Game Thread PLAYOFFS: ROUND 1, GAME 5: BLAZERS @ GRIZZLIES - 4/29/15, WEDNESDAY, 6:30 PM (PST), TNT & KGW

[Darkwebs]

_____________________________
---------PROBABLE STARTERS---------

PG

DAMIAN LILLARD VS NICK CALATHES

SG

ARRON AFFLALO VS COURTNEY LEE

SF

NICOLAS BATUM VS TONY ALLEN

PF

LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE VS ZACH RANDOLPH

C

ROBIN LOPEZ VS MARC GASOL





------------------------------------------------------




WHEN: 6:30 PM, WEDNESDAY, 4/29/2015

WHERE: FedExForum, Memphis, TN

TV BROADCAST:

AND

RADIO BROADCAST:

​

------------------------------------------------------



--------------BENCH--------------
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

BLAKE , FRAZIER , McCOLLUM , CRABBE

GEE , FREELAND , LEONARD , KAMAN

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

[
UDRIH , SMITH , ADAMS , CARTER

GREEN , GREEN , LEUER , KOUFOS






INJURIES
TRAIL BLAZERS
Chris Kaman (left ankle sprain): PROBABLE
Dorell Wright (fractured left hand): OUT
Wesley Matthews (ruptured left Achilles’ tendon): OUT
GRIZZLIES
Mike Conley (facial injury): OUT




HEAD COACHES

- VS –

TERRY STOTTS --- DAVID JOERGER




PREVIOUS MEETINGS IN THE SERIES
GAME #1: Loss 86-100

GAME #2: Loss 82-97

GAME #3: Loss 109-115

GAME #4: Win 99-92








BLAZERS' OFFICIAL GAME NOTES
GRIZZLIES' OFFICIAL GAME NOTES ​

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

Let's walk out of the Grindhouse with a W!

I just hope we can take the crowd out early, sustain runs and make timely stops down the stretch.

 

[PDXFonz]

They will probably need their most complete game of the series to make it out of mem with the W. They certainly have it in them, the question is will they carry the confidence and hunger from game 4 over to game 5.

 

[Rhal]

They will probably need their most complete game of the series to make it out of mem with the W. They certainly have it in them, the question is will they carry the confidence and hunger from game 4 over to game 5.

Id like to finally hit a higher % of 3s then Memphis for the first time this series.
Memphis is going to throw everything and the kitchen sink at us. They wont ever think they will lose but the longer this series draws out the more chance of another injury hitting the Memphis and the more confidant we get. This is assuming they know Conley is out for maybe the entire series, if he pulls a westbrook and plays tomorrow then I think its more 35/65 we win.

 

[stampedehero]

Let's walk out of the Grindhouse with a W!

I just hope we can take the crowd out early, sustain runs and make timely stops down the stretch.

++> That is precise and no better way to describe the situation we are in.

 

[stampedehero]

Carry On Four to Five Go Blazers .

 

[Sinobas]

Will LaMarcus step up one time this series?

 

[kjironman1]

Blazers vs Grizzlies game 5 Pregame

Well...There you have it. The Blazers can beat this team. Now to do it in Memphis. That of course is the huge question lurking in just about every Blazer fans mind? Just so many possibilities if in fact they do actually get this win. The problem is keeping your mind from going there and sticking to the task at hand. Lets not talk about getting the series back here. Try to stay away from wondering what could happen in a game 7? Because the only thing that really matters at this point is the first quarter of this game. After the first 12 mins have been played they can worry about the next 12 mins. Yep! that is where the series is now. one quarter at a time. The duel tonight will be between Stotts and Joerger. Every adjustment that has been made to this point in the series will come into play.

Believe it or not when it comes to adjustments Stotts has the advantage going into this game. The ball right now is in Dave Joerger's court. He has got to find a way to fill a huge void left by losing Conely and be able to still guard Portland's perimeter attack. He must also figure out how to guard the paint when the Blazers throw in a 7 footer that can shoot 3's. It's not just making sure Leonard doesn't hit the 3 ball? It's keeping CJ under wraps while keeping a large enough player in front of Meyers to keep him from also waltzing right on in for a Monster Jam in front of the Hometown Buffet. The other problem when dealing with those two things is a crafty little guy named Lillard. It seems that having to deal with CJ and Leonard has loosened the reigns on a very prolific shooter that will burn any team that does not pay attention to him. It has also created a few more assist opportunities. None more prevalent than the open looks and cracks of daylight that the most important player on the floor is now finding. That's right! LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE! When the Blazers can give this man just a solid game all around him he is pretty much unstoppable. The question now is can the Blazers continue to make some open looks while still bringing defensive energy for 4 Quarters?

Last game was a good look but still the Blazers suffered through a "Horrific" third quarter scoring only 13 points. That quarter alone almost cost them the opportunity to keep the series alive. They must play 48 minutes tonight. Going through a scoring drought like that will be very tough to overcome on the road. It would also make things much easier to stay away from falling behind by double digits in the first 10 mins of the game. Many are blaming this on Lopez and are calling for Leonard to start but i do not prescribe to that line of thinking. Over and over again we have seen Portland come out and simply miss point blank open looks to start the game. My thinking here is that everyone knows the Blazers are coming out and setting Aldridge up on the left block to start the game. You know it...I know it...Do you think Gasol and Randolph don't know it? Then after that they will try it a second time and then sometimes even a third? then after they are down 6 or even 8 points they will try something else. Maybe a little wrinkle here could help out LaMarcus? Lopez has been setting great center picks that are leaving huge openings in the lane. Exploit those things and then let LA have a look that isn't on every scouting sheet in the NBA. Just a thought....

I touched on a few things about Lillard and the respect he deserves. There is no question that the Grizz have put a blanket on Lillard this series. They will try to do exactly the same things again. This is the same argument we had about Aldridge 2 or 3 years ago. Teams were paying so much attention to him that others would benefit. Aldridge would have tough shooting nights fighting doubles all night and then when others would pick up the slack the team would prosper. But if they looked bad, he looked bad also. Lillard and Aldridge are playing one of, if not THE best defensive team in the NBA. They absolutely need somebody to open things up for them. A triple and even a quadruple threat is needed against this team. You have absolutely got to play better than them on offense or you will lose. In the playoffs it is a team effort that will win always. No single player heroics are going to get it done. There will only be Lillard Time if there is also LA time, CJ time, AAA Time and Leo Time not to mention Batum shaka lacka Time!

The defense in game 4 was huge. Some of that was due to putting Meyers on Gasol because he is a little faster laterally but remember when Lopez is in there he guards the smaller ZBo at times and LA slides over to cover Gasol. CJ picked up his defense as well as Lillard and Afflalo made a big impact with a couple steals and switching. The biggest difference i watched was that the Blazers made some shots when they got stops. The entire flow changes when you get a stop and then go and score. The defense has time to get back and set up while the Grizz were yet again wondering how to guard CJ, again and again? Defense is always the key in the playoffs. Get a stop but then convert on the offensive side. The Blazers cut back on forcing the ball after a stop and would set up on offense. I would hope they continue that philosophy.

My Pick tonight is Aldridge. Time for the big guy to have a monster game. Again this is all about a team effort but if the whole team is a threat there will be enough cracks in the armor for Aldridge to simply take this game over.

Tonights Refs are Ken Mauer, Brian Forte and Ed Malloy. That is a good crew IMO.

Go Blazers! Do what you got to do. Win or lose leave it all on the court tonight.

Kjironman is a fan!!!

 

[HailBlazers]

Will LaMarcus step up one time this series?

Yea he needs to step it up down low but he has been dominating Zbo and we would have been swept if that wasn't the case.

Go Blazers.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Will LaMarcus step up one time this series?

God you are annoying with this. How many places do you post this same shit.

Memphis is one of the top defensive teams in the NBA. This is what they do. They make games ugly. I know you can only comprehend a performance by the box score, but LA is not the problem. You want stats? His first two games on the road in Memphis he had 14 rebounds and 4 blocks in both games. (Oh and averaged 28 pts per)

I can hear you already...."but look at how many shots he took to do it".........And that is true, so somebody else needs to step up on offense and share the scoring burden. Make one of the best defensive teams in the league focused their attention on more than just two players.

 

[magnifier661]

God you are annoying with this. How many places do you post this same shit.

Memphis is one of the top defensive teams in the NBA. This is what they do. They make games ugly. I know you can only comprehend a performance by the box score, but LA is not the problem. You want stats? His first two games on the road in Memphis he had 14 rebounds and 4 blocks in both games. (Oh and averaged 28 pts per)

I can hear you already...."but look at how many shots he took to do it".........And that is true, so somebody else needs to step up on offense and share the scoring burden. Make one of the best defensive teams in the league focused their attention on more than just two players.

I would like to add that no one was doing good in games 1 and 2, which forced Aldridge to force his offense. That snow balled because they knew it and played it perfectly.

Dame finally coming out delivered such a game changer. And Leonard coming out was the knock out punch. We need at least 2 players that play above average (CJ, Afflalo, Kaman, Leonard, Batum or Lopez), while Aldridge and Dame did what they did last game and we can win.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

If LMA doesn't score 50pts and pull down 30 rbds tonight then he doesn't want to win.

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

Will LaMarcus step up one time this series?

SlyPokerDog, Fuck off.

Does that count as a personal insult?

 

[BBert]

I'd like the TNT assholes to stop saying Portland is "lucky" that Conley is out.

Memphis is LUCKY that Wesley Matthews, Dorell Wright, Arron Afflalo and Chris Kaman are injured.

Wes alone is more important to the Blazers than Conley is to Memphis.

Fuck Charles Barkley and the Shaq he rode in on.

Go Blazers!

 

[SlyPokerDog]

SlyPokerDog, Fuck off.

Does that count as a personal insult?

I fixed it for you.

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

I fixed it for you.

Booooooooo!

 

[blue32]

I'd like the TNT assholes to stop saying Portland is "lucky" that Conley is out.

Memphis is LUCKY that Wesley Matthews, Dorell Wright, Arron Afflalo and Chris Kaman are injured.

Wes alone is more important to the Blazers than Conley is to Memphis.

Fuck Charles Barkley and the Shaq he rode in on.

Go Blazers!

Uh, Conley pretty much tamed Dame though, so we are actually 'lucky' hes out (considering he wasn't injured at the start of this series). I am not entirely sure Wright or a healthy Cave Man would make a difference. I do know a healthy AAA and Wes would though.

 

[magnifier661]

Uh, Conley pretty much tamed Dame though, so we are actually 'lucky' hes out (considering he wasn't injured at the start of this series). I am not entirely sure Wright or a healthy Cave Man would make a difference. I do know a healthy AAA and Wes would though.

I think that he was saying we have more than just one player injured.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

It worked last time so I am posting this again!

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[Draco]

Last game was to avoid embarrassment. This game is to make it an actual series. Teams come back from down 3-2 so we win this one and all the sudden it gets interesting.

Without Conley this is an entirely different series. So we got a real chance now but its of course still a big long shot. I'd say we have a 45% chance of winning in Memphis and 60% chance winning in Portland so .45x.60x.45 = 12.5%. 7/8 times we lose this series. But if we win tonight our odds go up to 27% which is definitely plausible.

 

[illmatic99]

Last game was to avoid embarrassment. This game is to make it an actual series. Teams come back from down 3-2 so we win this one and all the sudden it gets interesting.

Without Conley this is an entirely different series. So we got a real chance now but its of course still a big long shot. I'd say we have a 45% chance of winning in Memphis and 60% chance winning in Portland so .45x.60x.45 = 12.5%. 7/8 times we lose this series. But if we win tonight our odds go up to 27% which is definitely plausible.

Solid probability work. But I wouldn't give us a 45% chance to win game 7 on the road.

 

[BBert]

Uh, Conley pretty much tamed Dame though, so we are actually 'lucky' hes out (considering he wasn't injured at the start of this series). I am not entirely sure Wright or a healthy Cave Man would make a difference. I do know a healthy AAA and Wes would though.

IMO: With Wesley Matthews on the floor with Dame, Conley doesn't tame anybody. Look at our starting SG production the first four games. Wes takes pressure off of not just Dame but also LaMarcus.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I'd like the TNT assholes to stop saying Portland is "lucky" that Conley is out.

Memphis is LUCKY that Wesley Matthews, Dorell Wright, Arron Afflalo and Chris Kaman are injured.

Wes alone is more important to the Blazers than Conley is to Memphis.

Fuck Charles Barkley and the Shaq he rode in on.

Go Blazers!

The headline on nba.com: "Shorthanded Memphis returns home with a chance to close out Portland."

They have 1 player injured and they are the ones that are shorthanded? We have two players out and two more playing through injuries.

Look, I get that we benefit from Conley being out, but they have benefited all series long from the absence of Wesley Matthews. They went up 3-0 on a shorthanded Portland team. It's not like we suddenly got Wes back when they lost Conley. Both teams are down one key starter, and in our case, his replacement also missed Games 1 and 2 and is playing hurt (and it shows).

Injuries are part of the game. It sucks that Conley got hurt. He's a great player and a good guy, but if MEM loses this series, blaming it on an injury is lame when your opponent has had even more injuries.

BNM

 

[Draco]

The Wes headlines happened months ago, the team, fans, and the media all moved on from that and readjusted expectations of the Blazers team. Conley was arguably Memphis best player this series and they won every game he played where he shut down Lillard. Afflalo has been a mixed bag even when healthy for us so I think the headlines are justified.

 

[Sinobas]

God you are annoying with this. How many places do you post this same shit.

Memphis is one of the top defensive teams in the NBA. This is what they do. They make games ugly. I know you can only comprehend a performance by the box score, but LA is not the problem. You want stats? His first two games on the road in Memphis he had 14 rebounds and 4 blocks in both games. (Oh and averaged 28 pts per)

I can hear you already...."but look at how many shots he took to do it".........And that is true, so somebody else needs to step up on offense and share the scoring burden. Make one of the best defensive teams in the league focused their attention on more than just two players.

Oh, I forgot that LA was being covered with the smothering perimeter defense of Zach Randolph. But really, this is just LA doing what LA does.

Somebody else needs to step up? Like maybe CJ or Meyers? LA still did the same shit.

Your post is a complete failure. Instead of being annoyed at me for pointing out the obvious, why don't you be annoyed at LA for his crappy shooting?

 

[blue32]

IMO: With Wesley Matthews on the floor with Dame, Conley doesn't tame anybody. Look at our starting SG production the first four games. Wes takes pressure off of not just Dame but also LaMarcus.

How many games did we play Memphis, with Wes and Dame at the helm vs Conley and team? Also what was the outcome?

 

[KingSpeed]

The Wes headlines happened months ago, the team, fans, and the media all moved on from that and readjusted expectations of the Blazers team. Conley was arguably Memphis best player this series and they won every game he played where he shut down Lillard. Afflalo has been a mixed bag even when healthy for us so I think the headlines are justified.

Months ago? Didn't Wes go down last month? I know what you mean though.

 

[Boob-No-More]

The Wes headlines happened months ago, the team, fans, and the media all moved on from that and readjusted expectations of the Blazers team. Conley was arguably Memphis best player this series and they won every game he played where he shut down Lillard. Afflalo has been a mixed bag even when healthy for us so I think the headlines are justified.

It was the use of the term shorthanded that I object to. It makes it sound like they have fewer healthy players than we do, which is opposite of the truth. A better headline would be: With Conley out, can Memphis closeout Portland?

BNM

 

[MarAzul]

One last thought for Stotts. Show Damian the stats sheet for the Playoffs. Then remind him, when you think about taking a three, find someone else, almost anyone will do but that big white boy would be a good choice and tell him you will buy dinner if he hits it.

http://www.nba.com/blazers/stats