Why one stat says the Trail Blazers are in a position to make a huge playoff push

Contributor
Alex Walsh
Why one stat says the Trail Blazers are in a position to make a huge playoff push image

After months of domination from the Thunder, there have been teams in the West that have put OKC's hopes of repeating as champions on hold.

The seeding in the West remains tight, with room for any team to make a surge if they go through a purple patch.

One team that's capable of a surge is the Trail Blazers, who could shock many people in the next couple of months, for one particular reason.

What stat is in the Trail Blazers' favor the rest of the season?

Through 42 games, the Trail Blazers currently sit two games under.500, with a 20-22 record.

They'd finish as the #9 seed if the season ended today, which would be enough to get into the play-in tournament.

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The top-8 is the goal, though, as it's much harder to get into the playoffs as the #9 or #10 seed.

The Trail Blazers have a young core that has exceeded expectations so far, and they might continue to rise in the rankings due to their remaining strength of schedule.

Portland has the third-easiest schedule in the NBA to finish the season, trailing only the Hawks and Kings.

This is definitely not a knock on the Trail Blazers, as they've proven this season they can beat quality teams, with wins over the Thunder, Spurs, Rockets, Nuggets and Lakers, to name a few.

Having an easier schedule to end the year will allow the team to accumulate wins and carry momentum through a vital portion of the season, if they take advantage of it.

It wouldn't be surprising to see the Trail Blazers make a push for the top-6, especially with a few teams ahead of them in the standings, having difficult schedules to finish this season.

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