Clipps @ Portland 2/16/12 - The Lob City vs Rip City Game Thread!

[e_blazer]

Note to Nate McMillan: Jamal Crawford is NOT BRANDON ROY!!! They may be best friends from Seattle, but when your offense consists of Crawford isos in the last 5 minutes you are not gonna win games. The icing on the cake was Nate calling a timeout only to draw up a Crawford iso...

Note to OneSport13: BRANDON ROY IS RETIRED!!! With Gerald Wallace and Nic Batum dragging their asses around the court and not able to do anything, who besides Crawford were you expecting to take a shot? Nate may be a long way from COY, but it's tough to win a gunfight when you're out of bullets.

 

[Sinobas]

10 losses by 5 points or less. I don't remember seeing anything like this in Blazer history. 10 losses by 5 points or less....that's a 1/3rd of the season so far, compires of choke time losses. That's an incredible stat!

 

[OneSport3]

Note to OneSport13: BRANDON ROY IS RETIRED!!! With Gerald Wallace and Nic Batum dragging their asses around the court and not able to do anything, who besides Crawford were you expecting to take a shot? Nate may be a long way from COY, but it's tough to win a gunfight when you're out of bullets.

What? Brandon Roy is retired!? Thanks for telling me that. I've been wondering why they've been running isos for Crawford instead of Roy. That clears it up. While you're at it, tell McMillan that too...

 

[e_blazer]

10 losses by 5 points or less. I don't remember seeing anything like this in Blazer history. 10 losses by 5 points or less....that's a 1/3rd of the season so far, compires of choke time losses. That's an incredible stat!

It's a sign of an incredibly incompetent backcourt.

 

[Nikolokolus]

He's immune to the law of averages. Just keeps sucking....

Half-way through the season. 30+ games is definitely a statistically significant sample size ... especially given the minutes this guy plays.

The funny thing is that I fully expect them to let him walk this summer, after which he'll end up somewhere on a bargain basement contract and immediately return to being a 14/7/3 player with a 15 PER.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Well guys, I wouldn't get too down about this loss. It kind of had 'L' written on it based on the opponent and the schedule (third game in three nights) Take LA out of the equation and it's probably a minor miracle they were as competitive as they were.

 

[e_blazer]

Half-way through the season. 30+ games is definitely a statistically significant sample size ... especially given the minutes this guy plays.

The funny thing is that I fully expect them to let him walk this summer, after which he'll end up somewhere on a bargain basement contract and immediately return to being a 14/7/3 player with a 15 PER.

Man, I hope they find a way to trade his ass before the deadline. Either way, I want him off the team ASAP.

 

[PapaG]

Half-way through the season. 30+ games is definitely a statistically significant sample size ... especially given the minutes this guy plays.

The funny thing is that I fully expect them to let him walk this summer, after which he'll end up somewhere on a bargain basement contract and immediately return to being a 14/7/3 player with a 15 PER.

Hard to argue with this, although if Felton doesn't find a nutritionist, he'll become John Bagley Jr. Hell, he may have even eaten John Bagley, for all we know.

 

[e_blazer]

What? Brandon Roy is retired!? Thanks for telling me that. I've been wondering why they've been running isos for Crawford instead of Roy. That clears it up. While you're at it, tell McMillan that too...

Yeah, I figured you must be confused because why else would you be bitching about the only guy with enough ability to create his own shot and enough gas left in his tank to actually make a shot trying to score at the end of the game.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

Yeah, I figured you must be confused because why else would you be bitching about the only guy with enough ability to create his own shot and enough gas left in his tank to actually make a shot trying to score at the end of the game.

Dude, you're delusional. No one could get a shot because Crawford wouldn't pass the ball. I saw plenty of times when Batum and Wallace were asking for the ball and open and Crawford decided to go 1 on 5. Batum is definitely frustrated at Crawford's lack of passing, I could see that.

 

[OneSport3]

Yeah, I figured you must be confused because why else would you be bitching about the only guy with enough ability to create his own shot and enough gas left in his tank to actually make a shot trying to score at the end of the game.

Oh so Jamal Crawford is the only super-conditioned athlete on the team because he's only one that didn't run out of gas, gotcha.

 

[illmatic99]

Crawful isn't a PG. He isn't wired to pass. And he was always a selfish player to start off, so this isn't anything new. Nate's irrational trust in him is a bit disconcerting, though.

I wish Nic would get some of those P&Rs and isos up top that Crawful fucks up.

 

[e_blazer]

Dude, you're delusional. No one could get a shot because Crawford wouldn't pass the ball. I saw plenty of times when Batum and Wallace were asking for the ball and open and Crawford decided to go 1 on 5. Batum is definitely frustrated at Crawford's lack of passing, I could see that.

I guess I didn't see it that way. Batum was great the first half, but after that he looked gassed to me. His shots were coming up short and he wasn't taking anything to the rim. Wallace was busy trying to keep Blake from going nuts.

 

[PapaG]

Dude, you're delusional. No one could get a shot because Crawford wouldn't pass the ball. I saw plenty of times when Batum and Wallace were asking for the ball and open and Crawford decided to go 1 on 5. Batum is definitely frustrated at Crawford's lack of passing, I could see that.

eblazer isn't delusional. Also, Nic had a chance to dominate this game tonight, and instead of imposing his will on LAC, he instead regressed to his floating on the perimeter in the second half. I chalk it up to being completely gassed, as the entire team was. I mean, 70 points and you only lose by 3? That's not an NBA game.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

eblazer isn't delusional. Also, Nic had a chance to dominate this game tonight, and instead of imposing his will on LAC, he instead regressed to his floating on the perimeter in the second half. I chalk it up to being completely gassed, as the entire team was. I mean, 70 points and you only lose by 3? That's not an NBA game.

I'm not sure how you want him to dominate when he only got 3 shots in the whole second half. That is according to ESPN. Even if Nic should have been more aggressive, it's for the coach to call Nic out and put more of the offensive focus on him than to have Crawford do ISO after ISO.

 

[PapaG]

I'm not sure how you want him to dominate when he only got 3 shots in the whole second half. That is according to ESPN. Even if Nic should have been more aggressive, it's for the coach to call Nic out and put more of the offensive focus on him than to have Crawford do ISO after ISO.

I agree. Nate played Nic too much the past 3 games, and it showed tonight. He was gassed in the second half.

The last three nights, Nic played 42/36/39. Nate should have put Babbit in to give Nic some rest.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

I agree. Nate played Nic too much the past 3 games, and it showed tonight. He was gassed in the second half.

The last three nights, Nic played 42/36/39. Nate should have put Babbit in to give Nic some rest.

I'm not sure Batum was any more gassed than any other player. He certainly shot a better percentage than Jamal Crawford, but I wouldn't expect you to acknowledge that. Crawford must have some special serum that makes him more energetic than the rest of the players.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Why in the hell did McMillan put him back in the game!?!?!?!?

This was definitely the move the lost us the game. Putting Felton in at about the 5 minute mark. It almost cost us the game last night also. I can understand giving mathews a little break since he had been working so hard defending Chris Paul; but it seems it would have been a better choice to bring Elliot Williams in again.

 

[THE HCP]

I'll say one thing..... watched Nic ask for the ball repeatedly! Ran off screens.... nothing! Posted up, nothing! You could tell walking back in the huddle how frustrated he was with both Crawford and Felton!

 

[oldmangrouch]

I'll say one thing..... watched Nic ask for the ball repeatedly! Ran off screens.... nothing! Posted up, nothing! You could tell walking back in the huddle how frustrated he was with both Crawford and Felton!

That's just sad. This team has worse on-court chemistry than the worst of the JailBlazer era.

 

[Rhal]

So I'v been back from the game awhile and hit the bottle. It was a frustrating lose and our complete lack of offense in the second half got me so mad. CRAWFORD IS NOT A PG NATE! Even with Felton sucking and making bad turnovers we at least have a semblance of an offense when he is in. If were gonna bench him put in Smith or Williams to run the point, playing Crawford at the point is like asking for a 1v5 late in the shot clock all day long. I'm tired of this same old story of Crawford trying to run the point and we look worse then back with Roy ISO offense and if he is missing the other team goes on huge runs.

 

[MickZagger]

I'll say one thing..... watched Nic ask for the ball repeatedly! Ran off screens.... nothing! Posted up, nothing! You could tell walking back in the huddle how frustrated he was with both Crawford and Felton!

It drives me crazy. Crawford freezes him out, once that guy makes it up in his mind that he's going to shoot there's nothing stopping him. I swear, Gerald and Wes are the only one's that actually look for him and try and set him up. Its not in his nature to demand the rock, Nate needs to do it. That ally-oop he got from Camby was refreshing, though.