Where Do Blazers Stand in Western Conference Following All-Star Break?

Does Portland have a chance to make the playoffs?

Feb 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1) dribbles against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers decided not to make any moves at the trade deadline. They didn't make any moves to get better or to get worse, which is confounding.

Portland continues to be 13th in the Western Conference standings. Even after they made a run to win ten out of eleven games, they didn't make a dent in the standings.

The Blazers claimed that they thought they could still make the playoffs, and that's what they wanted to try to do. If that was the case, why not be buyers at the deadline?

Many thought that they were going to be sellers. Instead, they did absolutely nothing. In turn, they enter the second half of the season five games behind the Warriors for the final play-in spot.

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Portland now has to figure out how to make up some ground in the last couple of months of the season. However, the final three games before the All-Star break tells a different story.

The Trail Blazers lost each of those three games and didn't play particularly well. To make matters worse, Deandre Ayton could be out a month with a calf injury.

Portland doesn't have a superstar on the roster to help carry the team on his back. Simply put, they don't have enough players to make a real push at the tenth spot.

This could likely end up being a very frustrating season for Blazers fans. They aren't one of the worst teams in the league, so that means they won't be getting the best odds to land Cooper Flagg.

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At this point, the Blazers likely have to hope for some lottery magic like the Hawks got for the 2024 NBA Draft. They're simply caught in the middle right now.

Portland's schedule isn't too taxing in the second half, which gives them hope. The problem is that the injuries keep stacking up for them. They can't go a month without one of their best players getting hurt.

That's not conducive to making a run at the playoffs when they are this far behind.

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