DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:OKC/LAC finally living up to its billing. Above the rim is how these guys ball.
ElUno20 said:All the thunder do is shoot jumpers. And its mainly from 2 guys. The grizzlies seem to be the only team in the league to know this
ElUno20 said:All the thunder do is shoot jumpers. And its mainly from 2 guys. The grizzlies seem to be the only team in the league to know this
I don't think that's fair. They're a young, inexperienced team. They finished tied for the 5th best record in the league playing in the western conference and won their first round series without home court advantage. That's not garbage. Obviously they are not equipped to deal with the type of championship level basketball the Spurs are playing. If they keep this up no one will be. The Spurs are scary right now.BigSoxFan said:I know the Spurs are good but Portland is garbage. Really wish Houston had won that series.
2 straight games. This one's not over.BigSoxFan said:Portland's defense has been terrible. They've gotten their asses kicked 3 straight games. Spurs are playing very well but this Portland team looks shitty right now.
Not in the literal sense. Took the Blazers 2.5 games to look like they belonged on the same court.[
Nm.
You've basically identified Portland's weaknesses. Mo Williams is their best player off the bench, and the drop off after him is significant. Last night he was out, leaving them even thinner. The bench has been a major advantage for the Spurs in this series, and the numbers you cite bear that out.BigSoxFan said:The Blazers' bench has gotten dominated. That's a big problem. Yes, you don't need 10 man rotations come playoff time but you absolutely need consistent scoring from the bench in the playoffs. And the Blazers aren't getting it. From anyone. The Spurs deserve a lot of credit for how they're playing but that doesn't change how poorly the Blazers are playing and you certainly aren't going to beat the Spurs with a non-existent bench. As you mentioned, their defense has been a major issue. I didn't expect Portland to win this series but I did expect them to look competitive. But it's been JV vs. Varsity for 3 straight games.
teezy said:I think JVG's head may have just exploded with the comedy of errors at the end of that Clippers Thunder game.
did your cable box lock up also? I got it on the regular cable but not the boxElUno20 said:And in LA no one got to see the last 20 seconds. Thanks abc
NWsoxophile said:You've basically identified Portland's weaknesses. Mo Williams is their best player off the bench, and the drop off after him is significant. Last night he was out, leaving them even thinner. The bench has been a major advantage for the Spurs in this series, and the numbers you cite bear that out.
Defense is the bigger problem. They've been quite bad throughout the playoffs, and it's not very surprising considering they were one of the worst defensive teams in the league all year, finishing 16th in def.efficiency and 25th in opponent ppg. They really have no defensive identity. They never full court press, rarely trap, don't cause many turnovers, and are pretty much lost against the pick and roll. Coaching is more at issue here than personnel. Matthews and Batum have the potential to be plus defenders, Aldridge is league average, and Lopez is an excellent rim protector. Lillard is a weak defender at this point, but has the athleticism and attitude to be much better. The Blazers have the MLE, but not much cap space and no 1st round pick this summer, so whatever roster changes are made will probably just be tinkering. What they can do is bring in an assistant with defensive expertise to revamp their schemes and simply teach defense better. I disagree that experience is inconsequential to this team going forward-they've seen a team just hand their asses to them defensively and now know first hand the kind of team wide commitment to defense that's required to go from being a team that can win a round in the playoffs to a team that can contend for a title.
The Blazers aren't a finished product, but the Spurs are, and they're a buzz saw clicking on all cylinders at both ends of the floor. If the Blazers were playing to their own ceiling I'm not sure how different these outcomes would be. The Spurs are simply a better team with better coaching, and starting with game 7 round 1 have been flat out exploiting every weakness of their opponents. They have that other gear that truly elite teams have and are fully in rhythm right now. The Blazers are a young team that totally exceeded expectations and are ahead of schedule. Most people had them at 45-48 wins and competing for an 8th seed. They have a very good young core and a smart gm. Blazer fans should be nothing but stoked for how this season played out and how the future looks for the organization.
What does it speak of the Rockets to lose with home court to a "garbage" team like Portland then? The Blazers problems in this series are the same as Houston would have.......the Spurs are hitting in all f'in cylinders and taking no prisoners.BigSoxFan said:I know the Spurs are good but Portland is garbage. Really wish Houston had won that series.
C'mon. First of all, rim protection hasn't been the problem for the Blazers in this series. The Blazers have been getting killed on pick and rolls with Parker hitting mid range jumpers all game, every game, and excellent three point shooting by the Spurs. As for the Blazers not being able to protect the rim...they're only leading all teams in blocked shots in the playoffs.BigSoxFan said:Not true at all. With Howard and Asik, the Rockets can defend the rim. The Blazers can't. That's a big difference. The Rockets would still lose the series but they would have provided a far better viewing experience. And, for the last time, the "garbage" line was a throwaway line.
One of a kind. Just a sick sick player.SemperFidelisSox said:Lebron is gonna do this by himself. Appreciate the greatness.
g_ntl_man's sw__pNWsoxophile said:Good night for garbage!
Maybe, but so what?Blacken said:g_ntl_man's sw__p
Would you like to buy a vowel?