Blazers need 3 point scoring (1 Viewer)

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the Dec 23 swish3 contest with the MAVs. Blazers scored 11 of 38 (under 29%!) versus MAVs 12 of 34. The Blazers trailed in the 1st Q, but got scoring going in Q2 getting to a 10 point lead for most of the 2nd and 3rd Q, but the MAVs made it back to even at the end of Q4 on a circus swish3 shot from the corner by Doncic. The MAVs shot the Blazers swish3 average of 35.3% that included 5 of 8 scoring by Barnes. The Blazers won in overtime 121 to 118.

Blazer swish3 scoring was led by Seth who scored 4 of 8, Dame scored 2 of 7, Mo and Zach each scored 1 of 2, Meyers scored 1 of 4, Chief scored 1 of 5, and CJ scored 1 of 8. Nik was 0 of 2. The MAVs had an advantage of 8 in FT (Blazers were 12 of 17 versus MAVs 20 of 28. There were obvious inconsistencies in the officiating that included fouls called on Nurk and Meyers for illegal screens that were incorrect and a lack of fouls of Dame, Nurk, and others that were not called giving a foul discrepancy (26 against Blazers versus 20 against MAVs). Nurk fouled out, and Meyers had an early block foul called which was clearly a charge. The Blazers should demand a fair shake on our home court.

The Blazers showed good defensive energy contributed by substitutions that included a balance of starters and bench. The bench contributed 34 points and there were 6 players with 10+ points. Dame scored 33 with 2 rebounds, 7 assists, and a block. CJ scored 22 with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal. Nurk scored 10 with 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks. Mo scored 14 with 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and a steal. Meyers scored 13 with 6 rebounds. Seth scored 12 with 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Chief scored 9 with 9 rebounds and 2 steals.

This was an important win as the Blazers held off a determined late attach by the MAVs and should be an element in learning to hang on even in tough games. Let's try to get our best scorers shooting more of the shots, limit the shots when shooting 3 consecutive missed swish3s, improve the team swish3 %, continue with good passing and assists (29 in this game), hold down turnovers (only 9 in this game), keep up defensive relentless intensity, and win the Jazz and GSW pair of games coming up. It is good to have 19 wins!

 

[swish3]

The Jazz again won the swish3 contest Christmas game scoring 13 of 29 versus the Blazers 9 of 23 in a game in which the FG% was Blazers 39% versus Jazz 55%. The Blazer intensity was not maintained after a brief lead at the start of the 2nd quarter, and the poor Blazer scoring weakness led to a deficit of 12 points at the half that got even worse in Q4.

The Blazers did not find and feed the hot hand in the game, did not move the ball well, were out-rebounded 49 to 42, and again allowed high (44.8%) swish3 shooting by the Jazz that average 34%! Ingles was 3 of 5, Rubio and Korver were each 2 of 4, and Exum and Neto each made 1 of 1. Gobert had 7 blocks, some of which appeared to be fouls. Dame was awarded 0 FT despite being clobbered in layups.

Chief and Seth led Blazer swish3 scoring each with 2 of 3, Dame scored 2 of 5, Wade scored 1 of 1, and CJ and Meyers each scored 1 of 3. Nik was 0 of 2, and Mo,, Zach, and Jake were each 0 of 1. When the Blazers needed scoring, there was not an effort to feed the hot hands. Instead, some weak shots and highly contested attempts wasted chances to score. If the Blazers ran plays for catch and shoot like the Jazz ran for Korver, Blazer scoring efficiency would be increased. And with more ball movement and better off ball rotation that brings the best shooters to sweet spots to score points on those catch and shoots, the Blazers could keep up with the scoring intensity and bring our FG% back up to >50%. This is what I suggest is needed to win.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers beat the Warriors Dec 27 in Oakland in OT 110 to 109! The Blazers scored 13 of 40 versus the Warriors 13 of 44, with a swish3 by Dame winning the game. This was a great game for Nurk who scored 27 points with 12 rebounds and 4 assists, for Seth who scored 11 points at the start of the 4th Q, and for Mo who scored 11 points with 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Chief scored 7 points with 12 rebounds and 3 assists, the last one of which was a miraculous save of Dame's off target pass to precision pass it to Dame at the arc for the winning swish3.

This was an unusual game in which low shooting % by both teams limited scoring. The Blazers made 32.5% swish3s and 36.2% FG versus the Warriors 29.5% swish3s and 42.5% FG, and shot only 40% of FT (despite being NBA leading 83% for FT for the season. Blazer defense was strong and determined except for certain lapses, with good plays being made by all 10 players. There were only 2 Blazer turnovers in the 1st half, and that helped give the 52-46 lead at the break. Mo played exceptionally good defense against Kevin Durant.

Seth scored 3 of 5, Dame scored 3 of 8, CJ scored 3 of 9, Nik scored 2 of 4, Mo scored 1 of 3, and Chief scored 1 of 6. Meyers and Evan were each 0 of 1, and Zach was 0 of 3. The Blazers 91.3% FT shooting gave a decisive 15 point differential that was welcome in getting this 20th win (but we can't count on for the next game). The winning edge is due to distributed swish3 shooting that included Seth, Dame, and Nik. CJ, Chief, and Zach attempted too many, and Evan should not attempt them. Let's stay with the high % swish3 shooters.

The game should have ended with the strong foul by Klay of Dame as 48 min expired, but the obvious foul and probable winning FT by Dame did not happen. The 3 TO in OT were scary, and the Blazers deserve kudos for fighting on after falling behind to get the hard fought win. This win should bring a lot of confidence and build the foundation for the drive to winning the WCF.

 

[swish3]

The Warriors won the Dec 29 home game 115 to 105 with the Blazers trailing throughout the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Q. Blazers scored 9 of 31 (29%!) versus the Warriors 12 of 25 (48%), and this 9 point difference was nearly enough to give us the win. If you remove the technical fouls imposed by the anti-home bias refs, it is enough for the win.

Dame led Blazer scoring with 6 of 13, Seth was 1 of 2, and Chief and Nik were each 1 of 3. Meyers and Jake were each 0 of 1, Mo was 0 of 3, and CJ was 0 of 5. Dame again scored 40 points with 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal in 39 min. Nurk scored 21 points with 10 rebounds, 7 assists, a steal, and a block in 32 min. CJ scored 14 points with 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 35 min.

The 61 points scored by the Dame Nurk combo was a foundation, but needed support from other high percentage shooting Blazers. Meyers and Seth were not prioritized for shooting and thus their combined scoring was only 7 points. Although the 2 dunk2s by Meyers were momentum boosters, the coaches did not include enough high % shooting that could win games like this one.

The Warriors also shot FG% of 50 versus the Blazers 42.9, and Klay had a great game scoring 32 points with 4 of 5 swish3s. Off the bench, Jerebko and Cook each shot 2 of 3 swish3s. Even Looney was 1 of 1. Steph had 25 points with 2 of 8 swish3s. As expected, the Warriors shot a lot better in this game than 2 days ago.

However, the Blazers could have won this game if the coaches had pulled Evan when it was clear that he was in shoot, miss, and turnover mode, had CJ stop after 3 consecutive misses, and directed swish3 shooting to the high % Blazers (Meyers and Seth). With each of them shooting 6 swish3s, the additional 12-18 points would win the game. Let's do this with the 76ers.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers Dec 30 home win 129-95 over the PHI 76ers shows the power of swish3 scoring and the value of high % shooting. Blazers scored 12 of 22 (54.5%!) versus 76ers 8 of 43. Blazers outrebounded them 59 to 36 and had a superb 28 assists (versus PHI 18 assists). For the game, the Blazers FG% was 59!

CJ led with 4 of 7, Dame scored 3 of 6, Nik scored 2 of 2, and Chief, Seth, and Jake were each 1 of 2. Simons was 0 of 1, and is now 0 of 6 for the season; he should not be attempting swish3s. This was efficient swish3 scoring that contributed 36 points to the 129 total that raise the probability of wins.

The Blazers played good defense, particularly in the 1st half, allowing PHI only 41 points while the Blazers scored 70, a new high this season for the 1st half. The Blazers held the 76ers to only 18.6% swish3 shooting.

 

[GDiama]

good bot

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I actually think Blazers should try to feature Leonard more on offense. Actually have plays that set him up for open threes. He seems to have great hands lately; use him in pick and rolls. Look to throw a lob to him from drives to the basket. He is obviously a great dunker.

 

[swish3]

The SAC Kings won the swish3 contest Jan 1, 2019 scoring 11 of 33 versus the Blazers 9 of 32 (only 28%!), but the Blazers won in overtime as the Kings scored only 1 of 6 swish3 attempts in OT. This was a record making game for Nurk who had 24 points, 23 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks. Dame scored 25, Seth 18, CJ 16, Chief 13, and Mo 11.

Seth led swish3 scoring with 4 of 6, Chief scored 3 of 5, Mo scored 1 of 2, and Dame scored 1 of 9. Nik was 0 of 2, Zach was 0 of 3, and CJ was 0 of 5. Dame, who reported not feeling well, missed 2 and Chief missed 1 swish3 in OT. But Dame made 3 of 3 FT and a jump shot in OT. CJ and Mo had FG and Nurk a FT to compete the 10 pt OT scoring.

The Blazers led at half time 64 to 50, but lost the lead in the 4th Q, and battled back to a tie at the end of 48 min. Dame was in 42 min and Nurk 38, so the rest until Fri is welcome. The Blazers shot 43.3% FG and will need to return to at least the 45.6% season average to increase the probability of a win over the Thunder Fri.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the swish3 scoring and the game Jan 4 to the OKC Thunder with poor 29% (again) shooting. Blazers were 9 of 31 versus OKC 10 of 27. Although the Blazers won the first half 62-57, with 52% FG shooting, the second half offense fell off as the Blazers lost the 3rd Q 36-25 and won the 4th Q 22-18.

In my view, the referees stole this game from the Blazers with inconsistent calls in both halves of the game. Dame was fouled at least 12 times by Ferguson and Westbrook. Nurk was fouled at least 6 times by Adams and Noel. On the momentum changing play at the end of the 3rd Q, Dame was strongly fouled when Westbrook stole the ball and instead of the foul being called, the refs allow the pass to Noel and they call a clear path foul on Meyers giving OKC a 4 point advantage over the correct call. Other incorrect calls like the Westbrook charge into CJ for which they called the foul on CJ and the 2 phantom fouls on Meyers which replays showed he didn't even touch him gave the game to OKC. OKC ended up with 23 FT versus the Blazers 18.

Chief led swish3 scoring with 2 of 5, CJ scored 2 of 6, Meyers and Jake each scored 1 of 2, Mo scored 1 of 3, Seth scored 1 of 5, and Dame scored 1 of 8. This game would probably have been won if Meyers would have attempted at least 2 (or better 4) more attempts. The Blazers are wasting Meyers talent by feeding him for mid range jump shots instead of having him rotate to points along the arc to score swish3s needed to win the game. His scoring was especially needed in the 3rd Q.

In the HOU Rockets game tomorrow, I imagine that the Dame and Nurk PNR plays that worked in the 1st half, using more screens to open shots from the arc, and professional level officiating that gives Dame, Nurk, CJ, Chief, Mo, and the bench the FTA the Blazer coaches should demand on our home court bring the win. HOU coaches will predictably demand at least a fair shake on their court. The Blazers deserve credit for fighting hard and nearly reaching a tie at the end of the OKC game. With a level playing field at home, we can get the 23rd win over HOU Sat.

 

[riverman]

unfortunately we've had a long stretch of clank3's

 

[swish3]

The Blazers (9 of 28) lost the swish3 contest Jan 5 with HOU (13 of 38) in a home win 110 - 101. This was a good win for the Blazers who played determined defense, had 27 assists, only 9 turnovers, out rebounded them 47 - 40, and made 45.7% of FG. Nurk had a good game with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 assists in 31 min, and played good defense.

CJ led with 3 of 8, Dame was 2 of 5, Zach was 1 of 1, Chief was 1 of 2, and Seth and Jake were 1 of 4. Meyers was 0 of 1, and Evan was 0 of 3. For HOU, Rivers scored 5 of 10 and Harden scored 5 of 17. There was good defense by the Blazer starters and bench throughout the game with only a few lapses.

Evan is now 4 of 34 for the season (11.76%!) and must stop attempting swish3s. The 3 swish3s attempted by Evan in this game should have been taken instead by Meyers, and Evan needs to be looking for Meyers on the arc to make these shots. Evan was valuable in this game for the defense that he provided, and without fouling, but needs to stick to jump shots near the basket.

Let's use Blazer talent to score at least 13, or better yet 15, swish3s per game to avoid the 12 point deficit of the HOU game and maximize the probability of wins.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest Jan 7 scoring 11 of 31 (35.5%) while NY Knicks scored 7 of 23 (30.4%). The Blazers bench scored 49 points and played for 22 min in this win that included 25 assists, some notable pick and rolls and dunks, another excellent game for Nurk, and the 1st double-double for Jake.

Seth led scoring 3 of 6, Dame scored 2 of 6, CJ scored 2 of 7, Evan scored 1 of 1, Jake scored 1 of 2, Meyers scored 1 of 3, and Chief scored 1 of 4. Mo and Zach were each 0 of 1. This was better than being stuck on 9 scored in each of the previous 3 games, but short of the 15 that is correlated with 69% winning. With emphasis on the most productive swish3 shooters (currently Seth and Meyers) taking 6 or more swish3 attempts per game, the Blazers can reach this 15+ goal and perhaps do even better than the 54 win record (projecting 65.85% from the present 27-14 W/L) for the regular season, and on to the 16 wins that will constitute the NBA Championship.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest Jan 7 scoring 11 of 31 (35.5%) while NY Knicks scored 7 of 23 (30.4%). The Blazers bench scored 49 points and played for 22 min in this win that included 25 assists, some notable pick and rolls and dunks, another excellent game for Nurk, and the 1st double-double for Jake.

Seth led scoring 3 of 6, Dame scored 2 of 6, CJ scored 2 of 7, Evan scored 1 of 1, Jake scored 1 of 2, Meyers scored 1 of 3, and Chief scored 1 of 4. Mo and Zach were each 0 of 1. This was better than being stuck on 9 scored in each of the previous 3 games, but short of the 15 that is correlated with 69% winning. With emphasis on the most productive swish3 shooters (currently Seth and Meyers) taking 6 or more swish3 attempts per game, the Blazers can reach this 15+ goal and perhaps do even better than the 54 win record (projecting 65.85% from the present 27-14 W/L) for the regular season, and on to the 16 wins that will constitute the NBA Championship.

Right now I'm really liking our swish3's, but I'm loving our beast2's.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest and the game over the CHI Bulls Jan 9 scoring 11 of 26 versus the Bulls 9 of 22. The game showed good defensive energy in the Q 2, 3, and 4 after a slow start in Q1 when the Blazers traded baskets. This was a poorly officiated game that included questionable calls against Nurk, Zach, Meyers, and Seth, and no-calls that show have awarded FT to them and other Blazers. Dame had no FT in the 1st half! But the Blazers overcame the home court disadvantage refs to win the game. This was an excellent game for Zach even though he fouled out.

Seth led scoring 3 of 5, Zach and Nik each scored 2 of 3, CJ scored 2 of 4, and Dame scored 2 of 5. Chief and Jake each were 0 of 2; Nurk and Simons each were 0 of 1. It does not make sense that Simons, now 0 for 6, should attempt swish3s instead of Seth (48.5%) or Meyers (41.7%). Meyers again made 0 attempts and there were no plays or even looks to find him on the arc in this game, but he was averaging >50% earlier in the season when shooting 3 or 4 swish3 attempts per game. The Blazers coaches need to game plan for 6 swish3s each by the best talent Blazers, Meyers and Seth, to achieve the 15+ that will be needed against challenging competition. We have 25 wins and with enhanced swish3 scoring are on the way to a 56+ win season and the NBA Championship.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest Jan 11 against the CHA Hornets and reached the goal of 15 swish3s. Blazers scored 15 of 40 (37.5%) versus CHA 13 of 30 (43.3%) in a game that showed good growth of defensive intensity, assists, team play, and shared scoring. Nurk again had an excellent game with 11 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 6 blocks. CJ was a strong with 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. Dame was excellent with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks! Dame deserves kudos for his notably growing defense! Meyers had a season high 3 blocks and Zach had 2 blocks that contributed to the team total of 16 blocks, just 1 short of the Blazer team record. Evan scored 15 with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Nik scored 13 with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. The Blazers progressed significantly with this game.

CJ led scoring 5 of 11, Seth scored 2 of 4, Dame scored 2 of 7, Evan scored 1 of 2, Chief, Zach, Nik, and Gary each scored 1 of 3, and Jake scored 1 of 4. The Blazers reached 52 of 93 (55.9%) for FG shooting, third highest of the season, led rebounds 47-43, had only 9 turnovers, and had 31 assists, a season high. This is fun basketball to watch.

There was noticeable synergy in team play and better communication as noted by Dame that signal growing excellence that can power the Blazers to the Championship. Le't keep this going!

 

[tlongII]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest Jan 11 against the CHA Hornets and reached the goal of 15 swish3s. Blazers scored 15 of 40 (37.5%) versus CHA 13 of 30 (43.3%) in a game that showed good growth of defensive intensity, assists, team play, and shared scoring. Nurk again had an excellent game with 11 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 6 blocks. CJ was a strong with 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. Dame was excellent with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks! Dame deserves kudos for his notably growing defense! Meyers had a season high 3 blocks and Zach had 2 blocks that contributed to the team total of 16 blocks, just 1 short of the Blazer team record. Evan scored 15 with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Nik scored 13 with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. The Blazers progressed significantly with this game.

CJ led scoring 5 of 11, Seth scored 2 of 4, Dame scored 2 of 7, Evan scored 1 of 2, Chief, Zach, Nik, and Gary each scored 1 of 3, and Jake scored 1 of 4. The Blazers reached 52 of 93 (55.9%) for FG shooting, third highest of the season, led rebounds 47-43, had only 9 turnovers, and had 31 assists, a season high. This is fun basketball to watch.

There was noticeable synergy in team play and better communication as noted by Dame that signal growing excellence that can power the Blazers to the Championship. Le't keep this going!

No mention of Meyers?

 

[swish3]

You are right, tlongll. Now that Meyers is playing better defense, has the same 109 DRtg as Zach, DRB% of 23.3, TRB% of 15.2, and Blazer leading ORtg of 122, and TS% of 0.632, there is more to mention that Blazer fans should notice. Meyers is contributing significantly and can continue to progress on the way to the Championship that looks increasingly probable.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest Jan 13 against the DEN Nuggets, but lost the game 116-113. Blazers scored 12 of 34 versus DEN 9 of 22, and DEN scored 45 of 81 (55.6%) of FG vs the Blazers 40 of 88 (45.5%). This close game was a near miss that was influenced by some strategically timed bad ref calls against Nurk and no-calls against Jokic (there at least 4) and having the wrong Blazers in the game in the 2nd half to score swish3s and keep up relentless defense. The Blazers had nice leads in the 1st and 3rd Q that were overcome by unanswered DEN swish3s, 6 of 7 in the 3rd Q. This was a season high game for Jokic with 40 points (one less than his career high).

CJ led with 4 of 10, Zach scored 2 of 3, Dame scored 2 of 10, Nik scored 1 of 1, Jake scored 1 of 2, Meyers scored 1 of 3, and Chief scored 1 of 5. Nurk had a difficult game, being stiffled early by the refs for touch fouls on Jokic while allowing Jokic to push, hold, elbow, and slap Nurkic that seemed to take away Nurk's good start momentum. In the 3rd Q when DEN was pouring in 3s, the Blazers should have gone to highest % shooters Seth (no shots!) and Meyers to counter, and can win these close ones by keeping most accurate shooters and strong defense on the floor at key points in the 2nd half.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest Jan 13 against the DEN Nuggets, but lost the game 116-113. Blazers scored 12 of 34 versus DEN 9 of 22, and DEN scored 45 of 81 (55.6%) of FG vs the Blazers 40 of 88 (45.5%). This close game was a near miss that was influenced by some strategically timed bad ref calls against Nurk and no-calls against Jokic (there at least 4) and having the wrong Blazers in the game in the 2nd half to score swish3s and keep up relentless defense. The Blazers had nice leads in the 1st and 3rd Q that were overcome by unanswered DEN swish3s, 6 of 7 in the 3rd Q. This was a season high game for Jokic with 40 points (one less than his career high).

CJ led with 4 of 10, Zach scored 2 of 3, Dame scored 2 of 10, Nik scored 1 of 1, Jake scored 1 of 2, Meyers scored 1 of 3, and Chief scored 1 of 5. Nurk had a difficult game, being stiffled early by the refs for touch fouls on Jokic while allowing Jokic to push, hold, elbow, and slap Nurkic that seemed to take away Nurk's good start momentum. In the 3rd Q when DEN was pouring in 3s, the Blazers should have gone to highest % shooters Seth (no shots!) and Meyers to counter, and can win these close ones by keeping most accurate shooters and strong defense on the floor at key points in the 2nd half.

I wouldn't necessarily characterize making 3 more shots on 12 more attempts as "winning" the swish3 contest.

 

[TBpup]

I wouldn't necessarily characterize making 3 more shots on 12 more attempts as "winning" the swish3 contest.

Quite right. 'Winning' on 25% shooting to get the additional makes seems like '2 steps forward, 3 steps back'.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Quite right. 'Winning' on 25% shooting to get the additional makes seems like '2 steps forward, 3 steps back'.

Seems like the James Harden move...

 

[swish3]

I wouldn't necessarily characterize making 3 more shots on 12 more attempts as "winning" the swish3 contest.

OK. Now you are getting my point that selecting who should be shooting swish3s is the key. In that 3rd Q, the team leading high % Blazers should have been shooting rather than just rely on desperate shots by Dame. The lower 35% vs DEN 41% swish3 shooting was the difference, but need not be if the Blazers stuck by prioritizing shooters (Seth, Meyers, and in this game, Zach.

The Blazers can improve on who is on the court and shooting swish3s in the 3rd and 4th Q, and that can make the difference in getting to the 54 wins that appears in reach this season. Let's try to optimize by relying even more on the bench for their strengths, swish3 scoring and energetic determined defense that can win that critical 3rd Q and the games!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers scored only 10 of 31 (32.3%) versus the SAC Kings 10 of 26 (38.5%) in the Jan 14 loss 115-107. Blazers FG were 37 of 92 (40.2%) vs SAC 43 of 87 (49.4%) in a game in which both Nurk and CJ had a bad night. Nurk scored only 6 points with 11 rebounds and 5 assists, in 29 min, and was again bothered by questionable fouls called on him. CJ scored only 6 points with 6 rebounds and 1 assist in 30 min, and was 2 of 14 for field goals. Blazers committed 11 turnovers in the 1st half, and made only 17 points in the 2nd Q.

Dame led with 4 of 12, Meyers scored 3 of 4, Chief scored 1 of 2, and Seth and Evan each scored 1 of 3. CJ and Zach were each 0 of 1, Jake was 0 of 2, and Nik was 0 of 3. Evan must stop attempting swish3s because he is below 20% for the season, and must be considered selfish to shoot when teammates are shooting 3 times his accuracy. In this game, based on season % shooting, Seth and Meyers should have been shooting the 3rd and 4th Q swish3 attempts to also take pressure off of Dame.

This was a game that showed the coaching mistake of who was in the game based on performance. Meyers scored 11 points with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in only 19 min, and was taken out right after scoring his 3rd swish3 at a time when scoring was needed. In this game, Meyers screened for open shots, gave excellent assists, played good defense, made a dunk, had 0 fouls, and hustled every play. It would have been better to have him on the court when Nurk was struggling in the 2nd half. Seth scored 5 points with 1 rebound and 2 assists in 21 min. Both Meyers instead of Nurk and Seth instead of CJ should have been on the floor 24 min or more based on productivity at both ends of the court.

One weakness that the Blazers must overcome to reach the Championship is more responsive choices by the coaches based on Blazer player productivity in the game. The SAC bench could have been held to less than 58 point scoring (and increase Blazer bench 34 point scoring) if Blazer coaches will rely more strongly on bench players who are producing better than the starters in games like this one.

 

[stampedehero]

BLAZERS NEED to defend three point shooting.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest Jan 16 with CLE Cavaliers by a 30 point margin! Blazers scored 16 of 29 vs CLE 6 of 19. Nurk had a good game with his 1st triple double (including 10 assists) + 5 blocks in 28 min. Jake scored 18 points with 3 assists in 26 min. The Blazers had only 4 turnovers and played good defense most of the time, and won each Q, winning 129 - 112.

Dame led scoring 4 of 6, Zach scored 3 of 4, Jake scored 2 of 2(!), Chief scored 2 of 3, Seth and CJ each scored 2 of 4, and Nik scored 1 of 4. Evan and Simons (who should not be attempting any more swish3s because of unacceptable %) each were 0 of 1. These wasted opportunities need to be prohibited by the coaches. It was absurd to see Simons who has the worst swish3 % in the NBA, i.e., 0, to fail to pass the ball to an open Meyers on the arc to make that swish3. Simons, the high school kid, has shown speed, but terrible shooting, lack of passing, and turnovers.

The Blazers started this game with 2 Dame swish3s but then a lot of misses with back and forth (7 lead changes) until about midway through the 2nd Q, after which the Blazers pulled away and kept a lead of at least 10. The excellent minimization of turnovers (4), 28 assists, and strong 55% swish3 shooting made this a solid win. In the upcoming Pelicans game, it will be important to again have good swish3 distribution involving the best % shooters, 25 or more assists, and screening and passing plays that look for open shots, especially from the arc. With Seth, Meyers, Zach, CJ, and Chief as scoring threats, the multi-teaming of Dame can be used against the Pelicans for enhanced distributed scoring and the win.

 

[Sarni]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest Jan 16 with CLE Cavaliers by a 30 point margin! Blazers scored 16 of 29 vs CLE 6 of 19. Nurk had a good game with his 1st triple double (including 10 assists) + 5 blocks in 28 min. Jake scored 18 points with 3 assists in 26 min. The Blazers had only 4 turnovers and played good defense most of the time, and won each Q, winning 129 - 112.

Dame led scoring 4 of 6, Zach scored 3 of 4, Jake scored 2 of 2(!), Chief scored 2 of 3, Seth and CJ each scored 2 of 4, and Nik scored 1 of 4. Evan and Simons (who should not be attempting any more swish3s because of unacceptable %) each were 0 of 1. These wasted opportunities need to be prohibited by the coaches. It was absurd to see Simons who has the worst swish3 % in the NBA, i.e., 0, to fail to pass the ball to an open Meyers on the arc to make that swish3. Simons, the high school kid, has shown speed, but terrible shooting, lack of passing, and turnovers.

The Blazers started this game with 2 Dame swish3s but then a lot of misses with back and forth (7 lead changes) until about midway through the 2nd Q, after which the Blazers pulled away and kept a lead of at least 10. The excellent minimization of turnovers (4), 28 assists, and strong 55% swish3 shooting made this a solid win. In the upcoming Pelicans game, it will be important to again have good swish3 distribution involving the best % shooters, 25 or more assists, and screening and passing plays that look for open shots, especially from the arc. With Seth, Meyers, Zach, CJ, and Chief as scoring threats, the multi-teaming of Dame can be used against the Pelicans for enhanced distributed scoring and the win.

He has attempted them 8 times this season. I know he's missed all of them but it's really a tiny sample size (yes I know you love tiny sample sizes with Meyers)..

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won scoring 11 of 34 versus NOP 8 of 25 in the Jan 18 home win 128-112. This was a superlative game for Jake, who scored 20 points (10 of them in 1:38) in a blitz with 4 of 7 in 12 min in the 2nd Q to put the Blazers in the lead that NOP could never catch up. As the score reveals, Blazer offense--not defense--won the game, although we won the rebound contest 53 - 41 and scored 23 on offensive rebounds, and passed well with 30 assists and only 6 turnovers. This game was great fun to watch!

Jake led scoring 4 of 9, Chief scored 3 of 6, Dame scored 2 of 9, Meyers scored 1 of 2, and CJ scored 1 of 3. Seth, Zach, and Evan were each 0 of 1, and Mo was 0 of 2. Evan should have passed to an open Meyers rather than wasting the shot, as Meyers will make more than 2.7 times as many swish3s based on season stats. Let's feed open men on the arc in the Jazz and OKC games.

This game shows that the Blazers this season triumph over NOP with Anthony Davis, and have a basis for confidence in the playoffs on the way to the Championship. The offensive growth with shared scoring, multiple swish3 threats, increased assists, spreading the floor, and looking to the arc has us on the way to a 54+ win season. Let's keep the winning streak going!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won scoring 8 of 18 vs UTAH Jazz 7 of 33 in a game in which Blazer defense and swish3 shooting in the 4th Q made the difference. This was a good game for Nurk with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 6 blocks in 32 min despite some questionable ref calls against him and no calls for him. Nurk fouled out on a phantom foul. After a weak 1st half, Nurk fought hard in the 2nd half to get most of his scoring and blocks and brought momentum. Dame scored 26 with 8 rebounds and 8 assists, scoring his swish3 in the 4th Q when needed. CJ scored 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists and a steal, and took only 17 FGA in 38 min. Jake scored 12 points with 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in 25 min.

Meyers led scoring 2 of 2, Jake scored 2 of 3, CJ scored 2 of 4, Seth scored 1 of 1, and Dame scored 1 of 5. Zach was 0 of 1 and Chief was 0 of 2. Despite falling far short of the target 15 swish3s, the 44.4% was better than UTAH and enough for the win. For the OKC game, Blazers will need 15+ to win, and should employ a game plan that aims for 6+ attempts each by Meyers, Jake, and Seth.

This game marks another important step on the way to a 54+ win season and on the the Championship, and is notable for the psychological victory over the UTAH team that only a month ago beat the Blazers by 30 points at PDX.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers lost scoring 10 of 36 (only 28%!) vs OKC 11 of 23 Jan 22 in a game which showed the importance of swish3 shooting, a let down in passing (both 19 turnovers and only 21 assists) that showed a regression from recent progress. There were a lot of unforced errors, instances of weak defense, and a number of adverse ref calls that held us back.

CJ led scoring 7 of 12, Dame scored 2 of 10, and Meyers scored 1 of 3. Seth and Nurk were each 0 of 1, Jake was 0 of 4, and Chief was 0 of 5. The Blazers failed to run the rotations that would create catch and shoots for Seth, Meyers, and Jake that were needed in a game in which Dame struggled and Chief was missing. The Blazers need to plan for 15+ swish3s for wins.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers scored 12 of 26 (46.2%) vs the PHO Suns 13 of 38 and thus less than the Suns, but the better FG3% and FG% (46.8% vs 40.9%) was sufficient for the 120 - 106 win. This was a balanced scoring game (Dame, CJ, Nurk, Jake, and Seth in double figures with 25 assists and 16 turnovers. Although turnovers mostly due to bad passes and early game weak defense that allowed a Suns driving advantage were flaws to correct, the game was not in doubt in the 2nd half. This was a needed road win.

CJ again led scoring 4 of 8, Seth scored 3 of 7, Jake scored 2 of 6, Dame scored 1 of 3, and Chief and Mo each scored 1 of 1. The efficiency of shooting was nicely accomplished by avoiding wasted shots by lower percentage shooters.