Mar
18
Playoff Picture: March 18th
By sarahhecht Posted in: playoffs
What a win. Last night was exactly what the Trail Blazers needed to do. They stayed focus and played their level of basketball, not the level of the opponent.
From a mentality perspective, I’d say this was one of the most important wins of the season. Portland has a history of not playing well against lower echelon teams, which fouls them up mentally. Right now, and last night, our guys are playing like a fighting post-season team.
Watch-out West, if the Trail Blazers continue to play like this you’re all in for a big challenge come playoffs.
Last night's scores and effects:
The
Memphis Grizzlies were defeated by the 
New York Knicks 99-120 in New York. The Grizz loss isn’t good for them, but the Trail Blazers benefited. The gap between Memphis in the 8th seed and Portland in the 6th seed widened to two and a half games. In the tight Western Conference race every bit of distance matters.
The
Cleveland Cavaliers were annihilated by the 
Portland Trail Blazers 70-111 in Portland. Portland schooled Cleveland by 41 points. 41 POINTS! The monster win pushed the Trail Blazers back into the 6th seed in the West.
Tonight’s games with Western Conference potential playoff teams:
Denver Nuggets (41-27) vs. 
Orlando Magic (43-26) With Portland hot on their tail the Nuggets need a win tonight. A win or a loss will keep them in 5th in the West, but a loss will bring the Trail Blazers to within a game and a half. I’m rooting for Dwight Howard and the Magic in this one.
Charlotte Bobcats (28-39) vs. 
Oklahoma City Thunder (44-23) The Thunder are planted into the 4th seed pretty solidly right now and a win or a loss will keep them there. On the other hand, the Bobcats are half a game out of the final playoff berth in the East. Here’s hoping to success for former Trail Blazers Przybilla and Cunningham.
San Antonio Spurs (54-13) vs. 
Dallas Mavericks (48-20) This game is crucial for Dallas. Following their recent loss in Portland the Mavs dropped to the 3rd seed in the West. A win tonight will push them back into 2nd over the Lakers. This game is a toss up for me in the rooting category. Who do you want to win?
Boston Celtics (48-18) vs. 
Houston Rockets (35-34) Houston needs a win tonight to continue their push toward the final playoff spot. They’re currently two games behind Memphis and need to make up ground quickly. It’s going to be tough for them.
Golden State Warriors (30-38) vs. 
Phoenix Suns (33-33) Recent losses by the Phoenix and wins by Utah and Houston have left the Suns eyeing the post-season from 11th place in the West. Two and a half games out of the playoffs, tonight is a must-win for Phoenix.
Here are the playoff match-ups as of today.
Which games will you be watching tonight?