2019 Playoff Predictions Part 3: Trailblazers vs. Timberwolves

The third part to our playoff series here at Dunking With Wolves is going to analyze the Portland Trailblazers and how they will match up against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Here at Dunking With Wolves we’ve started a series on predicting how the Minnesota Timberwolves will match up against the potential playoff contenders in the Western Conference.

What is being used as the standard of what teams will be in the potential 2019 playoffs is the playoff standings in the 2018 race.

1. Houston Rockets (65-17)
2. Golden State Warriors (58-24)
3. Portland Trailblazers (49-33)
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (48-34)
5. Utah Jazz (48-34)
6. New Orleans Pelicans (48-34)
7. San Antonio Spurs (47-35)
8. Minnesota Timberwolves (47-35)

The remaining teams who have a chance of making a splash in the playoffs this year that couldn’t quite make it last year are most likely the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers, so we’ll be taking a look at them too. The Nuggets finished last season with a record of 46-36 and the Lakers finished with a poor 35-47.

I should shout out the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers who will have the chance to surprise some teams with a couple good wins against great opponents this year.

The Portland Trailblazers surprised all of NBA media and fans with becoming the third seed in the Western Conference last season. Albeit, their record of 49-33 could’ve easily turned into the 8th seed if they would’ve finished with 47 wins, that’s how close the Western Conference is in regards to equal talent.

With a potential MVP front runner in Damian Lillard and former most improved player of the year CJ McCollum, the Blazers hope to surprise the masses once again with their fantastic back court.

The Blazers additions were focused on shooting, with Seth Curry and Anfernee Simons the Blazers are hoping to utilize their bench in terms of perimeter scoring. The Blazers have an overabundance of all-around wings, but not enough scorchers from deep.

How would they compare to the Timberwolves?

Minnesota Timberwolves compared to the Portland Trailblazers

The Timberwolves have the opposite scheme from the Trailblazers, who try and play 11-man rotations at times. If the Wolves are to pass the Blazers in the playoff standings this year, or even beat them in a playoff match up.

Jeff Teague can’t defend Damian Lillard, but neither can any player on the planet that aren’t a handful of players who may catch him off guard … literally. It’s almost impossible to game plan around Lillard’s abilities on the offensive end, you just have to hope he doesn’t put up over 30 points and 7 assists.

If you can hold Lillard to a pretty good game for his standards, the next key is to limit transition 3’s from the corner, which guys like McCollum or Aminu sink on a daily basis. With Wiggins and Butler’s length on the defensive end, you can be sure that McCollum will have some issues, so as long as you can hold CJ to 20 or under, any opponent should be fine.

The Blazers defense lacks talent and their big man Josuf Nurkic is an inconsistent talent under the basket. When he wants to be a rebounding force, then he makes the Blazers a tricky opponent.

At the end of the day, you can conclude that the Trailblazers don’t have a chance when comparing player by player, but playing in Portland is never a for sure thing with Damian Lillard is on fire.

I expect the Blazers to finish 7th in the Western Conference on the hinges, pushing our projected 2019 playoff standings to look a bit like this:

1. Warriors
2. Rockets
3. N/A
4. N/A
5. N/A
6. N/A
7. Trailblazers
8. N/A