Blazers need 3 point scoring
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Based on the fact that Meyers is now 52/52/100 and recognized in Basketball-reference as the 2nd highest percentage swish3 scorer in the league, I would like to see his min increased to 24 and his priority for Blazer scoring increased. With the more effective movement that he is showing on offense and defense, feeding him at sweet spot for open swish3s and on runs to the hoop for dunk2s and drawn fouls that can give add1s makes sense. There is no reason I see that Meyers should not increase his game scoring average to 16-20, and if he can grow through the 15 point per game point to approach 30 points. Now that his PER is over 20 and his scoring is at the top of the league, his role as backup center can make Nurk more effective by allowing him to play his sweet spot 24 min per game.
At the 8 min mark in the first quarter, when Meyers has been most effective (>80% swish3 shooting), I would play Meyers to allow for the next 8 playing min to allow 4-6 swish3 attempts. And again at the last 4 min of the 3rd quarter for 8 min to allow another group of 4-6 swish3s. At his current scoring pace, this would rack up 12 to 18 swish3 points that will make the difference in getting to the 130 points that will likely be needed to beat the Bucks and the Warriors. This is a remarkable opportunity for the Blazers. Let's not miss the chance to have 14 wins in 19 games (73.7%)!
At the 8 min mark in the first quarter, when Meyers has been most effective (>80% swish3 shooting), I would play Meyers to allow for the next 8 playing min to allow 4-6 swish3 attempts. And again at the last 4 min of the 3rd quarter for 8 min to allow another group of 4-6 swish3s. At his current scoring pace, this would rack up 12 to 18 swish3 points that will make the difference in getting to the 130 points that will likely be needed to beat the Bucks and the Warriors. This is a remarkable opportunity for the Blazers. Let's not miss the chance to have 14 wins in 19 games (73.7%)!
The Blazers loss to the Bucks Nov 21 was a hard loss, beat 143 to 100 and falling out of the WC lead. This was a down game that obviously lacked defensive intensity and effectiveness. Despite a poor start, the coaches did not respond soon enough to get back on course when fresh energy and determined defense was needed. Despite some help with the return of Mo, the Blazers gave up 143 points, a lot of them to layups which were particularly poorly defended.
The Blazers lost the swish3 game scoring only 9 of 42 against the Bucks 14 of 45, a 15 point deficit. This was a bad night for Chief who was 0 of 9. CJ was 2 of 4, Zach was 2 of 2, Meyers was 2 of 3, Dame and Nik were each 1 of 6, and Wade was 1 of 1. The all miss list was Chief 0 of 9, Mo 0 of 4, Jake and Evan each 0 of 2, and Nurk, Simons, and Caleb 0 of 1. Simons and Caleb should be instructed not to attempt swish3s, and "the stop attempting swish3s after 3 consecutive misses" standard should be observed. Meyers, Evan, and Mo had the smallest negative +/- values.
The Blazers probably need 15+ swish3s to win games like this one, and should be counting on the men with the hottest hand. The note above that I posted before the game was just what did not happen, but could have given the Blazers a chance to at least stay within 10 points. The Bucks were hot, shooting 54% FG for the game given the weak Blazer defense, but there should have been at least 120 points scored if there had been assists, plays to promote swish3 shooting, and selecting the hot hands to shoot. Starters were an awful 3 of 22 and the bench (even including Simons and Caleb) were 6 of 20. Given the scoring that Meyers achieved early in the game, I would not have substituted Caleb for him and was negatively impressed with the result. To beat the Warriors, the Blazers should return to relying on the bench and emphasizing hot hand shooting and active defense.
The Blazers lost the swish3 game scoring only 9 of 42 against the Bucks 14 of 45, a 15 point deficit. This was a bad night for Chief who was 0 of 9. CJ was 2 of 4, Zach was 2 of 2, Meyers was 2 of 3, Dame and Nik were each 1 of 6, and Wade was 1 of 1. The all miss list was Chief 0 of 9, Mo 0 of 4, Jake and Evan each 0 of 2, and Nurk, Simons, and Caleb 0 of 1. Simons and Caleb should be instructed not to attempt swish3s, and "the stop attempting swish3s after 3 consecutive misses" standard should be observed. Meyers, Evan, and Mo had the smallest negative +/- values.
The Blazers probably need 15+ swish3s to win games like this one, and should be counting on the men with the hottest hand. The note above that I posted before the game was just what did not happen, but could have given the Blazers a chance to at least stay within 10 points. The Bucks were hot, shooting 54% FG for the game given the weak Blazer defense, but there should have been at least 120 points scored if there had been assists, plays to promote swish3 shooting, and selecting the hot hands to shoot. Starters were an awful 3 of 22 and the bench (even including Simons and Caleb) were 6 of 20. Given the scoring that Meyers achieved early in the game, I would not have substituted Caleb for him and was negatively impressed with the result. To beat the Warriors, the Blazers should return to relying on the bench and emphasizing hot hand shooting and active defense.
It is time to review who should be shooting swish3s and who should not attempt swish3s. Gary, Meyers, and Seth are the leading players, although Gary only has 2 of 3. In contrast, Simons, Evan, and Nurk are the worst. Simons is 0 of 5, Evan is 4 of 24, and Nurk is 2 of 18. These % below 20 should translate into not taking more attempts.
The criterion to qualify for attempting 3 point shots should be having made at least 6 of the first 17 attempts (35.3 %), and for players who fail this cutoff, there should be no more swish3 attempts. Instead, the scoring opportunities should be saved for the high % shooters. If the Blazers stop squandering shooting chances, and feed the hot hands, swish3 scoring each game and consequent wins will increase.
To focus swish3 scoring productivity, I propose that the Blazers embellish the half-court scheme by adding plays to feed the swish3 hot hand by quick passes from drives into the lane as kick outs to sweet spots on the arc with the shooter popping to the spot just in time to take the shot. The sequence that I visualize begins with a screen that frees the first Blazer to drive to the paint, the kick out pass, 1-3 arc perimeter passes, optionally another drive to the paint, and the assist pass or passes for the payoff swish3.
This swish3 play should be run mixed with existing offense schemes at least 6 times each quarter, adding 9+ points. Maximizing swish3 scoring can lead to a Championship.
The criterion to qualify for attempting 3 point shots should be having made at least 6 of the first 17 attempts (35.3 %), and for players who fail this cutoff, there should be no more swish3 attempts. Instead, the scoring opportunities should be saved for the high % shooters. If the Blazers stop squandering shooting chances, and feed the hot hands, swish3 scoring each game and consequent wins will increase.
To focus swish3 scoring productivity, I propose that the Blazers embellish the half-court scheme by adding plays to feed the swish3 hot hand by quick passes from drives into the lane as kick outs to sweet spots on the arc with the shooter popping to the spot just in time to take the shot. The sequence that I visualize begins with a screen that frees the first Blazer to drive to the paint, the kick out pass, 1-3 arc perimeter passes, optionally another drive to the paint, and the assist pass or passes for the payoff swish3.
This swish3 play should be run mixed with existing offense schemes at least 6 times each quarter, adding 9+ points. Maximizing swish3 scoring can lead to a Championship.
The Blazers lost the swish3 game to the Warriors in a second embarrassing game. Blazers were 9 of 24 (only 27 of the target 45 points) versus the Warriors 17 of 32. This 24 point swish3 deficit accounts for most of the 28 point losing margin. The Blazers were out-rebounded 42 to 40 and out-blocked 11 to 2, and made only 54.5% of FT. The Blazers had only 22 assists compared to 29 for the Warriors. There were only 19 points from the bench compared with 37 from the Warriors.
Dame led swish3 scoring with 3 of 7, CJ was 3 of 8, Chief was 2 of 4, and Nik was 1 of 1. Jake, Zach, Mo, and Seth were each 0 of 1. The Warriors were on a roll as Kevin Durant, who up to this point was 31.5% for swish3s, scored 2 of 5, Klay (a 32.4% swish3 shooter) was 4 of 9, Quinn Cook was 5 of 8, and Iguodala was 2 of 2. Even bench players Lee and Jerebko were each 2 of 4. Some of these were contested, but too many of them, especially in the 2nd quarter, were not well guarded.
With 8 more swish3s and 5 more FT scored, the Blazers could have won this game. Let's count on the coaches analyzing the last 2 games to better recognize what is happening, make better substitutions, and return the active energy play that was successful in previous games to move us back to a conference leading winning percentage.
Dame led swish3 scoring with 3 of 7, CJ was 3 of 8, Chief was 2 of 4, and Nik was 1 of 1. Jake, Zach, Mo, and Seth were each 0 of 1. The Warriors were on a roll as Kevin Durant, who up to this point was 31.5% for swish3s, scored 2 of 5, Klay (a 32.4% swish3 shooter) was 4 of 9, Quinn Cook was 5 of 8, and Iguodala was 2 of 2. Even bench players Lee and Jerebko were each 2 of 4. Some of these were contested, but too many of them, especially in the 2nd quarter, were not well guarded.
With 8 more swish3s and 5 more FT scored, the Blazers could have won this game. Let's count on the coaches analyzing the last 2 games to better recognize what is happening, make better substitutions, and return the active energy play that was successful in previous games to move us back to a conference leading winning percentage.
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The Blazers were better than the Clippers Nov 25 scoring 24 points on 8 of 38 while the Clips were 5 of 25, but lost the game 104 to 100 with the Clips getting 23 from FT versus the Blazers 8. There is no justifying that FT advantage except for the ref bias that Doc Rivers seems to have on the Blazers home court. This imbalance needs to stop.
The Blazers won the first half playing well, including active defense and multiple input scoring. But in the 3rd quarter the Clippers went on a run as the Blazers turned cold and the 3rd quarter was a 38 to 16 embarrassment won by the Clippers. Nurk was out for the 2nd half with an injury and that abrupt shift in offense disrupted both defense and offense. The choice of swish3 shot attempts did not follow the principles of focused shooting by the hot hands or stopping attempts after 3 consecutive misses.
Dame was 3 of 13, CJ and Meyers were 2 of 4, and Seth was 1 of 4. Missing all shots were Chief 0 of 5, Evan 0 of 3, Mo 0 of 2, and Nurk, Nik, and Zach each 0 of 1. Because of the low % for the season, Evan, Nurk, and maybe even Zach need to stop attempting swish3s. Instead of these squandered shots, assign the attempts to the high % shooters. If the 3 swish3 attempts taken by Evan had been shot instead by Meyers, this game could have been a win, even in spite of the biased reffing and bad bounces.
What is needed is a plan in which the highest % shooters are taking the shots, and prioritization of getting assist passes to them instead of desperation shots or shots too early in the 24 sec clock. The Blazers need to emphasize the game that has multiple passes on the arc that allow receiving just in time assists at the sweet spots allowing the 40%+ swish3 shooting (or 50-70% in the case of Meyers) that will result in the 15 made swish3s needed to win.
The Blazers won the first half playing well, including active defense and multiple input scoring. But in the 3rd quarter the Clippers went on a run as the Blazers turned cold and the 3rd quarter was a 38 to 16 embarrassment won by the Clippers. Nurk was out for the 2nd half with an injury and that abrupt shift in offense disrupted both defense and offense. The choice of swish3 shot attempts did not follow the principles of focused shooting by the hot hands or stopping attempts after 3 consecutive misses.
Dame was 3 of 13, CJ and Meyers were 2 of 4, and Seth was 1 of 4. Missing all shots were Chief 0 of 5, Evan 0 of 3, Mo 0 of 2, and Nurk, Nik, and Zach each 0 of 1. Because of the low % for the season, Evan, Nurk, and maybe even Zach need to stop attempting swish3s. Instead of these squandered shots, assign the attempts to the high % shooters. If the 3 swish3 attempts taken by Evan had been shot instead by Meyers, this game could have been a win, even in spite of the biased reffing and bad bounces.
What is needed is a plan in which the highest % shooters are taking the shots, and prioritization of getting assist passes to them instead of desperation shots or shots too early in the 24 sec clock. The Blazers need to emphasize the game that has multiple passes on the arc that allow receiving just in time assists at the sweet spots allowing the 40%+ swish3 shooting (or 50-70% in the case of Meyers) that will result in the 15 made swish3s needed to win.
Fez Hammersticks
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Like career 40% 3pt shooter Otto Porter?
Yip.
Yip.
One note that I left out of my observations on the Nov 25 Clippers game is that the 8 of 38 shooting is a disappointing 21%!
Even shooting team average 35% swish3s would have given 13 of 38 for 15 additional points and the win.
Selection of who attempted the swish3s can be considered the reason for loss of this game that the Blazers should have won.
Even shooting team average 35% swish3s would have given 13 of 38 for 15 additional points and the win.
Selection of who attempted the swish3s can be considered the reason for loss of this game that the Blazers should have won.
Excellent! The Blazers won the swish3 contest by 15 points scoring 19 of 39 over the Magic who scored 14 of 30. This was a record game for Dame who scored 10 of 15 swish3s and for Nik who scored 5 of 8. Nurk scored 1 of 1, Meyers and Zach each scored 1 of 3, CJ was 1 of 5, Chief was 0 for 2, and Mo and Seth were each 0 for 1.
This was a much better game from the viewpoint of scoring more swish3s and selecting the hot hands, which Dame (66.7%) and Nik (62.5%) had, and this will help the average of Dame that had been slipping. Dame moves from a season average of 33.5% to 36.5% and Nik moves from 38.1% to 40.8% with this one game. The Blazers won the rebound contest 47 to 37. The Blazers made major progress by emphasizing the swish3 and hot hand shooting!
The win is in spite of poor foul shooting at only 68.8% (22 of 32) while the Magic shot 93.3% (14 of 15). At the end of the game, Evan missed 4 FT in a row and CJ missed 2 that were surprising as for the season Evan is 70% and CJ is 83.3% and this misses put the game in jeopardy. The Magic never gave up, and kept the contest too close for comfort.
In my view, there were serious officiating faults in this game and the Blazers did not have high quality handling on the home court that should be demanded. There were again fouls not called when there were hard hits and shot disturbances to Dame, CJ, Nurk, Mo, Chief, Nik, Zach, Meyers, Seth, and Evan. The smash to the head that Meyers took on his drive to the basket for which no foul was called appeared to be a flagrant foul. Fouls called on Nurk at the end of the half and in the 4th quarter and on Meyers and 1 on Zach were phantoms. And that layup by Simons at the end of the half was clearly traveling as he took 3 giant steps. That should have been no basket! And the debacle of not managing the clock at the end of the game that threatened to give the chance to score back to the Magic was not worthy of professional sports. The Blazers don't have the home court advantage, or even level playing field. Let's hope to see this changed for the next and all following games.
This was a much better game from the viewpoint of scoring more swish3s and selecting the hot hands, which Dame (66.7%) and Nik (62.5%) had, and this will help the average of Dame that had been slipping. Dame moves from a season average of 33.5% to 36.5% and Nik moves from 38.1% to 40.8% with this one game. The Blazers won the rebound contest 47 to 37. The Blazers made major progress by emphasizing the swish3 and hot hand shooting!
The win is in spite of poor foul shooting at only 68.8% (22 of 32) while the Magic shot 93.3% (14 of 15). At the end of the game, Evan missed 4 FT in a row and CJ missed 2 that were surprising as for the season Evan is 70% and CJ is 83.3% and this misses put the game in jeopardy. The Magic never gave up, and kept the contest too close for comfort.
In my view, there were serious officiating faults in this game and the Blazers did not have high quality handling on the home court that should be demanded. There were again fouls not called when there were hard hits and shot disturbances to Dame, CJ, Nurk, Mo, Chief, Nik, Zach, Meyers, Seth, and Evan. The smash to the head that Meyers took on his drive to the basket for which no foul was called appeared to be a flagrant foul. Fouls called on Nurk at the end of the half and in the 4th quarter and on Meyers and 1 on Zach were phantoms. And that layup by Simons at the end of the half was clearly traveling as he took 3 giant steps. That should have been no basket! And the debacle of not managing the clock at the end of the game that threatened to give the chance to score back to the Magic was not worthy of professional sports. The Blazers don't have the home court advantage, or even level playing field. Let's hope to see this changed for the next and all following games.
Against the Nuggets Nov 30, the Blazers lost the contest by 24 points and the game by 1 point. This was a pathetic swish3 scoring game for the Blazers, who were only 6 of 22 (27%!) that was significantly inferior to the Nuggets 14 of 30 (which is the same swish3 shooting numbers that the Magic had 2 nights ago). The Nuggets were hot in the first half, and scored a whooping 68 points in the first half against the Blazers 53. In the situation where Dame and CJ were not scoring swish3s, the Blazers failed to use top of the NBA talent Meyers to answer the 3 point scoring raining in from the Nuggets and trailed by 15-19 points. This is a game that the Blazers should have won.
It is obvious by the fact that the Blazers most accurate swish3 shooter attempted only 2 swish3 shots in the entire game that there was no game plan to feed shot opportunities to Meyers. I counted at least 6 times when he was open at the arc, but he was neglected by Dame, CJ, Evan, and others when they instead tried shots which defenders blocked. They did not seem to even look to see the open man at a scoring sweet spot. If Meyers had taken the 6 swish3 attempts that should have been in the game plan, the Blazers would have probably had 6 more points and the win.
Swish3 scoring was by Dame 3 of 8, Chief 2 of 4, and Meyers 1 of 2. Swish3 misses were by CJ 4, and Nurk, Nik, Zach, and Mo each missed 1. The swish3 attempts should be concentrated by game plan design to be made by the leading swish3 % shooters, and the aim should be to score 15+ swish3s, which correlates with higher winning %, and to avoid less than 12 which correlates with losses. If the backcourt and the arc passing rim would be looking for the shots in the scenario of good off ball movement and crisp passing, the shots are there.
Meyers did score 11 points with 3 of 5 2-point shots made, 2 of 3 FT, 4 rebounds, a block, and 3 assists. He played good defense accounting for challenges that resulted in missed shots from Milsap, Harris, Jokic, Plumlee, and several Nuggets. I thought he contributed importantly to the comeback that erased the deficit. CJ led Blazer scoring with 33 points and Chief had 20 points in this game. CJ, Chief, and Meyers deserve credit for keeping the Blazers in it.
A few highly surprising elements of this game were the lack of calling a balanced game by the refs, who did not award Dame any foul shots when I saw him obviously fouled at least 8 times. And consistency would have meant that CJ, Nurk, Chief, Mo, Meyers, Zach, and Nik could have been awarded free throws. The combination of failing to utilize swish3 scoring power and some missed ref calls would have most likely have translated into a win.
Some big disappointments in missed FT by Evan, who also committed multiple ugly turnovers, and lapses in the defense, also were factors that left the door open for the Nuggets to score a lot of points in the 1st half and to stay in front or tied at the end. The Nuggets are a talented team that played well and had 28 assists (compared to the Blazers 19), but were beatable.
The upcoming Texas trip will provide chances for the Blazers to optimize scoring by 15+ swish3 scoring and consistent determined defense, and that is what I expect to see.
It is obvious by the fact that the Blazers most accurate swish3 shooter attempted only 2 swish3 shots in the entire game that there was no game plan to feed shot opportunities to Meyers. I counted at least 6 times when he was open at the arc, but he was neglected by Dame, CJ, Evan, and others when they instead tried shots which defenders blocked. They did not seem to even look to see the open man at a scoring sweet spot. If Meyers had taken the 6 swish3 attempts that should have been in the game plan, the Blazers would have probably had 6 more points and the win.
Swish3 scoring was by Dame 3 of 8, Chief 2 of 4, and Meyers 1 of 2. Swish3 misses were by CJ 4, and Nurk, Nik, Zach, and Mo each missed 1. The swish3 attempts should be concentrated by game plan design to be made by the leading swish3 % shooters, and the aim should be to score 15+ swish3s, which correlates with higher winning %, and to avoid less than 12 which correlates with losses. If the backcourt and the arc passing rim would be looking for the shots in the scenario of good off ball movement and crisp passing, the shots are there.
Meyers did score 11 points with 3 of 5 2-point shots made, 2 of 3 FT, 4 rebounds, a block, and 3 assists. He played good defense accounting for challenges that resulted in missed shots from Milsap, Harris, Jokic, Plumlee, and several Nuggets. I thought he contributed importantly to the comeback that erased the deficit. CJ led Blazer scoring with 33 points and Chief had 20 points in this game. CJ, Chief, and Meyers deserve credit for keeping the Blazers in it.
A few highly surprising elements of this game were the lack of calling a balanced game by the refs, who did not award Dame any foul shots when I saw him obviously fouled at least 8 times. And consistency would have meant that CJ, Nurk, Chief, Mo, Meyers, Zach, and Nik could have been awarded free throws. The combination of failing to utilize swish3 scoring power and some missed ref calls would have most likely have translated into a win.
Some big disappointments in missed FT by Evan, who also committed multiple ugly turnovers, and lapses in the defense, also were factors that left the door open for the Nuggets to score a lot of points in the 1st half and to stay in front or tied at the end. The Nuggets are a talented team that played well and had 28 assists (compared to the Blazers 19), but were beatable.
The upcoming Texas trip will provide chances for the Blazers to optimize scoring by 15+ swish3 scoring and consistent determined defense, and that is what I expect to see.
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The Spurs game Dec 2 was a study of having a winning strategy, but then turning away from success, lack of adequate defense, and exceptionally high percentage shooting by the Spurs (60% FG, 73.3% FT3, 91%FT). Although the Blazers 12 of 29 won the swish3 contest, the Spurs 11 of 15 was far beyond their average 37.9% season average, and coupled with 39 of 68 FG2s vs the Blazers 33 of 57 FG2s. There was not enough swish3 shooting by the Blazers best shooters or enough defense.
In the 1st Q, and again in the 3rd Q, the Blazers took the lead. Swish3s by Dame 2 and Chief in the 1st, by Mo 2 in the 2nd, and by Chief 3, Nik, and CJ in the 3rd, and Dame and CJ in the 4th comprised the scores, but those 2 in the 4th Q took 7 shots. Gay (2 of 2), White (1 of 1), and Patty Mills (1 of 1) combined scored 4 of 4 during that 4th Q. The Blazers needed 50%+ swish3 shooting.
Chief led Blazer swish3 scoring with 4 of 5 (but no attempts in the 4th Q), Dame scored 3 of 11, Mo scored 2 of 2, CJ scored 2 of 6, Nik scored 1 of 3, and Zach was 0 of 2. There were no swish3 attempts in the game (and only 1 FG shot) by Meyers, the Blazers only 50%+ swish3 shooter.
This was a much better game for Mo, who made both of his 2 swish3 shots, and for Chief who made 4 of 5 of his, but why were there no swish3 attempts by either Mo or Chief in the 4th quarter, and why were there no swish3 attempts by Meyers? These seem to be valid criticisms of the coaches who we count on to bring out the best in offense and defense in Blazer players. Without a defensive strategy to hold opponent swish3 shooting down to <40% and selection of Blazer swish3 shooting to achieve scoring 15, probability of 50+ wins is low. Let's look for maximizing strengths in future games that should include shooting from the arc by Blazers with the hot hand throughout the game, especially in the last half of the 2nd and 4th Q. Wins will be possible!
In the 1st Q, and again in the 3rd Q, the Blazers took the lead. Swish3s by Dame 2 and Chief in the 1st, by Mo 2 in the 2nd, and by Chief 3, Nik, and CJ in the 3rd, and Dame and CJ in the 4th comprised the scores, but those 2 in the 4th Q took 7 shots. Gay (2 of 2), White (1 of 1), and Patty Mills (1 of 1) combined scored 4 of 4 during that 4th Q. The Blazers needed 50%+ swish3 shooting.
Chief led Blazer swish3 scoring with 4 of 5 (but no attempts in the 4th Q), Dame scored 3 of 11, Mo scored 2 of 2, CJ scored 2 of 6, Nik scored 1 of 3, and Zach was 0 of 2. There were no swish3 attempts in the game (and only 1 FG shot) by Meyers, the Blazers only 50%+ swish3 shooter.
This was a much better game for Mo, who made both of his 2 swish3 shots, and for Chief who made 4 of 5 of his, but why were there no swish3 attempts by either Mo or Chief in the 4th quarter, and why were there no swish3 attempts by Meyers? These seem to be valid criticisms of the coaches who we count on to bring out the best in offense and defense in Blazer players. Without a defensive strategy to hold opponent swish3 shooting down to <40% and selection of Blazer swish3 shooting to achieve scoring 15, probability of 50+ wins is low. Let's look for maximizing strengths in future games that should include shooting from the arc by Blazers with the hot hand throughout the game, especially in the last half of the 2nd and 4th Q. Wins will be possible!
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The Blazers lost the Dec 4 MAV swish3 game shooting a pathetic 7 of 24 (29%!) versus the MAVs 11 of 30 and this 12 point deficit was greater than the margin of loss 111 to 102. This game was a foolish failure by Blazer coaches to call on Meyers as one of 2 leading swish3 % shooters in the NBA to contribute to the Blazer offense. There was not even the off the ball rotation assignment or looks for passes at the arc that indicate the game plan included shooting by Meyers. This strategic squandering of the Texas games needs to be addressed by insistent questioning of the game plan.
In the MAVs game, lack of defense again allowed higher than average scoring by an opponent, and the Cuban officiating contributed to the 1st Q 17 to 3 run from which the Blazers did not recover. Fouls called on Meyers, Dame, Nurk, and Mo and the no calls against them were a significant factor. Nurk fouled out. Dame and CJ each had 5 PF. A technical foul on Mo and Chief each further shows the reffing adversity. The coaches need to be calling for consistent officiating in all games.
Dame was 2 of 8, CJ was 2 of 7, Chief, Mo, and Seth were 1 of 2, and Nik was 0 of 3.
In several seasons, Meyers scored 3-5 swish3s in 28 games. There are 2 games with 5 and 7 games with 4 swish3s, and in those games he has made 24 and 23 PPG (and several 15-18 PPG) contributions. These productive scoring additions are what is needed to add to the total score, open the floor, open shots for Dame, CJ, and other teammates, and produce wins. It is time to recognize Meyers as the leading swish3 % shooter to optimize the scoring potential on the Blazers.
Let's look for a better game plan that maximizes player talents for future games.
In the MAVs game, lack of defense again allowed higher than average scoring by an opponent, and the Cuban officiating contributed to the 1st Q 17 to 3 run from which the Blazers did not recover. Fouls called on Meyers, Dame, Nurk, and Mo and the no calls against them were a significant factor. Nurk fouled out. Dame and CJ each had 5 PF. A technical foul on Mo and Chief each further shows the reffing adversity. The coaches need to be calling for consistent officiating in all games.
Dame was 2 of 8, CJ was 2 of 7, Chief, Mo, and Seth were 1 of 2, and Nik was 0 of 3.
In several seasons, Meyers scored 3-5 swish3s in 28 games. There are 2 games with 5 and 7 games with 4 swish3s, and in those games he has made 24 and 23 PPG (and several 15-18 PPG) contributions. These productive scoring additions are what is needed to add to the total score, open the floor, open shots for Dame, CJ, and other teammates, and produce wins. It is time to recognize Meyers as the leading swish3 % shooter to optimize the scoring potential on the Blazers.
Let's look for a better game plan that maximizes player talents for future games.
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TorturedBlazerFan
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Mrs. Leonard I admire your effort. Something I havent always admired from your husband. However I’ll give him credit. He’s a lot better this year than he has been.
The Blazers won the swish3 contest scoring 9 of 27 compared to the Suns 5 of 27 on Dec 6. This was a game started and orchestrated by Dame and well aided by Jake, each of whom were 3 of 5. Chief and Meyers were each 1 of 2, and Seth was 1 of 3. Missed attempts were by Nurk, Evan, Zach, and Wade, who were each 0 of 1, Gary 0 of 2, and Nik 0 of 4. The coaches should state that Nurk, Evan, and Wade should not attempt swish3s based on low season %.
This was a great game for Jake, with a nice return that included 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. Dame and Chief had good games, with +/- of 31 and 30. Zach had 10 points with 4 of 6 FG with 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and only 2 PF. Mo had 6 points on 3 of 3 FG with 1 rebound and 2 steals.
The Blazers played strong determined defense that held the Suns to 9 points in the 1st Q and 18 points in the 3rd Q. The substitutions allowed for more min of the game to accomplish tenacious defense and facilitated dominant Blazer scoring. The is the formula to carry forward. Let's look forward to this level of play Saturday against MIN and for upcoming challenging games.
This was a great game for Jake, with a nice return that included 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. Dame and Chief had good games, with +/- of 31 and 30. Zach had 10 points with 4 of 6 FG with 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and only 2 PF. Mo had 6 points on 3 of 3 FG with 1 rebound and 2 steals.
The Blazers played strong determined defense that held the Suns to 9 points in the 1st Q and 18 points in the 3rd Q. The substitutions allowed for more min of the game to accomplish tenacious defense and facilitated dominant Blazer scoring. The is the formula to carry forward. Let's look forward to this level of play Saturday against MIN and for upcoming challenging games.
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There's no doubt in my mind Meyers is vastly improved this season...I no longer hold my breath when he's in the game...his rebounding and passing has been solid as well as his offensive production....he's still a bit butterfingered in traffic at times but hey...much better player all around.
But the Blazers won! This was a great night for Dame and Jake. Let's expect to see them keep it going!
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I've been a Jake fan all season long...Jake Zack Stauskas and ET play well with Meyers
I agree with you, and see that Meyers is working on improving his ball handling. It will help if he gets the passes chest high rather than below his waist height. He has made a lot of strong effective screens to open shots for others, and has improved his passing and vision of who is open.
Yes! With Jake and Meyers adding swish3 scoring to boost Dame and CJ, and Nik when he is hot, there is distributed scoring that is ready to challenge any team. My concern is that ET should assist the others, but not attempt swish3s because of his low % scored.
Distributed swish3 scoring is really the key to optimizing Blazer scoring performance. There is no reason that 4 or more Blazers should not be scoring 3-5 swish3s per game. In the Suns win as in the Nov 20 Knicks game, the swish3 scoring was distributed among players, adding to Dame's 3, and aiming toward the 12-15 that will be needed to win.
Focusing swish3 shooting on Blazers with the highest swish3 % presently means Meyers (51.2%), Seth (44.2%), Jake (40.9%), Gary (40%), Nik (36.6%), and Dame and CJ (both 36.1%). When Blazers coaches recognize and exploit the swish3 scoring talent of the 5 players currently ahead of Dame, swish3 scoring by the Blazers can average 12+ per game rather than the current average of 11.2, which is less than the opponents who are averaging 11.4. Remembering that Meyers has scored 3-5 swish3s in 28 games over the seasons, and Jake scored 5 of 7 Nov 1 against GSW, and with a game plan that returns to player off ball movement to sweet spots on the arc (including the corners), energy, timing, and enhanced ball movement (at least 24 assists), there should be 3 Blazers with 3-4 swish3s scored and 3 with 1 or 2, which is enough to reach the goal of 15+ swish3s scored per game. In my view, this will be enough to produce a result of 7 wins in the next 12 games (even given strong opponents), and with a few breaks, perhaps 8 wins. Let's try it!
Focusing swish3 shooting on Blazers with the highest swish3 % presently means Meyers (51.2%), Seth (44.2%), Jake (40.9%), Gary (40%), Nik (36.6%), and Dame and CJ (both 36.1%). When Blazers coaches recognize and exploit the swish3 scoring talent of the 5 players currently ahead of Dame, swish3 scoring by the Blazers can average 12+ per game rather than the current average of 11.2, which is less than the opponents who are averaging 11.4. Remembering that Meyers has scored 3-5 swish3s in 28 games over the seasons, and Jake scored 5 of 7 Nov 1 against GSW, and with a game plan that returns to player off ball movement to sweet spots on the arc (including the corners), energy, timing, and enhanced ball movement (at least 24 assists), there should be 3 Blazers with 3-4 swish3s scored and 3 with 1 or 2, which is enough to reach the goal of 15+ swish3s scored per game. In my view, this will be enough to produce a result of 7 wins in the next 12 games (even given strong opponents), and with a few breaks, perhaps 8 wins. Let's try it!
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The Blazers won the swish3 contest scoring 10 of 33 versus MIN 7 of 16 on Dec 8. That is only 30.3% swish3 scoring, and is short of the target 15 swish3s needed to beat strong challenges, like several upcoming. This was a good game for Dame who had 28 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal, and for Nurk who had 22 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and 3 steals. CJ had 19 points with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. Chief had 14 points with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, and 2 steals. Mo had 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.
The win was limited to the 113 to 105 final score by a high 19 turnovers (MIN had 12) and the erratic officiating which really took the 1st Q momentum away with phantom calls against Nurk, Dame, Mo, Chief, and Meyers. The refs allowed obvious flops by Rose, Wiggins, Towns, Teague, Gibson, Dieng, and Okogie to be called as fouls and did not make calls of fouls of Dame, CJ, Nurk, Chief, and Mo. It is a disappointment that the coaches do not insist on at least consistent foul calls on our home court.
A major factor in keeping MIN in the game was the turnovers that resulted mostly from bad passes. The turnovers need to be kept under control in future games.
Dame was 4 of 9, CJ was 3 of 7, Mo was 2 of 3, and Nik was 1 of 3 for swish3 scoring. Those missing all attempts were Chief 3, Jake 6, Zach 1, and Meyers 1. This was a bad game for Jake, who not only continued attempting swish3s after missing 3 consecutive attempts (this defines having a cold hand that means stop), but also scored only 2 of 10 FG attempts and had 0 assists in his 15.3 min. Contrasted with his hot hand in the Suns game 2 days earlier, this cold shooting illustrates why deciding who should attempt swish3s should be governed by in game performance, and why the limit on shooting (3 consecutive misses) is needed.
The Blazer run of 16-3 in the last 4 min with the starters in the game had only 1 turnover and is reassuring for observing that the Blazers can win a contested game, even when behind by 6 points in the 4th Q. Prioritizing swish3 shooting and selecting who should shoot, running the floor spacing and arc shooting dominant floor rotations, and keeping up intensity will allow achieving >60% wins.
The win was limited to the 113 to 105 final score by a high 19 turnovers (MIN had 12) and the erratic officiating which really took the 1st Q momentum away with phantom calls against Nurk, Dame, Mo, Chief, and Meyers. The refs allowed obvious flops by Rose, Wiggins, Towns, Teague, Gibson, Dieng, and Okogie to be called as fouls and did not make calls of fouls of Dame, CJ, Nurk, Chief, and Mo. It is a disappointment that the coaches do not insist on at least consistent foul calls on our home court.
A major factor in keeping MIN in the game was the turnovers that resulted mostly from bad passes. The turnovers need to be kept under control in future games.
Dame was 4 of 9, CJ was 3 of 7, Mo was 2 of 3, and Nik was 1 of 3 for swish3 scoring. Those missing all attempts were Chief 3, Jake 6, Zach 1, and Meyers 1. This was a bad game for Jake, who not only continued attempting swish3s after missing 3 consecutive attempts (this defines having a cold hand that means stop), but also scored only 2 of 10 FG attempts and had 0 assists in his 15.3 min. Contrasted with his hot hand in the Suns game 2 days earlier, this cold shooting illustrates why deciding who should attempt swish3s should be governed by in game performance, and why the limit on shooting (3 consecutive misses) is needed.
The Blazer run of 16-3 in the last 4 min with the starters in the game had only 1 turnover and is reassuring for observing that the Blazers can win a contested game, even when behind by 6 points in the 4th Q. Prioritizing swish3 shooting and selecting who should shoot, running the floor spacing and arc shooting dominant floor rotations, and keeping up intensity will allow achieving >60% wins.
The Blazers won the swish3 Dec 11 HOU contest scoring 10 of 25 versus 9 of 29 for HOU, and the 1st half 54-51 in which 7 of the swish3s were scored. The Blazers had a 15 point lead early based on excellent defensive and offensive intensity, but the Blazer bench scored only 13 points in comparison to the HOU bench 37 points. There was a falloff in scoring not only in the 2nd Q but also in the 4th Q. In both instances of HOU runs, there were tough fouls not called that should have allowed FT by Dame, Nurk, Chief, Mo, Zach, and Seth that limited Blazer (and boosted HOU) scoring.
Dame had 34 points and was 4 of 7, Seth was 2 of 2, Chief was 2 of 4 (and had 15 rebounds!), Zach was 1 of 2, and Mo was 1 of 3. CJ was 0 of 5, and Evan and Meyers were each 0 of 1. Evan should not be attempting swish3s because of his low % and CJ should have stopped after 3 consecutive misses. The Blazers fell 5 below the goal of scoring 15. Meyers, the leading Blazer swish3 % shooter should have been assigned to take at least 4 shots, especially when needed in the 2nd half when the Blazers scored only 3 swish3s, but was in the game for only 5 min. At the Blazer swish3 shooting pace, that is time for only 2 swish3s at max. Nurk was in for 32 min and looked tired in the 4th Q.
If Meyers were in for 18+ min to allow time to score 3 swish3s and keep up defensive intensity, especially during the HOU scoring runs, the 9 additional points would be enough to secure the win. The upcoming @MEM game will be a challenge for which the Blazers will need the criterion 45 swish3 points and >112 points total and will need bench points. Along with limiting Turnovers and playing with consistent energetic defense, the better optimized scoring can result in a win.
Dame had 34 points and was 4 of 7, Seth was 2 of 2, Chief was 2 of 4 (and had 15 rebounds!), Zach was 1 of 2, and Mo was 1 of 3. CJ was 0 of 5, and Evan and Meyers were each 0 of 1. Evan should not be attempting swish3s because of his low % and CJ should have stopped after 3 consecutive misses. The Blazers fell 5 below the goal of scoring 15. Meyers, the leading Blazer swish3 % shooter should have been assigned to take at least 4 shots, especially when needed in the 2nd half when the Blazers scored only 3 swish3s, but was in the game for only 5 min. At the Blazer swish3 shooting pace, that is time for only 2 swish3s at max. Nurk was in for 32 min and looked tired in the 4th Q.
If Meyers were in for 18+ min to allow time to score 3 swish3s and keep up defensive intensity, especially during the HOU scoring runs, the 9 additional points would be enough to secure the win. The upcoming @MEM game will be a challenge for which the Blazers will need the criterion 45 swish3 points and >112 points total and will need bench points. Along with limiting Turnovers and playing with consistent energetic defense, the better optimized scoring can result in a win.
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The Blazers lost the nightmarish Dec 12 MEM swish3 game scoring 6 of 22 versus 8 of 24 by MEM with a loss score of 92 to 83. The missing 30 points that the Blazers should have scored to match our own average were missing from the Center position and a bad shooting night for Dame who was only 4 of 18 for FG. After taking an early lead of 26 to 15 after 1 Q, the Blazers scored only 14 points in the 2nd Q and stayed behind all night. The game was unbelievably bad for Nurk who was 1 of 15 FG. Nurk and Evan should not attempt swish3s based on their poor shooting %.
The anemic 6 swish3 scoring was led by CJ (who scored 40 points total) and Chief who were each 2 of 5, Dame was 1 of 5, and Nik was 1 of 2. Blazers missing were Nurk, Zach, Evan, and Meyers (2). The Blazers shot only 27.3% of swish3s (and only 36.8% of FG) which was inferior to MEM 33.3% (and 41.5% of FG). Blazers were outrebounded 51 to 44 and had 14 (versus MEM 12) turnovers. The better shooting by Dame in the 2nd half to bring the Blazers within 1 point was an opportunity lost with missed shots, turnovers, defensive lapses, and rebounds lost.
The major deficit that I noticed was the lack of points from the Center position and swish3 scoring. Nurk was having a bad game, and despite playing 34 min last night at HOU again played 30 min, well over his 24 min optimal time (even when rested). Caleb had a terrible game as well fumbling and losing 3 passes to him right under the basket, not rebounding (only 1), and ineffective defense. Meyers scored at the rim, got a rebound, provided screens for open shots and had 3 assists, but missed 2 swish3s and was called for 3 fouls, the first 2 of which were phantoms. Although Meyers was in only in the first half, I would have played him in the 4th Q and run plays for his catch and shoot swish3s based on his demonstrated scoring. To gain the advantage of his proficiency, Meyers should be shooting at least 6 per game. The 9 points that will probably result would have been enough to tie the game.
If Blazer coaches would choose to use Meyers as the backup Center with the game plan of enhanced swish3 scoring when he is in, the deficit in points from the Center position can be solved, Blazer offense can be strengthened, and games like MEM and HOU can be wins.
The anemic 6 swish3 scoring was led by CJ (who scored 40 points total) and Chief who were each 2 of 5, Dame was 1 of 5, and Nik was 1 of 2. Blazers missing were Nurk, Zach, Evan, and Meyers (2). The Blazers shot only 27.3% of swish3s (and only 36.8% of FG) which was inferior to MEM 33.3% (and 41.5% of FG). Blazers were outrebounded 51 to 44 and had 14 (versus MEM 12) turnovers. The better shooting by Dame in the 2nd half to bring the Blazers within 1 point was an opportunity lost with missed shots, turnovers, defensive lapses, and rebounds lost.
The major deficit that I noticed was the lack of points from the Center position and swish3 scoring. Nurk was having a bad game, and despite playing 34 min last night at HOU again played 30 min, well over his 24 min optimal time (even when rested). Caleb had a terrible game as well fumbling and losing 3 passes to him right under the basket, not rebounding (only 1), and ineffective defense. Meyers scored at the rim, got a rebound, provided screens for open shots and had 3 assists, but missed 2 swish3s and was called for 3 fouls, the first 2 of which were phantoms. Although Meyers was in only in the first half, I would have played him in the 4th Q and run plays for his catch and shoot swish3s based on his demonstrated scoring. To gain the advantage of his proficiency, Meyers should be shooting at least 6 per game. The 9 points that will probably result would have been enough to tie the game.
If Blazer coaches would choose to use Meyers as the backup Center with the game plan of enhanced swish3 scoring when he is in, the deficit in points from the Center position can be solved, Blazer offense can be strengthened, and games like MEM and HOU can be wins.
The Blazers win over NBA leading TOR Raptors (23-7) Dec 14 despite TOR shooting 58.1% of their swish3s and 5 consecutive in the 4th Q to stage a comeback to within 2 points was a remarkable manifestation of good maintained intensity throughout the game that benefited from 58 points and defensive intensity contributed by the bench. Despite losing the swish3 contest (Blazers were 13 of 27 versus TOR 18 of 31), the Blazers won 128 to 122. This game illustrates why I believe that the Blazer target is 15 swish3s and 130 total points to beat the best teams.
Dame led swish3 scoring with a perfect 3 of 3, Chief and Seth each scored 3 of 5, CJ scored 2 of 5, Zach scored 1 of 2, and Nik scored 1 of 5. Mo was 0 of 2. This was a strong game for the entire bench who were each awarded game balls. Zach had 16 points with 4 rebounds, an assist, steal, and block in 21 min. Seth scored 13 points with 2 assists and 2 steals in 19 min. Evan scored 12 points and had a highly effective 6 assists in 19 min. The 19-21 min played by the 5 bench Blazers seemed to provide the continued intensity needed to win the game (thus the game balls).
Dame and CJ both had 4 assists, Nurk had a team leading 7 assists, Mo, Nik, and Seth each had 2 assists, and Meyers and Zach each had 1 assist to total the 29 that, along with limiting Turnovers to only 8 (versus TOR 16) provided a winning edge for the game. Nurk played 27 min, which is nearer his 24 min optimum for maintaining high intensity. Key steals by Dame, Seth, Zach, and Mo, and key swish3 shots by Dame, CJ, Chief, and Seth in the 4th Q provided momentum that held off the TOR comeback and that string of 5 swish3s that threatened the lead. This was a demonstration that getting value from the bench like early this season makes the Blazers winners over anyone and how to make it to the WCF and NBA Championship.
Dame led swish3 scoring with a perfect 3 of 3, Chief and Seth each scored 3 of 5, CJ scored 2 of 5, Zach scored 1 of 2, and Nik scored 1 of 5. Mo was 0 of 2. This was a strong game for the entire bench who were each awarded game balls. Zach had 16 points with 4 rebounds, an assist, steal, and block in 21 min. Seth scored 13 points with 2 assists and 2 steals in 19 min. Evan scored 12 points and had a highly effective 6 assists in 19 min. The 19-21 min played by the 5 bench Blazers seemed to provide the continued intensity needed to win the game (thus the game balls).
Dame and CJ both had 4 assists, Nurk had a team leading 7 assists, Mo, Nik, and Seth each had 2 assists, and Meyers and Zach each had 1 assist to total the 29 that, along with limiting Turnovers to only 8 (versus TOR 16) provided a winning edge for the game. Nurk played 27 min, which is nearer his 24 min optimum for maintaining high intensity. Key steals by Dame, Seth, Zach, and Mo, and key swish3 shots by Dame, CJ, Chief, and Seth in the 4th Q provided momentum that held off the TOR comeback and that string of 5 swish3s that threatened the lead. This was a demonstration that getting value from the bench like early this season makes the Blazers winners over anyone and how to make it to the WCF and NBA Championship.
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The Blazers and the Clippers each scored 30 swish3 points in this 131 to 127 at LA win Dec 17. Blazers were 10 of 20 and Clippers were 10 of 27, with the Blazers having a lead of up to 18 points in the 4th Q greatly aided by good swish3 shooting in the 2nd half.
Dame led the way with 6 of 7 (5 of 5 stretch in the 3rd Q), CJ scored 2 of 4, Mo scored 1 of 2, and Chief scored 1 of 3. Seth and Nick were each 0 of 1 and Meyers was 0 of 2. This was a great game for Dame who scored 39 points (11 of 20 FG and 11 of 13 FT) with 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in 36 min. CJ had 27 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block. Nurk had 20 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and a block. And Mo had 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and a block. Chief scored 8 points with 10 rebounds and 3 assists. The Blazers had 26 assists for the game.
Although the Blazers were out rebounded 33 to 37, had 1 less assist and 1 more turnover, and were outscored by the bench 24 to 42, the Blazers played with defensive intensity that sufficiently contained the Clippers. The officiating significantly biased the game, especially in the 4th Q draining the Blazer lead and repeatedly interrupting the game to give Gallinari and others the chance to score with the clock stopped. There were 5 fouls each called on Nurk, Mo, and CJ, and 4 on Dame and Zach. The Clippers strategy in the 2nd half was to play quite aggressively, with many fouls of Dame, Nurk, CJ, Mo, Chief, Zach, and Evan by Bradley, Gallinari, Harrell, Wallace, Harris, Alexander, Scott and others that were not called, but should have been for consistency. Harrell was thrown out for a flagrant 2 foul on Nurk. Even though Beverly fouled out, he had been slapping, grabbing, and pushing Dame for what should have been 10+ fouls. A total of 32 fouls were called on the Blazers versus 23 on the Clippers. This was a win over Doc Rivers refs and the Clippers, which is a satisfying road win!
The Clipper run at the end of the game was aided by taking Nurk out and not replacing him with Meyers, who had a good game as a screener, rebounder, floor spacer, and defender. I would have preferred to have him in. The need for the Blazers to aim for scoring 130 points was evident in this game, and the 131 points scored were enough to win. Scoring will be a key in the upcoming MEM, Jazz, DAL homestand that can form a winning streak getting us to 20 wins.
Dame led the way with 6 of 7 (5 of 5 stretch in the 3rd Q), CJ scored 2 of 4, Mo scored 1 of 2, and Chief scored 1 of 3. Seth and Nick were each 0 of 1 and Meyers was 0 of 2. This was a great game for Dame who scored 39 points (11 of 20 FG and 11 of 13 FT) with 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in 36 min. CJ had 27 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block. Nurk had 20 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and a block. And Mo had 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and a block. Chief scored 8 points with 10 rebounds and 3 assists. The Blazers had 26 assists for the game.
Although the Blazers were out rebounded 33 to 37, had 1 less assist and 1 more turnover, and were outscored by the bench 24 to 42, the Blazers played with defensive intensity that sufficiently contained the Clippers. The officiating significantly biased the game, especially in the 4th Q draining the Blazer lead and repeatedly interrupting the game to give Gallinari and others the chance to score with the clock stopped. There were 5 fouls each called on Nurk, Mo, and CJ, and 4 on Dame and Zach. The Clippers strategy in the 2nd half was to play quite aggressively, with many fouls of Dame, Nurk, CJ, Mo, Chief, Zach, and Evan by Bradley, Gallinari, Harrell, Wallace, Harris, Alexander, Scott and others that were not called, but should have been for consistency. Harrell was thrown out for a flagrant 2 foul on Nurk. Even though Beverly fouled out, he had been slapping, grabbing, and pushing Dame for what should have been 10+ fouls. A total of 32 fouls were called on the Blazers versus 23 on the Clippers. This was a win over Doc Rivers refs and the Clippers, which is a satisfying road win!
The Clipper run at the end of the game was aided by taking Nurk out and not replacing him with Meyers, who had a good game as a screener, rebounder, floor spacer, and defender. I would have preferred to have him in. The need for the Blazers to aim for scoring 130 points was evident in this game, and the 131 points scored were enough to win. Scoring will be a key in the upcoming MEM, Jazz, DAL homestand that can form a winning streak getting us to 20 wins.
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The Blazers won the 3 point contest over MEM Dec 19 scoring 11 of 26 versus MEM 9 of 27 in a game in which the bench outscored the MEM bench 44 to 14, a 30 point advantage! The game was saved after an early hot start by MEM when the bench came in, providing defense, rebounding, floor spacing, energy, and scoring. Meyers and Zach were particularly notable with some excellent hustle and momentum changing plays that turned the game around. Seth, Nik, and Evan also contributed important defense and offense, especially in the 3rd Q, and Terry wisely left Meyers, Zach, and Evan on the floor in the 4th Q to finish the game with Dame and CJ.
Dame again led swish3 scoring with 5 of 8. Notably, Dame is now 14 of 18 for swish3s over the last 3 games (LAC and TOR) which were all Blazer wins! Seth was 2 of 2, Meyers was 2 of 5, and Mo and Zach were each 1 of 2. Chief and Evan were 0 of 1, Nik was 0 of 2, and CJ was 0 of 3. This is great shooting for Dame and Seth, and at last a game with more than 4 attempts for Meyers. I expect that because Meyers earlier showed that he is a 50%+ swish3 shooter who performs best when he gets in the flow of the game, we will see a return to >50% swish3 shooting when he gets the mandate to shoot at least 6 per game. Meyers scored 12 points with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block, and Zach scored 10 points with 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. This MEM game demonstrated the powerful combination of defense and scoring that the combination of Meyers and Zach bring the Blazers, and why the Blazers can this season win the Western Conference Final.
The Blazers won in spite of some inconsistent and highly flawed officiating. There were fouls called on Nurk and Meyers that were sufficient in my view for challenges by the coaches. And the no calls when Dame, CJ, Nurk, Mo, and Chief were grabbed, pushed, held, or slapped by MEM were clearly not giving the Blazers even a fair shake on the home court. When Dame and CJ did not go the the foul line in the 1st half, despite fouls clearly occurring, there are problems. And that foul called on Meyers on offense when Gasol grabbed him was absurd. These events can be game momentum changers, and must be countered. Blazer coaches need to take steps to bring the officiating bias to to worse than fair and consistent, whatever the process is with the NBA. Let's look to the UTA and DAL and all future games as being called consistently as should be required in the NBA.
This game showed that by recognizing those Blazers who can give the most defensive and offensive intensity, even challenging games against strong opponents can be won. That is why this season can be the winning one all the way to the NBA Finals.
Dame again led swish3 scoring with 5 of 8. Notably, Dame is now 14 of 18 for swish3s over the last 3 games (LAC and TOR) which were all Blazer wins! Seth was 2 of 2, Meyers was 2 of 5, and Mo and Zach were each 1 of 2. Chief and Evan were 0 of 1, Nik was 0 of 2, and CJ was 0 of 3. This is great shooting for Dame and Seth, and at last a game with more than 4 attempts for Meyers. I expect that because Meyers earlier showed that he is a 50%+ swish3 shooter who performs best when he gets in the flow of the game, we will see a return to >50% swish3 shooting when he gets the mandate to shoot at least 6 per game. Meyers scored 12 points with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block, and Zach scored 10 points with 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. This MEM game demonstrated the powerful combination of defense and scoring that the combination of Meyers and Zach bring the Blazers, and why the Blazers can this season win the Western Conference Final.
The Blazers won in spite of some inconsistent and highly flawed officiating. There were fouls called on Nurk and Meyers that were sufficient in my view for challenges by the coaches. And the no calls when Dame, CJ, Nurk, Mo, and Chief were grabbed, pushed, held, or slapped by MEM were clearly not giving the Blazers even a fair shake on the home court. When Dame and CJ did not go the the foul line in the 1st half, despite fouls clearly occurring, there are problems. And that foul called on Meyers on offense when Gasol grabbed him was absurd. These events can be game momentum changers, and must be countered. Blazer coaches need to take steps to bring the officiating bias to to worse than fair and consistent, whatever the process is with the NBA. Let's look to the UTA and DAL and all future games as being called consistently as should be required in the NBA.
This game showed that by recognizing those Blazers who can give the most defensive and offensive intensity, even challenging games against strong opponents can be won. That is why this season can be the winning one all the way to the NBA Finals.
On Dec 19 the HOU Rockets set the new swish3 scoring record of 26 (in 55 attempts against the Washington Wizards). These 78 points propelled HOU to 136 points with Harden scoring 6 and Paul scoring 5. The increasing importance of 3 point scoring is growing as the season progresses, and will favor teams prepared to score at least 15, which tends to correlate with winning.
The Blazers will benefit by aiming to score 15+ swish3s in coming games and have an eye on scoring 130+ to maximize the number of wins. A 52 win season is within view, as the present record already projects to 48 wins as of the MEM game finish.
The Blazers will benefit by aiming to score 15+ swish3s in coming games and have an eye on scoring 130+ to maximize the number of wins. A 52 win season is within view, as the present record already projects to 48 wins as of the MEM game finish.
Utah Jazz won the swish3 contest by 18 points. The Blazers scored 10 of 32 versus the Jazz 16 of 31. The Blazer bench scored 40 while the Jazz bench scored 57. Besides getting a demonstration of the power of 51.6% swish3 (and 55.3% FG) shooting, the Blazers shot a poor 40.2% FG and saw 35 Jazz assists and good passing that was dominant over only 17 Blazer assists.
Dame led the Blazers with 4 of 8, Meyers scored 3 of 5, Mo scored 1 of 2, Seth scored 1 of 3, and Chief scored 1 of 6. Nik and Wade were each 0 of 1, and CJ and Zach were each 0 of 3. For the Jazz, Rubio was 4 of 4, Niang was 2 of 2, and Crowder was 4 of 7. Rubio had 24 and Kyle Korver (with 3 of 7) had 18 points. The Blazers again permitted swish3 shooting above the opponent's (33.5% for the Jazz) average.
The Blazers needed swish3 scoring to win this game, and I believe repeated a mistake in stopping the swish3 shooting by Meyers when he made 2 consecutive swish3s within 1 min in the 3rd Q and started the momentum for a comeback. In this and previous seasons, we have seen Meyers get a hot hand going and the possibility for swish3 scoring to continue in a stream, only to have the coaches discontinue that scoring just for the sake of the platoon rotation. I am not alone in observing that although it may take a few shots to get him started, when Meyers gets into the zone he is on and can produce a scoring run from the arc. When he is scoring 2 swish3s in 1 min, I would keep feeding him the catch and shoots. The nice feed from Zach is a great example. This missing strategy, which I believe has not been tried, can be the difference that allows games like this Jazz disappointing home loss to be turned into wins.
The idea is a corollary to the idea of stopping the swish3 attempts by a Blazer after 3 consecutive missed attempts, or by Blazers with swish3 % below 25%. In games like this one, the 3 consecutive swish3s should lead to added min and the mandate to keep scoring as long as >50% shooting continues. Adding this and consistent defense that prevents open layups and swish3 shots can be enough to turn these losses into wins!
Dame led the Blazers with 4 of 8, Meyers scored 3 of 5, Mo scored 1 of 2, Seth scored 1 of 3, and Chief scored 1 of 6. Nik and Wade were each 0 of 1, and CJ and Zach were each 0 of 3. For the Jazz, Rubio was 4 of 4, Niang was 2 of 2, and Crowder was 4 of 7. Rubio had 24 and Kyle Korver (with 3 of 7) had 18 points. The Blazers again permitted swish3 shooting above the opponent's (33.5% for the Jazz) average.
The Blazers needed swish3 scoring to win this game, and I believe repeated a mistake in stopping the swish3 shooting by Meyers when he made 2 consecutive swish3s within 1 min in the 3rd Q and started the momentum for a comeback. In this and previous seasons, we have seen Meyers get a hot hand going and the possibility for swish3 scoring to continue in a stream, only to have the coaches discontinue that scoring just for the sake of the platoon rotation. I am not alone in observing that although it may take a few shots to get him started, when Meyers gets into the zone he is on and can produce a scoring run from the arc. When he is scoring 2 swish3s in 1 min, I would keep feeding him the catch and shoots. The nice feed from Zach is a great example. This missing strategy, which I believe has not been tried, can be the difference that allows games like this Jazz disappointing home loss to be turned into wins.
The idea is a corollary to the idea of stopping the swish3 attempts by a Blazer after 3 consecutive missed attempts, or by Blazers with swish3 % below 25%. In games like this one, the 3 consecutive swish3s should lead to added min and the mandate to keep scoring as long as >50% shooting continues. Adding this and consistent defense that prevents open layups and swish3 shots can be enough to turn these losses into wins!
