Game Thread GAME# 62: BLAZERS @ RAPTORS - MARCH 1, 2019 - FRIDAY, 5:00 PM, ESPN & NBCSNW

[joeBlazers]

Jake the Snake. The brother came to play tonight. Love me some Jake.

 

[DUB]

Dame had a chance to put us up two from the charity stripe, but uncharacteristically missed one. It wasn’t the reason we lost the game, but it did seem like a momentum shift. I can’t help but think that the silly buggers the Toronto time keepers played with the shot clock, made an impact. The piss farting around really disrupted the flow of the game.

I didn’t like the switch on the last play. I think Moe should have fought over the screen, and Dame should have showed, then quickly gotten back to Lowry. The way they switched so quickly, it seemed like they were playing to instruction, so I guess that’s on Stotts.

 

[kjironman1]

Free throws. Missed two in the last four possessions. Got to make your free throws. Mo misses badly and dame misses one.
Nice to see him make the three in a row but when you are not getting calls on the road you better make the free throws you do get.

The main thing you try to do when playing a very good team on the road is to stay close enough to be in it at the end. Tonight the Blazers did just that. Good game and a very fun game to watch.

 

[kjironman1]

Dame had a chance to put us up two from the charity stripe, but uncharacteristically missed one. It wasn’t the reason we lost the game, but it did seem like a momentum shift. I can’t help but think that the silly buggers the Toronto time keepers played with the shot clock, made an impact. The piss farting around really disrupted the flow of the game.

I didn’t like the switch on the last play. I think Moe should have fought over the screen, and Dame should have showed, then quickly gotten back to Lowry. The way they switched so quickly, it seemed like they were playing to instruction, so I guess that’s on Stotts.

I did notice them running the clock when the game was stopped. Pretty much ran about 5 seconds off the clock at one point. Clock kept running to 44.4 seconds when play was stopped.

 

[kjironman1]

I didn’t like the switch on the last play. I think Moe should have fought over the screen, and Dame should have showed, then quickly gotten back to Lowry.

I didn't like the switch either but the way they were calling the game Mo would have been called for a foul. Maybe not a bad thing as it would have stopped the clock but Leonard would not have missed free throws so who knows?

 

[tlongII]

Tough loss. Kawhi was great.

 

[DUB]

Would we have won with Kanter? I like to think so. I hope we don’t meet them in the finals.

 

[Pinwheel1]

CJ really choke on the mid range shot and the difference between Dame and CJ that Dame hits big shots when it counts and CJ usually don't.

Yeah I was wondering how someone was going to take a shot at CJ after a game like that. You guys never disappoint. Yes we know Dame is better, but to use the word " choke" because he missed that last 3 pt attempt is comical.

 

[blazerkor]

I think we lost the game because they were better tonight. Keep in mind that we didn't have Kanter. We may be better with Kanter. We took the second best record in the league to the brink and came up just a little short. Feeling pretty good about our team. Go Blazers!!!

 

[James lamphear]

Yeah I was wondering how someone was going to take a shot at CJ after a game like that. You guys never disappoint. Yes we know Dame is better, but to use the word " choke" because he missed his that last " 3 pt attempt is comical.

Maybe I shouldn't use choke but when someone stiff up on that shot I knew it wasn't going in. He didn't look comfortable on that shot at all. He had a great shooting nite up to that shot. But he has miss critical free throws in the past in late games and he has miss big shots in the past too. But he hasn't made a lot critical shots in the last minute shots in his career some not a lot.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Maybe I shouldn't use choke but when someone stiff up on that shot I knew it wasn't going in. He didn't look comfortable on that shot at all. He had a great shooting nite up to that shot. But he has miss critical free throws in the past in late games and he has miss big shots in the past too. But he hasn't made a lot critical shots in the last minute shots in his career some not a lot.

Look lets not try to pretend that certain posters go out of their way to hate on CJ. Tonight was a little more difficult to find something to bitch about but when you play 40 tough minutes like CJ did tonight there will be be mistakes along the way to focus on. But only Blazer fans can look at CJ's game tonight and not give him major props. He battled the whole game.

 

[BonesJones]

HS and NBA are two very different things.

I'm sorry, you might not like the decisions Terry makes, but I'm not sure you're going to find many coaches that agree with giving up a wide open shot to either Kyle Lowry or Danny Green (who both hit crucial shots in the final minutes) over a contested mid range jumper, regardless of who that player is or how hot he may be.

I knew the response would be "HS and NBA are different.".... No fucking shit. What made you feel the need to say this...?

Situational basketball is situational basketball. Situational basketball is a thing at any level, and situational adjustments are a thing at any level. Defensive schemes used in the NBA are used in college and HS.

Do you not know what a hard rotate is? Have you ever done an effective scramble drill defensively?

And you seriously think an on-fire Lawhi has a lower chance of making a basically open 10-footer than those guys do of hitting a 3 with a hard closeout? And that's if Kawhi can even deliver them the ball. As I've said, a 2 or 3 didnt matter. Any made shot would beat us there since we had no timeouts.

 

[BonesJones]

Exactly right @BonesJones . The only other player on the floor who had more than 11 points was Lowry. So make 1 of those other 3 players make a clutch shot instead of letting the guy with 36 points get an easy, uncontested 12 foot jumper.

Yup. And if you know how to rotate hard (i.e. coached correctly) then those 3s wont even be open.

But nah, I got people saying dumb shit like "NBA and HS are different" to try to discount stuff I've learned from playing for a very good HS coach and college. I like talking ball with you, HJ, Dviss, and others because you guys actually get it.

 

[HailBlazers]

What a heartbreaker. Can't ask for anymore.

Consistency in foul calls would be swell.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

I think they planned to switch that because they thought Kawhi would post up Dame and Kawhi hadnt been successful posting Dame (who oddly enough is a good post defender).

It actually looked for a second like Kawhi thought about putting his back to the basket and realized hey I can just take a few hard dribbles and shoot over him.

When Dame was shooting FT’s I thought they would sub in Hood, or another Long defensive guys. I think they assumed Nurse would call a timeout.

 

[TBpup]

Yeah I was wondering how someone was going to take a shot at CJ after a game like that. You guys never disappoint. Yes we know Dame is better, but to use the word " choke" because he missed that last 3 pt attempt is comical.

CJ had a great game.....but to be fair, that last 3 that barely hit the rim was quite the departure from the rest of his shooting night. So something was obviously different.

 

[tykendo]

Tough loss, but well played. Nurk in foul trouble was the biggest factor IMO. Meyers Leonard with empty minutes was huge. This team is obviously better with Enes playing. Turner was missed as well. Very good effort though in a tough place to play. Gasol's old bag of tricks came up big tonight for the Raptors, and Kawhi was hot. All things considering, nothing to be mad at the Blazers for.

 

[BonesJones]

I think they planned to switch that because they thought Kawhi would post up Dame and Kawhi hadnt been successful posting Dame (who oddly enough is a good post defender).

It actually looked for a second like Kawhi thought about putting his back to the basket and realized hey I can just take a few hard dribbles and shoot over him.

When Dame was shooting FT’s I thought they would sub in Hood, or another Long defensive guys. I think they assumed Nurse would call a timeout.

That makes 0 sense. Why would they switch a pick n roll with 4 seconds left to guard against a post up? There was no time for a post up. Also, why would we rather have the 6'3 guy guard him in the post instead of the 6'9 guy?

And CJ was on the game, wasn't he?

Layman, Moe, Aminu, Dame, and Nurkic should've been the lineup out there. Shouldve put Dame on Green and had Aminu and Harkless guarding Leonard and Lowry.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

CJ had a great game.....but to be fair, that last 3 that barely hit the rim was quite the departure from the rest of his shooting night. So something was obviously different.

He didnt set his feet, or follow through, it was off before it even left his hand you could see it, it wasnt his normal shooting motion and the release was awkward. Dont know if it was choking or just one of those shots, but it happens here and there. I know his defense was bad, but they really needed his scoring in the middle of that game when no one else could hit a shot.

 

[James lamphear]

Look lets not try to pretend that certain posters go out of their way to hate on CJ. Tonight was a little more difficult to find something to bitch about but when you play 40 tough minutes like CJ did tonight there will be be mistakes along the way to focus on. But only Blazer fans can look at CJ's game tonight and not give him major props. He battled the whole game.

I am not pretening guy by CJ how I feel about him. He does have some very good shooting nights. But he also had some bad ones too. Tonight he had a good shooting night but the one shot I am talking about he didn't looked good on the shot and miss pretty badly. Another thing if we traded him in the off season I won't loose know sleep about it because I don't think he 2 way player and I don't think he makes other players around him better. He had one of these games tonight and come in the next game he be shooting but bricking everything, this as been his season this year he been up and down all season and this not my opinion but this what I really think about him as a player.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

That makes 0 sense. Why would they switch a pick n roll with 4 seconds left to guard against a post up? There was no time for a post up. Also, why would we rather have the 6'3 guy guard him in the post instead of the 6'9 guy?

And CJ was on the game, wasn't he?

Layman, Moe, Aminu, Dame, and Nurkic should've been the lineup out there. Shouldve put Dame on Green and had Aminu and Harkless guarding Leonard and Lowry.

4 seconds is more then enough time to get your back to the basket and turn around and shoot a ball over a guy, especially when your 6 inches taller. Its not like Moe had stopped Kawhi either at that point.

Also I said I thought they would put length on the court while Dame was shooting FT’s and they didnt. Stotts obviously thought Nurse would call a timeout. In fact Nurse not calling a timeout probably had something to do with Dame and CJ both being out there he knew he could get match ups he wanted.

 

[BonesJones]

My comment was about the talent difference and *not meant to insinuate that you didn't know that.

But giving up an open 3 to Kyle Lowry or Danny Green isn't an any more favorable outcome than a Kawhi mid range shot (with a contest that Dame for some reason didn't bother to make). Maybe you disagree with that, but the math will tell you that that decision is a shaky one at best.

But I don't get it, so go ahead and tell my why I'm wrong.

Again:

Do you not know what a hard rotate is? Have you ever done an effective scramble drill defensively?

And you seriously think an on-fire Lawhi has a lower chance of making a basically open 10-footer than those guys do of hitting a 3 with a hard closeout? And that's if Kawhi can even deliver them the ball. As I've said, a 2 or 3 didnt matter. Any made shot would beat us there since we had no timeouts.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Kawhi in this goes to a postish type turnaround shot. Starts his move at 7.1 seconds ball is out of his hands aat 3.5 seconds. I dont know really why they obviously planned to switch, but they did plan to switch. Not sure why they didnt blitz Kawhi and try to make him give up the ball, but hey I bet both teams could think of a dozen things they wish they did differently in that game.

 

[BonesJones]

Kawhi in this goes to a postish type turnaround shot. Starts his move at 7.1 seconds ball is out of his hands aat 3.5 seconds. I dont know really why they obviously planned to switch, but they did plan to switch. Not sure why they didnt blitz Kawhi and try to make him give up the ball, but hey I bet both teams could think of a dozen things they wish they did differently in that game.

Thing is he didn't have a side clear against us. Even then, switching off a 6'9 for a 6'3 defender to guard against a postup doesnt make sense.

 

[BonesJones]

Not sure why they didnt blitz Kawhi and try to make him give up the ball, but hey I bet both teams could think of a dozen things they wish they did differently in that game.

Correct, but once against this is another example of Stotts sucking at situational basketball, especially defense.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Thing is he didn't have a side clear against us. Even then, switching off a 6'9 for a 6'3 defender to guard against a postup doesnt make sense.

Well my point is he had plenty of time to do whatever he wanted in order to get a shot off over a player 6inches shorter.

I also think Stotts really thought they were going to call a timeout and he could put in his defensive players. I dont think he made any substitutions during the ft’s, I cant imagine he wanted Dame and CJ in for Toronto’s last play.

 

[BonesJones]

Well my point is he had plenty of time to do whatever he wanted in order to get a shot off over a player 6inches shorter.

I also think Stotts really thought they were going to call a timeout and he could put in his defensive players. I dont think he made any substitutions during the ft’s, I cant imagine he wanted Dame and CJ in for Toronto’s last play.

That's terrible on Stotts if he thought that. He couldve easily made a substitution during FTs.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

That's terrible on Stotts if he thought that. He couldve easily made a substitution during FTs.

Not excusing it. Just making observations because it seemed like the Blazers as a team thought they were going to call time out.
Honestly I hate losing, but in terms of losses, this one didnt sting all that bad for me. I was actually surprised they mustered the energy to even come back and make a good game. When they were down in the teens, I was like well its the 5th game of a long road trip their next game starts at 10am (home time), maybe they should think about letting the starters rest.

So I dont know, lots of things could have happened differently that would altered the game. Nurks foul trouble was a huge reason why Meyers got all the minutes he did in the 1st place.

Maybe I should be more annoyed about it, because they couldve won.

 

[tykendo]

CJ was great tonight. It always hurts when a key cog misses late in a tight game. But CJ carried the team for a lot of the night scoring wise. He just needs to stop those no look passes that go to no one but the courtside fans.

 

[BonesJones]

CJ was great tonight. It always hurts when a key cog misses late in a tight game. But CJ carried the team for a lot of the night scoring wise. He just needs to stop those no look passes that go to no one but the courtside fans.

I wouldnt say all-around great. His scoring was great, but some of his turnovers and decisions on offense were ridiculous, and numerous. His off-ball defense was very bad too. It sucks, if he was simply mediocre in those areas to go along with his tremendous scoring night, we would've won.