The swagger is gone

[santeesioux]

The same thing happened last year, the starters were ridden into the ground and completely sucked at the end of the season. these guys are going to be dead by the playoffs if there aren't any trades.

 

[blue9]

Stotts has ridden the starters hard since the beginning of the season and it was only a matter of time before they wore down.

But how do professional athletes get worn down by playing 35-40 minutes of horse three to four times a week?

 

[Elton]

This team just needs a little more beef.

 

[Natebishop3]

But how do professional athletes get worn down by playing 35-40 minutes of horse three to four times a week?

Horse? Really?

I don't think you realize the beating that these guys take on a nightly basis.

 

[blue9]

Horse? Really?

I don't think you realize the beating that these guys take on a nightly basis.

I am partially joking. But it's not like we're pounding away in the low-post on offense. And it's not like we're pounding anywhere on defense. We are probably the most contact-phobic team in the league.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

It's less impressive when you split it a bit more:

Number of players playing 36.1 minutes or more (Top 20):
OKC - 1
SAS - 0
LAC - 0
HOU - 2
GS - 2
IND - 1
MIA - 1
POR - 2

Number of players between 21 and 40 (i.e., 36 minutes or less):
OKC - 0
SAS - 0
LAC - 2
HOU - 1
GS - 1
IND - 1
MIA - 0
POR - 2

If you can't play 36 minutes a game and you're under the age of 30, you might not be in very good shape for a pro.

 

[HailBlazers]

The swag is gone? The Blazers played the top two teams in the league, Indiana and the Thunder, in the past week. They lost both games, but could have won each if a single shot had gone their way. In neither game has their most experienced player off the bench been available. In last night's game, LMA shot less than 25%, and how often is that going to happen? Yeah, put me on the list of those not jumping off the bandwagon.

The thrill is gone, we can no longer close out tight games. Season Over before the All-Start Break.

[video=youtube;J7s4RpQJ5ek]

 

[BlazerCaravan]

It's less impressive when you split it a bit more:

Number of players playing 36.1 minutes or more (Top 20):
OKC - 1
SAS - 0
LAC - 0
HOU - 2
GS - 2
IND - 1
MIA - 1
POR - 2

Number of players between 21 and 40 (i.e., 36 minutes or less):
OKC - 0
SAS - 0
LAC - 2
HOU - 1
GS - 1
IND - 1
MIA - 0
POR - 2

If you can't play 36 minutes a game and you're under the age of 30, you might not be in very good shape for a pro.

Number of players playing 36.9 minutes or more (Top 10):
OKC - 1 (3rd)
SAS - 0
LAC - 0
HOU - 2 (2nd and 5th)
GS - 2 (6th and 7th)
IND - 0
MIA - 1 (8th)
POR - 1 (9th)

 

[cmeese47]

But this can't be a surprise. Stotts has ridden the starters hard since the beginning of the season and it was only a matter of time before they wore down. He can say he doesn't have a bench but at the same time, they haven't really had much of a chance to develop and get better.

Every year Pop finds some scrub and turns him into a gem by playing him all season long so by the end of the year, the kid has confidence and is contributing. Stotts seems to think he will just ride the starters for 40-42 minutes in the playoffs after wearing them out all season long. Just doesn't make much sense.

They have lost a little swagger but that comes a lot from scheduling. In the first couple of months, they played a ton of games against the East and almost every playoff team was at home. Now those Eastern games have gone away and they are playing playoff teams on the road much more often and real contenders are stepping up in the 2nd half of the season as they tend to do almost every year.

Thibs has the same issue in Chicago just absolutely rides his starters into the ground.

 

[Buffalo Blazer]

He did his damage at the end of the third when the switch happened. 6-9 and 3 baskets right at the rim.

I believe that was on Watson, not Dame. Not 100% sure though.

 

[Natebishop3]

I believe that was on Watson, not Dame. Not 100% sure though.

Yeah, I remember Dame on him a bit, but I think Watson was on him most of the time.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Yeah, I remember Dame on him a bit, but I think Watson was on him most of the time.

I remember CJ getting switched onto him once, too. I don't think Dame was on him much.

 

[ppilot]

It's less impressive when you split it a bit more:

Number of players playing 36.1 minutes or more (Top 20):
OKC - 1
SAS - 0
LAC - 0
HOU - 2
GS - 2
IND - 1
MIA - 1
POR - 2

Number of players between 21 and 40 (i.e., 36 minutes or less):
OKC - 0
SAS - 0
LAC - 2
HOU - 1
GS - 1
IND - 1
MIA - 0
POR - 2

If you can't play 36 minutes a game and you're under the age of 30, you might not be in very good shape for a pro.

You are really underestimating the wear and tear an NBA seasons has on a person's body. There is a very good reason why only 20 or so players avg 36 minutes or more over an entire season,

Number of players playing 36.9 minutes or more (Top 10):
OKC - 1 (3rd)
SAS - 0
LAC - 0
HOU - 2 (2nd and 5th)
GS - 2 (6th and 7th)
IND - 0
MIA - 1 (8th)
POR - 1 (9th)

Per Synergy sports, Portland Starters have played 1816 minutes through 52 games which leads the NBA. That's pretty black and white.

 

[TBpup]

The minutes are certainly an issue and as been pointed out, the Blazers are league leaders in minutes played by the starters. But there are other factors as well. The Blazer bench has been so unproductive for most of the season that the mental wear on the starters starts to take a toll.

No matter how well they have played (CJ's recent 3-game stint as an exception), they know they have to build a lead while they are there and recover a deficit by the time they get back in. They are responsible for a very high percentage of the points and it leaves little room for physical error and that takes a toll mentally.

They now there is little to no support offensively or defensively outside of themselves and that too will wear on a player.....not just the minutes.

 

[ppilot]

Completely agree TBpup and the toll on the starters has been evident for the last month or so. The Blazers' bench net efficiency rating is by far the worst of any western conference playoff team, though the funny thing is that they've actually improved over the season. The starters torrid start hid how bad the bench was at the beginning of the season and the drop-off since January 1st is massive.

Net Efficiency rating up 12/31/13
Starters - 8.9
Bench - -2.6

Net Efficiency rating from 1/1/14 to present
Starters 0.9
Bench- -1.3

 

[e_blazer]

I think you guys are correct that the starters are tired, but I don't really think that's the primary reason that accounts for a declining performance. I think that the defensive recipe used by opposing teams has changed since the start of the season. There used to be more emphasis on doubling LMA to try to restrict his scoring and the Blazers made teams pay by burying them in 3s. Now, the emphasis seems to be using single coverage on Aldridge unless he pushes into the paint. The primary emphasis is on denying the 3 point shots.

 

[OneLifeToLive]

I will say this, Dame has definitely lost some of his confidence in his three. You can see a slight hesitation when he shoots, and it's that hesitation that's causing him to miss.

He better get this worked before the all important three point shoot out!

 

[BlazerCaravan]

You are really underestimating the wear and tear an NBA seasons has on a person's body. There is a very good reason why only 20 or so players avg 36 minutes or more over an entire season,

Per Synergy sports, Portland Starters have played 1816 minutes through 52 games which leads the NBA. That's pretty black and white.

That's because we're the only team without a starter taking a major injury. Think this through before cherry picking stats.

 

[ponderguy]

That's because we're the only team without a starter taking a major injury. Think this through before cherry picking stats.

What injuries have the Pacers had to their starters? I can't remember them missing any major time but haven't looked it up either

 

[riverman]

Swagger goes hand in hand with winning and dominating teams. We've been in a mini slump but there's plenty of swagger on our roster. It helps to look at a whole body of work instead of just the last game. Sort of like saying the Beatles lost it when the last song on the White album was #9...

 

[ppilot]

That's because we're the only team without a starter taking a major injury. Think this through before cherry picking stats.

You realize a starter is a player that "starts" the game, right? A player who starts in place for an injured person is still considered a starter.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

You realize a starter is a player that "starts" the game, right? A player who starts in place for an injured person is still considered a starter.

Ah gotcha. My bad.

So, give me the top 10 then. Saying Portland's number one is oh so scary, but when only one player is playing more than 36.2 minutes a game, I can't really be bothered.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

This coddling is ridiculous. Wilt played 48 minutes a night, scored 40 a game, and banged 20 women afterwards. For 82 games a year.

 

[e_blazer]

This coddling is ridiculous. Wilt played 48 minutes a night, scored 40 a game, and banged 20 women afterwards. For 82 games a year.

And had enough energy left to sleep with 20,000 women.

 

[riverman]

This coddling is ridiculous. Wilt played 48 minutes a night, scored 40 a game, and banged 20 women afterwards. For 82 games a year.

Wilt though, never ever played anyone bigger and stronger than him in his whole career and he was also an alien.

 

[BBert]

It absolutely blows my mind how some people discount the mental and physical rigors of playing nba basketball. This isn't your freaking church league. Pops is routinely willing to face fines for routinely resting his key players and not because they are out of shape wusses.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

It absolutely blows my mind how some people discount the mental and physical rigors of playing nba basketball. This isn't your freaking church league. Pops is routinely willing to face fines for routinely resting his key players and not because they are out of shape wusses.

Yeah but his best players are way old. Pop didn't always do this. Did the NBA suddenly get really horrible to play 82 games in around 2005?

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Yeah but his best players are way old. Pop didn't always do this. Did the NBA suddenly get really horrible to play 82 games in around 2005?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/1990.html

The 1989-90 team would have had 4 players in this year's top 40 for minutes played. Clyde with 36.8, Terry with 34.8, Jerome with 34.7, and Buck with 34.2.

NOW: Our starters probably have to play harder because our bench is worse by far than most other teams. But playing our starters less is not really a viable solution to that problem, is it?

 

[riverman]

This place....... I fucking swear. Do you clowns really believe some of the shit you post?

After all this time spent here, you'd think it wouldn't bug me. Of course we weren't going to keep the pace going. Season is ups and downs......Win games we shouldn't and lose games we shouldn't. We just came up short to the 2 best teams in the league and arguably should have won them......AND THIS IS A BAD THING? Enjoy the run and quit being so god damned negative.

How some of you consider yourself fans is beyond me!

Word! Best damned post I've read in awhile!

 

[Hobbesarable]

Word! Best damned post I've read in awhile!

The forum Utopia vision not yet achieved. Go figure.