OT The West’s top three teams...

[CupWizier]

Heat 118 - Blazers 108. Similar scheme with lesser players = same result.

Well, the only way we face Miami is if we both make the finals. I can live with that.

 

[hoopsjock]

I did miss that. Sorry.

I assumed that you were a good enough X’s and O’s guy to come up with something like that. Now, here’s my follow-up: You’re way too smart to actually think that Stotts and his seasoned group of NBA assistants haven’t discussed and considered everything on your list and more. They have way more basketball knowledge and experience than anyone here and their jobs depend on getting results. So, given that, why do you think that we haven’t seen more use of those things? Are there legitimate reasons why a coach would not want to make some of those changes during a series given the roster, the opposition, the amount of time it takes to change an offense?

Actually I heard an interview in the last couple weeks with Stotts (wish I could remember the exact game, I think it was around the Dallas/OKC back to back) but he basically said pick and roll is their best option and they were going to run it no matter what the defensive look was because that's what they do. That was the moment I realized that the players may be better but that they are going to run that pick and roll even if teams are playing it like the Pelicans did.

You may say that one comment isn't enough to go off of but there are numerous examples of Stotts being unwilling to change things up. Before last season he said he considered changing his defensive philosophy but ultimately decided to keep it the same. They didn't employ any new strategies on defense last year, it was simply the addition of having Nurk for a full season that made our defense jump.

So no I don't have confidence that they have been secretly working on ways to combat that in the playoffs. It seems to me they think having slightly better players is the answer. It may be! I just think that is a horrible way to go into the playoffs hoping doing the same thing will work this year when it was an utter failure last year.

This team has also shown when the going gets tough, like in the playoffs and during in season losing streaks, they always resort back to bad habits of not playing through Nurk and letting Dame/CJ play hero ball.

 

[oldmangrouch]

I think I missed the part where Terry blamed anyone. He also doesn’t seem to me to be a “my way or the highway” kind of guy.

He is not an abusive screamer type - but you can't deny that he is stubborn and slow to make changes. Again, this is not unique to Stotts or to basketball. A coach needs confidence to succeed, but too much confidence in your "system" becomes counter-productive.

 

[BonesJones]

Yes, your response is absolutely ridiculous as it was already explained it was a joke and yet you insist on trying to instigate.

I see youre confused. I responded to your post, that's why I quoted it.

 

[illmatic99]

Definitely doesn't. We'll still (likely) have to deal with a trap, which we've shown no answer for.

We had Aminu shooting an insane percentage on volume during that Pels series yet fans seem to still blame not having a "good enough shooter at the PF spot" as the reason we couldn't handle the trap.

Well if our PF shot over 43%, then that's obviously not the reason. Having a low-post scoring C off the bench and an inconsistent scoring SG/SF doesn't fix that either.

I think people are also forgetting that Doc Rivers employed the same defense against Dame 3 yrs back and it was just as effective then until Blake/CP got hurt. It's no secret that Dame has never even hit a 20 PER in the playoffs throughout his career. In that Clipper series, Dame averaged 22-5-4 bout on only 37% FG and 35% from 3.

 

[BonesJones]

Actually I heard an interview in the last couple weeks with Stotts (wish I could remember the exact game, I think it was around the Dallas/OKC back to back) but he basically said pick and roll is their best option and they were going to run it no matter what the defensive look was because that's what they do. That was the moment I realized that the players may be better but that they are going to run that pick and roll even if teams are playing it like the Pelicans did.

You may say that one comment isn't enough to go off of but there are numerous examples of Stotts being unwilling to change things up. Before last season he said he considered changing his defensive philosophy but ultimately decided to keep it the same. They didn't employ any new strategies on defense last year, it was simply the addition of having Nurk for a full season that made our defense jump.

So no I don't have confidence that they have been secretly working on ways to combat that in the playoffs. It seems to me they think having slightly better players is the answer. It may be! I just think that is a horrible way to go into the playoffs hoping doing the same thing will work this year when it was an utter failure last year.

This team has also shown when the going gets tough, like in the playoffs and during in season losing streaks, they always resort back to bad habits of not playing through Nurk and letting Dame/CJ play hero ball.

And that quote is a perfect example of why I'll never be a Stotts fan.

 

[HailBlazers]

And that quote is a perfect example of why I'll never be a Stotts fan.

Or Maaaybe he doesn't want to reveal his secret playoff scheme.. eh eh?

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Or Maaaybe he doesn't want to reveal his secret playoff scheme.. eh eh?

Seems to me you’re gonna be in trouble if you plan to throw a bunch of schemes into the post season, that you havent used at full gamespeed before.
Who knows? I just hope this years playoffs isnt as bad as last yeard, dont really care how they get the results at this point...

 

[e_blazer]

And that quote is a perfect example of why I'll never be a Stotts fan.

It would be good to hear the actual quote from the clip.

 

[jonnyboy]

That's a pretty big hypothetical. We all know what happened the last time Dame met CP in the playoffs.

And I like our Nurk and Turk v Capela matchup.

And the refs aren't gonna give Harden his calls in the playoffs.

Wasn’t dame injured when we played the Clippers in the playoffs? That’s the year CJ blew up.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Wasn’t dame injured when we played the Clippers in the playoffs? That’s the year CJ blew up.

I thought CJ blew up against Memphis, the year before the clipper series, that was also the last LMA year.

 

[CupWizier]

I see youre confused. I responded to your post, that's why I quoted it.

My only confusion is why you felt a need to respond the way you did especially seeing as i already explained to the neccessay party involved that i was joking.

 

[BonesJones]

My only confusion is why you felt a need to respond the way you did especially seeing as i already explained to the neccessay party involved that i was joking.

Didnt see that post. Thank God you were.

 

[H.C.]

Not going to search through a ton of teams to test this premise (right now), but of the first two I looked at: last year's Warriors starters provided over 75% of their team's playoff scoring; the 2009 Blazers' starters provided less than 71% of that team's playoff scoring. I have no idea what a "good" ratio of starter/bench scoring would be to tend toward playoff success, but I'm not sure that the common knowledge is completely reliable.

71% and 75% is not 100%.
Any team that has won a ring has had a bench punch and not been completely reliant on the starters.
Look at Philly this year. Top tier starting 5, yet they're bench is ass. And they look to be worse than last year because they don't have SHOOTERS OFF THE BENCH.
That's common knowledge and a fact.
Goodbye.

 

[BonesJones]

71% and 75% is not 100%.
Any team that has won a ring has had a bench punch and not been completely reliant on the starters.
Look at Philly this year. Top tier starting 5, yet they're bench is ass. And they look to be worse than last year because they don't have SHOOTERS OFF THE BENCH.
That's common knowledge and a fact.
Goodbye.

How many games have they played with their Big 4 healthy? 2?

 

[PtldPlatypus]

71% and 75% is not 100%.
Any team that has won a ring has had a bench punch and not been completely reliant on the starters.
Look at Philly this year. Top tier starting 5, yet they're bench is ass. And they look to be worse than last year because they don't have SHOOTERS OFF THE BENCH.
That's common knowledge and a fact.
Goodbye.

OK. Goodbye. Thanks for visiting...

 

[BonesJones]

71% and 75% is not 100%.
Any team that has won a ring has had a bench punch and not been completely reliant on the starters.
Look at Philly this year. Top tier starting 5, yet they're bench is ass. And they look to be worse than last year because they don't have SHOOTERS OFF THE BENCH.
That's common knowledge and a fact.
Goodbye.

You're passing off your opinion as fact when its backed by less evidence than the opinion stated to the contrary.

So a team can be successful in the post-season if their starters score less than 100% of their points...? Haha.

 

[CupWizier]

Didnt see that post. Thank God you were.

why?