The Portland Trail Blazers finished the regular season on Sunday with a 42-40 record and the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference after beating the Sacramento Kings.
That gave Portland a place in the NBA Play-In Tournament, where the Blazers must beat at least one of the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers or Golden State Warriors just to reach the postseason bracket. If they get through that round, they would then face either the first-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder or the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs.
For now, the path looks steep. Fanduel Sportsbook put Portland at the bottom of the contender list and listed the Blazers at +75000 to win the championship, or 750-1, a price that reflects just how little faith the market has in this run.
That is the reality of the play-in era: a team can finish eighth and still have almost everything in front of it. Portland has the standings position, but not the security that usually comes with it, and the difference between a postseason berth and an early exit now depends on one or two games.
Kris Murray is part of a team whose next step is simple to state and hard to achieve. The Blazers have to win before anyone can start talking seriously about what comes after.
