As Rip City woke up Wednesday morning to savor another Damian Lillard masterpiece, the NBA universe continued to turn towards the playoffs.
And in the Western Conference, as apparently every year, the playoff match will run until the last night of the regular season as four teams continue to fight for eighth and last place.
The Blazers (34-39) became favorites on Wednesday as they rose to number 8 thanks to Lillard’s historic 61-point outburst and dramatic 130-127 win over the Dallas Mavericks. But the Memphis Grizzlies (33-39), the hot Phoenix Suns (33-39) and the San Antonio Spurs (32-38) are on their heels, only halfway back in the standings.
All four will play in the bubble finals on Thursday night, with a chance to qualify for the first round of play-in. As a refresher: The eighth and ninth seeded in the West, as they are separated by four or fewer games, will play a two-game streak this weekend, with the winner earning a match against the seeded Los Angeles Lakers. in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The eighth seeded only has to win one of the play-in games to advance, while the ninth seeded will have to sweep the weekend one after another.
Now, let’s take a look at what’s happening around the NBA today:
• Bleacher Report exposes the one playoff match that every contender doesn’t want to face and, in what has been covered by virtually all NBA pundits, the Lakers apparently don’t want to be part of the Blazers.
“The Portland Trail Blazers may not even make it into the playoffs, and if they do, they will definitely be the underdogs in this series. But they have more of a punch chance of escaping the sleepwalking Lakers if LA isn’t ready to roll.
“The Lakers would have the two best players in this series, and maybe that’s all they need to advance. But if they fail to straighten the ship sooner or later, the Blazers – a team with the talent of a third or fourth seed – could go straight to the second round. “
• What’s it like to conquer one of the coveted virtual spots at bubble games? The New York Times paints the picture:
“(Malenda) Meacham signed a three-page waiver describing various rules. Top of the list: no bad words, as virtual fan audio would be mixed and piped into the arena. Meacham knew in advance that he would struggle with that restriction. As the game progressed, she was grateful for the ability to mute her microphone. Yes, Bongo Lady has muted. He picked his points, though, like when Spurs’ Lonnie Walker threw a wandering sweater. Meacham leaned on his laptop.
“AIRBALLLLL!” she said.
• The bubble’s first header arrived on Wednesday – just on a day the Portland Timbers won the MLS is Back tournament – and came from one of the NBA’s brightest stars: Milwaukee Bucks all-star Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the details:
“At the start of the second quarter, Antetokounmpo overwhelmed Wizards forward Moritz Wagner, committing an offensive foul. Bucks manager Mike Budenholzer quickly called timeout to contest the foul. During the break in action, Antetokounmpo made his way to Wagner, who was walking by the Bucks bench. When the two players met, Antetokounmpo lowered his head, tilted it to the left, and headed into the side of Wagner’s face.
“The situation did not get worse, but the damage had been done.
“Terrible action,” Antetokounmpo said after the match. “If I could go back and go back in time and go back to that play, I wouldn’t. But at the end of the day, we are all human, we all make mistakes. “
• Our old friend, former Blazers manager Nate McMillan, has agreed to extend his contract with the Indiana Pacers, according to ESPN.
“Well respected among his fellow coaches for his personal character and hard-hitting teams, McMillan has the Pacers positioned as fifth-seeded in the Eastern Conference playoff race. He is credited with maximizing the organization’s roster despite several periods of significant injuries in recent years. “
• The NBA will begin allowing guests to enter the bubble during the playoff semi-finals, but there will be constraints, according to ESPN, citing a reminder.
“The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have negotiated terms that preclude players from hosting guests that would be considered to be of a completely random nature, including” known to the player only through social media or an intermediary, “according to the memo.
“Anyone who does not have” a pre-existing, personal, known relationship “will not be admitted to the bubble, where each second-round playoff team has been given 17 hotel rooms for guests. Early guests may cancel the quarantine process and joining the players is August 31, according to the memo. “
• In the wake of the forgettable and injury-filled season of the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry is adjusting to life outside the bubble. Includes “major FOMO,” according to the New York Times.
“Yet these are strange times for Curry too, who made the next-level entry to the first golf tournament of the year even more significant. It was an escape from the constant memories that he and his Warriors are somehow irrelevant in the NBA for now.
“Obviously I was happy to see basketball on TV again, but that first week I had a major FOMO,” said Curry, using the popular term for “fear of losing.”
“The Warriors are one of eight teams – brazenly dubbed ‘Delete Eight’ by The Athletic’s John Hollinger – that have not been invited to participate in the NBA shooting here at Walt Disney World.”
• What does the Executive of the Year vote tell us about NBA values? ESPN takes a look:
“In an era of superteam building where champions often rise and fall in the summer trading season, the quality of a franchise’s management and its ability to make huge moves defines its league hopes. This makes the Executive of the Year award something of a managerial MVP – winning it doesn’t guarantee anything, but being on top of that field often gives your team a chance.
“It’s a vow award that is sometimes filled with jealousy, meanness, and even the occasional low-key insults. It’s the only major NBA award voted by peers and the only one for which the ballot remains secret (one vote per franchise; you can’t vote for yourself). “
• The Undefeated would like you to meet Dr. Leroy Sims, the NBA medical director in charge of managing the bubble.
“It’s a different kind of stress from my job in the ER. Many of these situations are life or death and I take care of them. … What do you do if there is a widespread COVID in a bubble? Well, it just didn’t happen. So how do we minimize COVID in this bubble? This is pressure. This is stress. “
• If you are looking for a pair of Adidas Lillard shoes, you are in luck. The sneaker giant is offering a discount to honor its 61-point eruption, selling them online for $ 61.
– Joe Freeman | [email protected] | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to Oregonian / OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories
