Finish this sentence: "If I were Stotts, for game 5 I would..."

The only way we can combat the shot clock problem is with transition baskets and great ball movement. The big reason they are killing our flow is Gasol and zbo being able to camp in the lane while their fantastic perimeter defenders cover our best shooters.

 

Tell LaMarcus to get his ass in the post and take it hard to the rim and draw some fouls! Stop settling for jump shots so much.

 

Tell LMA to fucking pass the ball out of the post once the defense commits. Ball movement has been all but nonexistent - kicking out of the post is one of the only ways in which we can create ball movement against MEM because their perimeter defense is so tenacious.

 

LaMarcus made a meaningless layup with 0.9 after a missed free throw to get his shooting percentage over 25%. Yeah.

I was down on his crappy shooting and decision making on offense, but he deserves credit for his defense. He was busting his ass on defense (for the most part) so I think that was taking away from his offense.

Still, count me as one who thinks the entire team offense would benefit from LaMarcus passing out more often for better shots.

 

He has tunnel vision. With the doubles he gets from the baseline, if he would just kick it out he'd average like 4-5 assists.

 

I think it's started sinking in to LA that he doesn't have to always carry the team and that took somebody else making some buckets for a change. He was a beast on defense last night and commited to doing it all game

 

Or they can try to repost. I really think the main problem is getting the ball to him early so that he can pass out and possibly repost instead of taking a shot with defenders pushing him out and not getting the foul call and having like 3 Memphis players in position for the rebound.

 

Actually, I don't think he'd get any assists because the idea would be to continue swinging the ball. But it would certainly give us much better looks than we've gotten thus far. LMA shooting contested jumpers, or driving into double/triple teams in the paint, doesn't do us any good. Use your ability to draw defenders to set up your teammates - all of whom are shooting better than you! But you are right about the tunnel vision - once the ball is in his hands he can only focus on the ball or his defender - everything else is outside his field of vision.

 

Last I checked (watched the game) they came off the bench and did exactly as I suggested. Starting them IMO would be a bad idea. What are they gonna do? Play more than the 35 mins they played last game?

 

As long as they play more minutes than their starting counterparts I'll be happy. Rolo's play is giving me an aneurysm and AAA, God bless that tough SOB but he is playing with a broken wing.

 

Yes.

 

And he flew to visit his mom in Dallas, didn't he?

 

This.

 

I wish you could start meyers, but i'm afraid he's just so foul prone...

 

100% agree. I know Stotts like getting his offense early, but against Memphis, he needs to get others going early. Use him as a decoy, collapse the defense and swing the ball around the floor. Force Memphis to chase balls, not players, and wear them out.

 

Meyers is more foul victimized than foul prone, and this should not be a reason to have him on the bench. The coaches need to support him with talking to the refs about consistent calls at both ends of the court and he will be fine.

Also, 2 or 3 fouls do not constitute a reason to take him out. Notice that he has not even come close to fouling out, despite having phantom fouls called on him. He knows how to get his hands up high giving excellent defense, and that decreases the foul calls. I think that you are stating an excessively cautious thought.

 

It's only a foul if the referee decides it is. I feel like Meyers is at risk of more bullshit calls if he starts than if he comes in later. (I'd sure like to know why it was a foul on Meyers last game when Gasol was draped all over his back and riding him like a dog in heat.)

I felt like the last game was the only game where the refs let the Blazers play Memphis style defense, and without that we would not have won. If they go back to calling it like the first two games -- Grizzlies are allowed to maul the Blazers, but Blazers get called for touch fouls -- then we have zero chance.

 

Agreed. The refs really do determine the outcome of the game, but that should not be. The Blazer coaches need to be heard by the refs to keep in check the Griz overt pushing and holding that looks like wrestling more than basketball. Let's hope they do that in Game 5. And don't take Meyers out until he fouls out.

 

I don't think we should start Meyers tonight. He's comfortable and effective coming off the bench. So, let him come off the bench and play 35 minutes.

But, I do disagree with the part I bolded. NBA refs give starters more respect than bench players. It's like the moment you become an NBA starter, you're part of the club and refs start to take you seriously as a player and give you the same calls they give other starters. When Joel Pryzbilla was coming off the bench his first year in Portland, he got the same bullshit calls against him Meyers is getting now, but as soon as he became a starter, the refs suddenly began to respect his defensive prowess. It was like night and day, Joel went from being a bench warming scrub who couldn't buy a call to save his life, to a warrior who was known for his tenacious defense and heady play.

BNM