Everyone is laughing at us and predicting sweep

[fumanchu]

We aren't beating the Warriors. Don't get your hopes up guys. The league doesn't want a Blazers Bucks finals. It aint happening.

 

[e_blazer]

We aren't beating the Warriors. Don't get your hopes up guys. The league doesn't want a Blazers Bucks finals. It aint happening.

The league didn’t want us to beat OKC because of Westbrook’s and George’s star power.

The league didn’t want us to beat theNuggets because of Jokic’s and Murray’s exciting young talent.

You know, at some point I think you have to accept that the league kind of lets things play out as they will.

 

[Binx]

All the SI “experts” think the Warriors will win the series. If the Blazers win, they shock the world.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ictions-warriors-blazers-bucks-raptors-series

 

[illmatic99]

At least no one is predicting a sweep. Jeez

 

[illmatic99]

538's model is projecting Warriors to win in 4.

Vegas is projecting us to be heavy underdogs, GS is -450, POR is +360 (aka, you need to bet 450 on GS to win 100, and only 100 on POR to win 360).

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

I respect how good the warriors are but I don't get all the people saying the Blazers have no chance. The “no good” Clippers took them to 6, and the Rockets took them to 6. The Blazers are BETTER then both of those teams...

 

[milona]

At least no one is predicting a sweep. Jeez

View attachment 26151

That is being safe, not respectful.

If you predict a sweep and it becomes close or if your team loses, then you are a joke. You also offend the other team. So, you give them 1 game and if it is a sweep you are only one off. If they win 2 games you are still one off. You look like you know what you are talking about.

Same thing with all those Warriors in 6 guesses. Warriors in 5 or in 7 are more likely as 6 games means they close in Portland. They are trying to be one off.

 

[Eastoff]

Thats right, Im actually surprised so many have jumped on the band wagon! lol
Oh well, once we either win the whole enchilada or get bounced, it will be back to forum fodder.

I think a lot are people from pnw who don't normally pay attention.

 

[Eastoff]

I remember Shaq at end of his career it wasn't pretty. Out of shape pulling ever muscle you can think of he was pathetic looking out there. Plus he would only play half year in most cases due to he was so far out of shape most of the time.

Shaq has never struck me as an intelligent man.

 

[James lamphear]

Shaq has never struck me as an intelligent man.

He really bad on TNT all he does is mumble up there and half the time I can't understand him. I know he knows the game and wouldn't question his intelligent but he just not good analyst. Great on commercial thou.

 

[Natebishop3]

I respect how good the warriors are but I don't get all the people saying the Blazers have no chance. The “no good” Clippers took them to 6, and the Rockets took them to 6. The Blazers are BETTER then both of those teams...

We are pretty beat up. Kanter is playing without meds right now and Hood is questionable. The rockets and clips were healthy.

 

[Minstrel]

People are offended that the Warriors are favorites? It's great that the Blazers beat the Thunder and a shaky Nuggets team (they needed 7 games to escape the first round)--that doesn't make them the best team in the league.

Not only is that sort of attitude a bit divorced from reality, it also means that if the Blazers do lose (especially in 5 or 6), there will be myriad posts and threads here about what losers they are and how they didn't even care and "what a joke, calling Lillard one of the best clutch players in the league" etc etc. It's great when the Blazers exceed our expectations and do really well, but using every unexpected result as a reason to ratchet up their baseline, to the point that it's offensive that almost everyone thinks the Blazers will win in about 6 games (going by pundits, not youtube commenters) only means that the Blazers will become villains on this board for any result short of winning the championship.

The Blazers are deservedly the major underdogs. They have less talent. It's great that they "play as a team"--so do the Warriors. That's not unique to the Blazers. Hopefully the Blazers pull off a huge upset--huge upsets have happened before. But that's what it would take. And if it doesn't happen, we should still celebrate them for their great post-season run.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

The league didn’t want us to beat OKC because of Westbrook’s and George’s star power.

The league didn’t want us to beat theNuggets because of Jokic’s and Murray’s exciting young talent.

You know, at some point I think you have to accept that the league kind of lets things play out as they will.

Yes, I watched those games. The refs gave the opposing teams 12 or more ppg, but we were barely able to overcome it.

 

[Natebishop3]

The league didn’t want us to beat OKC because of Westbrook’s and George’s star power.

The league didn’t want us to beat theNuggets because of Jokic’s and Murray’s exciting young talent.

You know, at some point I think you have to accept that the league kind of lets things play out as they will.

I'm not sure if this holds up dude.... Denver attempted 15 more free throws than us. They missed 11 of them. That's the ballgame right there. If they make half of those they win the series.

 

[e_blazer]

Yes, I watched those games. The refs gave the opposing teams 12 or more ppg, but we were barely able to overcome it.

Yeah, there were definitely some nasty calls or non-calls that hurt the Blazers. That said, I think we Blazers fans tend to have eyes only for the ones that screw us, and less so for the ones that screw the opponents.

 

[e_blazer]

I'm not sure if this holds up dude.... Denver attempted 15 more free throws than us. They missed 11 of them. That's the ballgame right there. If they make half of those they win the series.

Not saying that there isn't some bad officiating, just that I don't see it being orchestrated by Adam Silver.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

A bit of personal background:
I moved to Texas at the end of the 90s and became a huge blazer fan as a way to connect to my hometown (Portland).

One of my friends there was a Mavs fan, and he was convinced that we were "overachievers" - we won a lot,
but weren't very good. The NEXT year, we won 59, and his story was that we were supertalented
"UNDERachievers."

The point? Maybe it's simply this: We will not get respect (nationally) until we win.

 

[Natebishop3]

Not saying that there isn't some bad officiating, just that I don't see it being orchestrated by Adam Silver.

I just don't know.... I think the league likes to extend a series, and I think the refs will attempt to influence the outcome of a game without being obvious.

But I can tell you that Dame was not getting the same superstar treatment that Jokic was getting.

 

[milona]

People are offended that the Warriors are favorites? It's great that the Blazers beat the Thunder and a shaky Nuggets team (they needed 7 games to escape the first round)--that doesn't make them the best team in the league.

Not only is that sort of attitude a bit divorced from reality, it also means that if the Blazers do lose (especially in 5 or 6), there will be myriad posts and threads here about what losers they are and how they didn't even care and "what a joke, calling Lillard one of the best clutch players in the league" etc etc. It's great when the Blazers exceed our expectations and do really well, but using every unexpected result as a reason to ratchet up their baseline, to the point that it's offensive that almost everyone thinks the Blazers will win in about 6 games (going by pundits, not youtube commenters) only means that the Blazers will become villains on this board for any result short of winning the championship.

The Blazers are deservedly the major underdogs. They have less talent. It's great that they "play as a team"--so do the Warriors. That's not unique to the Blazers. Hopefully the Blazers pull off a huge upset--huge upsets have happened before. But that's what it would take. And if it doesn't happen, we should still celebrate them for their great post-season run.

I don't think people are offended by the fact that Warriors are the consensus favorites. They are! This team does not have the talent pool that Warriors have, that is for sure. Their payroll is almost double as ours. We are more injury depleted than them too, assuming KD and Boogie will see some action.

It is what you also just did now that offends people. You say we beat a "shaky" Nuggets team, not we beat Nuggets. "We did not earn to be here but it was given by Westbrick's bricks and Denver's shakiness". This team don't get the respect for what they did and how they did it. Even on a night when we are winning, "pundits" can't stop gushing about George or Jokic. It is never about Blazers!

This team has heart, and it matters in the playoffs. We split the series with GSW during regular season, and everyone says playoffs are different. Warriors will get a playoff power up, but we won't? We will see!!!

On the other hand, some people will call Dame a trash, CJ a ball hog, Kanter a self starving cripple, after we lose a game or appear to be losing. Some people are pure toxic. Others are very bipolar. Even in a game they love, hate and and love again. Die hard fans, it seems, are the worst offenders. This is no reason to curb our hope & expectations. Being a fan is all about hope & expectations!

 

[riverman]

I don't think people are offended by the fact that Warriors are the consensus favorites. They are! This team does not have the talent pool that Warriors have, that is for sure. Their payroll is almost double as ours. We are more injury depleted than them too, assuming KD and Boogie will see some action.

It is what you also just did now that offends people. You say we beat a "shaky" Nuggets team, not we beat Nuggets. "We did not earn to be here but it was given by Westbrick's bricks and Denver's shakiness". This team don't get the respect for what they did and how they did it. Even on a night when we are winning, "pundits" can't stop gushing about George or Jokic. It is never about Blazers!

This team has heart, and it matters in the playoffs. We split the series with GSW during regular season, and everyone says playoffs are different. Warriors will get a playoff power up, but we won't? We will see!!!

On the other hand, some people will call Dame a trash, CJ a ball hog, Kanter a self starving cripple, after we lose a game or appear to be losing. Some people are pure toxic. Others are very bipolar. Even in a game they love, hate and and love again. Die hard fans, it seems, are the worst offenders. This is no reason to curb our hope & expectations. Being a fan is all about hope & expectations!

riverman is a fan! Well said...welcome to the forum!

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Yeah, there were definitely some nasty calls or non-calls that hurt the Blazers. That said, I think we Blazers fans tend to have eyes only for the ones that screw us, and less so for the ones that screw the opponents.

Absolutely. I noticed that some sketchy calls did indeed go against Denver. However, many more went against the Blazers.

Simple, Honest Question: When a shooter shoots a 3-pointer, what are the refs looking at?
On 4 of Lillard's 3 pointers IN ONE GAME (OKC series), he was clearly hit on the wrist - no call?
OK, the refs must be looking down low.
In a GS-Hou game, Harden was Undercut twice in 5 minutes while attempting 3s - no call was made when it should have been a flagrant.
OK, the refs aren't looking down low.

WTF?

No, there isn't some grand conspiracy against the Blazers. However, the refs know that the league profits more when the big markets win.
It's like racism in the new millennium. No one is using the N-word anymore, the racism is more subtle. However, it's still there. Sometimes,
the person being racist isn't even aware of it. It's pernicious.

p.s. The Undercutting both times was Klay "dirty" Thompson. Look for these boards to go ballistic
when he does it to our backcourt. But, hey, how much can you blame him for his dirty play? The refs allowed
it, and it helped their team.

 

[e_blazer]

I just don't know.... I think the league likes to extend a series, and I think the refs will attempt to influence the outcome of a game without being obvious.

But I can tell you that Dame was not getting the same superstar treatment that Jokic was getting.

That's been pretty consistent all season. Although Dame gets hit on virtually every drive, something about the way he takes (or half avoids) the contact seems to make it a no-call by the refs (too often IMHO).

 

[James lamphear]

A bit of personal background:
I moved to Texas at the end of the 90s and became a huge blazer fan as a way to connect to my hometown (Portland).

One of my friends there was a Mavs fan, and he was convinced that we were "overachievers" - we won a lot,
but weren't very good. The NEXT year, we won 59, and his story was that we were supertalented
"UNDERachievers."

The point? Maybe it's simply this: We will not get respect (nationally) until we win.

We still won't get the respect then neither they will call it a flux by majority of the people.

 

[e_blazer]

Absolutely. I noticed that some sketchy calls did indeed go against Denver. However, many more went against the Blazers.

Simple, Honest Question: When a shooter shoots a 3-pointer, what are the refs looking at?
On 4 of Lillard's 3 pointers IN ONE GAME (OKC series), he was clearly hit on the wrist - no call?
OK, the refs must be looking down low.
In a GS-Hou game, Harden was Undercut twice in 5 minutes while attempting 3s - no call was made when it should have been a flagrant.
OK, the refs aren't looking down low.

WTF?

No, there isn't some grand conspiracy against the Blazers. However, the refs know that the league profits more when the big markets win.
It's like racism in the new millennium. No one is using the N-word anymore, the racism is more subtle. However, it's still there. Sometimes,
the person being racist isn't even aware of it. It's pernicious.

p.s. The Undercutting both times was Klay "dirty" Thompson. Look for these boards to go ballistic
when he does it to our backcourt. But, hey, how much can you blame him for his dirty play? The refs allowed
it, and it helped their team.

I'm not sure that you can draw general conclusions from that. These refs are individuals and, while they're supposed to have disciplined technique in the way they look at plays, they obviously vary a bit from one to another. We all know that there are certain refs that we can draw that are going to make it a long night for the Blazers (looking at you, Scott Foster). I guess if I saw those guys getting assigned to the Blazers with regularity I could buy the prejudice angle. But since they rotate assignments, I have a hard time viewing it as anything organized. I do believe that superstars get preferential treatment and the fact that our guys are viewed as only borderline superstars probably bites us in the butt.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

I don't think people are offended by the fact that Warriors are the consensus favorites. They are! This team does not have the talent pool that Warriors have, that is for sure. Their payroll is almost double as ours. We are more injury depleted than them too, assuming KD and Boogie will see some action.

It is what you also just did now that offends people. You say we beat a "shaky" Nuggets team, not we beat Nuggets. "We did not earn to be here but it was given by Westbrick's bricks and Denver's shakiness". This team don't get the respect for what they did and how they did it. Even on a night when we are winning, "pundits" can't stop gushing about George or Jokic. It is never about Blazers!

This team has heart, and it matters in the playoffs. We split the series with GSW during regular season, and everyone says playoffs are different. Warriors will get a playoff power up, but we won't? We will see!!!

On the other hand, some people will call Dame a trash, CJ a ball hog, Kanter a self starving cripple, after we lose a game or appear to be losing. Some people are pure toxic. Others are very bipolar. Even in a game they love, hate and and love again. Die hard fans, it seems, are the worst offenders. This is no reason to curb our hope & expectations. Being a fan is all about hope & expectations!

great post.

However, I think we (me included) need a bit of self-reflection. How are we different from the team that was swept the last 2 years? In the national zeitgeist, we're not. In another thread,
I suggested a few reasons why we might be:

1) Lillard is different. Extended range, vastly improved defense, wants it more.
2) Collins has improved our defense, and is some sort of thread from deep.
3) CJ. Improved defense (I think, can anyone confirm?)
4) Harkless is healthier.
5) More depth: Kanter, Hood, Curry.

 

[Minstrel]

It is what you also just did now that offends people. You say we beat a "shaky" Nuggets team, not we beat Nuggets. "We did not earn to be here but it was given by Westbrick's bricks and Denver's shakiness".

I didn't say the Blazers didn't earn their victories (and I said nothing regarding the Thunder that could "take away"), I was saying that beating Denver is not the sort of victory that suddenly elevates the Blazers to the best team in the NBA (which they'd have to be to be favorites over the Warriors, especially with the Warriors having HCA).

The Blazers earned both series victories and beating Denver was impressive. But Denver wasn't a juggernaut, as they showed in the first round. Denver not being a juggernaut says nothing about whether the Blazers earned their victory or deserve to be in the WCF. They did and do. And now they're deservedly the significant underdogs.

 

[THE HCP]

Check all the comments...they all sleeping on us everyone is saying If KD plays sweep but without him warriors in 5.....they dissing us , i have a feeling we gonna smash warriors,

You honestly think in your mind that we will "SMASH" the Warriors? I mean I get the whole , "82-0" rah rah mentality, but as a grown human being, you REALLY think this. "SMASH"?

 

[Cugel]

Its like the other series, who fucking cares what the "experts" say, means absolutely nothing as we have seen. Same voices were saying Lakers were sure thing for the post-season and Boston would be in the finals. They really have been mostly wrong about all predictions and should basically say as much. But the average viewer likes definitive, matter of fact statements, like we get from politicians. Makes them sleep easy at night.

 

[Cugel]

Shaq should have given hood a tub of icey hot and a barrel of gold bond. What shitty endorsements. What's next on the docket Shaq, shilling for Werther's Originals?

 

[blue9]

No one is using the N-word anymore, the racism is more subtle.

Oh yes they are! It's made a huge comeback ever since DT was elected. Subtlety has been thrown (or should I say throne? sorry, i just saw this glaring spelling error in the GOT thread) out the window.