Blazers Just Won a "Close Game"

[Boob-No-More]

It took over 1/3rd through the season, almost .500 ball and media pundits questioning him about it before he decided to cave in and give Nic a little extra time. Shouldn't take most coaches that long to figure out who their 2nd best player is.

That's one of Sarge's biggest weaknesses - his stubborness.

Now let's hope the media starts questioning him about his unimaginative, easily defended, ISO based 4th quarter offense.

BNM

 

[PapaG]

Nate's hand was forced by the Aldridge injury in 2 of those 3 games. He's playing Wallace more at the 4 and Batum at the 3. I want to see Batum continue to play 36MPG after Aldridge comes back. Aldridge plays 36.2 MPG, Wallace 35.9 MPG. Why not play Batum similar minutes? Prior to the last three games, Batum was averagfing less than 26 MPG. Why?

BNM

I think Nate's trying to find out how to do this. Problem is, Nic naturally plays GW's position, and without practice, it's tough to just expect Nic to be a 19 PER SG.

The biggest gaffe was not locking up Nic as the SF of the future, and that's not on Nate at all. I expect Portland to match any offer, but they'll likely have to overpay.

 

[PapaG]

It took over 1/3rd through the season, almost .500 ball and media pundits questioning him about it before he decided to cave in and give Nic a little extra time. Shouldn't take most coaches that long to figure out who their 2nd best player is.

Why don't you coach the team, Zags? You seem to have all of the answers.

 

[PapaG]

That's one of Sarge's biggest weaknesses - his stubborness.

Now let's hope the media starts questioning him about his unimaginative, easily defended, ISO based 4th quarter offense.

BNM

I gave you McMillan's stats in close games as a coach. You clearly ignored them, or pretended that his record didn't exist prior to this season.

Watch a Dallas game last year? Tell me about Dallas' 4th quarter offense.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I think Nate's trying to find out how to do this. Problem is, Nic naturally plays GW's position, and without practice, it's tough to just expect Nic to be a 19 PER SG.

The Wallace trade was almost a year ago. Nate had the rest of last season, the playoffs, the abbrieviated training camp and preseason, plus over 1/3 of the regular season to figure this out. It's not like figuring out how to use Batum was suddenly thrust upon him without warning.

Batum has also been playing SG in Europe the last two summers. Why did it take Nate until three games ago to try him at that position. Are the French coaches just that much smarter than Nate?

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

I gave you McMillan's stats in close games as a coach. You clearly ignored them, or pretended that his record didn't exist prior to this season.

Watch a Dallas game last year? Tell me about Dallas' 4th quarter offense.

I didn't ignore them at all. I responded that the Brandon Roy ISO works best when you have Brandon Roy. Jamal Crawford is not Brandon Roy and this year's team is 2-9 in close games. Time for change, don't you think? Or, do you find 2-9 in close games acceptable?

BNM

 

[MickZagger]

Why don't you coach the team, Zags? You seem to have all of the answers.

I'm not really going out on a limb with my thoughts. I think its pretty cut and dry from Blazer fan perspective that its time to take a new path.

I watched a game with my dad last week. He's a casual fan, catches games every so often, but knows the game of basketball well. After 3 straight timeout calls throughout the game we came out and looked stagnant once we tried to feed it into Aldridge and the double came. He turned to me and said, thats just poor coaching. Good coaches have teams in position to execute if option A fails out of a timeout. I looked at him and told him to join the club.

 

[MickZagger]

Back to the Dunleavy thing for a second. I wonder how well McMillan would of done with the abundance of knuckleheads that Dunleavy had to put up with. Dude spent half the time issueing statements for his players after they screwed up again. I thought Dunleavy did an admirable job.

 

[RoyToy]

Well there you have it

Mickzagger's old man doesn't think Nate has what it takes

End of discussion.

 

[MickZagger]

Well there you have it

Mickzagger's old man doesn't think Nate has what it takes

End of discussion.

You have high regard for my pops basketball knowledge and you've never met him. You must have high regard for mine then.

 

[RoyToy]

You'll never see me using a family member who is a "casual fan" and watches games "every so often" to prove a point about the Blazers as evidence.

Some real knowledge right there, yo.

Classic

 

[MickZagger]

You'll never see me using a family member who is a "casual fan" and watches games "every so often" to prove a point about the Blazers as evidence.

Some real knowledge right there, yo.

Classic

He's been turned off by the NBA for a couple years. He watches college games all the time. When a casual observer agrees with the sentiment that most Blazer diehard fans share. Its really telling.

 

[PapaG]

I didn't ignore them at all. I responded that the Brandon Roy ISO works best when you have Brandon Roy. Jamal Crawford is not Brandon Roy and this year's team is 2-9 in close games. Time for change, don't you think? Or, do you find 2-9 in close games acceptable?

BNM

Nate's not running ISO for Crawford. Well, until the last few games, at least. In the early part of the season, Crawford wasn't even on the floor at the end of games.

Remember the Jazz game? The Blazers were up 79-74 with 9:10 left. Crawford wasn't in the game until the 4:13 mark, at which time the Blazers were down 86-79. Were you bitching at Nate for not playing Crawford during that run?

End result, Blazers lose by 3 points. I'm sure you'll blame that on the ISO offense, even after the Blazers gave up a 12-0 run in the 4th without "Crawful" on the floor.

http://espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=320130026&period=4

I bet the ball movement was pretty, though.

 

[PapaG]

Its really telling.

It's not, though. It's actually quite ridiculous to use your dad as any sort of evidence, considering you said he's just a casual fan.

I bet watching a game with you is a real treat, though.

"See Dad, Nate sucks!! Right!! Right??? The offense is sooooo stagnant and stuff!!"

"Sure son, whatever you say." (back of mind telling him, just calm down, son).

 

[MickZagger]

It's not, though. It's actually quite ridiculous to use your dad as any sort of evidence, considering you said he's just a casual fan.

I bet watching a game with you is a real treat, though.

"See Dad, Nate sucks!! Right!! Right??? The offense is sooooo stagnant and stuff!!"

"Sure son, whatever you say." (back of mind telling him, just calm down, son).

You should write books. You have a creative imagination.

 

[PapaG]

You should write books. You have a creative imagination.

Come on now, you at least had to laugh a little bit at that one.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Nate's not running ISO for Crawford. Well, until the last few games, at least. In the early part of the season, Crawford wasn't even on the floor at the end of games.

Remember the Jazz game? The Blazers were up 79-74 with 9:10 left. Crawford wasn't in the game until the 4:13 mark, at which time the Blazers were down 86-79. Were you bitching at Nate for not playing Crawford during that run?

End result, Blazers lose by 3 points. I'm sure you'll blame that on the ISO offense, even after the Blazers gave up a 12-0 run in the 4th without "Crawful" on the floor.

http://espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=320130026&period=4

I bet the ball movement was pretty, though.

So, after tonight's loss, should you start a thread title Blazers Just Lost a "close game". That makes them 2-10 in close games this season. Great coaching Nate.

After watching them run 5 ISOs in a row for Crawford and then calling a time out to set up another ISO for Crawford are you beginning to comprehend my complaint about Nate's unimaginative, easily defended 4th quarter offense? Tonight is just the latest example of exactly what I've been complaining about. Something needs to change. Either Nate needs to expand his 4th quarter play calling or he needs to go. Blowing an 18-point lead at home by running ISO, after ISO, after ISO... is unacceptable. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insane. And, it's also what gets you to 2-10 in close games.

So, what's the excuse for Nate tonight? Not his fault, right. Crawford just couldn't hit the shots. Here's an idea, when that happens, try something else. You're the coach. Surely you have more than one play in your playbook. Why not try a play that involves more than one player. How about one that includes a little player movement and a little ball movement. Basketball is a team sport. It's not meant to be played 1-on-1, and when your offense consists of playing 1-on-5, the results are predictable and expected.

BNM

 

[PapaG]

So, after tonight's loss, should you start a thread title Blazers Just Lost a "close game". That makes them 2-10 in close games this season. Great coaching Nate.

After watching them run 5 ISOs in a row for Crawford and then calling a time out to set up another ISO for Crawford are you beginning to comprehend my complaint about Nate's unimaginative, easily defended 4th quarter offense? Tonight is just the latest example of exactly what I've been complaining about. Something needs to change. Either Nate needs to expand his 4th quarter play calling or he needs to go. Blowing an 18-point lead at home by running ISO, after ISO, after ISO... is unacceptable. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insane. And, it's also what gets you to 2-10 in close games.

So, what's the excuse for Nate tonight? Not his fault, right. Crawford just couldn't hit the shots. Here's an idea, when that happens, try something else. You're the coach. Surely you have more than one play in your playbook. Why not try a play that involves more than one player. How about one that includes a little player movement and a little ball movement. Basketball is a team sport. It's not meant to be played 1-on-1, and when your offense consists of playing 1-on-5, the results are predictable and expected.

BNM

Nah, I thought I'd just wait for you to come and bump this thread, which I knew you'd do.

Thank goodness LAC didn't alternate ISOs with Paul and Mo Williams down the stretch, though.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Nah, I thought I'd just wait for you to come and bump this thread, which I knew you'd do.

Thank goodness LAC didn't alternate ISOs with Paul and Mo Williams down the stretch, though.

If Chris Paul, Mo Williams and a healthy Brandon Roy played for the Blazers, an ISO based offense would have a greater chance of succeeding. But since they don't, perhaps our coach might want to consider some other option. Nah, it's working great so far this season, isn't it. Why adjust your offense to match your personnel? Just plug Jamal Crawford into the old Roy ISO and hope for the best. Shit 2-10 isn't that bad. Certainly better than 0-12. Seems to be working fine, doesn't it?

How many times does this team need to lose a close game before you would be willing to hold Nate accountable for his unimaginative, easily defended 4th quarter play calling? Do you want this team in the lottery? Are you secretly hoping for them to lose? Is 2-10 in close games acceptable to you? If not, why aren't you holding the head coach responsible for this mess? Why does he get a free pass? I just don't get it. Didn't tonight make it obvious, even to you, that there is a problem with Nate's 4th quarter play calling?

BNM

 

[OneSport3]

Here's an exercise in logic and deduction. When Brandon Roy was here the 4th quarter offense consisted of ISOs. Brandon Roy is no longer on the team. Currently the 4th quarter offense consists of Jamal Crawford ISOs. What is the common link? Nate McMillan's coaching.

Even if Nate isn't calling these ISOs intentionally, it just shows that he can't adjust and/or doesn't possess the strategic knowledge to implement an actual offense.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Here's an exercise in logic and deduction. When Brandon Roy was here the 4th quarter offense consisted of ISOs. Brandon Roy is no longer on the team. Currently the 4th quarter offense consists of Jamal Crawford ISOs. What is the common link? Nate McMillan's coaching.

Even if Nate isn't calling these ISOs intentionally, it just shows that he can't adjust and/or doesn't possess the strategic knowledge to implement an actual offense.

Repped!

BNM

 

[OneSport3]

If Chris Paul, Mo Williams and a healthy Brandon Roy played for the Blazers, an ISO based offense would have a greater chance of succeeding. But since they don't, perhaps our coach might want to consider some other option. Nah, it's working great so far this season, isn't it. Why adjust your offense to match your personnel? Just plug Jamal Crawford into the old Roy ISO and hope for the best. Shit 2-10 isn't that bad. Certainly better than 0-12. Seems to be working fine, doesn't it?

How many times does this team need to lose a close game before you would be willing to hold Nate accountable for his unimaginative, easily defended 4th quarter play calling? Do you want this team in the lottery? Are you secretly hoping for them to lose? Is 2-10 in close games acceptable to you? If not, why aren't you holding the head coach responsible for this mess? Why does he get a free pass? I just don't get it. Didn't tonight make it obvious, even to you, that there is a problem with Nate's 4th quarter play calling?

BNM

I really don't get it either. The only personnel factor that has remained consistent in the last few seasons is NATE MCMILLAN. Brandon Roy, Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, Andre Miller, Rudy Fernandez, Joel Pryzbilla, Patty Mills, Jerryd Bayless, etc. aren't here anymore. You bring in new players and what is the result? The same 4th quarter ISO offense! The saying goes that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.

 

[oldmangrouch]

11 points in the 4th quarter. I am still trying to wrap my head around that. How does NBA level talent only score 11 points in a quarter? A decent college team could score that many on the Clips.

 

[Mediocre Man]

11 points in the 4th quarter. I am still trying to wrap my head around that. How does NBA level talent only score 11 points in a quarter? A decent college team could score that many on the Clips.

A decent college team led by a decent coach. Nate just got out coached by Vinnie del Negro........Yikes

 

[jlprk]

I honestly think that Del Negro or Paul Westphal would win more games with our roster than McMillan.

 

[OneSport3]

I honestly think that Del Negro or Paul Westphal would win more games with our roster than McMillan.

Westphal, maybe, but Del Negro is just as bad as Nate. VDN has the same horrible offense and substitution patterns as Nate. The Clippers were running the same ISO offense down the stretch but the only difference is they had Chris Paul running it.

 

[Blaze01]

So, after tonight's loss, should you start a thread title Blazers Just Lost a "close game". That makes them 2-10 in close games this season. Great coaching Nate.

After watching them run 5 ISOs in a row for Crawford and then calling a time out to set up another ISO for Crawford are you beginning to comprehend my complaint about Nate's unimaginative, easily defended 4th quarter offense? Tonight is just the latest example of exactly what I've been complaining about. Something needs to change. Either Nate needs to expand his 4th quarter play calling or he needs to go. Blowing an 18-point lead at home by running ISO, after ISO, after ISO... is unacceptable. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insane. And, it's also what gets you to 2-10 in close games.

So, what's the excuse for Nate tonight? Not his fault, right. Crawford just couldn't hit the shots. Here's an idea, when that happens, try something else. You're the coach. Surely you have more than one play in your playbook. Why not try a play that involves more than one player. How about one that includes a little player movement and a little ball movement. Basketball is a team sport. It's not meant to be played 1-on-1, and when your offense consists of playing 1-on-5, the results are predictable and expected.

BNM

Hey I am in complete agreement with you on this, but I have felt this way about Nate for a long time now....Some people just like being stubborn jerks for kicks I guess....

Watching Crawford go ISO 5 times in a row (and Batum not even touching the ball) was very frustrating....just a complete and utter failure offensively, and that falls on more than just the players....

Does Felton even DESERVE the minutes he is getting right now? and then he throws the coach under the bus afterwards....Unbelievable....

 

[HailBlazers]

11 points in the 4th quarter. I am still trying to wrap my head around that. How does NBA level talent only score 11 points in a quarter? A decent college team could score that many on the Clips.

WORD. 4th quarter has been our kryptonite. The team gets stuck in their heads and stops attacking the basket and moving the ball, every time.

Does Felton even DESERVE the minutes he is getting right now? and then he throws the coach under the bus afterwards....

Its not about Deserving at this point, it's about making due with what we got, and he is it truly. As painful as it may be we have to let him work it out before playoff time. He's capable, but just like Dre he must figure out Nate's effed up system.

 

[blue32]

Looks guys, it doesn't take a basketball genius to see that the Blazers suck, and they haven't been impressive for years. Yeah we had Roy and his greatness, but still we couldn't get out of the first round of the play offs.
So when a "casual" fan makes an observation about poor coaching, or poor play, I agree and think its 'telling'.

Our team sucks; mainly because of the coach IMO, but also because of the play of a couple of guys, FAILTON comes to mind.

 

[jlprk]

4th quarter has been our kryptonite.

It was the same when Roy was at his peak, but Roy bailed us out routinely, adding to his legacy. McMillan's system made Roy look even better than Roy would appear in a stable system, one that doesn't depend entirely upon outworking the opponent. He and McMillan were made for each other, a symbiotic force like Stockton and Malone, and like them, both are exiting the stage at about the same sunset time.