Game Thread GAME# 78: BLAZERS @ MAVERICKS - APRIL 3, 2018 - TUESDAY, 5:30 PM (PST), NBCSNW

[SIeepwalker]

The Portland "don't get your hopes up or you'll regret it" Trailblazers

 

[SIeepwalker]

Also can we make a rule that @BonesJones and @KingSpeed are not allowed to quote eachothers ?

 

[HolyBackboard]

Was this game, or the Memphis game a few games ago worse?

Both were tough pills to swallow but I'd give this one the nod because we had Dame in the lineup and still didn't show up on both ends of the court.

 

[BlazerBeav]

The fact that we did this having already blown the Memphis game is mind blowing. One no show, not good but can happen. Two in a week after working so hard to get where they are is incredible.

 

[Jade Falcon]

Also can we make a rule that @BonesJones and @KingSpeed are not allowed to quote eachothers ?

Bones, I love ya brother......but yeah, your bickering with King gets a little tiring.

 

[kjironman1]

 

[calvin natt]

Every loss: Stotts sucks
Every win: crickets

 

[kjironman1]

This means they need to sit him the rest of the way.

 

[kjironman1]

I would not expect to see Lillard again until the Playoff start.

 

[Jade Falcon]

Every loss: Stotts sucks
Every win: crickets

Oh bullshit. Every game thread we win there are people pointing out what went right and good in the game.

Whereas it's very easy, in losses like this, to see exactly what went wrong. And yeah.....much of it is on Stotts.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Every loss: Stotts sucks
Every win: crickets

Stotts is above .500 for his career as a coach. By 1 win. He needs 2 of the next 4 to finish the season with more wins than losses for his career.

I don't think he gets it.

 

[SynTax]

Dame has only been slumping from three, so your point that he's been terrible all over the field is BUNK! Plus he has NOT been letting the team down. Are you drunk? Bring some good takes.

Quick correction: Lillard has hit 20 of his last 86 threes. Not sure what I was looking at to get 104. Sorry!

He hit 75 of his last 194 shots. Good for 38.6%. Subract the 3s and that goes to 55 of 108. That's a little better than 50%. Considering how many times Lillard goes to the rim versus how often he's shooting from other zones inside the arc, that's also pretty meh.
He's been incredible from the foul line, going 85 of his last 86. He's also been amazing as a play maker. But he has a pretty bad tendency to start forcing bad three point attempts. And they aren't falling.

Don't misconstrue this as an attack on Lillard. I already said he's the reason we're getting 50 wins. He's a top 10 player, imo. He's just looking worn down and continuing to take bad attempts. Saying he's letting the team down by taking bad shots isn't me saying he's a bad player.

 

[KingSpeed]

I would not expect to see Lillard again until the Playoff start.

He'll play on Thursday. He knows it's important.

 

[SynTax]

20 of 104. That's not a typo?

Oh my God. And he's our best shooter.

20/86. Somehow read those numbers wrong. Whoops! Still, 23.2% from 3 is pretty bad.

Whole team is just in a slump, honestly.

 

[tykendo]

Quick correction: Lillard has hit 20 of his last 86 threes. Not sure what I was looking at to get 104. Sorry!

He hit 75 of his last 194 shots. Good for 38.6%. Subract the 3s and that goes to 55 of 108. That's a little better than 50%. Considering how many times Lillard goes to the rim versus how often he's shooting from other zones inside the arc, that's also pretty meh.
He's been incredible from the foul line, going 85 of his last 86. He's also been amazing as a play maker. But he has a pretty bad tendency to start forcing bad three point attempts. And they aren't falling.

Don't misconstrue this as an attack on Lillard. I already said he's the reason we're getting 50 wins. He's a top 10 player, imo. He's just looking worn down and continuing to take bad attempts. Saying he's letting the team down by taking bad shots isn't me saying he's a bad player.

I get that, but not all those threes are bad shots. Many were open looks. Yes he has to hit them, but he's hardly letting the team down. I'm objecting to that thinking.

 

[WillG]

Lillard took the game off. Just left behind on defensive plays and terrible LAZY shot selection.

The rest of the team followed suit. Bam Loss to one of the worst teams in NBA.

The Stotts offense is still excruciating to watch unfold. Everything is just hard and uphill.
Absolutely believe this team would perform much better under a different coach.

 

[BonesJones]

You haven't been paying attention if you honestly think we'll lose 5 games in a row to end the season.

I said possibly. You love twisting the context of words.. You also would be said the same thing in regards to Memphis, and you would've been wrong.

 

[BonesJones]

Also can we make a rule that @BonesJones and @KingSpeed are not allowed to quote eachothers ?

Can we make a rule where you have to ignore both of us?!

 

[tykendo]

Hey, the Blazers will be the 1st to tell anyone who will listen, this one is on them. Poor shooting, loose ball handling by Nurk(5 to's), and low energy for most of the game. But this team plays best when they're up against it. Hopefully Dame is OK, and can go vs. the Rockets. Go Blazers!!

 

[BonesJones]

Lillard took the game off. Just left behind on defensive plays and terrible LAZY shot selection.

The rest of the team followed suit. Bam Loss to one of the worst teams in NBA.

The Stotts offense is still excruciating to watch unfold. Everything is just hard and uphill.
Absolutely believe this team would perform much better under a different coach.

Jay Wright.

 

[BonesJones]

Bones, I love ya brother......but yeah, your bickering with King gets a little tiring.

Sorry.

 

[kjironman1]

He'll play on Thursday. He knows it's important.

Crazy to even try it. Why?

 

[calvin natt]

Stotts is above .500 for his career as a coach. By 1 win. He needs 2 of the next 4 to finish the season with more wins than losses for his career.

I don't think he gets it.

Ha. Look who he has coached. Bucks hawks and Blazers. Average talent. People need to get a clue.

 

[BlazerBeav]

Hey, the Blazers will be the 1st to tell anyone who will listen, this one is on them. Poor shooting, loose ball handling by Nurk(5 to's), and low energy for most of the game. But this team plays best when they're up against it. Hopefully Dame is OK, and can go vs. the Rockets. Go Blazers!!

We all know it's on them. The reality is that by losing this one, they now need to find wins in tough places. Put themselves in a real bad spot.

 

[KingSpeed]

We all know it's on them. The reality is that by losing this one, they now need to find wins in tough places. Put themselves in a real bad spot.

Either we'll rise to the challenge or we won't deserve the 3 spot. Let's see what happens.

 

[HailBlazers]

Another loss chalked up to Terry Stotts. I know it's an unpopular opinion around the Trail Blazers fan base, but yet again, Stotts' continued mismanagement of Jusuf Nurkic is costing us games to inferior teams.

Dallas had no rim protectors in the game the entire night and instead of feeding the Beast, he allows the team to throw up 40 3-pointers (10 by Aminu alone)!!! Nurk was 7-8 from the floor while players such as Aminu continue to have the green light to shoot any shot on the court. In my opinion, the only Blazers who have the green light to keep shooting when their shot's not dropping are Dame and CJ.

This same exact scenario played out last week in Memphis where Nurk was 5-6 and Gasol played minimal minutes. And if we want to go even father back, the Boston game unraveled when Portland went small and took out Nurkic after one pick and pop Al Horford 3.

While this is a glaring trend, and quite frankly terrifying if you're hopeful of this team making any noise in the post-season, it wasn't the reason Portland lost the game.

How on earth do you allow the Dallas Mavericks to score 115 on your defense? Where was the urgency? Dallas ran a simple pick and roll offense the entire night and we simply made no adjustments. It felt like Dallas was hitting every 3 they took, but they were really just 17-44. I won't blame Stotts entirely for the defensive output as the players didn't look mentally prepared for tonight's contest and with just five games to go and no playoff seeding locked up, that's pretty inexcusable.

Ive got love for Stotts but can't help but feel he's our Mark Jackson to a potential Steve Kerr. I wish he'd be our Carlisle that leads a well rounded team to a Chip but his work against surperior coaches is indeed glaringly weak at times.

 

[KingSpeed]

Ive got love for Stotts but can't help but feel he's our Mark Jackson to a potential Steve Kerr. I wish he'd be our Carlisle that leads a well rounded team to a Chip but his work against surperior coaches is indeed glaringly weak at times.

This year, Stotts has beaten Pop, Carlisle, Snyder, and Kerr (twice).

 

[RipCityDSCPL]

Tomorrow Adam Silver is going to fine the Blazers $60 thousand dollars for blatant tanking in tonight's game against the Mavericks.

 

[kjironman1]

 

[KingSpeed]

Dude. Why are you posting the same thing in two threads? Calm down.