Sorry for being pesimistic, but....

[Gretta]

...as in my first and only post prior to this...

why do the Blazers seem to let the other team in their head so much?

We had two, two, uncontested 3 pointers in the last minute. Matthews missed, then Lillard missed. While that's fine for "typical" teams, it is not fine for "Championship" teams.

We then have 8 seconds plus to avoid over time. We get nothing. Off to overtime, then we lose.

Why do the other "good teams" seem to prevail, when the "going gets tough", whereas we seem to lose it, when the going gets tough??

 

[PapaG]

:MARIS61:

 

[OneLifeToLive]

...as in my first and only post prior to this...

why do the Blazers seem to let the other team in their head so much?

We had two, two, uncontested 3 pointers in the last minute. Matthews missed, then Lillard missed. While that's fine for "typical" teams, it is not fine for "Championship" teams.

We then have 8 seconds plus to avoid over time. We get nothing. Off to overtime, then we lose.

Why do the other "good teams" seem to prevail, when the "going gets tough", whereas we seem to lose it, when the going gets tough??

I think you are isolating this one game. Portland has won many tough games this year and I believe they are a tougher team than you just tried to give credit for.

 

[BigGameDamian]

I thought we where blaming the refs?

 

[Strenuus]

The loss sucks. But, IIRC, we're still 6-3 against the other top teams (SA, OKC, Indy, etc.)

We could be Minnesota.....

 

[OneLifeToLive]

we're still 6-3 against the other top teams (SA, OKC, Indy, etc.)

This is why I think we are a contender.

 

[Strenuus]

This is why I think we are a contender.

Need a bench BAD.

However, I hope that Stotts sees that Watson (if he doesn't get in foul trouble) is a damn good PG for his style.

 

[PapaG]

Need a bench BAD.

However, I hope that Stotts sees that Watson (if he doesn't get in foul trouble) is a damn good PG for his style.

Watson's game wasn't as good as I thought while watching the game.

2 points
1 assist
3 rebounds
2 TOs
5 fouls
12 minutes

 

[Strenuus]

Watson's game wasn't as good as I thought while watching the game.

2 points
1 assist
3 rebounds
2 TOs
5 fouls
12 minutes

It wasn't about stats for me. Just the fact that it was a change of pace and we had a good first half until the refs really took over the game... especially that 4th foul on LMA.

 

[BBert]

...as in my first and only post prior to this...

why do the Blazers seem to let the other team in their head so much?

We had two, two, uncontested 3 pointers in the last minute. Matthews missed, then Lillard missed. While that's fine for "typical" teams, it is not fine for "Championship" teams.

We then have 8 seconds plus to avoid over time. We get nothing. Off to overtime, then we lose.

Why do the other "good teams" seem to prevail, when the "going gets tough", whereas we seem to lose it, when the going gets tough??

You must have just discovered the Trail Blazers. The Blazers have won more than their share of close games. Check the record.

 

[KingSpeed]

...as in my first and only post prior to this...

why do the Blazers seem to let the other team in their head so much?

We had two, two, uncontested 3 pointers in the last minute. Matthews missed, then Lillard missed. While that's fine for "typical" teams, it is not fine for "Championship" teams.

We then have 8 seconds plus to avoid over time. We get nothing. Off to overtime, then we lose.

Why do the other "good teams" seem to prevail, when the "going gets tough", whereas we seem to lose it, when the going gets tough??

What about when we beat Indiana at home? Or when we beat San Antonio and OKC two times each? What about overtime wins in Detroit and Toronto? Our team is MIGHTY tough.

 

[KingSpeed]

The loss sucks. But, IIRC, we're still 6-3 against the other top teams (SA, OKC, Indy, etc.)

We could be Minnesota.....

Exactly. We could be Minnesota. Gotta love where we are right now. We're not winning as much but we had such a big cushion that we can withstand it. GO BLAZERS!!!

 

[BlazerWookee]

Gotta give credit where credit is due. Indiana is one hell of a good team, and we gave them all they could handle at home in a slugfest of a game. No reason to hang our heads after this one.

I don't blame him for the loss, but I bet LaMarcus is beating himself up pretty hard after those two late turnovers...

 

[Natebishop3]

Gotta give credit where credit is due. Indiana is one hell of a good team, and we gave them all they could handle at home in a slugfest of a game. No reason to hang our heads after this one.

I don't blame him for the loss, but I bet LaMarcus is beating himself up pretty hard after those two late turnovers...

Honestly, I think they're overrated. They're a good team, but the refs propped them up big time. I'm not impressed.

 

[BlazerWookee]

Exactly. We could be Minnesota. Gotta love where we are right now. We're not winning as much but we had such a big cushion that we can withstand it. GO BLAZERS!!!

It's looking like Minnesota here in the Mid-Valley...

 

[Strenuus]

Gotta give credit where credit is due. Indiana is one hell of a good team, and we gave them all they could handle at home in a slugfest of a game. No reason to hang our heads after this one.

I don't blame him for the loss, but I bet LaMarcus is beating himself up pretty hard after those two late turnovers...

To me, they have been the 2 best games in the NBA all season. Just fantastic games.

 

[e_blazer]

...as in my first and only post prior to this...

why do the Blazers seem to let the other team in their head so much?

We had two, two, uncontested 3 pointers in the last minute. Matthews missed, then Lillard missed. While that's fine for "typical" teams, it is not fine for "Championship" teams.

We then have 8 seconds plus to avoid over time. We get nothing. Off to overtime, then we lose.

Why do the other "good teams" seem to prevail, when the "going gets tough", whereas we seem to lose it, when the going gets tough??

I see Mixum has had a sex change.

 

[HailBlazers]

Honestly, I think they're overrated. They're a good team, but the refs propped them up big time. I'm not impressed.

Well to be fair, Batum played the best defense Paul George has seen all year. Not to mention a big heart of their team Lance Stevenson was out. But yea, it appears we got their number to a degree.

lol at this thread.

 

[dviss1]

I think it's very peculiar that a thread like this pops up after damn near every loss and it's by someone who has like 2 posts...

 

[Gretta]

If my next one thousand posts are all 'positive', would I then be allowed a post of true feeling? Just frustrated at the recent losses, knowing how good this team is.

 

[Kaydow]

If my next one thousand posts are all 'positive', would I then be allowed a post of true feeling? Just frustrated at the recent losses, knowing how good this team is.

The team IS good. They've shown they can even be "elite". But lack of depth is killing us. Our starting 5 is just having to do too much. Most of the offensive rebounds and careless turnovers we gave up late in that Indy game . . . you could just see the fatigue. I liked the T-Rob deal when we got him. So much potential, but who knew we'd be fighting for HCA? Long term I still think he might be decent, but there are a lot of nights where his inexperience kills us. So we have to bring LA back in early, and next thing you know he ends up playing 38-40 min. How nice would it be to have the Kurt Thomas or J. Howard from a couple years ago? Nice steady, but unspectacular presence. Of course T-Rob has a higher ceiling, but you can rack up losses while you're waiting for him to play through mistakes. And it actually hurts to watch Meyers. He may be alright too someday, but he's brutal now. Same for Barton. We just have too many guys that are extremely unsteady off the bench. Not just lack of physical ability, but guys that look like they don't know how to play (mental errors/lapses, bad positioning, bad fundamentals). On top of that they have limited trade value, so it's tough to make a deal. We're in a tough spot, and could be an injury or 2 to starters from a complete tailspin. CJ and Freeland have looked solid for the most part. Everyone else has been either wildly inconsistent or mostly awful.

 

[BBert]

If my next one thousand posts are all 'positive', would I then be allowed a post of true feeling? Just frustrated at the recent losses, knowing how good this team is.

Nothing wrong with posting your true feelings and opinions. And it is frustrating that the team has seemed to lose some of its late-game mojo.

There is lots of arguing here about whether it's possible for professional basketball players to get tired giving max effort during the grueling regular season with the travel and the four games in five night trips, etc. I believe they do get physically, and worse, mentally worn out. I think the best coach in basketball, Greg Popovich, clearly agrees considering how often he strategically rests his players.

I believe our guys gave it everything they had mentally and physically to achieve one of the best records in the league, and now they are in need of some R&R. I think part of the problem is that as great as our starter are, our bench has severely underperformed. Starters need a rest and more help.