Game Thread 2024-25 GAME #5 - BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - OCTOBER 30, 2024 - WED - 7:30 PM - KATU 2.2 - BLAZERVISION

[Chris Craig]

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STARTERS


Anfernee Simons Toumani Camara

Deni Avdija Jerami Grant

DeAndre Ayton


James Harden Norman Powell

Tre Mann Derrick Jones Jr

Ivica Zubac

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WHEN: OCTOBER 30, 2024 - WEDNESDAY - 7:30 PM PST

WHERE: INTUIT DOME, INGLEWOOD CA



TV BROADCAST



Antenna 2.2, Xfinity 302

STREAMING



RADIO BROADCAST


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BENCH


Donovan Clingan Scoot Henderson

Jabari Walker Dalano Banton

Duop Reath Kris Murray

Rayan Rupert

Justin Minaya* Bryce McGowens*

Taze Moore*

Shaedon Sharpe° Robert Williams°

Matisse Thybulle°

* Two Way Player
* Injured Player


Bones Hyland Nic Batum

Amir Coffey Kobe Brown

Kevin Porter Jr Cam Christie

Kris Dunn

Trentyn Flowers* Jordan Miller*

Kai Jones*

Kawhi Leonard° Mo Bamba°

PJ Tucker°

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COACH


Chauncey Billups


Tyronn Lue

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INJURIES

BLAZERS

Shaedon Sharpe - Labrum - Out
Robert Williams - Hamstring - Out
Matisse Thybulle - Knee - Out

CLIPPERS

Kawhi Leonard - Knee - Out
Mo Bamba - Knee - Out
PJ Tucker - NWT - Out

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE

BLAZERS VS THUNDER - 11/1 - 7PM

BLAZERS @ SUNS - 11/2 - 7 PM

BLAZERS @ PELICANS - 11/4 - 6:30 PM

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GAME NOTES
​

• The Clippers defeated the Blazers 101-99 during preseason in Seattle
• The Blazers are 148 - 94 all time vs the Clippers
• Chauncey Billups is 1-10 vs Tyronn Lue as coach
• This will be the first time the Blazers play in Intuit Dome
• Norman Powell played for the Blazers during the 2021-22 season
• Nic Batum was drafted by the Blazers via the Rockets and played for the Blazers from 2008 - 2015
• Derrick Jones Jr played for the Blazers during the 2020-21 season. The Blazers still owe the Bulls a 1st rnd pick for him.
• Kris Dunn played for the Blazers during the 2021-22 season

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​

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I think this will actually be the first game for which I predict a Blazer victory. I basically see a team constructed of James Harden and a bunch of cast-offs. Zubac is probably their second-most dangerous (active) player.

 

[riverman]

I think this will actually be the first game for which I predict a Blazer victory. I basically see a team constructed of James Harden and a bunch of cast-offs. Zubac is probably their second-most dangerous (active) player.

Norman Powell has been one of their best scorers this season...He and Harden have been a one two punch for them

 

[Cugel]

oh jeez this one will be ugly. my hope is for one quarter of quality play.

 

[THE HCP]

 

[blazerfan11]

That Halo Board is amazing.

 

[wizenheimer]

I think this will actually be the first game for which I predict a Blazer victory. I basically see a team constructed of James Harden and a bunch of cast-offs. Zubac is probably their second-most dangerous (active) player.

Powell is averaging 25 a game with a .646 TS%

on the other hand, Harden is shooting 19% on three's on 9 attempts a game....yikes!!

 

[Mediocre Man]

Whoever this Lukrofka is, he sounds like a real narcissist. He must one of those actor types that hangs around that Bones actor, jinx something or other.

Hoping we get a tweet from The HCP. Now that guy is pretty cool

 

[SharpesTriumph]

That Halo Board is amazing.

Very cool arena. I'm glad the Clippers are becoming a legit team in their own right and not just getting the leftovers of the Lakers.

Kind of sad for Clippers fans their roster is such a joke with none of their picks the next 4 years. The gamble was worth doing a few years ago as they had a legit contending roster, but this is the downside of going all in.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

That Halo Board is amazing.

ESPN did an arena rank article last week, they didn't actually rank the Clippers arena but implied it would be #1.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/41557829/top-nba-arenas-td-garden-intuit-dome-more

Kings
Knicks
Warriors
Celtics
Raptors
Pistons
Nets
Bucks
Lakers
Pacers

That is the rank of the top10.

Blazers are ranked 18th

18. Moda Center, Portland Trail Blazers
Location: Portland, Oregon
Capacity: 19,393
Opening year: 1995

A basketball-driven city, Portland fans generate a raucous atmosphere at Moda Center, formerly known as the "Rose Garden," a moniker that still remains among die-hard Blazers fans. Next to the Willamette River, it sits just north of downtown Portland and public transportation makes getting to the venue an effective trip. Despite being this low in the overall rankings, Moda Center came in at sixth in food and concessions -- options include Oregon-based distilleries and breweries as well as Portland-based chains. Ranked 16th in amenities, Portland has the oldest NBA arena to not undergo a major renovation, though earlier this year the city agreed to do exactly that.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

To be determined...: Intuit Dome, LA Clippers
Location: Los Angeles, California
Capacity: 18,000
Opening year: 2024

there have been some glitches that needed to be smoothed out, but Ballmer is hoping his technologically savvy arena will provide for a seamless fan experience.

Most notably, the 38,375 square foot Halo Board will display 4K images of replays, statistics and analytics throughout the game. Also, it's capable of firing T-shirts from cannons, hosting interactive games that fans can participate in from a console on their seats, and even uses software that can narrow the audio level down to each individual seat.


There is a full court to hoop outside, and on the seventh-floor terrace, fans can test their shooting and passing skills on the Shoot 360 immersive competition stations. On the concourse, there's an exhibit showcasing a jersey from every high school basketball team in California. Everything about the venue is by design, from the 1,100 toilets to the touchless concessions meant to mitigate typical long lines.

Even the opponents are in awe.

"The locker room area -- Golden State [Chase Center] has what I thought was the nicest, but this is Golden State times 10," one Mavericks assistant said after Dallas was the first team to visit Intuit Dome for a preseason game on Oct. 14. "That's the best arena in the NBA. It was spectacular. Ballmer's doing things that other people aren't going to do to create a great fan experience."

-- Youngmisuk

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Whats more of a depressing big3 for a franchise?

Kawhi, Harden, Powell
or
Ayton, Grant, Ant

 

[Tyrant of Ants]

I think this will actually be the first game for which I predict a Blazer victory. I basically see a team constructed of James Harden and a bunch of cast-offs. Zubac is probably their second-most dangerous (active) player.

I'll be at the game. Hopefully your prediction come true!

 

[andalusian]

Whats more of a depressing big3 for a franchise?

Kawhi, Harden, Powell
or
Ayton, Grant, Ant

In a year where there is a good draft class? The first one.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

In a year where there is a good draft class? The first one.

The rest of the Blazers roster and assets is clearly better. I'm not sure Scoot/Sharpe/Klingan will ever be a starter but they at least have upside that nobody on the Clippers has. But the main thing is the Blazers have all their own picks. Horrible for the Clippers they have none for 4 years. So yeah the year of a draft class is a benefit for us but irrelevant to the Clippers.

Clippers are probably one of the only rosters/picks/assets in the NBA that I prefer our collection over.

But just in terms of the big3 would you trade our Ayton/Grant/Ant trio for Kawhi/Harden/Powell? I think I would. The one thing is Kawhi contract is huge and with his injuries that might be a disaster, if he can't ever get healthy that could tip the scales to our group. Not many teams have a big3 that is possibly worse than the Blazers, but Clippers just might.

 

[wizenheimer]

That Halo Board is amazing.

holy crap!

is that really how big that thing is? no photoshop?

 

[wizenheimer]

Whats more of a depressing big3 for a franchise?

Kawhi, Harden, Powell
or
Ayton, Grant, Ant

they are both depressing, but the Clipper trio is a lot older. Much more talented but the talent is fading and in Kawhi's case, can't get healthy

Clippers draft pick situation is bad as all of their next 5 first round draft picks are encumbered. But at least two of those encumbrances are swaps so the Clippers will have 1st's in at least two of the drafts; maybe 3, but I'm not going to wade thru the maze of OKC protections/swaps this early in the day

LAC has no real youth on the team; no intriguing prospects. Of course that can be a 2-edge sword when it's time for rookie extensions

Clippers have to re-sign Zubac next summer so there's that question mark

however, the Clippers do have a couple of huge advantages over the Blazers: they have a totally committed owner willing to spend and take risks, whereas the Blazers have an ambivalent limbo ownership mess. And, the Clippers don't have a timid GM unable to pick a lane

 

[Pinwheel1]

however, the Clippers do have a couple of huge advantages over the Blazers: they have a totally committed owner willing to spend and take risks, whereas the Blazers have an ambivalent limbo ownership mess. And, the Clippers don't have a timid GM unable to pick a lane

It's only an advantage if it works out for them. So far it has been a lot of aggressive fuck ups. Starting with giving away SGA

 

[SharpesTriumph]

It's only an advantage if it works out for them. So far it has been a lot of aggressive fuck ups. Starting with giving away SGA

It was a smart gamble at the time. Toronto gambled on Kawhi and won a title. Clippers gambled on him and never made the finals. Also the change in the CBA kind of fucked the Clippers, they probably resign PG13 if its the old CBA and only costs cash.

I like the Blazers future the next 3-7 years more than the Clippers - as the Clippers are really in a bad spot without picks. But after that period they'll be in a much better place going forward mostly with good ownership but also with a great location and arena.

Lakers made a similar gamble and won a title. Mavs gambled adding Kyrie and made the finals. But Phoenix/Brooklyn/Clippers made gambles and it hasn't worked. If I'm a Clippers fan I like that our team took a gamble and had a CHANCE. The Blazers have had zero chances, and I question if they will until new ownership. I guess our hope is the team lucks into a bunch of stars in the draft which seems like a much bigger longshot at best.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

holy crap!

is that really how big that thing is? no photoshop?

Yup its big

 

[Pinwheel1]

It was a smart gamble at the time. Toronto gambled on Kawhi and won a title. Clippers gambled on him and never made the finals. Also the change in the CBA kind of fucked the Clippers, they probably resign PG13 if its the old CBA and only costs cash.

It was a smart move for OKC. Some on this board questioned it at the time. The Clippers knew how high the potential was for SGA. They loved the kid. Doc Rivers even told Kawai to reconsider it

"I even brought it up to Kawhi (Leonard): 'Are you sure?'" Rivers said. "'I think Shai's going to be an amazing player. It may take a year or two, but I think you're underestimating how good Shai's going to be.'

It's not always smart to gamble. OKC ended up getting Jalen Williams in the deal as well.

 

[wizenheimer]

It's only an advantage if it works out for them. So far it has been a lot of aggressive fuck ups. Starting with giving away SGA

yeah, there can be fuckups although pairing Kawhi with PG13 was a worthy gamble. High-risk/high-reward. And of course, Kawhi's health wasn't as bad 5 years ago as it is now

I'd much rather have an owner/GM pairing that will take high risks on players like Kawhi and PG 13, then a pairing that will max-out their risk profile on players like Grant and Avdija

besides all that, no matter how many logical contortions are employed to shine up Portland situation, they have to have one of the worst ownership messes in the NBA, if not the worst. Jody and the Vulcans making cash-flow decisions about the trust that owns the Blazers is fucked-up

 

[Sheldon Shape]

It was a smart move for OKC. Some on this board questioned it at the time. The Clippers knew how high the potential was for SGA. They loved the kid. Doc Rivers even told Kawai to reconsider it

"I even brought it up to Kawhi (Leonard): 'Are you sure?'" Rivers said. "'I think Shai's going to be an amazing player. It may take a year or two, but I think you're underestimating how good Shai's going to be.'

It's not always smart to gamble. OKC ended up getting Jalen Williams in the deal as well.

Yeah, I don't think anyone believes Doc. To get PG who was ready to play and compete vs a youngster. I don't think Doc gave any consideration to the other side of that trade. He just wanted to win.

 

[THE HCP]

Whats more of a depressing big3 for a franchise?

Kawhi, Harden, Powell
or
Ayton, Grant, Ant

I think if you look at age and contracts, isn’t ours the better trio?

 

[Strenuus]

It was a smart move for OKC. Some on this board questioned it at the time. The Clippers knew how high the potential was for SGA. They loved the kid. Doc Rivers even told Kawai to reconsider it

"I even brought it up to Kawhi (Leonard): 'Are you sure?'" Rivers said. "'I think Shai's going to be an amazing player. It may take a year or two, but I think you're underestimating how good Shai's going to be.'

It's not always smart to gamble. OKC ended up getting Jalen Williams in the deal as well.

Yet another example of not letting players be GMs. Ever

 

[SlyPokerDog]

That Halo Board is amazing.

Impressive that it's not filled with ads.

 

[Phatguysrule]

holy crap!

is that really how big that thing is? no photoshop?

No Photoshop. It's really that big.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Ex-Blazers about to bite us in the ass

 

[Rastapopoulos]

It was a smart move for OKC. Some on this board questioned it at the time. The Clippers knew how high the potential was for SGA. They loved the kid. Doc Rivers even told Kawai to reconsider it

"I even brought it up to Kawhi (Leonard): 'Are you sure?'" Rivers said. "'I think Shai's going to be an amazing player. It may take a year or two, but I think you're underestimating how good Shai's going to be.'

Of course, Doc's no stranger to patting himself on the back. More importantly, though, Jerry West said the same thing.

It's not always smart to gamble. OKC ended up getting Jalen Williams in the deal as well.

AND potentially Cooper Flagg (although not likely given the way the Clippers are playing).

Clippers are the West Coast Heat - always manage to squeeze more wins out of a roster than they have a right to.

 

[kjironman1]

Impressive that it's not filled with ads.

I’m absolutely certain it can be and will be at times.