Just got back from the game. Haven't read a single post in the game thread. So this is just based on what I saw with my own eyes.
It's really simple. Nate's 4th quarter offense is predictable, one-dimensional and easily stopped. Heck, I'll go so far as to say it stops itself. Running down the shot clock to the final seconds on every possession insures you will be forcing up a bad, low percentage shot under pressure. And it shows in the results. This is at least the third time in the last month and a half I've personally witnessed the Blazers blow a sizable 4th quarter lead at home in the final minutes thanks to an offense that simply can't generate points with the game on the line. I saw them get outscore 13-1 over the last 3:34 against Memphis to blow an 8-point lead. I saw them get outscore 10-1 over the final 3:26 to blow another 8-point lead against New Orleans. And now tonight. They blow a 12 point 4th quarter lead and score an anemic 10 points in the quarter.
This is just pathetic, and it doesn't matter what players we have on the floor, the results are the same - an inability to close out games we should be winning going away. And, as far as I'm concerned it's ALL on Nate. EVERY team and EVERY coach in the league knows EXACTLY what the Blazer are going to do in the 4th quarter. And, they have all figured out how to stop it. Because, you see, other coaches learn from their mistakes and make adjustments. Ours just keeps making the same mistakes over and over and over, expecting the results to be different and costing us wins.
So, I'll turn the floor over to the Nate apologists and let them rationalize how this pattern isn't Nate's fault, how great this team is doing in spite of the injuries, and how it's not bad play calling by the coach, but bad execution by the players that is causing the team to blow big leads in the final minutes of games - even though it happens no matter who the opponent and which players we have on the court at the time. When do th eapologists stop making excuses and begin discussing the possibility that the one common factor in all these blown leads is the head coach and his stagnant, predictable, ineffective play calling. The floor is yours.
BNM
