Game Thread 2022-23 Game #67 - BLAZERS @ 76ERS - MARCH 10, 2023 - FRIDAY - 4:00 PM (PDT) ROOT

[illmatic99]

There's no way to quantify or confirm this but i feel like too many of our guys are not as upset as they should be about losing.

Like Grant has gotten so used to this after his time in Philly and Detroit that I don't think he cares as much. Ant... I just dont know yet. He was part of the tank last year and picked up some habits. Sharpe is too young to care.

Nurkic looks upset and gets really down but doesn't really correct his mistakes by overcorrecting like he used to a few yrs ago.

The sad thing is I dont know about Chauncey. He seems to care but the way he brushes off losses in postgame interviews is uninspiring. I dunno if he's the same in the locker room, though.

We miss Josh. He cared.

You can just tell how much this is eating at Dame.

I hope we target guys who prioritize winning this summer. It's a mentality that can manifest into tangible on court improvement.

 

[Labinot41]

great game and an even better result fams.

 

[andalusian]

If anything this game is a good indicator that the blazers are not that far off.

They went toe to toe with an eastern conference contender on the road when they were mostly healthy.

What this tells me is that this team is likely to be one move and upgrade in coaching from being a pretty decent team.

Cam gives this team another scorer and ball handler.it is still too small and an upgrade at center will help, either by replacing nurk with a mobile big or replacement for the backup center.

 

[BBert]

Chauncey was about 3 possessions late in taking Eubanks out and putting Nurk back in late in the 4th. Eubanks didn’t provide any resistance on Embiid and that’s when Philly started their run to close out the game.

Chauncey Billups, Tank Commander.

 

[HailBlazers]

Problem is the refs treat Embiid like the new (old) Harden and hate Nurk. Foul him out and we have zero chance to win.

 

[AldoTrapani]

Thank you Embiid!

 

[Ed O]

If anything this game is a good indicator that the blazers are not that far off.

They went toe to toe with an eastern conference contender on the road when they were mostly healthy.

What this tells me is that this team is likely to be one move and upgrade in coaching from being a pretty decent team.

Cam gives this team another scorer and ball handler.it is still too small and an upgrade at center will help, either by replacing nurk with a mobile big or replacement for the backup center.

Over half the NBA would be at least pretty decent if they got an upgrade and better coaching.

We are a mediocre team, stuck between building around our aging superstar and looking to the future, simultaneously wasting Lillard's best years while using assets on bringing in guys like Jerami Grant.

If Dame were, say, 26 years old it would make sense to go for an upgrade by sacrificing more of the future (and hope that it's more successful than it ever was under Olshey or Cronin) but we should high five Dame, get as much young talent and assets as we can while trading him, and look to the future where, if we are sitting at 12th in the conference, at least we have a team that can be better than pretty decent after a year or two of development and additional draft picks.

 

[MickZagger]

If anything this game is a good indicator that the blazers are not that far off.

They went toe to toe with an eastern conference contender on the road when they were mostly healthy.

What this tells me is that this team is likely to be one move and upgrade in coaching from being a pretty decent team.

Cam gives this team another scorer and ball handler.it is still too small and an upgrade at center will help, either by replacing nurk with a mobile big or replacement for the backup center.

Any given night in the NBA. One game doesn’t really change anything. Most the game the Sixers were clanking open 3’s that they usually make.

I think they need more than just slight upgrades. We’ve supposedly been doing slight upgrade tinkering for years. We need difference makers.

 

[Whyachi]

With 24.5 seconds left in the game, the Blazers are ahead by 1 point. Jerami Grant is open on the right side and ready for a pass to him.

This possession ended up being a turnover when Lillard dribbled down the right side of the lane and had his last-second pass to Nurkic blocked from behind by Melton, which then bounces off Nurkic's hands.

Grant is a 40% 3-point shooter. Does Dame not "trust" him or what the hell is going on here?

Also, when this sad possession ended, there were still 8 seconds left on the shot clock.

Can someone explain this bullshit?

Sad ending to the possession.

there were several head scratching moments near the end of this game.
the play that irked me the most, was a severe defensive glitch. Jerami Grant strolled through the paint with a driving Sixer inbound. Instead of moving his feet with the ballhandler, Grant jumped to the opposite side of Reddish while gently coaxing Cam to guard the driving Philly player. Jerami casually hopped away from the play to stand near Reddish's man by the 3 point line. Cam couldn't catch the ball handler. Eubanks was busy resetting his 3 second paint plodding. The lane was left wide open for a Philadelphia poster jam.

 

[andalusian]

Any given night in the NBA. One game doesn’t really change anything. Most the game the Sixers were clanking open 3’s that they usually make.

I think they need more than just slight upgrades. We’ve supposedly been doing slight upgrade tinkering for years. We need difference makers.

Well, the tinkering is finally done right. We started with dame, cj, norm and nurk as the only guys you could expect to score consistently - 3 of them were undersized, and we had no good perimeter defenders for a long time.

The blazers now have dame, ant (undersized), grant, maybe cam (not undersized) and nurk. Definitely more consistent scorers and a bit more size.

Add Matisse being a good perimeter defenders and the blazers are a lot closer than what they have been for a very long time.

The one game was the first time we have seen all of these guys play somewhat healthy - so it is a lot more than just a random single game issue IMHO, even with dame having a so so scoring game by his standards, the team is a lot harder to defend.

They are still undersized, they still need an upgrade at center and or power forward, but they sure seem like a more balanced roster

 

[Blazinaway]

Over half the NBA would be at least pretty decent if they got an upgrade and better coaching.

We are a mediocre team, stuck between building around our aging superstar and looking to the future, simultaneously wasting Lillard's best years while using assets on bringing in guys like Jerami Grant.

If Dame were, say, 26 years old it would make sense to go for an upgrade by sacrificing more of the future (and hope that it's more successful than it ever was under Olshey or Cronin) but we should high five Dame, get as much young talent and assets as we can while trading him, and look to the future where, if we are sitting at 12th in the conference, at least we have a team that can be better than pretty decent after a year or two of development and additional draft picks.

Agree, but seems unlikely to happen

 

[KingSpeed]

Well, the tinkering is finally done right. We started with dame, cj, norm and nurk as the only guys you could expect to score consistently - 3 of them were undersized, and we had no good perimeter defenders for a long time.

The blazers now have dame, ant (undersized), grant, maybe cam (not undersized) and nurk. Definitely more consistent scorers and a bit more size.

Add Matisse being a good perimeter defenders and the blazers are a lot closer than what they have been for a very long time.

The one game was the first time we have seen all of these guys play somewhat healthy - so it is a lot more than just a random single game issue IMHO, even with dame having a so so scoring game by his standards, the team is a lot harder to defend.

They are still undersized, they still need an upgrade at center and or power forward, but they sure seem like a more balanced roster

Yep we looked really good last night. That effort will beat most teams. Winning streak incoming.

 

[MickZagger]

Well, the tinkering is finally done right. We started with dame, cj, norm and nurk as the only guys you could expect to score consistently - 3 of them were undersized, and we had no good perimeter defenders for a long time.

The blazers now have dame, ant (undersized), grant, maybe cam (not undersized) and nurk. Definitely more consistent scorers and a bit more size.

Add Matisse being a good perimeter defenders and the blazers are a lot closer than what they have been for a very long time.

The one game was the first time we have seen all of these guys play somewhat healthy - so it is a lot more than just a random single game issue IMHO, even with dame having a so so scoring game by his standards, the team is a lot harder to defend.

They are still undersized, they still need an upgrade at center and or power forward, but they sure seem like a more balanced roster

Cam Reddish has been a nice little revelation I agree. I just don’t think a Lillard/Simons backcourt will ever amount to winning recipe.

I agree yesterday was very encouraging. I think Simons and Nurk need to go in order for us to really cross that bridge.

 

[andalusian]

Cam Reddish has been a nice little revelation I agree. I just don’t think a Lillard/Simons backcourt will ever amount to winning recipe.

I agree yesterday was very encouraging. I think Simons and Nurk need to go in order for us to really cross that bridge.

We need a big rotation (c/pf) upgrade for sure.

I am not certain that ant has to go if the rest of the roster is balanced and can defend, but I am not vehemently opposed to him being part of a package that upgrades the big rotation significantly

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

Yep we looked really good last night. That effort will beat most teams. Winning streak incoming.

IDK man.....they have been crazy inconsistent all year with focus and energy.
I think we benefitted by 76ers missing a lot of open shots.
Let's see if the Blazers can duplicate that performance if they have to take the ball out of the net more often.
My sauces still like the tank tbh.

 

[KingSpeed]

IDK man.....they have been crazy inconsistent all year with focus and energy.
I think we benefitted by 76ers missing a lot of open shots.
Let's see if the Blazers can duplicate that performance if they have to take the ball out of the net more often.
My sauces still like the tank tbh.

Can’t really talk about earlier in the year. Last night was the first time Nurk, MT, and Cam played together and the early returns were good.