This loss means NOTHING? SOMETHING? EVERYTHING? Choose your own adventure.

[SlyPokerDog]

Where's the list? I think more than one rule has been broken.

The only person breaking the rules in this thread is you, lol.

Please stop with the personal insults.

 

[e_blazer]

They play a lot of iso ball though and if either Harden or Paul are off or get hurt, Houston could be in trouble and Paul has a history of getting hurt in the playoffs.

Agreed. The Rockets looked like two superstars and a bunch of role players. Lose one of the superstars and the wheels come off the wagon PDQ. The Blazers looked like a complete team that still managed to function at a high level even on the worst shooting night of the year for Dame and CJ. Not saying that the Blazers wouldn't be in trouble if they were to lose one of those guys, just that I liked the fact that the emphasis was on team ball.

 

[riverman]

This loss just means we're 13 - 1 since the allstar break....I can live with that

 

[SportsAndWhine]

They play a lot of iso ball though and if either Harden or Paul are off or get hurt, Houston could be in trouble and Paul has a history of getting hurt in the playoffs.

I'm just saying that giving all our players Corey Maggette metal-hinged knee braces might be a worthwhile investment...

 

[Boob-No-More]

Come on guys, @Portland2014 is obviously a troll account. They only post when the team loses, and are nowhere to be seen when the team is winning. It's probably an alternate account of some other poster who wants to let off steam after a tough loss, and just likes to get a rise out of other posters who obviously like the team and our players. He is also a total Lillard hater. Just go back and look at his posting history and the threads he starts:

I'm so tired of Lillard

How can you still believe in Lillard?

These threads lose any hope at legitimacy based on the fact that when Lillard plays well... crickets. Nowhere to be seen.

Well, that and comments like this:

"give me Jokic or Jabari Parker for Lillard..."

Right, exactly where has Jokic lead DEN, right back to the lottery, even after adding a $90 million all star to their line up. Parker isn't even close to the best player on a team that's in 8th place in the fucking Eastern Conference. How does that make him better than the best player on the 3rd seed in the West?

He has also started threads about Zach Collins being a bust, Nurkic is the New Crabbe/Leonard, etc.

Then there is this gem:

Why Portland won't win a title again

"It's simply because of the fans."

He obviously only posts here to push people's buttons. Anyone who takes this guy seriously is every bit as dumb as "his posts".

BNM

 

[Chris Craig]

We have faced:
Minnesota w/out Butler at home
OKC w/out Melo at home
Golden State w/out Curry at home
Miami w/out Whiteside at home
Cleveland w/out Love at home

Every win came at home with our full squad against short handed teams.
THESE ARE NOT QUALITY WINS, the quality wins are on the road against big teams with our team facing injuries.

I was waiting tonight's game so bad because Houston was at full strenght and i got all the answers i was searching.

It's no coincidence that Lillard and McCollum both had their worst shooting night against a good team, it's another proof that Lillard is not a superstar.
Against good defensive teams who really pressure the ball and defend the three he struggles a LOT, he doesn't have the ball handling to create separations or the size/strenght to bully the defender.

After every win of the streak i kept saying to my fellow blazers fans "i will change my mind once they face a really good team at full strenght" and here we go, Houston kicked our ass more than the boxscore says.

What's bad is that this win streak will be used by Olshey to sell the fans on this mediocre team.
The ceiling of this team is the first round of the playoffs, second round only with a good matchup.

Lillard and McCollum kept saying they were the best backcourt in the league, well, i hope they saw tonight what the best backcourt looks like.

I smell troll shit. Sounds like a Clutchfan in poor disguise trying to rile us up. Weaksauce.

@Portland2014 all I have to say to you is that last nights game means something. Both teams played hard. It was punch for punch all game. Blazers played neck to neck with the team with the best record in the NBA. Houston won by 4. No shame in that. No slumped heads. Dame and CJ had off nights. Dame is about to have his first son. He had a lot on his mind. The supporting crew (Aminu,Harkless, Nurk) were on all night. Dame and CJ hit a couple and the game goes the other way. Either way I am proud of my boys. We played our hearts out. And, I can say my and we because I am a true Blazer fan. I never doubt. Dame is an allstar...he is a superstar. When or lose I stand by my guys. I'm ready for Friday and the rest of the season. See your team on the 5th of April. In the meantime get that weak shit out of here.

 

[SportsAndWhine]

Guys it's just MIXUM.

 

[THE HCP]

Guys it's just MIXUM.

I wish! I miss him so much!

 

[Lanny]

We have faced:
Minnesota w/out Butler at home
OKC w/out Melo at home
Golden State w/out Curry at home
Miami w/out Whiteside at home
Cleveland w/out Love at home

Every win came at home with our full squad against short handed teams.
THESE ARE NOT QUALITY WINS, the quality wins are on the road against big teams with our team facing injuries.

I was waiting tonight's game so bad because Houston was at full strenght and i got all the answers i was searching.

It's no coincidence that Lillard and McCollum both had their worst shooting night against a good team, it's another proof that Lillard is not a superstar.
Against good defensive teams who really pressure the ball and defend the three he struggles a LOT, he doesn't have the ball handling to create separations or the size/strenght to bully the defender.

After every win of the streak i kept saying to my fellow blazers fans "i will change my mind once they face a really good team at full strenght" and here we go, Houston kicked our ass more than the boxscore says.

What's bad is that this win streak will be used by Olshey to sell the fans on this mediocre team.
The ceiling of this team is the first round of the playoffs, second round only with a good matchup.

Lillard and McCollum kept saying they were the best backcourt in the league, well, i hope they saw tonight what the best backcourt looks like.

I've got to admit that you know little to nothing about basketball.

This was a very close and hard fought game between the best two teams in the NBA.

 

[THE HCP]

Harden’s ripthru at the beginning of the game where Moe got all ball.

You could do this all day though. Mo had a fast break in the 3rd that came off a Dame “steal” on Harden...... Dame grabbed his shoulder and Harden lost the ball..... no call. I truly believe that the calls even out over time.

 

[Lanny]

OMG Melo is such a great player. Did we beat OKC in their place with all their stars?
Did we beat Miami in Miami with all their players? Don't remember ...
Did we beat the Spurs without Kaward ?
We should have waited for Love to come back. And we all know, Lue was having health issues and the Lebron billboard was breaking records. That is why we beat the Cavs ...
We beat the Clippers after they traded B. Griffin. Did I mention the Stormy Daniels karma also helped?
We beat Detroit because Reggie Jackson and Jameer Nelson didn't play.
We will face Boston without Hayward and Kyrie. How lucky are we? Dany Ainge doing his part.
Biggie Cousin will be out when we play NO.
All those wins against Memphis ... They have new coach, ...
Our #3 seed is because Adam Silver has asked other teams to "rest" some of their stars ... while we play them. Adam Silver and Paul Allen working in perfect harmony to ensure that the Blazers are relevant. Imagine that !!! Refs gave us 27 ft, we still couldn't win against Houston.
Sorry guys ... we ain't that good. I hope I just showed you the proof ... Any questions?

All those teams also played other teams in the NBA. We all face teams with injuries or missing players for one reason or another. I saw a couple days ago where Golden State beat a good team while missing their four best players.

 

[THE HCP]

I made this mockingly because of all the immigrants on here creating new threads when random ass thoughts pop into their heads.......

But while I’m here, I think if there is ever a “good” loss, this was one. A lot of good can come from this.

 

[THE HCP]

BUMP

 

[dviss1]

I made this mockingly because of all the immigrants on here creating new threads when random ass thoughts pop into their heads.......

But while I’m here, I think if there is ever a “good” loss, this was one. A lot of good can come from this.

Those damn furriners!!!

 

[Lanny]

There were a lot of encouraging signs for sure. It does mean one thing though....we are not better than Houston. But we kind of already knew that. Their 14 losses so far for the season is a pretty good indicator. I do love the way this team competes every night now.

You can't say that. All you can say is that we are probably the two best teams in the NBA right now.

 

[Lanny]

Moral Victory banner to hang at the Moda center ? ...We need to stop this losing streak.

29 teams get to hang that moral victory banner and not just Portland.

 

[THE HCP]

Those damn furriners!!!

Right? HA!

 

[THE HCP]

Those damn furriners!!!

#MakeS2GreatAgain

 

[SportsAndWhine]

But it's kind of just this thing, you know?

Eleven games to go!

 

[Boob-No-More]

We have faced:
OKC w/out Melo at home

This one cracks me up.

First, we are 3-0 against OKC. We have beaten them twice with Anthony playing, including an 11-point win in OKC.

Second, you say that like Carmelo Anthony actually makes his team better. Have you not been paying attention? Melo has a PER of 13.0 (league average = 15.0) this season with a TS% of .507 (league average = .557). Sure, Carmelo scores more, but this season Al-Farouq Aminu is a far, far better player than Carmelo Anthony, especially when you consider defense. This season, because of his inefficient shooting, and poor defense, Carmelo Anthony is hurting his team at both ends of the floor. Look at these numbers (pay special attention to the negative signs in front of each and every one of Carmelo's numbers):

Carmelo Anthony:
Offensive Box Plus/Minus: -1.8
Defensive Box Plus/Minus: -1.9
Box Plus Minus: -3.8
Value Above Replacement Player: -1.0

Al-Farouq Aminu:
Offensive Box Plus/Minus: -0.5
Defensive Box Plus/Minus: +1.7
Box Plus Minus: +1.1
Value Above Replacement Player: +1.4

One of these players makes his team better, one does not. So, of we don't get credit for beating OKC without Carmelo, by your logic, the 4 games we lost when Aminu was out shouldn't count either.

BNM

 

[mook]

My takeaways:

1. Lillard probably is distracted with his first kid about to be born/just born. What's the deal with that anyway?
2. CJ is a Second Banana. Just like so many other NBA stars throughout history, he's a Second Banana because he's had an off-game and he's not the first guy any of us blame for losing. It's Lillard's team, and if there ever was a game that proves it, it's this one.
3. The Rockets swarmed Dame and CJ and dared us to beat them with role players. And we almost did. I like our chances in a series.
4. The Rockets offense will run into problems in the playoffs. The complete absence of midrange shots makes them a tough cover for a random game in an 82 game season, but if you have the chance to know that's what's going to happen in a 7 game series it's actually easier to cover. As a defense you guard the 3 point line, do nothing until they get near the rim. It goes against your instincts, but if you practice it it's not really that hard. Analytics is great for large sample sizes, which is what an 82 game season is. But it's a lot tougher at explaining how a team will prepare for you in a 7 game series. Popovich is the ultimate Preparer, and that's why D'Antoni is owned by him in the playoffs. Portland will be ready too if the time comes.
5. I love that Dame saw his streak of 3 pointers evaporate and didn't force the issue. He took 7 threes, which is well within his normal range. He could've forced threes up to keep the streak alive (the sort of stat-hunting Westbrook lives on). Chuck and chuck and chuck, and nobody would remember this game a year from now when his streak was still going at 113 games. But he made the right plays every time and lived with the consequences. That's the kind of leadership I love.
6. Nurk will destroy these guys in a series. He's only 23 and still getting used to how to play each team on a given night. He knows now nobody can guard him on the Rockets. It's barbecue chicken time. The downside is that this is also Bismack Biyombo time, which means it's a young center who could make a big name for himself in the playoffs and make a killing in free agency. I don't want to face the Rockets in the playoffs just because it scares me what he could get offered as a consequence of that series.

That's what I got.

 

[BlayZa]

i dont think the reffing was as bad as ive seen, wasnt great but i think that crutch doesnt really apply in this case as hard as the dame/cj ghosting and their 0-12 from 3 stat.

 

[rotary111]

The Dame is over rated and we suck comments are getting old.

Temporary bans should be up for a vote based on who is just annoying.

How did you shave your chest like that? Beard trimmer?

 

[Boob-No-More]

I made this mockingly because of all the immigrants on here creating new threads when random ass thoughts pop into their heads.......

But while I’m here, I think if there is ever a “good” loss, this was one. A lot of good can come from this.

I thought you were going to build a wall and make the rookies pay for it. What happened?

BNM

 

[dviss1]

I thought you were going to build a wall and make the rookies pay for it. What happened?

BNM

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I thought you were going to build a wall and make the rookies pay for it. What happened?

BNM

 

[e_blazer]

Okay, my take for whatever that's worth:

Things it means:
1. The Blazers lost the game and a chance to get more separation from the teams that are chasing them. Fortunately OKC lost too, so no great damage so far.
2. The Blazers continued to get good play from Nurk, Chief, Harkless and the bench. That's a positive as they try to close out the regular season strong.
3. The Blazers need production from Dame and CJ in order to beat the best teams in the West. Most nights they get it. Last night they only got half of the usual production. Some of that was Houston's defense. Some was shot selection. Some was just the inevitable off night.
4. Harden is a lock for MVP and it's not even close, IMHO. You can say what you want about the refs, but he's mastered drawing fouls. Dame and CJ would do well to study how he does it.
5. CP3 is the perfect complement to Harden's brilliance. As long as he can stay healthy, I'd put that backcourt at the top of the list in the NBA. That healthy thing would worry me if I were a Rockets fan. His history speaks for itself.

Things it doesn't mean:
1. The fact that the Blazers challenged on a night when Dame & CJ had off nights is encouraging, but by itself doesn't mean that the Blazers are legitimate contenders. If they can win some of these tough next few games, though, they can stake a claim to contention.
2. The streak wasn't a fluke, despite the narrative that certain folks around here may try to spin it. The Blazers have demonstrated that they are good enough to play with anybody.
3. The fact that the Rockets won and have the best record doesn't, to me at least, make them the favorite to win the title. There was an awful lot of dependency on two great players. I don't think that bodes well against a healthy Warriors team. The prospect of facing them in the playoffs with a healthy Blazers squad doesn't terrify me.

 

[e_blazer]

I thought you were going to build a wall and make the rookies pay for it. What happened?

BNM

HCP doesn't have the hair to pull that one off.

 

[Orion Bailey]

We have faced:
Minnesota w/out Butler at home
OKC w/out Melo at home
Golden State w/out Curry at home
Miami w/out Whiteside at home
Cleveland w/out Love at home

Every win came at home with our full squad against short handed teams.
THESE ARE NOT QUALITY WINS, the quality wins are on the road against big teams with our team facing injuries.

I was waiting tonight's game so bad because Houston was at full strenght and i got all the answers i was searching.

It's no coincidence that Lillard and McCollum both had their worst shooting night against a good team, it's another proof that Lillard is not a superstar.
Against good defensive teams who really pressure the ball and defend the three he struggles a LOT, he doesn't have the ball handling to create separations or the size/strenght to bully the defender.

After every win of the streak i kept saying to my fellow blazers fans "i will change my mind once they face a really good team at full strenght" and here we go, Houston kicked our ass more than the boxscore says.

What's bad is that this win streak will be used by Olshey to sell the fans on this mediocre team.
The ceiling of this team is the first round of the playoffs, second round only with a good matchup.

Lillard and McCollum kept saying they were the best backcourt in the league, well, i hope they saw tonight what the best backcourt looks like.

I didn't even read your post. Want to know why? Because in the 13 game win streak you were no where to be found.

We lose one game and here you are.

you are not a fan of their team. you area troll.

Your posts can go F themselves....

Leave the forum. Go away. Go to Houston's forum where you want to be. Go to the Lakers forum where you want to be, but please for the lover of God leave this forum and don't come back.

Dame was defended by Ariza most of the night. a SF!!!!! It wasn't backcourt vs backcourt. Learn the game then DONT post.

Go drink a glass of piss... then I will understand your posts more cause thats all they are... piss....

 

[Lanny]

I didn't even read your post. Want to know why? Because in the 13 game win streak you were no where to be found.

We lose one game and here you are.

you are not a fan of their team. you area troll.

Your posts can go F themselves....

Leave the forum. Go away. Go to Houston's forum where you want to be. Go to the Lakers forum where you want to be, but please for the lover of God leave this forum and don't come back.

Dame was defended by Ariza most of the night. a SF!!!!! It wasn't backcourt vs backcourt. Learn the game then DONT post.

Go drink a glass of piss... then I will understand your posts more cause thats all they are... piss....

Hey there, don't sugar coat it.