Game Thread PLAYOFFS: ROUND 1, GAME 2: BLAZERS @ GRIZZLIES - 4/22/15, WEDNESDAY, 5:00 PM (PST), TNT & KGW

[Darkwebs]

So BLake played 9 useless minutes

I remember Blake choking in the playoffs against the Rockets. Different year, different team, same playoff Blake.

 

[blue9]

Well at least the Spurs/Clippers are playing next - gotta watch at least a little good basketball to wash the filth off my eyes.

 

[KingSpeed]

Meanwhile, Jack is playing well.

 

[KingSpeed]

I remember Blake choking in the playoffs against the Rockets. Different year, different team, same playoff Blake.

Actually, after game one, he played well.

 

[blue9]

Damn, the TNT stream is choking up.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Well at least the Spurs/Clippers are playing next - gotta watch at least a little good basketball to wash the filth off my eyes.

It was half of a very good NBA game we watched... Just not our half.

 

[riverman]

Need to win out now. Go Blazers! These game threads really have become jeering fests. It's too bad

 

[MickZagger]

I hope Lillard isn't the next Deron Williams.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I'm searching for positives, if you think this is as far as this team goes, it will be easy to turnover this roster with all of the expiring and rookie level contracts.

For a car salesman like Neil, this scenario was maybe not predicted, but prepared for. He can make deals like mad, and will have total freedom.

 

[LuckyShot]

Lillard 5-16
Batum 5-15
CJ 3-13

That's your game. The difference is that Afflalo and Mathews aren't playing.

Batum and CJ had many WIDE open looks too. Dame was just forcing stupid shots and not playing his game.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I hope Lillard isn't the next Deron Williams.

I'll take Deron as long as he's not the next Telfair.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

2003 versus Dallas. Down 0-3, Mike Dunleavy goes for broke and starts young power forward Zach Randolph...

... I believe in poetry.

It's all fun and games until he rapes a passed out stripper with a ketchup bottle in the Hotel Vintage Plaza.

 

[MAS RipCity]

Final Game Thoughts:
- Those late 1st Q/early 2nd Q spurts by Memphis have been the game-changer each game. Portland has not been able to respond from those Grizz runs.
- We simply cannot win this series if we get outshot from 3. 6-20 for Portland will not get it done and conversely, I don't see Memphis going 8-16 from deep, either.
- Our defense wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. Memphis is only averaging 98.5 points this series, BUT we've failed to get consecutive stops during long stretches of the game.
- Our shot selection just goes straight to hell for stretches. I never again want to see one pass, contested jumper. The key to beating Memphis is ball movement/player movement. If we let them get set and play mano-y-mano, it's game over.
- Dame is my favorite Blazer, but we will not win a game this series if he doesn't play up to his standards. That's not a knock on him, rather it shows just how important he is to our team.
- Gasol and Randolph have really done nothing, by their standards, this series and Udrih played sparingly in the second half ... yet we were still handled quite easily. This is very depressing and heartbreaking. Memphis is just playing with so much confidence that players like Jeff Green, Courtney Lee, and Vince Carter are hitting all their shots.
- Call it sour grapes, sore loser, whatever, but if Golden State plays Memphis, they're taking them out in 5. I just don't think Memphis is playing that great, which again makes it tough to swallow that we're down 2-0 so handily.
- We're down, but we're not out. It all starts with a Game 3 victory at home and that could turn the tide!

 

[KingSpeed]

Need to win out now. Go Blazers! These game threads really have become jeering fests. It's too bad

Dude..... that was hard to watch. I don't blame the naysayers.

 

[Darkwebs]

It's all fun and games until he rapes a passed out stripper with a ketchup bottle in the Hotel Vintage Plaza.

Did Z-bo really do that??

 

[BlazerCaravan]

It's all fun and games until he rapes a passed out stripper with a ketchup bottle in the Hotel Vintage Plaza.

Yeah but Meters is white so Nobody will find out.

 

[Blazer4ever]

Good game, sitill a lot of ro

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Did Z-bo really do that??

Yes.

 

[Sinobas]

I think a good PG in a functional offense should be able to make a team pay for guarding him too much. Very disappointing. And Memphis is playing like this is the playoffs, and the Blazers are playing like it's pre-season.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Good game, sitill a lot of ro

ro?

 

[Strenuus]

Dude..... that was hard to watch. I don't blame the naysayers.

Yup. It sucks, but oh well. Injuries just caught up to us this year. Memphis is a damn good team, they were the ONE matchup I DIDN'T want. And when I saw we got them, I lost all fire for the playoffs. Will still watch, will still hope... but damn.

Just think if we had the health of last year, this year. We could have really done something. AAA coming off the bench with Wes starting. We only got to see a handful of games like that.... *sigh*

 

[MarAzul]

Well I would fire Stotts right after this series. He just doesn't exploit the assets this team has, nor does he have them play with any discipline.
Lillard shooting threes he can't make but we only get Leonard 5 shots. That is plain stupid.

Guards driving into a mass under hoop where they have no prayer.
We have a better team than we see playing, they just are not playing very smart. 11 assists is a joke.
Bye Bye Terry.

 

[santeesioux]

The only problem is I have a bad feeling we'd replace him with Scott Brooks, yuck.

 

[blue9]

- Dame is my favorite Blazer, but we will not win a game this series if he doesn't play up to his standards. That's not a knock on him, rather it shows just how important he is to our team.

The entire league knows this. They don't care if LMA scores 40 - as long as you take Dame out of the game we're not winning.

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

Kinda glad I couldn't watch this game...

 

[Sinobas]

The Blazers should throw the Grizzlies off and just have Meyers Launch a 3 every time down. If he only makes 33% of the, it will be a hell of a lot better than our current offense.

 

[Strenuus]

The only problem is I have a bad feeling we'd replace him with Scott Brooks, yuck.

Brooks got exploited. It'd be just like re-hiring Stotts. Or worse.

 

[blue9]

Crabbe, Lopez, and Leonard are the only Blazers who shot better individually than the team did as a whole. They are the only guys who kept our team's FG% from being an absolute embarrassment.

 

[riverman]

Dude..... that was hard to watch. I don't blame the naysayers.

It was much harder to read here than to watch. Our guards did not move the ball or make shots. We lost. I get that. Crabbe, CJ, Dame and Blake were no shows. Memphis kicked our butts and they won. They are a defensive clinic and without Wes and Afflalo, we can't hang with them if we don't shoot or pass the ball. My only complaint with Stotts is his tendency to let the other teams go on long runs without calling timeouts. Pops calls a timeout if a team has a two possession run. Too many one shot and done plays so far.

 

[riverman]

Crabbe, Lopez, and Leonard are the only Blazers who shot better individually than the team did as a whole. They are the only guys who kept our team's FG% from being an absolute embarrassment.

Crabbe only shot a couple of times so his percentage wasn't a factor. I think he was a no show. Lamarcus kept this game from being an embarassment