Game Thread PLAYOFFS: ROUND 1, GAME 2: BLAZERS @ NUGGETS - MAY 24, 2021 - MONDAY, 7:00 , TNT & NBCSNW

[bobf]

This has just become such an interesting phenomenon around here. The SAME EXACT people who have been just absolutely killing our Blazers this year for EVERYTHING from our defense to our coach are the EXACT SAME ones who, since we found out we were playing Denver, are preaching how we should win this series hands down, no questions asked. How we are favorited and anything but a sweep is an embarrassment? I’m so confused by this. Why in the fuck if we have the WORST coach in the NBA and the WORST defensive EVER......should we make the playoffs, let alone “easily beat” the #3 seed? PLEASE somebody explain. According to most, we weren’t even supposed to make the playoffs, right?
Said it before, say it again......preseason I think I said 42 wins, 7th or 8th seed and a 1st round exit.
#CLOWNTOWN

If we easily should be Denver there is a ready made excuse that it wasn't Stotts.

 

[BonesJones]

Expect Denver to come out strong. If Portland doesn't panic they will overtake. I still think close game.

But if the Blazers want to blaze the Nuggets out of the arena I won't complain.

I'm worried that the Nuggets will come out like their seasons on the lie (because it kinda is) while the Blazers will come out a bit too satisfied with winning one of the first two games on the road.

 

[bobf]

Gooooooooo Blazers! Step on their necks... no mercy... no let up!

 

[calvin natt]

Injuries.

If the Nuggets had Murray this would be a very different series.

We weren’t allowed to use that excuse the first month or so of the season so...

 

[BonesJones]

This has just become such an interesting phenomenon around here. The SAME EXACT people who have been just absolutely killing our Blazers this year for EVERYTHING from our defense to our coach are the EXACT SAME ones who, since we found out we were playing Denver, are preaching how we should win this series hands down, no questions asked. How we are favorited and anything but a sweep is an embarrassment? I’m so confused by this. Why in the fuck if we have the WORST coach in the NBA and the WORST defensive EVER......should we make the playoffs, let alone “easily beat” the #3 seed? PLEASE somebody explain. According to most, we weren’t even supposed to make the playoffs, right?
Said it before, say it again......preseason I think I said 42 wins, 7th or 8th seed and a 1st round exit.
#CLOWNTOWN

Let me just explain this for everyone else so this guy obviously doesn't pay attention to any sort of context.

What I've said all season:
- We're extremely talented
- We have issues with our style of play that'll bite us in the ass against elite teams in the playoffs

Now, Denver is by far the BEST matchup for us because they aren't built to exploit any of our issues with our style of play.

- They don't have guards that'll kill drop scheme
- They're best offensive player plays at the same position as Nurkic, who did a great job guarding him game 1 (6 for 16) allowing us to play him one-on-one.
- They don't have good individual defenders to put on Dame and C.J. in isolation
- They don't have mobile bigs to trap the pick n roll as well as teams that have given us trouble in the past

So yes, those that have killed our defense and coach ARE confident in this series, because all the issues we've noticed don't really matter in this series because we're the more talented team and they're not built to exploit our weaknesses. Now, if we play with a better style of play (move the ball, switch up defensive looks on pick n rolls, run sets to get certain players good looks, setup the floor to beat the trap when they sell out to stop Dame, etc.) then our odds to win this series go up noticeably. But even with an iso-heavy, drop-scheme running, stagnant offense style of play, we should still beat them. And when we do, people will say that we were wrong about Stotts for criticizing him for those things while disregarding the context that we can play however we want against this team since they're not built to exploit that. Avoiding context is their favorite thing to do since they don't like opinions and will try anything to belittle them with "#CLOWNTOWN" instead of actually making sense or listening to what's being said.

Lets see what happens when we play a team that has players that go off against drop scheme, have perimeter players that we don't match up as easily against, have good individual defenders to put up against Dame and CJ in isolation, and have mobile bigs that trap Dame well. Every time we've played a team like that, we've gotten eviscerated and Stotts has been completely lost on what to do.

 

[BonesJones]

We weren’t allowed to use that excuse the first month or so of the season so...

Because it didn't excuse why our offense was the most stagnant offense in the league, why we ran drop scheme more than 90% of the time, why we didn't have a wider variety of sets to get role players quality looks when they had it going, and a lot of other things.

What wasn't said is that injuries didn't matter. I'm really confused why people can't differentiate the two.

 

[Darkwebs]

...refusing to vote in poll until you add a 4th option

I know what you're getting at; I wanted to add Dame, but he wasn't a finalists for the MVP award.

 

[riverman]

anybody else excited to see us continue to beat this Nuggets team? Time for Norm and Roco to get going early! Big night, another big game! Go Good Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BBert]

I wonder if Mike will try to shut Dame down this time. It is obvious he should.

I've been slamming this team as well this and previous seasons. For lazyness and hero ball.
With oncourt discipline, effort and team play, I'm with them 100%.
Go and beat them hard.

And Stotts needs to anticipate "Call me Michael's" counter punch.

Then he needs to adjust accordingly.

Will he?

 

[James lamphear]

If we can basically limit them to one shot and our bench produce over 30 points we should win this game.

 

[Haakzilla]

I know what you're getting at; I wanted to add Dame, but he wasn't a finalists for the MVP award.

...don't even need his name -- I'm OK with voting for "other"

 

[GoBlazersGo]

Anybody have a link where you can listen to the Blazers radio broadcast?

 

[ehizzy3]

Let’s go rip city!!!

Let’s continue the ball movement

 

[Haakzilla]

These Nugg jerseys are hideous.

 

[Shaboid]

Guards playing the ol' ole defense. Tighten it up. Glad Nurk has picked up any foul from it yet. Also, Fuck you Rivers

 

[Dom McBlazer]

Some weak ass defense being played.

 

[Titan]

Nuggets came to play tonight

 

[Dom McBlazer]

Wake the fuck up, guys!

 

[DDolla]

3 TO already

 

[AldoTrapani]

Yikes

 

[Natebishop3]

Did they just spend 10 seconds in their backcourt?

 

[Titan]

If we keep playing like this forget about a sweep

 

[Darkwebs]

You knew Denver wouldn’t stink from 3 as badly as Game 1. Portland needs to respond

 

[BonesJones]

I'm worried that the Nuggets will come out like their seasons on the line (because it kinda is) while the Blazers will come out a bit too satisfied with winning one of the first two games on the road.

Well...

 

[wizenheimer]

not the start you wanted to see...unless you're a nugget fan

 

[BlazerBeav]

Well they came out hard as expected of a desperate team. Just stay calm and reel em back in.

 

[James lamphear]

You got expect them come give the first punch let see how we react to it. Plus we been starting out slow lately and finish strong at the end of the quarter.

 

[illmatic99]

Feels really different watching a blazer game at 730 now that im in Oregon

 

[KSF-ERIC]

I'm worried that the Blazers will come out a bit too satisfied with winning one of the first two games on the road.

Competitors don’t think that way.

 

[OneSport3]

The formidable backcourt duo of Campazzo and Rivers…