Game Thread GAME# 46: MAVERICKS @ BLAZERS - JANUARY 23, 2020 - THURSDAY, 7:30 PM, TNT

[B-Roy]

Ariza played 36 minutes. That is why Little didn't play.
Swanigan played 23 minutes because Stotts has ZERO other options at back up center.

He played some PF minutes next to Whiteside.

 

[SIeepwalker]

Ariza played 36 minutes. That is why Little didn't play.
Swanigan played 23 minutes because Stotts has ZERO other options at back up center.

1) Swanigan got back up PF minutes
2) No other option ? Swanigan is not a C either to beging with. And if you're worried about size Gabriel is actually taller.
In addition to that the mavs centers played on the perimeter all night which Little or Gabriel are way more equipped to defend.
Lastly if Stotts was OK playing Anthony fucking Tolliver at center, don't try to tell me that Little or Gabriel is out of consideration.

Conclusion : Stotts is a dumb fuck.

 

[CupWizier]

1) Swanigan got back up PF minutes
2) No other option ? Swanigan is not a C either to beging with. And if you're worried about size Gabriel is actually taller.
In addition to that the mavs centers played on the perimeter all night which Little or Gabriel are way more equipped to defend.
Lastly if Stotts was OK playing Anthony fucking Tolliver at center, don't try to tell me that Little or Gabriel is out of consideration.

Conclusion : Stotts is a dumb fuck.

no doubt cause a Little/ Porzingis matchup is definitely to our advantage. Damn Stotts. Oh, and which player do you think knows the plays better? Gabriel and his one practice or Swanigan who played over 1 season here? How dare Stotts fuck up so bad. It's always best to call out a coach after one game when new players were being implemented.

 

[Scalma]

1) Swanigan got back up PF minutes
2) No other option ? Swanigan is not a C either to beging with. And if you're worried about size Gabriel is actually taller.
In addition to that the mavs centers played on the perimeter all night which Little or Gabriel are way more equipped to defend.
Lastly if Stotts was OK playing Anthony fucking Tolliver at center, don't try to tell me that Little or Gabriel is out of consideration.

Conclusion : Stotts is a dumb fuck.

I unliked so I could like it again.

 

[Pinwheel1]

1) Swanigan got back up PF minutes
2) No other option ? Swanigan is not a C either to beging with. And if you're worried about size Gabriel is actually taller.
In addition to that the mavs centers played on the perimeter all night which Little or Gabriel are way more equipped to defend.
Lastly if Stotts was OK playing Anthony fucking Tolliver at center, don't try to tell me that Little or Gabriel is out of consideration.

Conclusion : Stotts is a dumb fuck.

Yeah well putting in a 6'9" 205 lb PF or a 6'5" 220 SF at the center spot is also going to get him the "dumb fuck" label. Like it or not Swanigan at 260 with his 7'3 wing is the best back up center right now and Terry has to play him. Granted he should not be getting PF minutes.

 

[SIeepwalker]

no doubt cause a Little/ Porzingis matchup is definitely to our advantage. Damn Stotts. Oh, and which player do you think knows the plays better? Gabriel and his one practice or Swanigan who played over 1 season here? How dare Stotts fuck up so bad. It's always best to call out a coach after one game when new players were being implemented.

What plays ? If Gabriel can do a hand off and run circles around the 3pt line he's good to go.
Man I can't believe some people are actually defending playing Swanigan 23 minutes. I just can't fucking believe it
And now he says that I'm calling out a coach one game after a trade like Stotts hasn't sucked the whole year (and beyond)

 

[Scalma]

I saw Tim Hardaway jr switch onto Biggie and Biggie got the ball on a post up and couldn’t move him. That guy is big but has no fundamental strength. Meyers is the same way. He does not belong in the nba. You could take any g leaguer, give him 20 minutes, and I’m sure he’ll make a play or two as well. Doesn’t mean much though when the other 19 minutes is pure ass.

 

[SIeepwalker]

I saw Tim Hardaway jr switch onto Biggie and Biggie got the ball on a post up and couldn’t move him. That guy is big but has no fundamental strength. Meyers is the same way. He does not belong in the nba. You could take any g leaguer, give him 20 minutes, and I’m sure he’ll make a play or two as well. Doesn’t mean much when the other 19 minutes is ass though.

Meyers is 10 times the player Biggie is lol

 

[Scalma]

Meyers is 10 times the player Biggie is lol

the only thing keeping Meyers in the league is his jumpshot. Unfortunately for Biggie, he doesn’t even have that, so he’ll be out of the league next year. Meanwhile we’ll look back and wonder why we wasted minutes on him that could’ve gone to literally anyone else.

 

[kjironman1]

the only thing keeping Meyers in the league is his jumpshot. Unfortunately for Biggie, he doesn’t even have that, so he’ll be out of the league next year. Meanwhile we’ll look back and wonder why we wasted minutes on him that could’ve gone to literally anyone else.

Watching Meyers play against the Clippers right now having a good game. I think a bunch more is keeping him in the league other than his jump shot. Dude works hard every minute of every game he plays. The solid minutes he is getting this year are improving every facet of his game.

 

[Scalma]

Watching Meyers play against the Clippers right now having a good game. I think a bunch more is keeping him in the league other than his jump shot. Dude works hard every minute of every game he plays. The solid minutes he is getting this year are improving every facet of his game.

his numbers are worse in Miami than they were last year.

 

[kjironman1]

his numbers are worse in Miami than they were last year.

Probably. Isn't he starting now? The only stat that is kind of stunning to me is his free throw shooting has gone way down. He was a 84% FT shooter. Now it's 69%
The rest of the numbers are a bit lower but not by huge amounts. He is playing more minutes so yes his Per 36 numbers are down. The competition he is drawing is way better though.

 

[blazerfan11]

his numbers are worse in Miami than they were last year.

Meyers is shooting 43 percent on 3-pointers and 63 percent on 2-pointers playing for Miami. Both are better than anyone playing for the Trail Blazers right now.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Understandable. Given how well he shot it, he got very few attempts. Someone mentioned (not sure here or heard it somewhere else) that he wasn't thrilled that everything was so designed to go through Dame/CJ no matter how well you shot.

I said in the middle of the season, after a game in which he was shut out either by coaching scheme or players' choice, that there was no way he would come back here.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

So god awful Swanigan can get 23 minutes but Little and Gabriel can't see the floor

Man Stotts can fuck right off. I'm so pissed

It's so bad sometimes that I wonder if it is tanking? Is it at the request of Olshey?

 

[calvin natt]

Nobody knew who Wenyen Gabriel was 72 hours ago now people are fired up he didn’t play last night

 

[julius]

Nobody knew who Wenyen Gabriel was 72 hours ago now people are fired up he didn’t play last night

Before you know it, there will be a poster reviving a dead horse and claiming that people will say he's untouchable.

 

[Tince]

Nobody knew who Wenyen Gabriel was 72 hours ago now people are fired up he didn’t play last night

This x2! I've read people upset that we haven't given more minutes to 3 undrafted prospects with no track record of success in the NBA. When those guys have got in, people are complaining about how bad of a lineup we have in; so you can't win.

I hate that our roster is so bad that we're playing Swanigan, Mario, Trent, etc. but that should be an indicator of the talent level of those who are not playing.

 

[BonesJones]

Except it isn't....

Yeah youre right, our players were garbage and Stotts made them. Positivity!

 

[BonesJones]

Nobody knew who Wenyen Gabriel was 72 hours ago now people are fired up he didn’t play last night

Nobody? I knew who he was years ago bro.

 

[BonesJones]

Yeah well putting in a 6'9" 205 lb PF or a 6'5" 220 SF at the center spot is also going to get him the "dumb fuck" label. Like it or not Swanigan at 260 with his 7'3 wing is the best back up center right now and Terry has to play him. Granted he should not be getting PF minutes.

Depends on matchups. They had two perimeter bigs at C. Guys who played on the 3pt line.

Id much rather have Little or Gabriel defending the 3pt line than Swanigan, and thats not getting into the fact that they play at a fast pace, or how Stotts subbed Swanigan in at PF in the first half and immediately sent him to trap at halfcourt...

 

[BBert]

This x2! I've read people upset that we haven't given more minutes to 3 undrafted prospects with no track record of success in the NBA. When those guys have got in, people are complaining about how bad of a lineup we have in; so you can't win.

I hate that our roster is so bad that we're playing Swanigan, Mario, Trent, etc. but that should be an indicator of the talent level of those who are not playing.

Without Dame, we'd be favorites to win the lottery.

 

[BonesJones]

This x2! I've read people upset that we haven't given more minutes to 3 undrafted prospects with no track record of success in the NBA. When those guys have got in, people are complaining about how bad of a lineup we have in; so you can't win.

I hate that our roster is so bad that we're playing Swanigan, Mario, Trent, etc. but that should be an indicator of the talent level of those who are not playing.

Id rather play an unknown than someone who is known to suck.

 

[SIeepwalker]

Id rather play an unknown than someone who is known to suck.

EXACTLY

 

[hoopsjock]

Did you watch the first half?
When Portland brought a second defender to meet Luka at half court. He gave up the ball and the Mavs hit a three.
First it was Jackson, then it was Hardaway.
Can't keep doubling someone if they make you pay with a three.

Damn, really HC? I expect better analysis out of you!

It wasn't even close to the same thing. Stotts put Swanigan at PF with Whiteside at C against a team that only played 4 G/SF and Kleber or Porzinigis. The trap against Luka was Caleb leaving his guy who wasn't involved in the play at the time to set a completely transparent double team in which Luka had several seconds to see it developing in front of him and easily pass out of it before it even had a chance to be effective.

With Harden we blitzed screens and the doubles/traps came when the "doublers" man was involved in the play. Against Luka we either switched or dropped the big. I don't recall one time blitzing or hard trapping a screen.

 

[hoopsjock]

Ariza played 36 minutes. That is why Little didn't play.
Swanigan played 23 minutes because Stotts has ZERO other options at back up center.

Sorry man, this is false. A decent amount of those 23 minutes were at the PF with Whiteside on the floor too. I'm fine with Swanigan being the backup big since we're so shorthanded but there is absolutely no excuse for playing him at PF in both halves.

 

[hoopsjock]

Little actually started at PF earlier in the season. He completely shut down East All-Star Starter Pascal Siakam for 3 quarters until Stotts inexplicably kept him on the bench the entire 4th quarter as Siakam went on to go 7/8 in the 4th and win a game for Toronto in Portland. Would Little have shut him down in the 4th? Who knows, probably not, but I guarantee he'd do better than Hezonja did in that game.

This same coach puts Swanigan in the game at fucking PF alongside Whiteside to guard who? Justin Jackson, Hardaway, Curry, Brunson, Finney-Smith, Luka, Delon Wright? What in the actual fuck? The Mavs never played a lineup with Kleber and Porzingis together so either Whiteside or Swanigan had to be guarding one of those guards and small forwards when they played together. So someone please explain to me how you can defend that decision to play Swanigan with Whiteside against this team?

We give up 78 points in a half and this same coach decides you know what, lets try that again in the 2nd half! NOPE, didn't work then either. Then the kicker came in the 4th quarter when we needed stops and our front court was actually Melo, Hezonja, and Swanigan for half of the quarter. You can't make this up.

I don't care who it was between Gabriel and Little but either one would've played at worse the same crappy defense. There is no rational argument against that because the defense literally couldn't have been any worse than it was.

 

[TBpup]

Little actually started at PF earlier in the season. He completely shut down East All-Star Starter Pascal Siakam for 3 quarters until Stotts inexplicably kept him on the bench the entire 4th quarter as Siakam went on to go 7/8 in the 4th and win a game for Toronto in Portland. Would Little have shut him down in the 4th? Who knows, probably not, but I guarantee he'd do better than Hezonja did in that game.

This same coach puts Swanigan in the game at fucking PF alongside Whiteside to guard who? Justin Jackson, Hardaway, Curry, Brunson, Finney-Smith, Luka, Delon Wright? What in the actual fuck? The Mavs never played a lineup with Kleber and Porzingis together so either Whiteside or Swanigan had to be guarding one of those guards and small forwards when they played together. So someone please explain to me how you can defend that decision to play Swanigan with Whiteside against this team?

We give up 78 points in a half and this same coach decides you know what, lets try that again in the 2nd half! NOPE, didn't work then either. Then the kicker came in the 4th quarter when we needed stops and our front court was actually Melo, Hezonja, and Swanigan for half of the quarter. You can't make this up.

I don't care who it was between Gabriel and Little but either one would've played at worse the same crappy defense. There is no rational argument against that because the defense literally couldn't have been any worse than it was.

So much this @hoopsjock . And it's that type of decision making or strategy that rightfully has fans questioning Stotts as the head coach. Just like his decision to leave Curry wide open in Game 1......who anywhere every thought any of these types of ideas was good coaching? That they were actually game plans is even worse.

 

[kjironman1]

Little actually started at PF earlier in the season. He completely shut down East All-Star Starter Pascal Siakam for 3 quarters

Pretty interesting view of the game? I'm assuming you are talking about the November 13th game here in Portland.

Yes Little started. He played the first 9 mins of the game. Missed three shots and left the game 0-2 from 3 point and he missed a pull up jumper. He did get a couple defensive rebounds.
Siakam shot the ball eight times. he missed a couple wide open looks from three and Bazemore blocked one of his layups. He ended the quarter with 7 points a couple offensive rebounds and a three defensive rebounds.

Little left the game for Mario who did very little to help the team also on his first shift.
Little returned to the game 4:32 left in the second quarter.

Little immediately turns the ball over for a Pascal dunk!
Little then proceeds to get lost on defense and allows a 3 pointer by Davis after an assist by Pascal. He does get a good look on a jumper and Hassan finds him for a layup.
At the end of the first half Pascal has 14 points 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Little still 2-5 for 4 points and 3 rebounds

On to the Third quarter. Stotts decides to stick with Little. But it doesn't go real well. Little gets blocked on a layup and misses a three pointer again but even worse he tries an acrobatic dunk and misses the dunk???? One bright spot he does finally hit a three.
After missing the dunk Stotts has had enough! Little is out. Brings in Mario who immediately starts drawing fouls from Boucher and Van Fleet. Mario goes to the line twice and makes 3 of 4. Then Mario makes a three and brings the score to within 6. The Rose garden is rockin!

At this point of the game Stotts goes for a win. Plays Lillard, CJ, Bazemore, Hood and Whiteside. He also brings in 1M for periods and Simons does make some shots but gets torched on defense.
It should be noted that Skal put in some really good minutes. Much needed because Little had racked up 4 fouls. Also Whiteside was still nursing a sore ankle.

Blazers go on to lose this game 114-106 and Pascal Siakam puts up 11 points in the third quarter for a total 25 and eventually 11 more in the fourth for a grand total of 36 points 7 rebounds 3 assists a block and a steal.

Sorry @hoopsjock Little absolutely never "Shut Down Pascal Siakam for 3 Quarters"
Bottom line- The Raptors were a much better deeper team But here is the best quote of all-

but I guarantee he'd do better than Hezonja did in that game.

Mario ended up with 10 points in half the minutes was +3 and brought in 6 rebounds with a steal. He smoked Little.


Facts Matter.

Here is the game play by play. Tell me i'm wrong here?
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/pbp/201911130POR.html

Siakam went on to go 7/8 in the 4th and win a game for Toronto in Portland.

Again WRONG! Siakam went 5-6 in the 4th quarter. He came in at the 9 min mark. Stotts was using Hood/Bazemore on Pascal. IMO this would be the correct move. Little could not provide the defense Hood/Baze were giving.

I don't care who it was between Gabriel and Little but either one would've played at worse the same crappy defense.

So you sum up your entire argument acknowledging that you don't even know if it would have been better?
WOW! How does this kind of delusion start?

 

[kjironman1]

So much this @hoopsjock . And it's that type of decision making or strategy that rightfully has fans questioning Stotts as the head coach. Just like his decision to leave Curry wide open in Game 1......who anywhere every thought any of these types of ideas was good coaching? That they were actually game plans is even worse.

You better think twice before you join the delusion.