Game Thread 2022-23 Game #20 BLAZERS @ NETS - NOVEMBER 27, 2002 - SUNDAY - 12:00 PM (PDT) BENCH

[RR7]

Ah well - things are back to normal. Once again the Gutter-Balls almost convinced me they were worth giving a shit about. Shame on me!

Peace out!

My teams is losing without their best player, so I don't like them anymore.
See ya! You won't be missed

 

[Fairly-Hard]

Tough road trip. So are we still rolling with the whole….” The vets are freezing out Sharpe/he should be starting” thing? Just curious….
Well on a bright note, we fly out of PDX in 50 hours for LAX and are still in NYC and have a game in between. So there’s that FAMS!

I think the second part of your post directly affects the first part of your post.
Not sure Sharp has ever in his wildest dreams understood exactly the kind of grueling schedule NBA players/coaches and all personnel that support the team have to deal with night in and night out.

 

[Wade Garrett]

Ah well - things are back to normal. Once again the Gutter-Balls almost convinced me they were worth giving a shit about. Shame on me!

Peace out!

First I was embarassed because I thought I had badly under-rated the kid. Now I am embarassed at the way I was sucked into believing in him. Well played kid - well played!

From a person who has the slogan " Being hated by fools is nothing to be ashamed of.", on his banner.
I am sure the Blazers are relieved to know this.
LOL.

 

[AldoTrapani]

Reality hit us hard and I bet Olshey is somewhere laughing

 

[Cugel]

Ant and Dame are 2nd and 3rd in 3PA, just behind Steph. I had no idea. Neither can shoot them all that well so this fucking hero ball is doomed to fail. They ain't Steph and never will be. They take like 20 3s a game. Is this Chauncey ball? He has to do something with those two. I get you have to shoot your way out of a slump but there has to be a limit. They can't have the perpetual green light.

 

[AldoTrapani]

Ant and Dame are 2nd and 3rd in 3PA, just behind Steph. I had no idea. Neither can shoot them all that well so this fucking hero ball is doomed to fail. They ain't Steph and never will be. They take like 20 3s a game. Is this Chauncey ball? He has to do something with those two. I get you have to shoot your way out of a slump but there has to be a limit. They can't have the perpetual green light.

Tell me about it. Especially Dame man that dude sucks at 3PT shooting this year he might even be below 35%

 

[SIeepwalker]

Reality hit us hard and I bet Olshey is somewhere laughing

If "reality hitting us hard" is being above .500 after one of if not the most brutal schedule in the NBA, then life really isn't all that hard

 

[SIeepwalker]

Ant and Dame are 2nd and 3rd in 3PA, just behind Steph. I had no idea. Neither can shoot them all that well

?

 

[Fairly-Hard]

If "reality hitting us hard" is being above .500 after one of if not the most brutal schedule in the NBA, then life really isn't all that hard

That was game 20.
11-9 after 20 games and I'm very happy! 12 of the next 20 are on the road. They have three B2B's. One of them is coming up Tuesday and Wednesday in a crazy one game home and back on the road to LA. So that home game is another road game. We can essentially call that the 13th road game. Then another bad schedule game B2B with road vs the Jazz and home vs the Pacers. So in the next 20 games they are playing some brutal stretches again. they have the 6 game Texas swing that seems to happen most every year. Spurs, Dallas, Houston and throw in two in a row in OKC with Denver as the last of that trip whith the Nuggets having 2 days rest.

If they are 18-22 at the end of 40 games I'll be okay with that. 20-20 and I'm real happy again.

?

This dude? Doubles down on the stupidity?

 

[Cugel]

?

Three point attempts. not percentage. They are not even close to the leagues top 3pt shooters to warrant 20 a game between them. It's hero ball and it doesn't work. Taking 20 low percentage shots is hurting the team and they should be passing to get quality looks.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

Three point attempts. not percentage. They are not even close to the leagues top 3pt shooters to warrant 20 a game between them. It's hero ball and it doesn't work. Taking 20 low percentage shots is hurting the team and they should be passing to get quality looks.

Maybe get back to us at the end of the year when the schedule isn't pounding them into submission. After a couple long home stands against teams that can't guard the 3 ball. Lillard shoots about 40% from three. I presume you will not include last year right? Career 37% though it would be higher had he been healthy last year.
Simons percentage is every bit as good as Lillard if not better? Career almost 39%

Dumping on them at this point of the season doesn't seem smart at all? Those guys can shoot three's all they want if I'm coaching this team. Guessing Billups thinks the same?

 

[wizenheimer]

Maybe get back to us at the end of the year when the schedule isn't pounding them into submission. After a couple long home stands against teams that can't guard the 3 ball. Lillard shoots about 40% from three. I presume you will not include last year right? Career 37% though it would be higher had he been healthy last year.
Simons percentage is every bit as good as Lillard if not better? Career almost 39%

Dumping on them at this point of the season doesn't seem smart at all? Those guys can shoot three's all they want if I'm coaching this team. Guessing Billups thinks the same?

Dame was shooting 38% on three's before those last 2 games when he went 3-24; sure looked to me like he was favoring his hammy in those games too. Keep that in mind when Aldo trolls the forum incessantly by trashing Dame, over and over and over and over and over

Ant is shooting 37% which is OK. Problem is he's been incredibly streaky and way too often he's been laying bricks in first halves when he's leading the Blazers into holes they can't climb out of. It would be helpful if he made a few more early in games instead of waiting till the Blazers were down double digits. I am encouraged by his FT rate though. He's learning how to draw fouls and get to the line

 

[Cugel]

Maybe get back to us at the end of the year when the schedule isn't pounding them into submission. After a couple long home stands against teams that can't guard the 3 ball. Lillard shoots about 40% from three. I presume you will not include last year right? Career 37% though it would be higher had he been healthy last year.
Simons percentage is every bit as good as Lillard if not better? Career almost 39%

Dumping on them at this point of the season doesn't seem smart at all? Those guys can shoot three's all they want if I'm coaching this team. Guessing Billups thinks the same?

Who said anything about dumping on them? It's about winning games. I only care about how Dame is shooting now given age/injuries. Why should Ant and Dame shoot as many 3s as Curry? It makes sense for Steph, not for those two. I will stand by those comments. They will never be even close to as good a shooter as Curry.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

Who said anything about dumping on them? It's about winning games. I only care about how Dame is shooting now given age/injuries. Why should Ant and Dame shoot as many 3s as Curry? It makes sense for Steph, not for those two. I will stand by those comments. They will never be even close to as good a shooter as Curry.

Go figure out the scoring metrics on the 3 ball and get back to us. 38-40% on 3’s vs 50-55% on 2’s.
I’ll wait. (Hint- they rarely shoot better than 50% on 2’s)

 

[handiman]

Why should Ant and Dame shoot as many 3s as Curry? It makes sense for Steph, not for those two. I will stand by those comments. They will never be even close to as good a shooter as Curry.

Because that's how the game is played now ... by everyone ... and none of them are as good at is Curry.

 

[wizenheimer]

Go figure out the scoring metrics on the 3 ball and get back to us. 38-40% on 3’s vs 50-55% on 2’s.
I’ll wait. (Hint- they rarely shoot better than 50% on 2’s)

I think it's legitimate to question shot selection. Sometimes Dame's shot selection is pretty questionable, and that goes double for Ant. I also think it's legitimate to wonder how many of those three's are bail-out three's because the offense has broke down and the shot clock is running out

but Dame and Ant aren't at the same level any more than Dame and CJ weren't...

this season, points/shot:

Dame 1.45
Blazers 1.32
Simons 1.24

Criticizing Dame for shot selection is a quibble. Simons not so much. CJ was always less efficient than the team as a whole. I'm hoping Ant will elevate his efficiency because he seems to be learning how to get to the line. Don't need to look further than the last game. Royce O'Neale harassed Ant into a crappy game, and O'Neale had team help. If Dame was healthy, O'Neale would have been guarding him, the Nets defense would have twisted toward Dame, and Ant would have had single coverage. A healthy Dame dramatically changes the equations for Portland, and the defensive attention he gets opens opportunities for other players

 

[AldoTrapani]

Three point attempts. not percentage. They are not even close to the leagues top 3pt shooters to warrant 20 a game between them. It's hero ball and it doesn't work. Taking 20 low percentage shots is hurting the team and they should be passing to get quality looks.

Watch out now. I been saying this for years about Dame

 

[Cugel]

Ok you win, Dame and Ant should shoot a total of 20 3s a game. No matter what. I stand corrected. Excellent shot selection and getting your teammates involved. And it's leading to wins over good teams.

 

[wizenheimer]

Ok you win, Dame and Ant should shoot a total of 20 3s a game. No matter what. I stand corrected. Excellent shot selection and getting your teammates involved. And it's leading to wins over good teams.

I don't think it's that simple. Mathematically it is, I guess, but it's not so simple schematically.

Portland, as a team, is averaging 1.32 points/FGA. In order for a Blazer three point shooter to match that, he'd have to average 44% on three's. Very few players average that. But the three-point 'threat' spreads a floor and allows more room for an offense to operate. The impact of a three is greater than it's mathematical average. Teams have to rotate toward open three point shooter and that scramble opens up other opportunities. Seems like the NBA has evolved to the point that a made open-three is more demoralizing for a defense than giving up a slam-dunk. Didn't used to be that way

 

[Fairly-Hard]

I think it's legitimate to question shot selection. Sometimes Dame's shot selection is pretty questionable, and that goes double for Ant. I also think it's legitimate to wonder how many of those three's are bail-out three's because the offense has broke down and the shot clock is running out

but Dame and Ant aren't at the same level any more than Dame and CJ weren't...

this season, points/shot:

Dame 1.45
Blazers 1.32
Simons 1.24

Criticizing Dame for shot selection is a quibble. Simons not so much. CJ was always less efficient than the team as a whole. I'm hoping Ant will elevate his efficiency because he seems to be learning how to get to the line. Don't need to look further than the last game. Royce O'Neale harassed Ant into a crappy game, and O'Neale had team help. If Dame was healthy, O'Neale would have been guarding him, the Nets defense would have twisted toward Dame, and Ant would have had single coverage. A healthy Dame dramatically changes the equations for Portland, and the defensive attention he gets opens opportunities for other players

If they are bail out three’s because the offense has broke down I want Dame shooting it. Not Winslow or Hart.
Those things happen. You don’t get perfect offensive execution all the time. You don’t get it even half the time. Bail out shots happen to every team every game.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

I don't think it's that simple. Mathematically it is, I guess, but it's not so simple schematically.

Portland, as a team, is averaging 1.32 points/FGA. In order for a Blazer three point shooter to match that, he'd have to average 44% on three's. Very few players average that. But the three-point 'threat' spreads a floor and allows more room for an offense to operate. The impact of a three is greater than it's mathematical average. Teams have to rotate toward open three point shooter and that scramble opens up other opportunities. Seems like the NBA has evolved to the point that a made open-three is more demoralizing for a defense than giving up a slam-dunk. Didn't used to be that way

Of course it isn't that simple. The point we are all trying to make and i actually think he's right, is shot selection. It needs to be good and the better the shot selection the more likely it will be that they make the shots and that leads to winning.
But saying Dame should not be shooting three's is pretty extreme. The guy is arguably one of the best in the league from deep. Teams absolutely scheme to take that away.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

Watch out now. I been saying this for years about Dame

And we all know if you been saying it it's a reverse jinx right?

 

[Cugel]

To be fair I never said Dame should stop shooting 3s. I said 20 between the two of them is too many.

 

[THE HCP]

Dame has earned the right to shoot WHENEVER and WHEREVER he wants! Plain and simple. Whether it's good for the team or not.

 

[wizenheimer]

If they are bail out three’s because the offense has broke down I want Dame shooting it. Not Winslow or Hart.
Those things happen. You don’t get perfect offensive execution all the time. You don’t get it even half the time. Bail out shots happen to every team every game.

which was kind of my point

 

[wizenheimer]

To be fair I never said Dame should stop shooting 3s. I said 20 between the two of them is too many.

it might be too many, especially if they are both tossing bricks in the same game. But it also may be the way things roll in the new NBA. Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving combine to shoot 19 a game, even though they are different teams, and they average 35% and 32% respectively. Dame shoots 10 a game. Tatum and Kyrie shoot 9 each. Terry Rozier shoots 9 a game and he's shooting 30%. Max Strus is shooting 8.6 a game and is hitting 35%

looking at the numbers across the league, I don't thing 20 attempts a game for Dame/Ant is too much, unless they aren't hitting them of course

 

[blazerkor]

Dame has earned the right to shoot WHENEVER and WHEREVER he wants! Plain and simple. Whether it's good for the team or not.

I agree with all of that up until the last sentence but the fact is that Dame has earned that right because he has shown for years that the shots he chooses to take are for the good of the team. I think we'll see his three point percentage go up from where it's at so far this season but more so the last three games that actually really tanked what was a very high percentage.

That being said his scoring is at a really efficient level this season, better than it was any of the three seasons 2015-16 through 2017-18. No one was complaining about a damn thing then. Also let's just cool our jets on making any conclusions about where he's at because he's only eleven games into his season.

I just want the guy to get healthy and stay healthy. His decision making obviously doesn't need to change.