Meet the Blazers: Understanding how Portland’s Fab Four make such sweet music

[SlyPokerDog]

There were supposed to be only four Beatles in the NBA this year. But somebody forgot to tell the Portland Trail Blazers. As we enter the All-Star break, five teams are 20 games over .500, including Miami, San Antonio, Indiana, and Oklahoma City — the quartet many expected to top the league. Then there’s Portland. In less than two years, the Blazers have gone from middling to mind-melting, taking the NBA by storm with their juggernaut offense. They are the most efficient scoring team in the ferocious Western Conference, and score more points per possession than any team not based in Miami.

The Portland offense features a core group of performers who band together to produce a unified value worth far more than the sum of their individual parts. The Blazers remain one of the only teams left in the league to feature five starting players who clearly fit the old Wooden taxonomy of basketball positions. As a result, the team plays with a seamless flow and intelligent spacing. They consistently create shots for one another, in turn making each other look and play better. The five starters blend together to create perhaps the most balanced offensive attack in the NBA.

http://grantland.com/features/portland-trail-blazers-success-damian-lillard-lamarcus-aldridge/

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[SlyPokerDog]

There is a lot more to this article than just pretty pictures. Good read!

http://grantland.com/features/portland-trail-blazers-success-damian-lillard-lamarcus-aldridge/

 

[MARIS61]

Last time Wooden's name was used in the same sentence as the Blazers we won a title.

 

[ponderguy]

they do great work over there.

 

[HailBlazers]

If Damian Lillard hits the open three with just under a minute left last night...

...Swagger, Blazers Win.

 

[1honestfan]

I would love to see LA shoot more from inside the key or on the low block as the season moves forward. As a result, I think his shooting percentage would improve as well as the teams overall as it would force the double-team to travel further to double LA and would force that double-team to take longer to recover to their man resulting in wide open shots on the perimeter for our outside shooters.

 

[e_blazer]

I would love to see LA shoot more from inside the key or on the low block as the season moves forward. As a result, I think his shooting percentage would improve as well as the teams overall as it would force the double-team to travel further to double LA and would force that double-team to take longer to recover to their man resulting in wide open shots on the perimeter for our outside shooters.

You need to check his stats on NBA.com. LMA's shooting percentage is the highest in the 20-24' range and drops progressively as he moves closer to the hoop up until the point when he's inside of 5 feet. He's horrible in the 5-9' range.

http://stats.nba.com/leaguePlayerShots.html?pageNo=1&rowsPerPage=100&sortField=FGM5ft4&sortOrder=DES

 

[KeepOnRollin]

You need to check his stats on NBA.com. LMA's shooting percentage is the highest in the 20-24' range and drops progressively as he moves closer to the hoop up until the point when he's inside of 5 feet. He's horrible in the 5-9' range.

http://stats.nba.com/leaguePlayerShots.html?pageNo=1&rowsPerPage=100&sortField=FGM5ft4&sortOrder=DES

The low block would be inside of 5 feet and most shots in the key would be as well.

 

[HailBlazers]

LMA's shooting percentage is the highest in the 20-24' range and drops progressively as he moves closer to the hoop up until the point when he's inside of 5 feet. He's horrible in the 5-9' range.

Simply because the longer jumpers are uncontested.

I agree with 1honestfan, would like to see LMA catch it on the low block more often. It seems he was doing it at the beginning of the year and getting to the line more. Sure the shots are tougher down there but it does indeed interrupt the defense more effectively and draws more fouls.

 

[e_blazer]

The low block would be inside of 5 feet and most shots in the key would be as well.

I have no problem with him taking shots inside five feet, but you do realize that the defense tries to prevent that. You can't just say that's the mainstay of an offensive scheme.

 

[e_blazer]

Simply because the longer jumpers are uncontested.

I agree with 1honestfan, would like to see LMA catch it on the low block more often. It seems he was doing it at the beginning of the year and getting to the line more. Sure the shots are tougher down there but it does indeed interrupt the defense more effectively and draws more fouls.

That's the issue though. LA isn't very good at handling the ball inside when multiple defenders can swarm him. He's lethal at setting up his defender and torching him in perimeter play. Seems like people want to mold him into the prototype PF and that's not his strength.