Any Western Conference game, including ones against lower-tier teams like the Mavericks or Suns, will be a battle for the Blazers.
So the Eastern Conference will be a cakewalk, right? Not quite.
Yes, teams like the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers suffered severe blows with the loss of Jimmy Butler and Paul George, respectively.
The Eastern still fields contenders (and semi-contenders) like the Cavs, Celtics, Wizards and Raptors.
There’s also a strong second-tier with Charlotte, Milwaukee and Miami; you can’t sleep on The Process brewing in Philadelphia, either.
Let’s look ahead to five Eastern Conference games of importance for the Blazers.