Game Thread GAME# 71: BLAZERS @ SUNS - MAY 13, 2021 - THURSDAY, 7:00, TNT & NBCSNW (1 Viewer)

[BoomChakaLaka]

Should have had this one

 

[Phatguysrule]

I don't understand how that last play was a foul. Nobody touched him.

 

[Natebishop3]

What do you mean? We get the ball to Dame plenty of times in this situation. This time for whatever reason it looked like he wasn't the first option. Who knows why.

I meant for the free throws. It feels like we usually struggle to get him the ball when we need free throws.

 

[Strenuus]

I don't understand how that last play was a foul. Nobody touched him.

Hand on the hip, hand on the elbow. Not a lot of contact. But there was.

The real foul was on stotts.

 

[HolyBackboard]

Fluky win? Stotts handed it to them lol.

We lost with ayton out. Nurk should have feasted but nah.

Yeah, real fluky.

No way in hell Payne and Craig will combine to score 31, let alone on 11-16 shooting (5-6 from 3), ever.

Probably would have been better had Ayton played, less shots from Payne and Craig

 

[Sheldon Shape]

We were a made free throw away from pulling it out dude. Lack of teamwork wasn't why we lost, stupidity in the last 5 seconds ruined what was otherwise an excellent game.

You're looking at the micro. Try the macro. We lost or we won by a point without their second most important player isn't going to get it done in the playoffs. It was ISO ball the entire 4th quarter and shitty rotations at the end that cost the game and the season.

Who the hell takes Nurk out when you need a stop on defense? These are basic basketball fundamentals.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

Just finished watching the game. Of course is twice the size of the Utah game thread because we lost.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

It's a win win.

Really wanted the win bad but it's not the worst thing in the world.

I'd honestly rather we get our late lottery pick with an announcement of Terry's firing instead of the playoffs when we'll get smacked around and not getting our pick.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

So, that is what it feels like to shit the bed and roll around in it for two hours.

 

[Strenuus]

Just finished watching the game. Of course is twice the size of the Utah game thread because we lost.

Dude. There was 18 ties and 25 lead changes. There was A LOT to talk about. If any game warranted a big thread win or lose, it was this one. It was a hell of a game.

 

[blazerkor]

Yeah, real fluky.

No way in hell Payne and Craig will combine to score 31, let alone on 11-16 shooting (5-6 from 3), ever.

Probably would have been better had Ayton played, less shots from Payne and Craig

Yeah if Ayton would have been playing I'm sure we would have had open driving lanes all game long. I also think his 60+% shooting inside would have been a problem. As far as three point shooting goes, we know we're terrible at defending the three and the Suns are a top ten three point percentage team. Nothing fluky about the second best team in the league beating us... the only thing fluky is that we had control of the game and handed it to them.

 

[Strenuus]

Yeah, real fluky.

No way in hell Payne and Craig will combine to score 31, let alone on 11-16 shooting (5-6 from 3), ever.

Probably would have been better had Ayton played, less shots from Payne and Craig

Craig kills us all the time. Payne was a surprise though, but there was so much happening in this game.

 

[wizenheimer]

Just finished watching the game. Of course is twice the size of the Utah game thread because we lost without our starting PF.

FTFY

 

[blazerkor]

Just finished watching the game. Of course is twice the size of the Utah game thread because we lost.

I made that comment after the Utah game that this place was like a ghost town but I think it just comes down to being happy when the team wins, so you make one post that says something like, "Great game! Go Blazers!" Whereas a game like this makes you think and post about all of the ways we ended up in an unhappy state. It makes logical sense but you're right it is an interesting phenomenon.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

not the first time melo has panicked as an inbounder this season.

i remember during his time in denver they had a bunch of turnovers inbounding the ball late in playoff games-- think it's scarred him. first open guy he sees, he passes in.

Yep Ariza had two game winning steals on inbounds in the 2009 WCF.

 

[BBert]

This. The Suns shot 89% from the FT line, the Blazer shot 78%. That was the difference in the game.

That's one difference. Another difference is that Nurk and Melo played like shit. And we still should have won.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

I made that comment after the Utah game that this place was like a ghost town but I think it just comes down to being happy when the team wins, so you make one post that says something like, "Great game! Go Blazers!" Whereas a game like this makes you think and post about all of the ways we ended up in an unhappy state. It makes logical sense but you're right it is an interesting phenomenon.

But why don’t we break down all the good things Stotts and the players did when we win? To be fair, I think this thread would’ve been longer if Dame won it at the buzzer.

 

[Strenuus]

I made that comment after the Utah game that this place was like a ghost town but I think it just comes down to being happy when the team wins, so you make one post that says something like, "Great game! Go Blazers!" Whereas a game like this makes you think and post about all of the ways we ended up in an unhappy state. It makes logical sense but you're right it is an interesting phenomenon.

This game would have had a high count regardless. It was a fantastic game that had controversy and a quarter of a hundred lead changes.

Playoff games are gonna have a ton of posts too. That's pretty much what this was.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

yeeeeeesh....I thought I was the debbie downer around here but lots of you guys are outdebbie-ing me by a lot. I'm actually impressed with how Portland played on the 2nd of a B2B against the two top teams in the league

I'm not going to trash RoCo for the missed FT's. Misses happen and I'd wonder why RoCo got that ball. Actually, I don't wonder because Melo has fucked up in-bounding plays a lot this year. If you're not going to pass it to Dame, have him inbound

Dame was the big focus of the Phoenix defense tonight; he had at least two Suns shadowing him whenever he touched ball, especially at the 3 point line. So he decided to get real acquainted with the hoop by driving thru that defense....over and over. I think I heard the TNT guy say Dame had scored 10 baskets at the rim. 41 points in 43 minutes in one of the gutsiest performances of his career

Portland isn't locked into the 6th seed yet. Dallas still has to win both games they have left. And if this Covid season has shown anything, it's that crappy teams can kick the shit out of playoff teams when you least expect it

I believe Dame was 9 for 9 from the field in the 4th quarter.

 

[Strenuus]

But why don’t we break down all the good things Stotts and the players did when we win? To be fair, I think this thread would’ve been longer if Dame won it at the buzzer.

There's your answer. He doesn't do anything good in wins! Thanks for finally coming around! Woooo! Way to go Eric!

 

[KSF-ERIC]

This game would have had a high count regardless. It was a fantastic game that had controversy and a quarter of a hundred lead changes.

Playoff games are gonna have a ton of posts too. That's pretty much what this was.

I think you’re right.

 

[wizenheimer]

have any votes been changed in the poll?

 

[EGame]

That's one difference. Another difference is that Nurk and Melo played like shit. And we still should have won.

Kanter too. Please add Kanter.

 

[Strenuus]

I believe Dame was 9 for 9 from the field in the 4th quarter.

He missed a 3 late in the 4th iirc.

 

[EGame]

have any votes been changed in the poll?

The answer should have been obvious even well before tipoff.

 

[wizenheimer]

anybody know how many points Dame scored in the 4thQ?

 

[Tince]

That's one difference. Another difference is that Nurk and Melo played like shit. And we still should have won.

Also true.

Nurk struggling last night versus Gobert was one thing, but this was bad no-show.

I'd really like to see Nurk shake his post-season struggles this year, regardless of the series outcome. Got to get that monkey off his back.

 

[BBert]

Who the hell takes Nurk out when you need a stop on defense? These are basic basketball fundamentals.

Right? I could not fucking believe Stotts replaced Nurkic with Melo for defense in that situation. And I let my TV know how I felt about it.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

No reason to worry about seeding. This game proves we are still bad against good teams. The only team I could realistically see us beating in the top 4 is Denver, but even that doesn't have much of a chance of happening.

This game proves we are bad against good teams? We lost by one point!

 

[Strenuus]

Right? I could not fucking believe Stotts replaced Nurkic with Melo for defense in that situation. And I let my TV know how I felt about it.

Regardless of what Melo did on defense with Booker previously, you put nurk in there up 1. It's literally a no Brainer. I still can't fathom what he was thinking there.