The "we should all stop bitching" thread

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You can't help but love the last paragraph: :clap:

The bottom line is a conclusion that hardly needs to be quantified: A team's performance must be understood in the context of its age. When a young team struggles, it is to be expected. When a veteran team can't put things together, it's time to rebuild. And when a young team, like the Blazers squad that inspired this study, enjoys precocious success, it's certainly worth taking notice.
 
I'm proud of our overachieving team, but that doesn't mean that you can't wish for improvement. The study, which was very insightful, doesn't suggest to me that "well, we should be happy with what we've got because we're doing a lot better than history suggests we should."

Yes, the big picture is impressive. But ... could the organization have handled the Oden and Martell injuries a little better? Probably. Could they have made a deal before the deadline with the RLEC that would have improved the team for this year's playoff run? Most likely. Could someone have shot Hedo Turkoglu behind one of the supply trailers in the loading docks before the Orlando/Portland game at the Rose Garden? Absolutely.

Kidding aside, I think you'll find that most sane Blazer fans who have had complaints this year are very happy with the development of this team and for being largely ahead of the curve. But to say "quit complaining ... look where we are" - I've never understood that sentiment ... in sports ... in politics ... in economics. There is no reason to ever think you can't improve upon greatness. I don't have a problem with fans being constructive critics. There is a limit (MIXUM), but for the most part I look at getting upset at the poor moments as a very healthy part of a fan/team relationship.

-Pop
 
Whatever! Just enjoy the state of the franchise and how far we've come in such a short time. There are no negatives. We are on our way to being in the playoffs and have a better record then 22 other teams! Enjoy it!
 
Another holistic view is that teams currently seeded 3rd through 9th are all on a precipice. A 3 game losing streak could put us on the hairy edge. Some will spend all of there time fretting over that. Others will ignore the precipice and hope everything works out. Personally, I am a fanatic (and I think anyone with over 100 posts on a message board such as this is too), so sometimes I fret and sometimes I ignore.

However, when the evidence we have is that we have an opportunity to really help ourselves and we don't, I fret.
When we lose more than one game in a row, I fret.
When I see something not handled well, I fret.

When I see something positive (like the article), I ignore.
When we win 3 or more in a row, I ignore.

I like living in ignorant bliss, but it's not sensible some of the time.
 
We can then look at the teams that have most overachieved and underachieved, given their age. Naturally, the former list includes the Blazers, though in a surprise it's another 2008-09 team that leads the list.


Year Team Age Win%

2009 L.A. Lakers 27.7 .828
2005 Phoenix 26.6 .756
2009 Cleveland 27.2 .786
1998 L.A. Lakers 26.4 .744
1983 Philadelphia 27.5 .793
1985 Milwaukee 26.3 .720
1992 Chicago 28.3 .817
1980 L.A. Lakers 26.9 .732
2009 Portland 24.5 .614
1981 Boston 27.4 .756

Three teams overall from 2009 on that list. Kobe, Lebron, and Roy.
 

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