Game Thread GAME# 64: BLAZERS @ LAKERS - MARCH 5, 2018 - MONDAY, 7:30 PM (PST), NBATV & NBCSNW

[THE HCP]

I think it would be great to have him out there spreading the floor for guards. Isn't going to do much more than that, but I'll take it at the right price. Plus he had a HUGE grin on his face when I mentioned it.

 

[SportsAndWhine]

I think it would be great to have him out there spreading the floor for guards. Isn't going to do much more than that, but I'll take it at the right price. Plus he had a HUGE grin on his face when I mentioned it.

There was a point in 2007 when I wanted to keep Frye over LaMarcus. I’m still not convinced I was wrong.

 

[Scalma]

Assuming we keep all our RFAs and let Layman go, we’ll have space for one more player. I’d take Frye for the minimum, but only if more spots open up. I wouldn’t take him over any of the guys we have now.

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

I would love Frye back as our third center

 

[H.C.]

Frye as a 3rd string big on a vet min deal would be outstanding. Anything more than that, he probably needs to go elsewhere.

Bring him in as the big man coach ya'll have been clamoring for.

 

[andalusian]

Bring him in as the big man coach ya'll have been clamoring for.

I like Frye a lot, but what he can bring as a big man coach (stay on the perimeter and shoot 3s) we can get from MyLe... just sayin'

 

[BBert]

Brandon Ingram officially out tonight and their next game.

We're missing Wade Baldwin IV. So it evens out.

 

[kjironman1]

I really don't care which Laker has a better career. But it does seem to come up in conversation quite a bit.

 

[kjironman1]

I'm actually ok with a loss here. Obviously, I want us to win but we won't win every game and I don't want us to lose the games vs playoff contending teams.

This is like crazy backwards double jinx going on. We got HCP saying they will blow these guys out and Kingspeed saying he is ok with a loss. I'm really confused with this thread at this point.

We should blow these guys out, no problem. Keep that winning streak intact. Especially against another west coast team like this.

They are messing with the jinx gods for sure.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

This is like crazy backwards double jinx going on. We got HCP saying they will blow these guys out and Kingspeed saying he is ok with a loss. I'm really confused with this thread at this point.

They are messing with the jinx gods for sure.

HCP is saying that the team he roots for will blow out the opponent. That is to say, he and Kingspeed are both predicting a Laker victory.

 

[kjironman1]

HCP is saying that the team he roots for will blow out the opponent. That is to say, he and Kingspeed are both predicting a Laker victory.

Now you are saying both HCP and Kingspeed are in this together saying the same thing.
So it's basically all three of you pushing the jinx gods around because we know HCP and Kingspeed never agree on anything other than HCP owes him money or something like that?

 

[Boob-No-More]

So, looks like we're actually underdogs tonight.

Basketball reference has the odds of Portland winning tonight at 50/50.

FiveThirtyEight has the odds at 52% LAL, 48% POR.

This team gets no respect, we have won six in a row, including wins over GSW, UTA (who had won 11 in a row), MIN and OKC, and yet the media is still claims the Lakers are better than Portland.

@HCP, please let the guys know the odds makers have them losing tonight. Better yet, get out your crayons and post it on the bulletin board!

BNM

 

[illmatic99]

So, looks like we're actually underdogs tonight.

Basketball reference has the odds of Portland winning tonight at 50/50.

FiveThirtyEight has the odds at 52% LAL, 48% POR.

This team gets no respect, we have won six in a row, including wins over GSW, UTA (who had won 11 in a row), MIN and OKC, and yet the media is still claims the Lakers are better than Portland.

@HCP, please let the guys know the odds makers have them losing tonight. Better yet, get out your crayons and post it on the bulletin board!

BNM

We're also favored against GS for Friday's game. These are stat models. They tend to show bias for home court advantage and whatnot.

Has nothing to do with respect.

 

[Boob-No-More]

We're also favored against GS for Friday's game. These are stat models. They tend to show bias for home court advantage and whatnot.

Has nothing to do with respect.

Shhhhhh.... This is supposed to be motivational material. This team plays better when they have a chip on their shoulder and (perceived) lack of respect seems to trigger that kind of response.

BNM

 

[PtldPlatypus]

We're also favored against GS for Friday's game. These are stat models. They tend to show bias for home court advantage and whatnot.

Has nothing to do with respect.

Interesting. I'm tempted to redo my remaining schedule spreadsheet based on fivethirtyeight's predictions, just to remove my biases from the data...

 

[illmatic99]

Interesting. I'm tempted to redo my remaining schedule spreadsheet based on fivethirtyeight's predictions, just to remove my biases from the data...

They're putting us third in the west with 48 wins for the season.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-nba-predictions/

 

[Boob-No-More]

They're putting us third in the west with 48 wins for the season.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-nba-predictions/

With MIN, NOP and OKC all at 47, DEN and SAS at 46 and LAC and UTA at 45. That's 8 teams bunched up within three games of each other. Two extra loses could mean the difference between being the 3rd seed and missing the playoffs. That's crazy. Every game is a big game. Need to lock up as many tie breakers as possible.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

With MIN, NOP and OKC all at 47, DEN and SAS at 46 and LAC and UTA at 45. That's 8 teams bunched up within three games of each other. Two extra loses could mean the difference between being the 3rd seed and missing the playoffs. That's crazy. Every game is a big game. Need to lock up as many tie breakers as possible.

BNM

Basketball-reference is projecting POR as 4th, but they are projecting less than 1 game difference between the 3rd and 7th seeds:

3) MIN = 47.0 wins
4) POR = 46.7 wins
5) NOP = 47.3 wins
6) OKC = 46.3 wins
7) SAS = 46.2 wins

Of course, there is no such thing as a fraction of a win. So, all five of those teams could end up tied, and that doesn't even include DEN, LAC and UTA who are all very much still in the race for a playoff spot.

BNM

 

[Chris Craig]

With MIN, NOP and OKC all at 47, DEN and SAS at 46 and LAC and UTA at 45. That's 8 teams bunched up within three games of each other. Two extra loses could mean the difference between being the 3rd seed and missing the playoffs. That's crazy. Every game is a big game. Need to lock up as many tie breakers as possible.

BNM

The west is a sardine can

 

[Boob-No-More]

ESPN is projecting POR as 5th, tied with MIN and OKC at 47 wins (they seem to ignore the fact that POR owns the tie breaker over OKC). They have NOP and SAS one game back at 46 wins.

BNM

 

[kjironman1]

We're also favored against GS for Friday's game. These are stat models. They tend to show bias for home court advantage and whatnot.

Has nothing to do with respect.

Second of a B2B for the Warriors on multiple days rest for the Blazers at home.

 

[kjironman1]

Blazers need to win this game.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

They're putting us third in the west with 48 wins for the season.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-nba-predictions/

Sure, but they're looking at cumulative simulation, whereas I'm just looking at who's favored to win each remaining game. If every favorite wins from here on out (based on 538's current odds), the Pelicans would actually end up with the 3 seed with 49 wins, despite 538 only projecting them with 47.

 

[Chris Craig]

Basketball-reference is projecting POR as 4th, but they are projecting less than 1 game difference between the 3rd and 7th seeds:

3) MIN = 47.0 wins
4) POR = 46.7 wins
5) NOP = 47.3 wins
6) OKC = 46.3 wins
7) SAS = 46.2 wins

Of course, there is no such thing as a fraction of a win. So, all five of those teams could end up tied, and that doesn't even include DEN, LAC and UTA who are all very much still in the race for a playoff spot.

BNM

All the teams in the west play each other quite a bit to end the season. It seems like that will stretch things out a little rather than keeping it so close. Some of the teams will win some will lose so there will be a degree of seperation

 

[PtldPlatypus]

All the teams in the west play each other quite a bit to end the season. It seems like that will stretch things out a little rather than keeping it so close. Some of the teams will win some will lose so there will be a degree of seperation

But if primarily home teams win, the intra-community games will basically cancel each other out.

It's coming down to the last weekend, no doubt about it.

 

[Boob-No-More]

All the teams in the west play each other quite a bit to end the season. It seems like that will stretch things out a little rather than keeping it so close. Some of the teams will win some will lose so there will be a degree of seperation

Actually, I see the exact opposite. With so many highly competitive games and so much at stake, I see the 3 - 10 teams in the West beating up on each other. No one has an easy schedule. So, I don't expect anyone to go on a big winning streak to end the season. I think its much more likely that most of those teams go 6-4 or 5-5 over their last 10 games than 10-0, 9-1 or 8-2.

BNM

 

[Nhawz]

Is hcp a lakers fan ?

He’s Mexican.

 

[kjironman1]

But if primarily home teams win, the intra-community games will basically cancel each other out.

It's coming down to the last weekend, no doubt about it.

Always does for a few teams in both conferences. Every year. Nothing new about this year.

 

[trailblazer18]

Game is on NBATV tonight, suck! It's not available on League Pass when on NBATV, I still don't get that. Oh well, maybe I'll get some sleep tonight instead.

 

[DDolla]

We need a fast start and finish strong. Don’t give the Lakers any confidence that they can beat us.