The Crows finished fifth on the AFL ladder at the end of the home and away matches, having beaten 10 of the teams below them but just one above.
The club's solitary win over a top-four team was against Collingwood in round one, before the Magpies had firmed as a genuine contender.
Adelaide, which has already played St Kilda, Geelong and Collingwood twice this season, lost to Collingwood at AAMI Stadium just five weeks ago.
But Otten said his side was now better prepared to take on and beat the top teams in the competition.
"After those games [against Geelong, St Kilda and Collingwood] we looked at them pretty closely and would say we had our chances especially against Geelong [in round 18] and in the [round 19] Collingwood game as well," Otten said.
"We reviewed those games pretty closely to find out what we have to do to win them and I think the smaller things make a bigger difference in those games. You have to do everything right to win those really big games against those top-four sides.
"We got ourselves another chance this week to play Collingwood. I know they beat us last time, but I think we've learned what we have to do to beat them next time."
The in-form Crows have won their past three games, against finalists Carlton and Essendon and bogey side West Coast, by a combined total of 242 points.
The club rewrote the record books on its biggest finals win with a 96-point demolition of the Bombers last weekend.
The other three first-round finals fixtures were decided by an average of just 16 points and star second-year Patrick Dangerfield said the players were expecting a tighter contest in Saturday's semi-final against the Pies.
"I think you can put [the blow-out margin last week] down to how well we played. Essendon is a great side and have played some good footy this year, but I think with the way we conducted ourselves and performed we were able to shut them down," Dangerfield said.
"We can only play who were assigned to play and I thought we played really good football. We're functioning really well at the moment, but against the sides like Collingwood and Geelong the four-quarter efforts are the ones that count.
"In past games this season we haven't done that against the top sides and it's going to be really important we do [this week]."
Otten, Dangerfield and young ruckman James Sellar all took to the big stage with aplomb in their first ever AFL final at AAMI Stadium last Friday night.
Sellar said he was confident the promising trio wouldn't be overawed playing in front of a massive pro-Collingwood crowd at the MCG this week.
"The biggest crowd I've ever played in front of was the one [of 50,393 people] on Friday night, but I'm guessing that will change this week," Sellar said.
"There's genuine excitement about our journey so far and what's ahead for us, but we won't get too caught up in the hype of what's going on.
"It's been fantastic to get a regular spot over the last 10 weeks. It's been awesome to play with the boys and to now be in a finals series … you certainly have to pinch yourself."
