Who scares you in the postseason???

[87BlazerMan]

I'm taking an unscientific poll of all possible WC playoff teams. Who would you hate to see your team draw in the first round (if you make it) and why? Are some teams just too good? Do you match up bad with some teams? Who scares you . . .

As a Blazer fan these are teams I'd love to avoid (top being the most scary). *Note - I'm copying this word for word on all 9 teams forums. I'm not trying to flame anyone!

1. Spurs - too good for us, too experienced, and we've yet to play them when they're at full strength.
2. Lakers - they'd probably win - especially with home court - but I'd rather watch the LA/PDX rivalry get reborn than a slow, boring, sobering series with SA.
3. Rockets - just a bad match-up for us and I really don't want to watch Artest going at Roy for a whole series.
4. Mavs - Same as Rockets, bad match-up. Kidd would abuse Blake and Sergio.
5. Hornets - I'd love to beat these guys, but they have us in the experience category, they have an MVP caliber PG, and David West plays great against us. This is probably the team I would hate to lose to the most and we are definitely capable of losing to them.
6. Jazz - I think we could beat Utah, especially if we had homecourt. And if we do play them it will have that rivalry feel, Roy could end all that "better/worse than Deron" talk once and for all, and if we did knock them out of the playoffs it would be extreeeeemely satisfying.
7. Suns - No Amare, no problem. Shaq is playing out of his mind right now, but with a healthy Oden this would be a very fun series!
8. Nuggets - The only thing that worries me about this matchup is Chauncey's playoff experience. Luckily I think we are a much better team and we can make Chauncey a non-factor. Mostly I just think we are better than them, period.

Alright Hornets, your turn. Who scares you?

[Copperhead]

Teams of the most concern I'd probably say are the Jazz and Lakers. Jerry Sloan is the first coach to play CP3 like a superstar since the beginning even when Deron was coming off the bench behind other guards (I can't even remember their names right now). He always has 1-1/2-2 people on him and his teammates can never make Utah pay when they do this. Kirilenko gave Deron advice after his and CP3's rookie season ....

Everybody made a deal, and actually Deron starting thinking about it," Kirilenko said Monday night, "and I told him last game (against the Hornets), 'Like, don't play against Paul. Don't worry about Paul. Play against New Orleans, Utah-New Orleans. Your teammates, they will help you.'

And Kirilenko is usually the one that helps Deron out the most on CP3. They pack the paint on CP and CP's teammates for whatever reason can never knock down shots to make the Jazz pay for collapsing on Paul and they also let the Jazz shooters knock down 3's all night. These guys are not a good matchup for the Hornets.

The Lakers..... the Hornets might have a better chance against these guys than they would the Jazz. Though maybe only a slightly better chance. Lamar and Gasol (not to mention if Bynum returns) have some serious length that may bother the Hornets frontcourt.

[Copperhead]

I might add the Spurs to that list too. Mainly because it's an odd year and they have so much darn experience.

[ChrisTheFuturePaul]

I want nothing more in the world than for the Hornets to beat the Jazz in a 7 game series, but at the same time they scare me as much as the Lakers. The Jazz just seem to strangle us every time we play, they're not even close games, however CP3 seemed to have a much better game last time they played which was encouraging. The Lakers have the best record but we seem to match up well with them, and have given them problems over the past two years, they're scary, but we seem to rise to the occasion with them.

Aside from those two San Antonio is obviously a team you worry about, but without big shot Rob and with Bowen fading, Finley getting older, and how damn close we were to beating them last year I'm not particularly worried about them.

After San Antonio it'd be Denver, they have a good frontcourt, Finals MVP point guard, and JR Smith can be an X-Factor with his streak shooting.

Next would be the Blazers, who are in the situation we were last year: Unproven, talented, playing well, making some noise. They could beat anyone but there inexperience could easily be their undoing, would be happy to face Portland in the first round.

Houston might just be good enough to get out the first round this year, Yao's been on a tear lately and Artest/Battier gives them lock down wing defence, and getting rid of Alston seems to have improved their chemistry.

Mavs I'm not worried about at all, we seem to have their number.