Game Thread 2022-2023 Game #10 BLAZERS @ HEAT - NOVEMBER 7, 2022 - MONDAY - 5:30 PM (PDT) ROOT

[bobf]

also..... i was SCREAMING at my screen to take a foul while up 3. why do teams STILL not do this

I usually like fouling, but when you’re out of time outs and have trouble getting it inbounds it seems risky.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

She asked 3 questions. She brought up Dame's name in the 2nd question. Doesn't seem so bad to me.

Yeah Dame was the one who passed him the ball.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

That aged well.

 

[SIeepwalker]

We have 4 gams winners and none of them are Dame. Bizarro world

 

[Eastoff]

"We just keep grinding. Keep grinding, man. That's what we do..."
-Coach Billups.....
I believe him.

Isn't this basically what coach McMillan used to say?

 

[Fairly-Hard]

Nothing against Eubanks, but he is a matchups player. Not someone that needs to play every night. Going small should be an option we go to more with our personnel.

But is also a matchup situation. Going small only works when the other team cannot beat you going big.

 

[crandc]

Clearly, the Blazers could have played a better game overall. But good teams find a way to win even when not at their best.
They won.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

Although they tightened up and played not to lose, the Heat were better than us for most of the 48 minutes by a considerable margin playing without Herro and Oladipo while we shot ourselves in the foot. That kind of defensive effort or laziness with the ball will lose us a lot of games if it becomes a habit.

We found a way to win, but let's not pretend we played particularly well or that winning excuses sketchy play.

Billups pretty much said that exact same thing in his press conference. I agree.
What he also said is they addressed it at halftime and the team responded well. I agree with that as well.
You have to play every possession and take care of the ball.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

Isn't this basically what coach McMillan used to say?

Scrappy!

 

[1 Eye Jack]

I do not understand this line of thinking.
Eubanks is a solid backup center. He rebounds, clogs the middle, blocks shots, is shooting over 65% from the field...he provides toughness, is a great teammate, and one of the dawgs on this team. I mean, whadda ya want?
I am a huge Justice fan, he and Hart are the key to Chauncey-ball...And, as amazing as it is, Winslow can play center, and there will be times (like tonight) where it works.
I wouldn't want Jabari Walker taking any of Drew's time. I just don't think he's as good as Eubanks. At anything. Yet.
Eubanks has more than earned his time.

Great post I love the energy and toughness Eubanks brings. He’s that guy that gets under the skin of the other team. He’s also our best pick and roll defender big and shot blocker. I have zero problems with him as backup. Energy guys like Eubanks, Hart and Winslow are key come playoff time and for that matter in regular season.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

Very excited to be done playing both Phoenix and Miami already.

I think Miami’s downfall is they don’t have a ton guys to go to at end of games. Their defense is top 3 so they are almost always in the game

 

[Fairly-Hard]

I think Miami’s downfall is they don’t have a ton guys to go to at end of games. Their defense is top 3 so they are almost always in the game

I noticed that. They seemed to be a bit spent by the last 3-4 mins. Shots were falling short and the Blazers just kept throwing another guy at them.

 

[PDXFonz]

If you think turning the ball over as many times as we did through lazy passes and giving up open 3s because we don't know how to close out is acceptable, then that's you. It's not a way to win games regularly, even though we found a way to offset it at the end tonight.

Difference between us and NO?

CJ’s multiple turnovers down the stretch didn’t cost us a win last night

 

[1 Eye Jack]

Is Winslow the Evan Turner we were looking for a few years back

 

[BassPlaya]

Blazers are built to push it...hard. How many times this year have we seen them take over in the last few minutes? I was helping my wife see a deeper part of the game last night. In the last 5 minutes...I pointed out how Miami players stopped moving off-ball. They were tired. Thank the universe that we have a coach that not only develops bench play, he uses them well to keep everyone fresh for the long run. Our last coach ran our front 6 too much to get those regular season wins.....especially out of the gate. It feels quite different this year.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

Blazers are built to push it...hard. How many times this year have we seen them take over in the last few minutes? I was helping my wife see a deeper part of the game last night. In the last 5 minutes...I pointed out how Miami players stopped moving off-ball. They were tired. Thank the universe that we have a coach that not only develops bench play, he uses them well to keep everyone fresh for the long run. Our last coach ran our front 6 too much to get those regular season wins.....especially out of the gate. It feels quite different this year.

amazing what happens when you show trust in all your guys from the top to bottom. Billups seems to be in the same mold as Pop and Kerr.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I thought the Blazers played solid defense for most of the 2nd half. Miami only scored 21 in the 3rd.
Where they need to improve is with the turnovers by the starters. They had 17 whereas the bench only had 1 last night (Sharpe)

I love the way Hart pushes the ball and he did have a +13 last night when he was on the floor, but 5 TOs are too many. Let's hope the minor injuries stop for a while so they can build better chemistry on the floor. Too many forced passes.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I’d just rather not trade for OG at this point. Sharpe and Nas are both guys that need more minutes. A big man though—definitely. Big with range would be even better, but a more athletic/mobile big would be nice.

Isn't Turner both?

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

JIMMY BUTLER

Returned after missing the last two games with left hip tightness, playing the
699th game of his career. He led the HEAT with 16 points.

Scored six points in the first and fourth quarter and four points in the second
quarter tonight. He was scoreless in the third quarter, his first scoreless
quarter on the floor this season. He has scored in 34 of the 35 quarters he
has played this season (did not play in the fourth quarter at Portland on
October 26).

Still impacted the third quarter though scoreless, adding three assists and three
steals. Finished with a season-high-tying six steals tonight, his second six-
steal game this season.

Added seven assists with four leading to made three-point field goals.
He has 51 assists this season, with 27 leading to three-point field goals.

Hart guarding him most of the time.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Glad that Jerami Grant isn't a "difference maker."

I think he does really well if not asked to do too much. Take open threes. slash to the basket when he sees a good opportunity.

 

[BankTeller]

Isn't Turner both?

I’m not trading 1sts for Turner, sorry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Not an opinion I’m moving off of.

 

[andalusian]

Around the 2:13 time-mark, you can hear how much Spolstra appreciates Dame.

 

[Wade Garrett]

Oh, please, stop it with the condescension.

First, the Warriors wouldn't play nearly as bad on the defensive end and commit as many turnovers or commit the kinds of turnovers we did tonight to put themselves in a hole. Second, when they did get hot, they'd blow you out, not win by 1.

Second, we're not talking about playing a style that was necessarily built on runs. Getting down like we did wasn't a result of missing good shots and the Heat just making a lot of shots that were well-defended. It was actually the opposite.

Like I told Eric, the way we played through three quarters wasn't acceptable to me. That was Terry Stotts Ball. If we played with any kind of energy and intelligence from the middle of the first quarter through the end of the third, we wouldn't have needed the big run at the end and the 3 from Hart at the buzzer to win. That kind of winning isn't sustainable and that kind of effort isn't to be shrugged off because we managed to overcome it last night. It's a bad habit that'll kill you over the long haul.

I said when the game ended that it was a good win because we played poorly but we managed to find a way to pull out a game on the road against a good team. That's enough. I'm not going to say "That's basketball," because it's not. Watching our all-star point guard try multiple times to force action and dribble through two or three guys like a young player that can't recognize defenses is not basketball. Watching our shooting guard telegraph pass after pass so that we don't even get off a shot and even give up dunks at the other end is not good basketball. Watching us chuck up shots with no rebounders within 25 feet of the boards over and over and over is not good basketball. Being out of control on closeouts on players who only are shooters and then not even trying to recover is not good basketball.

The win should be enough for some of you guys. The fact that you want to make this out as we have to pretend we played well rah rah rah we had them all along we knew what we were doing and quoting me so I am compelled to respond is just going to frustrate you, because it wasn't winning basketball, it was lucky basketball, and winning a couple of games like that and accepting it will lose you five down the road. Take your W and stop trying to convince people who actually know what basketball is that "that's basketball." OK?

You really need to learn to respect your opponent.
Portland beat a very good team on its home floor. End of story.

Just look at your post, all of your "gripes" are "we did this" and "we didn't to that" and "we were outta control" etc; etc;....
(I won't address the "we thing"..)
Not once do you give Miami any credit for any of this.
Smarten up. The better team did win the game last night, and they had to "grind" to do it.
In addition to respecting your opponent, you should also learn to understand the game, and how this 2022-23 version of the Portland TrailBlazers play it.
This is their DNA, just like their Coach and players have been telling you since September.
Grinders.
Dawgs.
Toughness.
If you want every game to be a masterclass on blowouts, then you aint gonna enjoy this team much.
Perhaps you would enjoy watching YouTube clips of the 1980's Showtime Lakers instead.

 

[AldoTrapani]

I think you go into the future and see what’s going to happen, then come back and try to post the most WRONG shit ever bro. Like EVERY night, never ceases to amaze.

Lol

 

[Duckhook]

Horry encapsulates on nba.com what us Blazer fans are enjoying right now:

GRADE: Portland is one of the best stories of the season’s opening weeks. Their first season of missing the playoffs since 2012-13 had many down on the Blazers’ future. Instead of accepting a potential rebuild, Portland retooled around Lillard with veterans who can help him win now. Grant on Friday, and now Hart on Monday, have created a four-game swing to keep the surging Blazers near the top of the Western Conference. The shot itself wasn’t mind-breaking, but its value to Portland is immeasurable. 3.5 Horrys.

HORRY SCALE: GRANT'S JUMPER SINKS THE SUNS
Grant hits the game-winner off a timeout inbounds play, delivering Portland to the 108-106 victory.

BLAZERS' LILLARD, SIMONS RETURN FOR WIN OVER HEAT

Portland's strong start got a boost from the return of its starting backcourt.

 

[blazerfan11]

Horry encapsulates on nba.com what us Blazer fans are enjoying right now:

GRADE: Portland is one of the best stories of the season’s opening weeks. Their first season of missing the playoffs since 2012-13 had many down on the Blazers’ future. Instead of accepting a potential rebuild, Portland retooled around Lillard with veterans who can help him win now. Grant on Friday, and now Hart on Monday, have created a four-game swing to keep the surging Blazers near the top of the Western Conference. The shot itself wasn’t mind-breaking, but its value to Portland is immeasurable. 3.5 Horrys.

HORRY SCALE: GRANT'S JUMPER SINKS THE SUNS
Grant hits the game-winner off a timeout inbounds play, delivering Portland to the 108-106 victory.

BLAZERS' LILLARD, SIMONS RETURN FOR WIN OVER HEAT

Portland's strong start got a boost from the return of its starting backcourt.

If he is talking about the future he should've included the fact of the Trailblazers tanked last season intentionally and then instead of trading their lottery pick they kept it.

 

[HailBlazers]

That aged well.

Strange to me that yall would throw shade on two long standing forum members who went out and built something cool.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

Strange to me that yall would throw shade on two long standing forum members who went out and built something cool.

Shade? Did you listen to the video? I agreed with them wholeheartedly at the time. They still aren't wrong?

 

[illmatic99]

Strange to me that yall would throw shade on two long standing forum members who went out and built something cool.

and anyone saying that they knew how useful Winslow would be here at the time of the trade is lying. There were a few here that saw the value of Keon that I definitely did NOT at the time.

i bashed cronin nonstop for that trade as well because: 1) there was absolutely no reason to do it one week before the deadline, 2) we got no picks out of it.

but i will happily eat crow now.

 

[Strenuus]

Great post I love the energy and toughness Eubanks brings. He’s that guy that gets under the skin of the other team. He’s also our best pick and roll defender big and shot blocker. I have zero problems with him as backup. Energy guys like Eubanks, Hart and Winslow are key come playoff time and for that matter in regular season.

I'm banking at Eubanks!