The Western Conference is certainly heated as several teams fight for position in the playoffs with the No. 1 already locked up by the Golden State Warriors. The Clippers want home-court advantage while the Portland Trail Blazers are just two games away from clinching the Northwest Division. With two straight losses under their belts since the return of Blake Griffin, the Clippers are looking to get back on track as the face the Trail Blazers who are aiming for five straight wins.
Portland has not won their division since the split the honor with the Denver Nuggets back in the 2008-09 season. Portland is guaranteed a spot in the playoffs after beating the Phoenix Suns on Monday, but they want home-court advantage in the first round which makes the game against the Clippers critical to that effort. With a four-game lead over the Thunder entering Wednesday, if Oklahoma City loses and Portland wins, the division title is theirs.
However, the Clippers still have a shot at getting it for the first two games despite currently sitting in a lower seed. If they can finish with a better record than Portland, they get the advantage. However, there are more scenarios guaranteeing Portland gets the home-court advantage over Los Angeles.
The Clippers did not help themselves on Tuesday when they fell to Golden State 110-106. They blew a 17-point lead in the game after Griffin put up 40 points and 12 rebounds. Having Griffin back has been a blessing and an odd curse. The team went 9-6 with him out of the lineup, but has lost their two games since his return. Los Angeles beat the Trail Blazers in their first two meetings with Griffin in the lineup. However, they lost the third game thanks to LaMarcus Aldridge's 29 points in the overtime victory.
The Clippers and Blazers have a good chance of facing off in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Ideally, the Clippers would like to get those first two games at home considering how tough the crowd can be in Portland. With everyone fighting for position in a very competitive Western Conference, this is certainly a game to watch.
