Game Thread GAME# 74: CLIPPERS@ BLAZERS - APRIL 1, 2015 - WEDNESDAY, 7:00 PM (PST), KGW & NBATV

So what? All that matters is how we play three weeks from now. I thought we did a lot of good stuff tonight. We showed we can win in the playoffs last year. There are a lot of games left to be played. We could easily win all the rest of our games. We're gonna win the division. We can beat any team in the playoffs. It's NOT time to panic. I'll let you know when it is.

 

Hands down if I'm not a blazer fan I'd pray to God to being able to play Portland or Dallas

 

I don't think you will

 

I wonder what kind of coach Neil would be...

 

That's what Rockets said last year. One of the Rockets' coaches actually said they got the side of the bracket that they wanted.

 

Probably the type of coach that would hire hot chicks to be ASSistant coaches.

 

That wouldn't be so bad would it?

 

I would love to see swin cash on our bench...

 

Do the Spurs still have a female assistant coach? I can't remember her name.

 

Tough loss....

But I think this game is a sign of the way year has gone for the Blazers. I think it's a sign of Prob things to come. May not hurt to temper expectations so you're not disappointed in things to come.

 

Well, I'm just sad. This team has ability, but there are a number of things that concern me heading into the playoffs. Lillard's really getting exposed on the defensive end and it's hurting the whole defensive effort, plus his offense has been wildly up and down for weeks and I'm not particularly fond of seeing him seem to sulk and complain. Losing Wes just kills me. Stotts is like a magician with the bench guys ... now you see them, now you don't. And I think well, if it isn't this year, this team still has a few good seasons in it, but Golden State, the Clippers and the Rockets aren't going anywhere and might be in a position to get even better, and OKC has managed to remain a playoff team with one of the best players in the NBA out for most of the year. And every one of those teams gets the benefit of the calls over us.

I hate to be like this, but I just see a lot more downside, like this is going to be a team that is really good but not quite good enough. Or, even worse, LA leaves. Then we're sunk.

Sorry, I am just depressed. Games like tonight's are games I feel you need to win. You can say well wait until the playoffs, it only matters that we do it in the playoffs. I just don't see anything to excite me that we can play better than the other Western Conference playoff teams to win more than one series, and I don't know how we are going to surpass them while LA still is in his prime. Ugh. I hate feeling like this.

 

Dude. We will be fine come playoff time. We are better than last year and last year we got out of the first round because Stotts is a great playoff coach, Aldridge is a stud, and Lillard shines when it matters. These guys can't wait for the playoffs. I don't think they'll be too hurt by this loss.

 

Hang in there. There is a LOT more basketball to be played. We have a very competitive team.

 

I still say we beat this Clipper team in a 7 game series!

 

Definitely. I totally agree.

 

I think we are worse with Freeland on the floor than Meyers. The Clippers were daring Joel to take that 18' foot jumper (which he did and missed everytime). Meyers would've hurt them if they'd left him like that. And considering we got torched with Freeland on in the fourth, I don' see an argument for Freeland's defense.

 

They lost this game like they lost many this year. They are not learning an not showing much composure. Some could be right. It could be coaching.

 

Attending tonight's game ... here are my thoughts:

- This loss is 100% on Coach Stotts. His inability to teach proper pick and roll defense is mind-boggling. What worse is there were no in-game adjustments to what the Clippers were running. Why in the hell weren't we trying to trap CP3 in the corner or at least show a double-team?
- Had a feeling we'd let this game slip away in the middle of the second quarter when we kept hitting shot after shot, yet failed to clamp down on defense. Honestly, we should have been p 20+ at the half. And for a team playing on the second night of a back to back, that could have been enough to crush the Clippers spirits.
- Portland panics. I don't know when it started or why, but when teams make runs on the Blazers late in game, our squad tightens up. Instead of running the offense, we frantically dump it down low to Aldridge and we play iso ball. This happened on three-to-four possessions right after LAC took the initial lead.
- I'm trying not to knee-jerk, but that loss probably just cost us Home Court Advantage.
- One of the best offensive performances of the season. Everyone seemed in rhythm and locked in. It's a shame it went to waste.
- Terrible non-call on Redick at the end. That was an easy offensive foul and would have given the Blazers the ball with a chance to tie. There's no saying we would have converted, and it wasn't the reason we lost, but file it under the ongoing list of shafts we get late in games from the officials.
- We lost, but at least we don't root for the Clippers. That team is a disgrace to the game of basketball with their antics.

 

A couple of things i look at.
First i just don't like the way the team plays when they get big first half leads. I know leading is a good thing but the Blazers seem to let teams start working their way back in it and lose the momentum. On the other side of the coin the Blazers seem to also do this when they get down by double digits. Just weird in some ways.
Second. I think Kaman probably should have started an altercation with Paul but i feel he did it wrong. Pushing him down like that was not smart at all. Getting into his face and having the refs separate you and telling them that Paul had hit ya in the nuts might have played out much better. From that point on the entire feel of the game changed until very late in the fourth when the Blazers started making their comeback.
Third. Just do not like hack a Jordan at all. Not only that the Blazers let Paul run way too much of the last minute off the clock. Clock management was bad all around for when you are 8-9 points down. You do not wait until there is less than 12 seconds to start clock management. Bad move altogether.
Good things. Lillard actually played very well against Paul. Chris Paul was just vintage CP3 tonight.
CJ is becoming quite the clutch shooter. He is going to become a very real threat in the future. Possibly even in the playoffs?
Batum seem to be much more comfortable shooting now. His follow through and release are looking very good right now.
The Blazers might have lost but i am sure they will be looking at this game and learning from it. I don't have a problem losing so much as the way they lost. This game was very winnable. Mental mistakes and bad decision making lost this game. Not talent.

 

Wonderful - DWright broke a bone in his hand tonight.