Lillard: 19 ppg | 21 3p% | 33 fg% | 43 ts% | 10 PER | 119 DRtg McCollum: 12.5 ppg | 25 3p% | 32 fg% | 42 ts% | 5.6 PER | 121 DRtg Actually there is one good Blazer: Mason Plumlee. He's the only one to have a decent game on this roster. Both could pick up their shooting but it's their defense that's the problem. CJ is making JJ look like a prime Rip Hamilton. When they run JJ off screens, which they do often, it's an automatic two points.
the offense looks all sorts of out of whack. apparently it's really predictable too because Doc Rivers is out coaching the shit out of Stotts. IMO -Dame and CJ should be running those same plays Redick does. -Someone needs to tell Dame that he needs to stop being so damn predictable. Instead of driving and getting obliterated, how about and stop, pop, shoot? -Aminu stop shooting please, you are worse than Batum. -Crabbe please do something
Its been rough. CP3 is still the best defensive PG in the game and he is making it show with his ability to stop Dame but its not just him. Because Harkless/Aminu/Chief/Plumlee ect are all being left open and dared to shoot they can put extra pressure on both CJ and Dame making it almost impossible for them to score. They will keep putting the pressure defensively on CJ/Dame until our role players can show they can make some open shots, which they haven't. Defensively its another story. We aren't doing horrible on DJ/Blake, they both have gotten theirs but it hasn't been easy. On the ther hand JJ and CP3 slide through our screens like they are nothing and are picking us apart.
This is because Stotts doesn't have a playbook - his entire offensive philosophy is to let his players freelance within a loose system. It's fine for the regular season but IT WILL NOT WORK in the Playoffs. I don't care about how efficient we are in the regular season - Stotts has got to go.
A record for least amount of points in the paint. Not shocking that in a series when they are so one-dimensional that the other coach takes that away and dares you to beat him in a way you haven't played, practiced or have the mind set to perform. All season long I BEGGED for Stotts to run more post plays, cross screens, down-pick/curls so at least there was a contrast to the continual '3' barrage that works in the regular season and beats bad teams. I'm not on the Stotts is a horrible coach bandwagon but I certainly don't think he has been very balanced in his offensive approach.
Although I agree with most of your ideas (except for Aminu to stop shooting), I don't think Stotts is getting out coached. The Blazers must have missed 15-20 shots they've been making all year last night. Tons of wide open shots. Stotts can't make those for them. The team is just really showing their lack of post-season experience. Maybe the series will mirror the regular season - slow start then get hot and over-achieve.
Stott's had a game plan and tweaked for game 23 that gave us 51% uncontested shots. Its not his fault if we shot 30% on those.
It is if the average FG% on the shots created is 30%. There's a reason Aminu is being left open - getting him open shots isn't a good game plan. OTOH, getting him the ball when he's open is the BEGINNING of a good plan. As I suggested after G1, Aminu should dribble towards the hoop then PASS when a defender commits to him. Last night he did exactly that - ONCE. And it resulted in a wide-open 3-pointer for CJ.
You are isolating too much. Aminu isnt the only one who missed open shots. Dame missed an uncontested layup within the 1st 90 seconds. But you blame Stott's for everything so I'm pretty sure you wont be impartial in this discussion, so I must bow out.
It was reported this morning on Rip City Radio that 51% of our shots were uncontested. We shot 34% total, but only 30% on the uncontested shots. That's piss poor shooting all the way around. Not just on AMinu. Stott's got the teams open shots, we just missed them.
Dame and CJ can run those same plays that Redick does as soon the Blazers get guys who can set as good of picks as Jordan and, to a lesser extent, Griffin. I seem to recall some nice finishes at the rim for Dame last night. Yeah, some of his possessions he got obliterated. It would have been nice if the refs had called some of the pushes and trips that sent him sprawling. I do agree that he could stand to stop and shoot a mid-range shot more often, but then Jordan is a big dude to try to shoot over. In order for the Blazers to have a chance to get more open looks for Dame and CJ, Aminu and Harkless HAVE to keep shooting. They also HAVE to hit some of the open shots they're getting. The Clippers are selling out 100% on doubling Dame and keeping a bigger player on CJ. Getting production out of Aminu and Harkless is the only way to penalize them for their defensive strategy. Unfortunately, so far those guys are firing way more blanks than bullets. Maybe some home cooking will get them out of their funk. Crabbe and Henderson both seem to be rushing their shots. I think they are feeling the pressure and not playing in the flow the way they have in the past. Part of that is the Clippers defense is closing on them quick. Part of it is just them being young guys who haven't experienced much playoff basketball. Again, maybe playing at home will help. If not, they'll have plenty of time to practice in the off-season that's coming soon.
It would be cool to see if this information was available for all teams. Honestly sometimes the difference is just you make shots or miss shots. Steve Clifford had a great quote in his post game interview that I think people should listen to because I think it applies here too: Blazers stuck around for 3 quarters despite shooting like horse garbage. They lost the game in the 4th when the Clippers started making more shots. I also thought we got called for a bunch of egregious fouls in that last quarter, but we probably would have lost that game anyways even without the fouls.
This is shocking! Shocking! Umm, not. People have been burying their heads in the sand all season long when a few of us have harped on how doomed this team is because of the defensive shortcomings and lineup redundancies. We make every perimeter player look like an all-star. We're like the Mike D'Antoni for opposing teams.
CP3 is so good at having those passes to JJ dead on in stride right where he starts his shooting motion. CJ defense has been bad. Dame's defense on the passer is bad. If their guards both outplay ours we have zero chance.
Our role players need to start bombing away any and every open shot. We very well may lose with them missing. But we certainly will lose if they pass up open looks.
