Game Thread WEST FINALS, GAME 3: WARRIORS @ BLAZERS - MAY 18, 2019, SATURDAY, 6PM, ESPN

[Phatguysrule]

They ARE more talented. Our guards are out of gas. Aminu and Harkless aren’t good enough. If they are getting these kind of minutes you don’t have a championship level team. Damian couldn’t beat Jerebko off the dribble. He’s beat.

Exactly. Portland is a good team. Maybe even top 4 in the league. But it's not a team full of all stars.

And we don't have a freak of nature to overcome the lack of talent at 2 of the 5 starting positions.

 

[calvin natt]

With all this Dame bashing, he'd more than be welcome to come to GSW. Have no idea if we retain Durant or not, but Dame is no longer wanted in Portland, he can come home.

Anyone bashing Dame should go to Oakland. Not Dame.

 

[LuckyShot]

and there we go...It's Dame's fault CJ shot and airball and missed 5 FT's....fuck, that Dame is like a voodoo doll. He's probably why it's rained the last 3 days

Did I say it was all on him? Huh, I must've missed that part in my post.

 

[wizenheimer]

Are you including me in those 3 guys?

Fucking hell. I literally never criticize him for anything.

nope...you weren't who I was thinking about although I think you were 80 miles of base saying Dame "quit" on the team

 

[LuckyShot]

And all 3 games were winnable.

Yeah, I'm just willing to give them somewhat of a pass on game 1. It felt like our strategy was to roll the ball out and see how things went in game 1, and the real plan was to focus on adjusting and going hard at them in game 2. Then we pissed it away.

 

[kjironman1]

He's made the right adjustments, but the base of the team still isn't where it needs to be. They're not used to running this scheme. They still don't have good enough ball and player movement, which gets tragically terrible against good defenses. They still have an offense that's too heavily based on pick-n-roll, handoffs, and 1-on-1 isolation.

I'm gonna disagree with you on this. The team is being coached to the personnel that they have. You change the players and the scheme will change. Blazers still lack a Small Forward and are lacking in the Power forward position.

 

[THE_BLAZE70]

Blazers will probably never win a trophy again. Not in the NBA. It was a different league back then. In this league it won't happen. The Blazers will be moved and renamed before then.

Boy you’re just full of BS tonight. Let me ask you about this small market conspiracy BS. How did San Antonio win there titles or Milwaukie which
I bet will win a title this year. It’s all about having the best team and players no matter what city you play in.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

nope...you weren't who I was thinking about although I think you were 80 miles of base saying Dame "quit" on the team

d

Dame was playing matador defense in both 2nd halfs and looked like he barely cared in the 4th tonight if he didnt “quit” he was sure doing a good impersonation of one who quit.

I dunno, honestly without Dame they arent here to begin with, but man he has been bad in this series and most of the Denver series too. Is it really just trap him hard and thats all it takes...?

 

[Phatguysrule]

Yeah, I'm just willing to give them somewhat of a pass on game 1. It felt like our strategy was to roll the ball out and see how things went in game 1, and the real plan was to focus on adjusting and going hard at them in game 2. Then we pissed it away.

Agreed. Nurk would have made a big difference in the last 2 games. But so would Durant... Gotta get better players than Hark, Aminu, and Turner if we want to compete with Golden State, Houston, and Milwaukee.

 

[OneSport3]

I'm gonna disagree with you on this. The team is being coached to the personnel that they have. You change the players and the scheme will change. Blazers still lack a Small Forward and are lacking in the Power forward position.

We have a small forward in Hood that someone refuses to start.

 

[Five Second Violation]

Incredible how half this board refuses to allow ANY Dame criticism whatsoever.

We had a SEVENTEEN POINT LEAD in game 2 and an EIGHTEEN point lead in game 3 AT HOME.

And we blew them BOTH with Dame nowhere to be found. That is not “hate”, those are FACTS.

This is the same Dame who in the past has whined on social media about not being an all-star. The same Dame who says he is always playing with a chip on his shoulder. The same Dame who considers himself the best leader in the NBA. The same Dame who prides himself on being clutch.

Well that same Dame is a career sub-40% playoff shooter and in the last 48 hours has been completely MIA when we needed him most. Tonight, I would even argue at times he looked completely indifferent. His body language in the early 4th quarter read like a guy who had given up.

So yeah, he should be criticized. I’m not sitting here saying we should have won the series. But his performances these last two games, and really , almost every game since the OKC series, have been inexcusable. You can’t blow two second half leads in a row the way we did. You just can’t. The moment Dame decided to be vocal online and to the media years ago about how he deserves superstar respect, he made himself vulnerable to superstar criticism.

I have to agree, although I felt that Dame was at least respectable against Denver.

He's the leader of the team and as such he is going to be susceptible to a level of criticism that our role players are not. It rings hollow to bitch and whine about Dame needing more help when he's our superstar and he's not showing up. I don't want to hear about our starting forwards or our bench when Lillard is shooting 30% and has as many turnovers as field goals in this series, and the opposing superstar is eating him alive.

In the NBA playoffs, stars are the ones that define the way hings go, and are the one who get the bulk of the credit or blame with the game's outcome. That's the level of responsibility that he accepts in his role as a leader and face of the team. And Dame hasn't even been the best player for his own team in a single game this series thus far, let alone the best player on the floor. Even with the team overachieving this postseason to date, Dame is not beyond reproach for his utterly awful play in this series.

 

[Phatguysrule]

Dame was playing matador defense in both 2nd halfs and looked like he barely cared in the 4th tonight if he didnt “quit” he was sure doing a good impersonation of one who quit.

I dunno, honestly without Dame they arent here to begin with, but man he has been bad in this series and most of the Denver series too. Is it really just trap him hard and thats all it takes...?

That's what happens when the guys you pass to can't get it done...

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Boy you’re just full of BS tonight. Let me ask you about this small market conspiracy BS. How did San Antonio win there titles or Milwaukie which
I bet will win a title this year. It’s all about having the best team and players no matter what city you play in.

The SA small market thing is such crap, look at their TV ratings they always pull good numbers because its freaking Texas.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

That's what happens when the guys you pass to can't get it done...

I guess...?

 

[LuckyShot]

Agreed. Nurk would have made a big difference in the last 2 games. But so would Durant... Gotta get better players than Hark, Aminu, and Turner if we want to compete with Golden State, Houston, and Milwaukee.

Yeah, we can't play the "what if so-and-so was healthy" game this series because they don't have Durant.

 

[THE_BLAZE70]

The SA small market thing is such crap, look at their TV ratings they always pull good numbers because its freaking Texas.

Yep.... and I just heard from around the way that game 2 of this joke of a series just blew the doors off in ratings. Let me tell you something from years of wisdom. The victim Beta mentality will get you no where in this life.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Yep.... and I just heard from around the way that game 2 of this joke of a series just blew the doors off in ratings. Let me tell you something from years of wisdom. The victim Beta mentality will get you no where in this life.

How is saying the spurs get good ratings a victim mentality?

 

[kjironman1]

We have a small forward in Hood that someone refuses to start.

Hood can score better but i don't think he is as athletic as Mo? Hood really didn't do much tonight against the second unit. 1-3 in 17 mins with zero rebounds and zero assists. Got to the line once and split the shots. I hate plus Minus but he was -13 and Moe at least was +2. Harkless was no better though really. 2-5 for 6 points in 26 minutes.
They need a dynamic 3 and D wing that can run the floor.

 

[kjironman1]

Yeah, we can't play the "what if so-and-so was healthy" game this series because they don't have Durant.

Or Cousins.

 

[BonesJones]

Yep.... and I just heard from around the way that game 2 of this joke of a series just blew the doors off in ratings. Let me tell you something from years of wisdom. The victim Beta mentality will get you no where in this life.

The person obsessed over "alpha vs. beta" mentalities is usually a beta. Just sayin.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

The person obsessed over "alpha vs. beta" mentalities is usually a beta. Just sayin.

I legit dont get how saying the spurs get good ratings because of Texas is a victim mentality. The Blazers do fine too ratings wise, but whatever lol.

 

[BonesJones]

I'm gonna disagree with you on this. The team is being coached to the personnel that they have. You change the players and the scheme will change. Blazers still lack a Small Forward and are lacking in the Power forward position.

Eh... I don't think Aminu and Harkless should be so restrictive that we run a basic offense. I've seen much worse teams with much worse players run a better brand of offense. I do think they're partially to blame, but it's more Stotts for me. But maybe we can agree on the way the offense is ran as being a problem, even if we disagree what causes it. It gets sooo stagnant, and it's so predictable.

 

[BigGameDamian]

I still think this season along with the playoffs is a success.

 

[GhostOfPGA]

We’ve been in every game (even game 1 was with 10 with 5 minutes to go), we obviously can’t close out the champions at the ends of games. If that tells me anything it’s, we need more talent. When they’re hurt they still have 3 all-stars. We just need more talent.

 

[BigGameDamian]

I don't think Aminu will be on the team next season and I'm ok with that.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Eh... I don't think Aminu and Harkless should be so restrictive that we run a basic offense. I've seen much worse teams with much worse players run a better brand of offense. I do think they're partially to blame, but it's more Stotts for me. But maybe we can agree on the way the offense is ran as being a problem, even if we disagree what causes it. It gets sooo stagnant, and it's so predictable.

I actually think Harkless and Aminu are pretty restrictive at times. They are so uncomfortable handling the ball and most importantly passing when they dribble. They have some good games here and there but I think they are by far the worst starting forwards left in the playoffs, and hopefully Zach makes a big jump and takes Aminu’s minutes (even if he’s back).

 

[THE_BLAZE70]

Let’s just put it this way. I bet both my testicles that the Blazers losing any of these first 3 games had nothing to do with being a small market team. Yes that’s right I’ll be a eunuch if it’s proven

 

[Dubsfan]

Also realize here that the Denver series was a long series with those overtimes. I believe we own a lot of teams in the 2nd half cause we still try to run 100 miles an hour even with a lead. Many teams get exhausted playing that way.

 

[BonesJones]

I actually think Harkless and Aminu are pretty restrictive at times. They are so uncomfortable handling the ball and most importantly passing when they dribble. They have some good games here and there but I think they are by far the worst starting forwards left in the playoffs, and hopefully Zach makes a big jump and takes Aminu’s minutes (even if he’s back).

The use them as movers off the ball, not as guys that just stand in the corner.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Let’s just put it this way. I bet both my testicles that the Blazers losing any of these first 3 games had nothing to do with being a small market team. Yes that’s right I’ll be a eunuch if it’s proven

I was never making the case that it did... Though I did think the officiating of game two was incredibly bad, but Blazers still shouldve won that game.