 3, game is not overly conducive to playoffs, not particularly strong on the boards.
LAL	118.5 (7)	116.4 (20)	+2.1 (14)	The league's cash cow.	Let's put it this way, there are 5 teams with 50 or more wins by the time I wrote this, the Lakers are #14 in Net Rating. They have the same Net Rating as the Heat (who has 10 less wins and 11 more losses) and Raptors (8/8) right now. They are a fraud. Even with Doncic, this is a team with serious flaws.
DEN	122.1 (1)	117.3 (21)	+4.8 (7)	Incredible offence, Jokic is arguably the best offensive player ever. They have a fantastic 5 shooter lineup. When Murray is on, he is unstoppable like prime Jordan. Their half court oriented offence suits the playoffs well.	Questionable defensively (could change with Gordon healthy), they are a slow plodding team.
HOU	117.9 (9)	113.3 (6)	+4.6 (8)	Strong defence, long defenders, athletic. gifted offensive players in Durant and Sengun.	Chemistry seems to be in the gutter since text gate, not much structure on offence. Lacks PG, seems to be tuning the coach out.
MIN	116.7 (12)	112.9 (5)	+3.8 (10)	Ant can carry a team offensively. Randle can bully his way to points. A bunch of quick physical defenders.	I am not sure how playable Gobert is in the playoffs due to his offensive limitations, and he is a core for their defence. Randle can be baited into low IQ shots.
PHO	115.6 (16)	113.8 (10)	+1.8 (15)	Well coached. Offensive creation in the half court. Until proven otherwise (and I think he will), Brooks still owns Wemby.	Not particularly efficient, Castle should match up with Booker well so can hone in on the other players.
LAC	117.5 (10)	116.1 (19)	+1.4 (16)	Kawhi is justifiably a feared players. Richest owner in sports and we all know the NBA loves money. They have proven (or are proving) they can get away with anything.	Counting on Kawhi's health is at your own peril. They aren't good at anything in particular, can't shoot 3s well, and don't rebound well.
POR	114.1 (22)	114.8 (13)	-0.7 (20)	Quick team, Jrue Holiday is still a productive defender, and while Camara is having a down year, can still be really good.	Their offence isn't strong by any stretch of imagination. They are like the reverse of the Lakers, mediocre on defence but bad on offence.
GSW	114.8 (18)	115.1 (16)	-0.3 (19)	Curry can catch heat and just bomb away. Still has that aura with them.	Podz isn't Klay, and Curry isn't Curry, Draymond isn't Draymond either. I can't see Curry scoring like the old days 4 out of 7 games.
DET	117.5 (11)	109.6 (2)	+7.9 (3)	Big , strong physical team on both O and D. Intimidating team reminisce of teams from the early naughts. Cade is a very good offensive player.	Fouls a lot, only one true offensive creator, doesn't shoot too well, their emotions may get the best of them sometimes.
BOS	120.4 (2)	112.8 (4)	+7.6 (4)	Well coached, multiple creators, multiple scorers, switchable players, very smart. Can hurt you multiple ways. Controls the pace masterfully. Strong rebounding team.	Small, don't score much from inside the arc.
NYK	119.7 (3)	113.5 (8)	+6.2 (5)	Lineup of 5 shooters, long. Multiple players who can finish and score. Rebounds very well.	Slow and plodding. Only one true creator in Brunson.
ATL	115.9 (14)	113.6 (9)	+2.3 (11)	Athletic defenders, switchable parts, building team chemistry. Well coached.	Not much playoff experience, no player who can take over offensively.
SAS	119.3 (4)	111.0 (3)	+8.3 (2)	Has Wemby who is a defensive anomaly. Shoots well from the corners. Defensive rebounding. Multiple offensive creators. Well balanced team that can play multiple styles. Transition offence.	Defence can crumble if a team can pull Wemby out of the paint. No playoff experience. Outside shooting still wait and see. Conservative on the offensive boards.

Note: I wrote these posts over the course of a few days, so the rating numbers may not match up between posts.

 

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Wonderful content! How far do you see us going this season? I still hope we can get lakers in round 2 but that is looking very doubtful

 

[ambchang]

I am really bad at predicting outcomes, so thank goodness I am not a gambler. But I would say the Spurs toughest opponents, based on match ups, are as follows:
1) BOS
2) DEN
3) OKC
4) NYK
-----> Anyone below I am fairly confident we can beat in a 7-game series
5) MIN
6) DET
7) PHO
8) HOU
9) LAC
10) GSW
11) POR
12) ATL
13) LAL

I'd say DEN, OKC and NYK depends on whether we can play our best, if so, then it would be an interesting series, but if we are shrinking from the bright lights, it could get ugly.

1st round exit -> Massive disappointment
2nd round exit, anyone except against DEN -> Disappointment
WCF Loss -> Mild disappointment vs. OKC, acceptable vs. DEN
Finals loss -> Mild disappointment vs. NYK, expected vs. BOS
Finals win -> Unreal, not expected.

 

[OK Computer]

IMO, any team that beats us and goes on to win the championship is less of a disappointment.

Example: if the Blazers beat us in the first round and they go on to win the championship, it’s less of a disappointment.

If the Timberwolves beat us in the WCF and they go on to win the championship, no disappointment.

To me, it doesn’t matter what team they were before the playoffs or what round we lose to said team. Sometimes, a certain team is destined to win it all and they can’t be stopped. Hopefully, it’s us.

 

[ambchang]

IMO, any team that beats us and goes on to win the championship is less of a disappointment.

Example: if the Blazers beat us in the first round and they go on to win the championship, it’s less of a disappointment.

If the Timberwolves beat us in the WCF and they go on to win the championship, no disappointment.

To me, it doesn’t matter what team they were before the playoffs or what round we lose to said team. Sometimes, a certain team is destined to win it all and they can’t be stopped. Hopefully, it’s us.

So 13 no longer hurts?

 

[TimmyBuckets]

Looks more and more like we'll have to play Nuggets round 2.

 

[Dbreiden83080]

Looks more and more like we'll have to play Nuggets round 2.

Seems inevitable. Trying to win Chips is really fucking hard..

 

[Arguendo]

Looks more and more like we'll have to play Nuggets round 2.

The Den-Por game tonight may decide it.
Lakers have OKC, GSW, Phx, Uta to finish plus the tie-break, Denver has Por, Mem, OKC, SA.
Hopefully the Thunder players say no to punting against Denver, cause Lakers may still beat GSW and Utah.
Gonna be a great last week to the season.

 

[Dbreiden83080]

So 13 no longer hurts?

Greatest Redemption In Sports History..

 

[Dbreiden83080]

The Den-Por game tonight may decide it.
Lakers have OKC, GSW, Phx, Uta to finish plus the tie-break, Denver has Por, Mem, OKC, SA.
Hopefully the Thunder players say no to punting against Denver, cause Lakers may still beat GSW and Utah.
Gonna be a great last week to the season.

That's a good breakdown sir.. 1 I will be referencing again..

 

[Coyote2!]

Looks more and more like we'll have to play Nuggets round 2.

Here's hoping. I love watching Jokic and Vic square off. And honestly it'd be a win-win. A loss creates a highly-motivated Wemby going into the offseason, with the kind of high-pressure playoff experience against a top-10 player of all time that will help elevate his defensive game long-term. A win... well, a win is a win obviously.

Gotta get through that first round, though...

 

[Arguendo]

Here's hoping. I love watching Jokic and Vic square off. And honestly it'd be a win-win. A loss creates a highly-motivated Wemby going into the offseason, with the kind of high-pressure playoff experience against a top-10 player of all time that will help elevate his defensive game long-term. A win... well, a win is a win obviously.

Gotta get through that first round, though...

It be pretty special to get the Best Offensive Player at his peak going against the hopefully future Best D Player ever in his first playoffs. Wemby's all about if you wanna be the best, gotta go through the best.
It'd be a historic way to kick off his legacy, one way or the other he'll grow from it.

 

[OK Computer]

Here's hoping. I love watching Jokic and Vic square off. And honestly it'd be a win-win. A loss creates a highly-motivated Wemby going into the offseason, with the kind of high-pressure playoff experience against a top-10 player of all time that will help elevate his defensive game long-term. A win... well, a win is a win obviously.

Gotta get through that first round, though...

Vic beating Jokic would be like closing a chapter (Jokic’s reign) and starting a new one with Vic… similar to how @LeBowen is begging to get Nephew in the first round to close the chapter there.

 

[Dbreiden83080]

Here's hoping. I love watching Jokic and Vic square off. And honestly it'd be a win-win. A loss creates a highly-motivated Wemby going into the offseason, with the kind of high-pressure playoff experience against a top-10 player of all time that will help elevate his defensive game long-term. A win... well, a win is a win obviously.

Gotta get through that first round, though...

It’s tough because for a young team of course you want to say the future is bright and we all hope it is. But obviously you have no idea? Crazy shit happens. Sometimes the window is shorter than you think. Hopefully it’s a long window.

 

[Arguendo]

Come on Portland!!