The NBA’s Northwest division provided a whopping four teams to the eight team playoff field. Two evenly matched teams from said division in the OKC Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers will face off in the first round of playoffs. OKC (49-33) swept Portland (53-29) for all four wins during the regular season with an average margin of victory of seven points, but that series alone does not define either of these teams’ capabilities.
Portland slithered its way into the number 3 seed while Oklahoma City jostled at the bottom of the pack before securing the 6 seed in the final night of the regular season, with help from Portland no less.