Game Thread 2022-23 Game #4 - BLAZERS VS NUGGETS - OCTOBER 24, 2022 - MONDAY - 7:00 PM (PDT) ROOT, NBA TV

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oldmangrouch said:
There really is a double standard here.

When the team struggles: "it's early", "be patient", "don't over-react!" When the team plays well: "you must buy in 100% immediately or you aren't a true fan!"
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I had alluded to Kingspeed in another thread, But, yes.
 
illmatic99 said:
to all yall who were dissing the offense and putting dame off ball, where are you now?

this attack is unstoppable and denver has no idea who to trap.

THIS is why you let dame play off ball and get reps now.
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Also keeps Dame from carrying every possession on his back and getting worn down.
 
BBert said:
He's so good at beating the other team to long rebounds. Sheer determination.
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That and he has a knack for tracking them. Some players do it better than others. And with so many 3's taken these days (and missed) it is an important skill set. Once he gets it he is off to the races.
 
Wade Garrett said:
They aren't gonna "buy in" unless the Blazers are in 1st place after 20 games.
I think that's what one of them posted.
Sad.
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That's always my motto, but I will say this team is fun as hell but I'll hold out overall judgement for 20 games. Just fucking win and show improvement and I'm good for right now.
 
BlazerBender said:
This is some funny shit. Lol.

what i don’t get though is okay of a homer fan is here and the team does bad, then homer fan disappears. I get that. Not wanting to run around slidging through all the negativity.
Call em fair weather fans, fine. But i get it.


but when a negative nancy or pessimistic fan disappears when the team does well…. Wtf???

I mean, isnt this what you want as a fan? To win and have fun? Watch good basketball, win or lose( Blazers are more fun to watch than anytime in the last decade)?

How can some of you just disappear?
Its like yall get joy out of the negative and cant handle the positives?

really???

their fandom has to be in question…
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But you don't need to be active on the forum to still be supporting the team. I know that in bad stretches (or last year when we sucked) I don't log in at all, because I don't want to read all the negative shit on here. But I still watch the games, I still support the team.

Maybe for some people, when the team plays bad or they are angry about something they want to vent and come here to do it, but when things are good they don't feel the need to share their joy, and are happy keeping it to themselves.
 
SIeepwalker said:
But you don't need to be active on the forum to still be supporting the team. I know that in bad stretches (or last year when we sucked) I don't log in at all, because I don't want to read all the negative shit on here. But I still watch the games, I still support the team.

Maybe for some people, when the team plays bad or they are angry about something they want to vent and come here to do it, but when things are good they don't feel the need to share their joy, and are happy keeping it to themselves.
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got it. So when things are bad, spread the misery. But when things are good, Keep it to oneself.

To me that is socially insane.
 
Cugel said:
"here" is largely redundant in that sentence. "being displayed" strongly implies "here".
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When you have to qualify it with "largely" and "strongly," it might as well be the dictionary definition of nitpicking. And as such, a pointless reply. Kind of like this one, so thanks for that.
 
Im responsible for this because i fell asleep at halftime and missed the 2nd half
 
Trail Blazers stay unbeaten as Anfernee Simons’ performance turned players into fans

What happened here Monday night was so moving, so captivating and so exhilarating, even some of the best basketball players on the planet wanted to stop playing and become part of the roaring crowd that was watching Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons.

“At one moment, I wasn’t even trying to worry about setting a screen, because I was just trying to see it,” Portland center Jusuf Nurkic said. “Like, I wanted to be a part and watch. I was like, ‘This motherf—– hot, I want to see it go in.’”



Added star guard Damian Lillard: “Explosive. And fun. I don’t know, just being able to see it … I was looking around at the crowd, like man, this is crazy, he is blowing the roof off the place.”

They were talking about Simons’ third quarter, when the 23-year-old hit his first eight shots, including six 3-pointers which ignited the Trail Blazers to their latest eye-opener: a 135-110 rout of the Denver Nuggets.


It was as if people didn’t know what to be more excited about: the mesmerizing shooting display or the notion that the Trail Blazers are 4-0 for the first time since 1999. They join Milwaukee (2-0) as the only unbeaten teams remaining in the NBA. Up next is Miami on Wednesday at the Moda Center.

Simons, who is as awe-shucks as they come when it comes to talking about himself, had a hard time finding the words to describe what he was feeling Monday during his shooting spree. He hemmed, and hawed, and stared at the microphone in front of him, then found it.

“It’s hard to explain, honestly. I don’t know. Maybe that great feeling of finding money on the ground,” Simons said. “Something like, ‘This is my lucky day.’ Definitely a great feeling to get that hot.”

Simons’ 3-point outburst was not only great theater, but it also was timely and essential. Simons had started the season 5 of 24 from 3-point range, which included 0 of 6 the day before in Los Angeles. His timing couldn’t have been better to find his shooting stroke. The Blazers had trailed by as many as 13 in the first half, and his first three of the third quarter pushed Portland ahead for the first time 71-70. His second 3 increased the lead to 74-70.

Then things started to get fun.

His third consecutive 3-pointer was from deeeeep: 32 feet, pushing the lead to 79-70. That’s when the crowd started picking up that something special could be brewing.

When his fourth 3-pointer hit, Lillard threw his hands up in amazement, the lead now 84-73, and the crescendo of the crowd morphed into something akin to a jet engine. After a Denver basket, the crowd immediately anticipated another Simons shot, and Lillard made sure it happened. As he did throughout Simons’ 3-point barrage, Lillard looked for his backcourt mate and found him curling toward the top of the key. Simons immediately rose, even as Denver defender Bruce Brown closed in under him, knocking Simons to the ground. All net.



“I shot that one blindly,” Simons said, “It was like a blur.”

When he hit the sixth 3-pointer, and eighth consecutive shot overall, the Moda Center erupted. Not only were the Blazers up 90-77, they knew they had just watched something special in a building that has had some pretty memorable shooting moments. Lillard likened it to CJ McCollum scoring 50 in three quarters against Chicago in 2018. Some might remember Martell Webster scoring 24 points in the third quarter against Utah in 2008. And Lillard has had his share of shooting benders while amassing nine games of 50 or more points at the Moda Center. This time, Lillard relished the notion of setting up Simons (he assisted on four of the six 3s) and feeding off the electricity in the building.

“It felt like the crowd was about to fall onto the court,” Lillard said. “You could see people standing up and going crazy. It was loud. I was like, man, this dude is hot.”

Simons’ show was just another layer to what has been a memorable start from what many figured would be a forgettable season. The Blazers were terrible in the preseason, and while the roster had many new faces, nobody gave them much of a shot to be contenders in the West.

But here they are, with wins at Sacramento and the Lakers, and home wins over Phoenix and Denver, all while playing an entertaining brand of hard-nosed, team-oriented basketball.

Lillard has been exceptional, averaging 33.3 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range. And when power forward Jerami Grant isn’t hitting two game-clinching baskets, he’s facing point guards like De’Aaron Fox and Jamal Murray. And when small forward Josh Hart isn’t going coast-to-coast at breakneck speed, he’s scrapping for rebounds inside with the big boys, grabbing 16 on Sunday in Los Angeles and 11 on Monday against Denver.



Meanwhile, Shaedon Sharpe has had several breathtaking moments, Nassir Little has been a burst of energy off the bench, and even when bad things happen — like Keon Johnson throwing a pass into the hands of Jamal Murray — a good comes out of it like Johnson showing the athleticism and effort to chase Murray down and block the layin at the other end.

Meanwhile, once the laughingstock of the NBA when it comes to defense, the Blazers have been coming at opponents with waves of effort. They are far from a finished product — they gave up 10 dunks to the Nuggets — but it’s looking like Chauncey Billups and defensive assistant Roy Rogers have made headway on transforming this team’s identity.

“I don’t think you all believed me in the first place, or anyone,” Nurkic said. “You all be saying we fat, we not in shape, we terrible defense. I think we are going to be fun. I was saying from Day 1 that we need time to figure it out. And we’ve found that playing defense is not one man, it’s five-man defense. It’s effort.”

It’s why this 4-0 start has some buzz to it. This is more than a team riding the coattails of Lillard’s brilliance. It’s been a long time since the Blazers had as many guys with the grit and fight as Hart, Justise Winslow and Drew Eubanks. It’s been a long time since they’ve had someone with the defensive range of Grant, who has guarded every position, from center to point guard. And the bench might be able to change a game here and there with the energy and athleticism of Little and Sharpe. And this is all without seeing one of the big offseason acquisitions — the defensive wonderment of Gary Payton II, who is nearing a return from his July abdominal surgery.

It’s why Lillard said he feels this iteration of the Blazers feels “sustainable” when it comes to success. Right now, nobody knows for sure. But there is not a soul who was in the Moda Center on Monday, and not a set of eyeballs who tuned in from around the country, who isn’t willing to strap in for the ride to find out.
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Finally watching this on DVR…

Chills… CHILLS MAN!

Ant…Bang
Ant…BANG
ANT…BAAAAANNNNNNGGGG!!!!

Crowd going crazy, everyone on their feet. It’s the Rose Garden up in there during all of this. Loud crowd, passionate loyal Blazer fans.
 
Well I just got done watching the game nice 2nd half by ant and surprised to see got stronger it really show when he guard low. Dame look strong and quick glade to see him healthy. Grant is forward this franchise been need for long time. Hart is actually has the tangible what this team needs and fit perfect with other 4 starters. Nurk is Nurk good or bad. The Sharpe kid has it all going and little bit experience the management going have to decide who going leave for this kid get playing time in future. Defense not bad they kind fall on the back of the zone some times but that can fix. Overall it looks like I am going to eat goat on my win prediction but I don't mind that.
 
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