Game Thread WESTERN FINALS, GAME 2: BLAZERS @ WARRIORS - 5/16/19, THURSDAY, 6PM, ESPN (2 Viewers)

[B-Roy]

haha Moda is actually 4 yrs older than the one here. You wouldn't think it so.

Didn’t they renovate Moda though in the last few decades?

I do miss Midwest prices though....west coast is expensive as shit.

 

[James lamphear]

Well there a lot blame go around for that loss coach Dame CJ. Why I just mentioned those the coach made adjustments for game that was good but he didn't make adjustments in the game when when our off defender wouldnt rotate back when that trap. Now for Dame and CJ they take some blame because they got the ball in there hands majority of the time. Now how many times are going get trap just over half court so they use half court has defender. That I blame the coach the players Dame and CJ happen to both of them. That should been adjusted in timeout. Dame should been passing to wing or your center in the middle before you even got to half court to release the pressure off the guard. I only tell my players to much dribble will get you in trouble and passing is the fastest way to advance the ball up court. I hate our starting lineup I don't hate the players but the lineup. You only git one real play maker in the lineup Dame and sometimes CJ. The 3 Aminu Harkless Kanter are not play makers plus there not ball handlers neither so that lineup don't scare anyone as long they can try take the ball out Dame hands and that's why they double him hard so he can't make things for himself and others.

 

[BlazerBeav]

Anfernee Simons couldn't have done worse in the last 3 minutes cold off the bench. Perhaps he would have even passed to a wide open teammate a couple of times instead. Missing shots is part of the game but CJ went MeJ when it mattered most and came up Felton doughnuts.

CJ was wide open for those looks, they just didn't drop. You cannot honestly tell me you wouldn't have wanted CJ having those looks late - especially given his playoff performances to date. He didn't go MeJ - he got good shots within the offense (the kickout by Meyers was the best pass Meyers has ever made).

 

[TBpup]

CJ was wide open for those looks, they just didn't drop. You cannot honestly tell me you wouldn't have wanted CJ having those looks late - especially given his playoff performances to date. He didn't go MeJ - he got good shots within the offense (the kickout by Meyers was the best pass Meyers has ever made).

There were a couple of those possessions where he had WIDE OPEN teammates with a better shot or much closer to the basket. What I would like is for him to make the highest percentage play that gives the Blazers the best chance at a basket. There are many times, he doesn't do that....and doesn't look like he even considers it. This is not a new phenomena.....

 

[B-Roy]

There were a couple of those possessions where he had WIDE OPEN teammates with a better shot or much closer to the basket. What I would like is for him to make the highest percentage play that gives the Blazers the best chance at a basket. There are many times, he doesn't do that....and doesn't look like he even considers it. This is not a new phenomena.....

I thought most of those looks were pretty good. He had one where he forced himself into three defenders, but the wide open shot on the wing will haunt me. That was down...

 

[TBpup]

I thought most of those looks were pretty good. He had one where he forced himself into three defenders, but the wide open shot on the wing will haunt me. That was down...

Agreed. Great pass from Meyers and probably the most open look he has had in the series so far.

 

[James lamphear]

Yea they was wide open shots and one right at the rim. But with CJ he either hitting everything he throws up or he can be very cold and at that time he was very cold when he took those shots and we had hot shooter in Curry. Now they wasn't bad shots but you got to know if your on or not at that time CJ wasn't on. I know the old saying goes if your shooter keep shooting even if your hot or cold. But not when the game on the line.

 

[e_blazer]

On that last play, the actual strip/block was clean. But leading up to that, Iggy mauled Dame at least 3-4 times.

Probably, but that really doesn’t matter. Dame absolutely blew that last possession when he decided to drive on Iggy instead of raising up for the open Logo Lillard shot. The Blazers absolutely had to have a three. That left Iggy playing with house money on his defense. Slap and hack away and if he gets called for a foul, as long as he keeps Dame from getting into his shooting motion, it’s 2 free throws and game over. It should never have come down to needing a last second three, but the decision to drive was a bad one.

 

[SIeepwalker]

Losing this game reaaaally hurt but man, now that I've calmed down I need to put it into perspective. Who the heel thought we would be there after Nurk got hurt ? Most people here were saying things like byebye home court or great another sweep. This season is already a huge success.

And it's not over. How many here thought we were done after game 5 against the Nuggets ? After going down 17 in game 7 ? This series is not over until a team wins 4 game. And you know who will ? the motherfucking Blazers.

 

[Paine Tablet]

Klay fouled Dame with 10 seconds left. Dame tried to draw a foul earlier, but even if he got it, it wouldn't have mattered because Seth got a 3 on the offensive rebound anyway. And there weren't any borderline calls left out. It was good basketball by both teams down to the wire.

I didn't have much problem with the 4th. In the 3rd, GS was allowed to body, reach, and slap like no other. There were numerous fouls that weren't called on GS.

 

[Blazers Roy]

Dave Joerger is available, everybody.

He's one of those coaches i view as equal or better than Stotts.

Most likely he can make us better defensively while still maintaining our offensive tools and knowledge.

 

[Paine Tablet]

Not sure this is all on Stotts. Dame and CJ did they thing where they basically panic and toss up contested step back midrangers when the opposing team is going on a run. Bad habits from years prior...

It was after the TO that got me. Stotts took the TO when the lead was cut to 11. Harkless gets blocked on the first possession, then a three cuts it to 8. The next two possessions involved C.J. failing to pass and then going ISO leading to a miss, and then Dame doing the same thing the next possession. End result: deficit is 3.

 

[twobullz]

When does the 2 minute report come out for last nights game? where can you view it at?

 

[gatorpops]

Well there a lot blame go around for that loss coach Dame CJ. Why I just mentioned those the coach made adjustments for game that was good but he didn't make adjustments in the game when when our off defender wouldnt rotate back when that trap. Now for Dame and CJ they take some blame because they got the ball in there hands majority of the time. Now how many times are going get trap just over half court so they use half court has defender. That I blame the coach the players Dame and CJ happen to both of them. That should been adjusted in timeout. Dame should been passing to wing or your center in the middle before you even got to half court to release the pressure off the guard. I only tell my players to much dribble will get you in trouble and passing is the fastest way to advance the ball up court. I hate our starting lineup I don't hate the players but the lineup. You only git one real play maker in the lineup Dame and sometimes CJ. The 3 Aminu Harkless Kanter are not play makers plus there not ball handlers neither so that lineup don't scare anyone as long they can try take the ball out Dame hands and that's why they double him hard so he can't make things for himself and others.

The trouble is we do not have any players other than ET that can do what you say - playmakers like Green or Eiggy. Without Nurk as the extra playmaker by passes we are playing short handed

 

[TBpup]

Dave Joerger is available, everybody.

He's one of those coaches i view as equal or better than Stotts.

Most likely he can make us better defensively while still maintaining our offensive tools and knowledge.

I have a buddy that has always really like Joerger. His playoff winning percentage (while not great) is better than Stotts'.

 

[Blazers Roy]

I have a buddy that has always really like Joerger. His playoff winning percentage (while not great) is better than Stotts'.

Didn't he completely own us in that Memphis series? And he got more experience since then, Terry remained exactly the same.

 

[Cugel]

Stotts isn't going anywhere. This will be viewed as a season of great progress, which it is. It could have been even more progressive IMHO. Sure, injuries have plagued the team but that is part of the game. Depth is essential; just ask Philly.

Its clear they aren't yet real championship contenders and vital pieces aren't in place. It is not clear, however, that those pieces are obtainable given financials and executive decisions etc. Blazers are a great team. Amazing team that others hate playing? Nope.

Take home message: next season perhaps.

 

[wizenheimer]

CJ was wide open for those looks, they just didn't drop. You cannot honestly tell me you wouldn't have wanted CJ having those looks late - especially given his playoff performances to date. .

yes, I can honestly say I wouldn't want CJ to take all those shots late, and the reason, IS "his playoff performances to date":

24 points on 24 shots
17 points on 19 shots
16 points on 17 shots
41 points on 39 shots
12 points on 16 shots
17 points on 19 shots
22 points on 23 shots

149 points on 157 shots

that's 8 of the 15 playoff games that Portland has played (more than half if you're keeping track) and it's a good damn reason to moderate CJ's ball and shot dominance at critical times. He was 0-6 over the last 7 minutes of this game when Portland shot 12 times. He took half of their shots and 3 different times he had teammates wide open (Hood-Curry) but chose to shoot instead of making the pass. Curry was hot and Hood has been shooting well...they were better options

CJ has been more miss than hit in these playoffs. Last night it was miss...at the worst time

so far in the playoffs, Dame has scored 383 points on 288 shots - 1.33 points/shot. CJ has scored 346 points on 307 shots - 1.13 points/shot. And Dame has done that against doubles, traps, hedges, and physical defense while CJ, for the most part, has been single covered. CJ really needs to back off on his hooplock and ball- dominance at times, especially when there are other good options on the floor. The 4th Q tonight is a prime example

Portland had a 6 point lead with 3:34 left. From there, they were outscored 12-3:

3:19.0 C. McCollum misses 3-pt jump shot from 26 ft
2:42.0 C. McCollum misses 2-pt layup from 8 ft (block by D. Green)
2:09.0 M. Leonard misses 2-pt layup from 2 ft
1:47.0 C. McCollum misses 3-pt jump shot from 25 ft
1:08.0 D. Lillard misses 3-pt jump shot from 28 ft
1:03.0 S. Curry makes 3-pt jump shot from 29 ft
0:32.0 C. McCollum misses 2-pt jump shot from 11 ft
0:04.0 D. Lillard misses 3-pt jump shot from 28 ft (block by A. Iguodala)

Blazers went 1-8 down the stretch and the only basket they scored came off of a scramble after a shot. It wasn't from whatever offense they were running. And that begs the question: was what happened in the last 3:34 just another 'oh-well-sometimes-you-just-miss-shots' 3:34, or was it representative of the crutch of iso-heavy-somewhat-remedial offense that the Blazers rely on? Whatever it was, going 1-8 down the stretch of a critical game makes it real damn apparent when the failure was

 

[wizenheimer]

I know to some I'm probably being super annoying.

well we're all annoying here but you're right, we probably need to develop a scale of annoying so we can know when it's time to back off a bit.....or just say fuck it and double down

the ten stages of annoying, maybe?

1) mildly annoying
2) pretty much annoying
3) steadily annoying
4) punchable annoying
5) super annoying
6) mega-super punchable annoying
7) nuclear meltdown annoying
8) what the fuck is wrong with you annoying
9) I hate your stinking fucking guts annoying
10) I'm going to chop off your head shit down your neck stump and burn your house down annoying

you're doing pretty well HJ since I haven't seen anybody here who's still stage 1. Maybe a dog but he's usually humping somebody else's leg

 

[crandc]

Did anyone else have trouble sleeping? I got up at 3:30 AM and went into the garden with flashlight & bucket of salt to get snails off my plants. Needed to do anyway after the rain but was really in killing mood.

Sorry if I grossed anyone out.

 

[BBert]

Probably, but that really doesn’t matter. Dame absolutely blew that last possession when he decided to drive on Iggy instead of raising up for the open Logo Lillard shot. The Blazers absolutely had to have a three. That left Iggy playing with house money on his defense. Slap and hack away and if he gets called for a foul, as long as he keeps Dame from getting into his shooting motion, it’s 2 free throws and game over. It should never have come down to needing a last second three, but the decision to drive was a bad one.

I had the same thought at the time. Dame passed up an opportunity to get a shot up, then dribbled into trouble. Meanwhile, GS could have just foul to prevent the three. Dame had a chance to take the long three, before GS had a chance to foul him, and he passed it up. Taking that shot, while not a high percentage shot, was still our best chance at winning (going into overtime), or who knows, a miracle four point play.

 

[wizenheimer]

Did anyone else have trouble sleeping? I got up at 3:30 AM and went into the garden with flashlight & bucket of salt to get snails off my plants. Needed to do anyway after the rain but was really in killing mood.

Sorry if I grossed anyone out.

well, there are other things you could have done with a flashlight and bucket that would have been grosser.

I'm willing to bet if we had a gross contest in this forum salting slugs would seem like art

 

[Hoopguru]

Phil Jackson is the greatest coach. He won two separate three-peats with two different teams and two different groups of players.

Greg Popovich hasn't been able to win jack shit without Tim Duncan. He's a great coach, but I also think he's one of the most overrated coaches of all time.

Phil dint do anything in NY with ordinary players. He's always won big because of the having teams with multiple All Stars.

 

[Blazers Roy]

I had the same thought at the time. Dame passed up an opportunity to get a shot up, then dribbled into trouble. Meanwhile, GS could have just foul to prevent the three. Dame had a chance to take the long three, before GS had a chance to foul him, and he passed it up. Taking that shot, while not a high percentage shot, was still our best chance at winning (going into overtime), or who knows, a miracle four point play.

How about setting him up with a surprising pick and roll or one of them fancy plays like we did with the Rockets?

 

[Hoopguru]

I'm so glad CJ is so clutch and so unselfish.

hey, its a game of makes and miss's.

 

[hoopsjock]

I thought most of those looks were pretty good. He had one where he forced himself into three defenders, but the wide open shot on the wing will haunt me. That was down...

The one that gets me is the contested 3 he took when he had a big switched on him (can't remember if it was Green or Looney). After the Denver game he specifically mentioned that he took a bad contested 3 when they could've gotten a better look. His strength isn't usually pulling up off the dribble from that deep with a defender in front of him.

He's a shooter that creates his own shots so I can't really blame him for missing it just sucks he took and missed 4 shots in the closing minutes that if just one of those goes down we probably win.

 

[MarAzul]

Changes needed Stotts.

Start
Leonard, Collins, Hood, Lillard, McCollum.
We saw a Pick n roll run by Lillard to Leonard. Do a hell of lot more.
We saw Leonard come out high on Curry, it helps. Get Collins in there to defend the rim.
Get Leonard some three point shots, especially when Bogut is in.
Get the ball down low to Leonard, not for the shot but the quick sling to the open shooter or cutter coming to the rim.
Rotate Kanter in six minutes for Leonard then Collins and Seth for guards.
Use Layman rather than Aminu and Turner

When Dame is doubled, a pass to Leonard out high should be a ripe set to hit an unguarded cutter to the rim, Probably Collins.
If Bogut or Green hangout low then Leonard shoot the damn thing.

Stotts, you are not going to win with Aminu or Turner, and your not going win unless you exploit the skills of Leonard. Cover his weaknesses but exploit what he can bring. When Dame is doubled then exploit the big guys to get the damn ball in the basket. Leonard to Collins or Kanter or Hood, McCollum. whom ever is left uncovered.

 

[MarAzul]

Just a thought.
Lillard had an A/M = 1 last night.
Pretty fair for him. 1.1 and the Blazers probably win.

 

[wizenheimer]

Just a thought.
Lillard had an A/M = 1 last night.
Pretty fair for him. 1.1 and the Blazers probably win.

A/M?

 

[e_blazer]

I had the same thought at the time. Dame passed up an opportunity to get a shot up, then dribbled into trouble. Meanwhile, GS could have just foul to prevent the three. Dame had a chance to take the long three, before GS had a chance to foul him, and he passed it up. Taking that shot, while not a high percentage shot, was still our best chance at winning (going into overtime), or who knows, a miracle four point play.

Yup, and that's why I can't get on the "Stotts should have drawn up a play" bandwagon. Once the ball was inbounded, any play would have given the Warriors a chance to take a foul and eliminate the 3-point shot as an option. Dame taking a long 3-pointer was the only play available.