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

[PHXBlazer1]

Trying to keep things in perspective but this sucks right now.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

I eagerly await HCP's rant on S2 boardies.

 

[wizenheimer]

I love Dame.

why do you guys who trash Dame all the time even bother with the obvious fucking lie "I love Dame". Tonight, I've seen 3 different guys who have spent the last half-dozen game threads bashing Lillard say "I love Dame but...". It's pathetic and nobody who has paid any attention believes it for a second. Just own your fucking bile and bash without the lie

 

[GhostOfPGA]

This off-season I’d like Terry to add a veteran coach to his staff. Look at Kerr’s staff, he has guys like Mike Brown (great defensive mind/finals HC), and Ron Adams who has been around forever and is also an elite defensive mind (early 2000s Bucks/Rose Bulls).

 

[James lamphear]

The good note Leonard had great game and Zach didn't shoot well but he had 8 rebounds and 1 block not bad.

 

[GhostOfPGA]

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.

One has to think that if Nurkic were here, he’d bring to us what Green is bringing the Warriors rn, we need that brash energy.

 

[Aussie Blazer!]

Dame had a terrible game and yeah, there are those who blame him for just about all the Blazer ills. Apparently, he's a big target for fan bile and frustration. He sure needed to play better tonight and value the ball more

but there was all kinds of blame to go around in these last 2 games. Lots of Blazers were making lots of bad plays and bad decisions

I think the Warriors are now Portland's kryptonite. Portland reacts worse to what the Warriors do than they would if any other team did the same things. Golden State is in the heads of the Blazers, and it's not just Dame's head. Coming into this game, in the first two games Dame had a .599 TS%; CJ had a .446 TS%. If Dame is locked down by the defense, and he's certainly been that, then his back court partner needs to play lights out...and CJ's been worse than Dame.

oh, and speaking of being in the Blazer heads, I think the Warriors coaches are in the head of Stotts. He doesn't have any answers. There might not be many to find, but the Blazers are 1-10 against the Warriors in the playoffs and that one win came at the Moda when Curry was out

I think they are a lot of teams kryptonite...

 

[MarAzul]

The good note Leonard had great game and Zach didn't shoot well but he had 8 rebounds and 1 block not bad.

I keep those two, Nurk, Curry and Hood.

 

[Dubsfan]

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.

 

[GhostOfPGA]

I keep those two, Nurk, Curry and Hood.

I like Curry, but I honesty rather give Simons his spot next season. He’s bigger, way more athletic, and he needs minutes.

 

[Aussie Blazer!]

Stotts just had the gall to say the Blazers didn't get any points in transition because they were taking the ball out of the net.
Blazers don't run.... what is he taking about?

Isn't Stotts the guy that tells them to run or not? Silly me, I thought he was a coach or something...

 

[MarAzul]

I like Curry, but I honesty rather give Simons his spot next season. He’s bigger, way more athletic, and he needs minutes.

Ok.

 

[BlayZa]

draymond - when kevin isnt on the floor i know i have to be more aggressive, push the pace, raise the tempo, make the transition go, make plays etc

 

[Cugel]

that's the problem, blazers not in a strong position to add strength at any position including coaching. oshley can rightfully claim the team did better than last season, and that will be the script, that and injuries.

dame isn't strong in the post season against good teams. that is the facts so far and he has to live with it and try to change. I do believe the ceiling of this team has been achieved even without nurk, a deep post season team that deserves respect but in no way capable of a championship. not the roster or the coaching. we will have to wait for the post dame/DJ blazers and probably post stotts too, for a really new direction in leadership

 

[Phatguysrule]

One thing for Dame he never pushes the ball up and gets easy baskets, he basically walks up and plays into the trap. GS gets so many easy buckets in transition and the Blazers just dont.

Bingo. Gotta get more easy buckets.

 

[Strenuus]

Dame is the best player on a team in the Final 4. Seems tier 1 to me.

.... What?

Curry
Giannis
Kawhi
Durant
Thompson

Lillards only argument is maybe thompson. But regardless, he is not near the first 4.

I defend dame to the moon and back, but to call him the best player left on the 4 teams is just not right.

 

[BonesJones]

I see this completely different. Stotts has made adjustments in both game 2 and game 3 that worked very well.
This game he even did what i was looking for and went big. The only thing he has not tried is going young. I assume that will happen in game four if they are down in the fourth quarter.

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.

 

[BonesJones]

why do you guys who trash Dame all the time even bother with the obvious fucking lie "I love Dame". Tonight, I've seen 3 different guys who have spent the last half-dozen game threads bashing Lillard say "I love Dame but...". It's pathetic and nobody who has paid any attention believes it for a second. Just own your fucking bile and bash without the lie

Are you including me in those 3 guys?

Fucking hell. I literally never criticize him for anything.

 

[THE_BLAZE70]

Here’s the deal boys... it’s time to come to reality. I don’t know what your guy’s expertise or experience is playing or coaching at high level B’ball, but I’m 48 years old played at a high collegiate level and have coached the game. Let me tell you something Dame is a great player. He’s overachieved every level of his career. For Gods sake he wasn’t even recruited out of High School and subsequently went to Weber State. I could write a book but the bottomline is you are not going to win in the NBA at a high level with Damian Lillard as you best player. I’m not some F’ing Einstein stating this the whole league knows it. So either Nurk comes back healthy and blows up the league or they need to trade for a player like AD.

 

[A$AP Meyers]

Rivers and Green are definitely guys who can hit open shots... hell Rivers can actually run offense. They ain’t scrubs.

Two shitty NBA journeyman. There’s a reason one has been on 8 teams and the other has been on 4. And by the way one is also a 34% 3pt shooter and the other is 36%.


Dame is not close to being in the same class as Harden. And that’s not a knock on Dame. Dame is an All-Star. Who has shot sub 40% in 50 total career playoff games. Harden is a superstar. That’s my point.

 

[MarAzul]

Are you including me in those 3 guys?

Fucking hell. I literally never criticize him for anything.

Well then it must not be you.

 

[Chris Craig]

I like Curry, but I honesty rather give Simons his spot next season. He’s bigger, way more athletic, and he needs minutes.

Blazers may not have a choice in the matter. May Curry will go join his brother. Better to be on the Devils side than in front of him.

 

[Phatguysrule]

We should be up 2-1 if this team had balls.

And all 3 games were winnable.

 

[BonesJones]

Well then it must not be you.

Inlcuding myself, I count 3.

 

[Phatguysrule]

is it

Yes. No question about it.

 

[Chris Craig]

that's the problem, blazers not in a strong position to add strength at any position including coaching. oshley can rightfully claim the team did better than last season, and that will be the script, that and injuries.

dame isn't strong in the post season against good teams. that is the facts so far and he has to live with it and try to change. I do believe the ceiling of this team has been achieved even without nurk, a deep post season team that deserves respect but in no way capable of a championship. not the roster or the coaching. we will have to wait for the post dame/DJ blazers and probably post stotts too, for a really new direction in leadership

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.

 

[Phatguysrule]

Seriously all this Dame hate, what do you want him to do? Attack every double team? Pass every time? Make every shot? He’s clearly having a shit time this series and he knows it, but what can he do? Just continue playing.

Needs better players around him to compete with Golden State. A couple of all stars would certainly help... Dame, CJ and 2 all stars would be a good match up.

 

[A$AP Meyers]

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.

 

[BlayZa]

CJ on now.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

why do you guys who trash Dame all the time even bother with the obvious fucking lie "I love Dame". Tonight, I've seen 3 different guys who have spent the last half-dozen game threads bashing Lillard say "I love Dame but...". It's pathetic and nobody who has paid any attention believes it for a second. Just own your fucking bile and bash without the lie

I dont know what 3 you’re talking about, but I do have a great deal of respect for Dame, but in my opinion he’s a big reason why were in the WCF and he’s been a big part of why they’re getting trounced too.