BLAZERS @ NUGGETS - GAME THREAD - 11/01/2013, FRIDAY, 6PM - CSN

[Strenuus]

I don't disagree that Aldridge needs to live in the paint more. I think there needs to be a couple double screens and some pick and rolls for Lopez to get easy buckets. I think at the beginning of the game, we were forcing things too much and had some passes that put the players in bad positions to score.

I'd agree with that. Batum was god awful with the ball last night. There were at least 3 times I just lowered my head and said "Really?"

 

[magnifier661]

It's kinda weird seeing that he missed 4 of his 7 shots down low, within 3-5 feet of the basket. He was taking contested shots down there all night instead of dishing it out.

Those 4 shots had the defense hacking the shit out of him. If you recorded the game and watched it again, you would see what I'm talking about. It was sooo blatantly obvious and the refs swallowed their whistles.

 

[magnifier661]

I'd agree with that. Batum was god awful with the ball last night. There were at least 3 times I just lowered my head and said "Really?"

Him and Matthews really blew it last night with passing the ball. Mo Williams had a few times where he was heavily contested and Lopez or Aldridge had openings down low and he chucked it instead of passing it in the paint. That was the most frustrating thing I saw last night. Mo Williams was, by far, the worst Blazer on the court last night. I hope that changes tomorrow night.

 

[THE HCP]

Does concern mean upset?

I never said upset. Just that he is still showing sign of timidness towards being effective in the paint and banging down low. Was 3/7 in the paint last night, most contested shots instead of finding the open guy. Concern and upset are two completely different things.

He scored 28 points and shot 55%....what is there to be "concerned" about. I'm not one to blame refs, but I saw 3 times when he took it to the hoop, he got hit and no whistle. So he should of had roughly 33 points on 19 shot attempts and you are on here actually bitching about this?

 

[Strenuus]

Those 4 shots had the defense hacking the shit out of him. If you recorded the game and watched it again, you would see what I'm talking about. It was sooo blatantly obvious and the refs swallowed their whistles.

I have LP, so I will probably watch it (hopefully tonight, LP has the worst blackout regulations known to man) again.

That's what I'm saying though, LMA needs to recognize down low when he's getting doubled. (easier said than done, I understand), and dish out. I never blame the refs (except Scott Foster on that goaltend call. Still one of the worst calls I've seen), because of a double team shot attempt. These are NBA players, and if they are taking a shot against a double team...

 

[magnifier661]

He scored 28 points and shot 55%....what is there to be "concerned" about. I'm not one to blame refs, but I saw 3 times when he took it to the hoop, he got hit and no whistle. So he should of had roughly 33 points on 19 shot attempts and you are on here actually bitching about this?

Okay well at least someone saw what I saw

 

[Strenuus]

He scored 28 points and shot 55%....what is there to be "concerned" about. I'm not one to blame refs, but I saw 3 times when he took it to the hoop, he got hit and no whistle. So he should of had roughly 33 points on 19 shot attempts and you are on here actually bitching about this?

What's the main gripe about LMA? That he's not going down low.

My thing is, is for the most part, when he gets down low in the paint, he can body people up pretty well. I just want to see that more, and he seems timid. I want to see him improve that part of his game, and it concerns me. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

And again, concern and bitching are two completely different things. Coaches have most likely said to LMA they would want him to get in the paint and score more points. I don't think they are bitching, are they?

As for the refs. I never fault them unless it's readily apparent they are jobbing a team. (Though that does seem often in the NBA, sadly.) And last night wasn't the greatest reffing i've ever seen... it's not the reason we lost, either.

 

[HailBlazers]

Okay well at least someone saw what I saw

Infuriated me. Wish it would have done the same to LMA. Yell at the ref's, get a T!

 

[Strenuus]

Him and Matthews really blew it last night with passing the ball. Mo Williams had a few times where he was heavily contested and Lopez or Aldridge had openings down low and he chucked it instead of passing it in the paint. That was the most frustrating thing I saw last night. Mo Williams was, by far, the worst Blazer on the court last night. I hope that changes tomorrow night.

Completely agree on Williams. I know I probably came off as a troll last night, but I was frustrated as hell. I was venting, and sometimes it comes off dickish. So any apologies there. But now that you mention Williams, there was another 3-4 times I lowered my head and said "Really?" It reminded me so much of Crawford it made me sick.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Aldridge 5 FTA

Love 16 FTA

Lee 9 FTA

Ginger 10 FTA

These are pretty much the guys LA is compared to as best power forwards in the game. I'd like to see him down low creating FTA personally because that is a stat that usually means wins

I am not angry, disheartened or think the world is ending. It's just an observation of one game to go along with a pattern over his career that he tends to drift away from the basket a bit too much

LA's career average is 4.2 FTA per game.

 

[magnifier661]

Infuriated me. Wish it would have done the same to LMA. Yell at the ref's, get a T!

I will agree with many of the LMA haters that Aldridge doesn't have that "fire" in him all the time. If this was against Memphis (against Zach), Chicago (The team that passed on him) or any of the Texas teams (His home town); Aldridge is usually pretty passive. I think that's why he had more perimeter shots as well. He was pretty money last night and saw the refs weren't giving him the calls. Might as well shot from the perimeter where the suns can't foul him with no whistle.

 

[magnifier661]

Aldridge 5 FTA

Love 16 FTA

Lee 9 FTA

Ginger 10 FTA

These are pretty much the guys LA is compared to as best power forwards in the game. I'd like to see him down low creating FTA personally because that is a stat that usually means wins

LMA should have had 11 last night

 

[THE HCP]

What's the main gripe about LMA? That he's not going down low.

My thing is, is for the most part, when he gets down low in the paint, he can body people up pretty well. I just want to see that more, and he seems timid. I want to see him improve that part of his game, and it concerns me. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

And again, concern and bitching are two completely different things. Coaches have most likely said to LMA they would want him to get in the paint and score more points. I don't think they are bitching, are they?

As for the refs. I never fault them unless it's readily apparent they are jobbing a team. (Though that does seem often in the NBA, sadly.) And last night wasn't the greatest reffing i've ever seen... it's not the reason we lost, either.

A players is who a player is. Dirk will never be a banger.........some players strengths no matter what their size, will be outside than in. I can safely say 26 or more teams would love to have LA as their starting PF yet you were on here complaining and bitching about LA's game. He is one of the best PFs in the NBA......you're complaints don't make sense man.

 

[Strenuus]

Oi. HCP. I know he's one of the best. I'm talking about improvements. Or at least, the drive to improve. I guess when I look at him settle for an 18 footer when he has an open lane to the left it frustrates me.

Again, not complaining or bitching, just looking at how to improve. Again, huge difference.

And also, if my saying he should bang in the post more and have half his shots down there is a complaint, then I am not the only one who you should be saying their complaints don't make sense... since it's a general consensus.

 

[magnifier661]

A players is who a player is. Dirk will never be a banger.........some players strengths no matter what their size, will be outside than in. I can safely say 26 or more teams would love to have LA as their starting PF yet you were on here complaining and bitching about LA's game. He is one of the best PFs in the NBA......you're complaints don't make sense man.

Dude he already admitted that he was venting. It didn't help that there were a few trolls to feed the thread. It was a very frustrating game because we should have won. And any fan that understands the game knows that we needed to be in the paint. We really only have 1 player that can do that and he was shooting perimeter shots. So yes, Aldridge was money from the perimeter, but did that really help our team? Don't you agree that forcing it in the paint, rebounding and blocking shots would have been better with getting to the line and maybe having only 22 points?

Oh and PS… Aldridge has shown that when he plays the block, he is unstoppable. Just use the LaMonster year 3 season's ago.

 

[THE HCP]

Oi. HCP. I know he's one of the best. I'm talking about improvements. Or at least, the drive to improve. I guess when I look at him settle for an 18 footer when he has an open lane to the left it frustrates me.

Again, not complaining or bitching, just looking at how to improve. Again, huge difference.

And also, if my saying he should bang in the post more and have half his shots down there is a complaint, then I am not the only one who you should be saying their complaints don't make sense... since it's a general consensus.

But Im just saying, let it go. Move on. My man is a jump shooting PF who has if I'm not mistaken along with LeBron the only players over the last 3 seasons to average 18+ points and 8 rebounds (have to check this fact, but I seem to remember this coming out last spring). Just realize LA will shoot more J's than post up and he will give you great numbers every night. That's not a bad thing. He gets doubled in the post every time he goes down there.

Next topic please. It's like somebody with a nice ass BMW complaining that they don't like how the heated seats are too warm while the rest of his neighbors are taking MAX to work.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

What a let down of game that was last night. We spend all summer talking Blazers, we analyze pre-season games for pages and we get to start off the NBA season against Phx, who looks like they aren't trying to win basketball games this year.

I am as disappointed with the effort as I am with the result. That did not look like a team hungry to prove themselves. To me they looked like they were going through the motions . . . and this is the first game of the year.

What is nice about the NBA is there is always another game coming up soon that makes it hard to dwell on the past. But win orlose at Denver, I will dwell on team effort if the team continues to plays with no heart.

 

[oldmangrouch]

But Im just saying, let it go. Move on. My man is a jump shooting PF who has if I'm not mistaken along with LeBron the only players over the last 3 seasons to average 18+ points and 8 rebounds (have to check this fact, but I seem to remember this coming out last spring). Just realize LA will shoot more J's than post up and he will give you great numbers every night. That's not a bad thing. He gets doubled in the post every time he goes down there.

Next topic please. It's like somebody with a nice ass BMW complaining that they don't like how the heated seats are too warm while the rest of his neighbors are taking MAX to work.

How many boards did he have last night? How many big defensive stops did he have? That BMW needs a new motor.

 

[Strenuus]

But Im just saying, let it go. Move on. My man is a jump shooting PF who has if I'm not mistaken along with LeBron the only players over the last 3 seasons to average 18+ points and 8 rebounds (have to check this fact, but I seem to remember this coming out last spring). Just realize LA will shoot more J's than post up and he will give you great numbers every night. That's not a bad thing. He gets doubled in the post every time he goes down there.

Next topic please. It's like somebody with a nice ass BMW complaining that they don't like how the heated seats are too warm while the rest of his neighbors are taking MAX to work.

Heh. That analogy is pretty funny. Since I have a 2002 pos and love taking the max when I can.

I know what you're saying, But if we're comparing to Lebron... he is a BMW that did get the heated seats. He works on his deficiency as much as his strengths... he's IMPROVED year after year, where it seems LMA is more content. It's not asking for more, it's asking for what I know he's capable of, because we've seen it. Again, huge difference.

 

[Strenuus]

What a let down of game that was last night. We spend all summer talking Blazers, we analyze pre-season games for pages and we get to start off the NBA season against Phx, who looks like they aren't trying to win basketball games this year.

I am as disappointed with the effort as I am with the result. That did not look like a team hungry to prove themselves. To me they looked like they were going through the motions . . . and this is the first game of the year.

What is nice about the NBA is there is always another game coming up soon that makes it hard to dwell on the past. But win orlose at Denver, I will dwell on team effort if the team continues to plays with no heart.

I just do not think playing against Denver on their court is our answer to the quells. I hope to get surprised like the fans in PHX were surprised, though. Don't get me wrong.

 

[magnifier661]

Heh. That analogy is pretty funny. Since I have a 2002 pos and love taking the max when I can.

I know what you're saying, But if we're comparing to Lebron... he is a BMW that did get the heated seats. He works on his deficiency as much as his strengths... he's IMPROVED year after year, where it seems LMA is more content. It's not asking for more, it's asking for what I know he's capable of, because we've seen it. Again, huge difference.

There is no hiding my homerism for LMA, but I will agree with you and most that talk about Aldridge as being "LaSofty". We need "LaMonster" which can get you 10-13 boards and +25 points a game. It's not like he hasn't proven he can do this. I can understand why that is sooooo frustrating.

 

[Strenuus]

Dude he already admitted that he was venting. It didn't help that there were a few trolls to feed the thread. It was a very frustrating game because we should have won. And any fan that understands the game knows that we needed to be in the paint. We really only have 1 player that can do that and he was shooting perimeter shots. So yes, Aldridge was money from the perimeter, but did that really help our team? Don't you agree that forcing it in the paint, rebounding and blocking shots would have been better with getting to the line and maybe having only 22 points?

Oh and PS… Aldridge has shown that when he plays the block, he is unstoppable. Just use the LaMonster year 3 season's ago.

Repped. Good points.

 

[Strenuus]

There is no hiding my homerism for LMA, but I will agree with you and most that talk about Aldridge as being "LaSofty". We need "LaMonster" which can get you 10-13 boards and +25 points a game. It's not like he hasn't proven he can do this. I can understand why that is sooooo frustrating.

Exactly. Again, not asking for something he's not capable of doing. Just asking him to expand the game we have all seen when he dominated. My hope is we see it in the next couple of weeks.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

I just do not think playing against Denver on their court is our answer to the quells. I hope to get surprised like the fans in PHX were surprised, though. Don't get me wrong.

That is why I am more interested in their effort. It's tough to go there and win (although it would make up for this loss) . . . but I want to see a Blazer team do more than settle for outside shots and gives up easy baskets in the paint. All this talk about the bench and fighting for minutes. To me, Lillard and T-Rob were the only ones out there looking like they really wanted to win. I'm sure they all want to win, but the effort didn't match the desire.

If they go down tonight, I hope they go down swinging.

 

[BBert]

This thread is a good example of why the "game thread" shouldn't be posted until game day. Most of the arguing in this thread is about last night's game, or last year's stats, or last year's players. At this rate we'll need a clean game thread by game time, like last time.

 

[blue9]

 

[magnifier661]

Sucks I won't be able to see this game live. I will be attending a NIN concert.

RIP CITY!!!!

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Sucks I won't be able to see this game live. I will be attending a NIN concert.

RIP CITY!!!!

The Blazers will fuck the Nuggets like an animal and feel them from the inside.

 

[magnifier661]

The Blazers will fuck the Nuggets like an animal and feel them from the inside.

And they will "hurt"

 

[SlyPokerDog]

And they will "hurt"

The Nuggets will bow down before the one they serve, they'll get what they deserve.