I think we just missed a ton of open shots.....make them and we win most of the time....shooting slumps happen...Meyers has played pretty well in my view given that he's rusty as hell
The Blazers made only 7 of 33 swish3s in the loss to the Nuggs who make 6 of 26. That is an unacceptable 21% swish3 shooting percentage. And the Blazers scored only 13 points in the 4th quarter, and only 33 points in the 2nd half in another game in which the failure to substitute fresh energy late in the game effectively conceded it. The Blazers did the opposite of what I proposed for this game, which was to make substitutions in order to find the hot swish3 hand and keep up defensive intensity. Several posters noted that the Blazers looked tired and were slowing down, and yet the fresh energy stayed on the bench. And there were only 10 assists, and only 10 points off of the bench. Jusuf was the only bright spot for the Blazers, and he needed relief by our expert shooter Meyers in the 2nd half. An additional 4, or even 3, swish3s in this game could have meant the win. Swish3 shooting was inferior for all of those who took the 26 shots. Dame was 2 for 10, CJ was 2 for 5, Chief was 1 for 8, Evan was 0 for 4, Shabazz and Zach were each 1 for 3. With high percentage swish3 shooters on the bench, the Blazers were anemic on offense. This is not counting the advantage of resting tired Blazers. The coaches need to wake up and reassess strategies. Let's imagine that the coaches will not give away the Jazz game.
You have a positive bias towards Meyers. Meyers does horrible. You say he does great (positive bias). Someone points out what he did bad, you say they have a "negative bias" (which is false, i was one of the last Meyers defenders on this forum. Then you claim Meyers can add the "scoring needed". Meyers plays, does horrible. Rinse and repeat.
If we lose by 17, obviously we need six more swish3s (6 x 3 = 18, thus providing the positive power scoring margin needed for success). We could've inserted Meyers and the six swish3s that he's gaurunteed to shoot in the lineup to win. (Meyers = 6 swish3s). So if Meyers equals 6 swish3s, and 6 swish3s equals 18 points, and 18 points is greater than 17 points, we should play Meyers for 48 minutes.
Meyers is at this point the high % swish3 shooter, except for Wade, but both have a limited number of shots this year. However, the fact is that in the Playoffs in 2014-2015, Meyers made 10 of 13 swish3s under those most demanding conditions. That is a shooting percentage of 76.9, and over 3 years of Playoff games, he is averaging 58.8%. Is there another player in the NBA who has averaged better than 76.9% of swish3s in the Playoffs? Meyers did it before and can do it again. It did not make sense to me in those 2015 Playoffs that the Blazers did not continue feeding Meyers when he was "in the flow" to continue that hot scoring then, and it does not make sense to allow Chief or Evan or anyone to continue to shoot swish3s when they have missed 3+ consecutive swish3 attempts when accurate shooting by Meyers could be adding 3 or 4 more FG3 scores. Wade has also done well also based on a limited number of swish3s. To win, the Blazers need to find the hot hand and use it to add swish3s, starting early in the game. And Blazer coaches need to make substitutions as needed to keep the energy level up for both offense and defense in the 2nd half. With this strategy the Blazers could have won the games against the Nuggs, Rockets, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and a number of earlier season close losses. The Blazers can win in the Playoffs if the coaches will look for the hot hand and make sufficient substitutions.
Good win for the Blazers! However with Utah’s struggle we could have introduced a hot hand three point specialist off the bench to add additional swish3s and make it an even bigger win. Adding 15 extra shots from Meyers would ensure that we do not have to worry about getting enough points to get us over the line.
The Blazers won the swish3 contest and the game shooting 9 of 24 versus 8 of 23 by the Jazz. Swish3 shooting percentage remains low and could have been better with more efficient swish3 shooters. The Blazers have won the division and are now on to the Playoffs. This was a good effort, led by Dame, that included energy and defense that has been lacking in previous games. For success in the Playoffs, the Blazers need to maximize whole team talent and scoring efficiency. We need to count on refereeing that is consistent and bringing energy to each game. It is good to see CJ return to efficient shooting, Jusuf made some nice cuts to the basket, and Chief made 1 of 2 swish3s. It is time to pull the plug on Evan shooting FG3s. Yes, Sarni, Meyers taking at least 4 shots will add points, and may have allowed the win over the Nuggs, but was not needed against the Jazz. Meyers can be an important factor in winning over the Pelicans, and I would play him.
If we had Meyers taking all those 24 shots instead of other players, there is a guarantee of 12 made swish3s. This adds 9 points to our total, 111-93 looks instantly better than 102-93. We need to use the hot hand three point master that is currently kept on the bench to improve our 3P FG% and ensure that we get enough points to win games. I would reduce Nurkic's minutes to 10 and increase Meyers to 38 to ensure that the hot hand scores enough three pointers.
Realistically, Meyers can solve the swish3 deficit problem with high accuracy power scoring and he does not need so many minutes. Jusuf will play 24+ minutes and probably score 12-15 points. Meyers could score another 12-15 points with a playing time of 16 minutes when substituted at strategic times to help keep Blazer scoring levels up to the 26-29 points per quarter probably needed for Playoff wins. Ed would contribute his talents for the remaining minutes to relieve Jusuf bringing a balance that keeps scoring, rebounding, and defensive intensity at high levels. This can be the effective center strategy to win over the Pelicans and through the Playoffs. The weak scoring (33 points in the 2nd half) that lost the recent Nuggs game emphasizes why the Blazers need the high accuracy Playoff swish3 power scoring (10 of 13 for 76.9%) that Meyers achieved 3 years ago. I think that he can do it again to bring Blazer wins.
Quick question. With both Nurk and Ed out with injuries last year in the first round and Meyers starting, how many swish3s did he make and how many games did he help us win? BNM
The Pelicans have no chance against the blazers. We have a positive attitude, and their 2 stars shoot only .340 and .337 swish3s. If we limit the swish3 attempts of Moore and Miller, we should win handily.
In the Warriors sweep last year, Meyers was 0 for 4 for swish3s and 1 of 5 for FG in the 31 minutes that he played, and this is uncharacteristically low for him. He is averaging about 42% for swish3s for his career. But this year is different with the opportunity to contribute outstanding swish3 shooting that is much needed. I think his swish3 shot is improved this year. With the chance to do so at strategic times, Meyers can be part of the winning formula. He made 76.9% of his swish3s in the Playoffs against the Grizzlies and I think that he can shoot very well against the Pelicans. I imagine there is a role for Meyers in winning the upcoming Playoff games.
We need to slow down Davis and Meyers is the worst defender to put on him. Scoring won't be a problem.
That MEM series was 3 years ago. It hardly seems relevant now. I think MEM probably still wishes it was 2015, too. It's not. Without Boogie, this series does not offer any good match up for Meyers. He is too slow and nonathletic to guard Davis or Mirotic. Which means he probably won't see the floor except during garbage time. BNM
I have been watching Pelicans-Blazers game highlights and conclude that Meyers bothers AD as well as Cousins, and can contribute along with Jusuf and Ed to limiting AD offense. Although the full game videos on YouTube seem not to be found, these clips show that energetic determined defense and positioning can slow AD scoring down. KJ, some of us do want Meyers guarding AD. Swish3 scoring can win these games if the Blazers can count on 36+ points per game. My unanswered question about using Meyers, the leading Blazer talent, still stands. Has anyone ever done better? I point out that Meyers 76.9% FG3 shooting in the Playoffs (assuming at least 10 swish3s made) seems to be the all-time high (is bolded) for any NBA player in the Playoffs. Meyers unquestionably efficient power scoring needs to recognized and included. I would have him take at least 4 shots per game, and continue shooting (if he is making 50% or more). We might see him score 8 or more swish3s in a Playoff game! The Blazers can score 12+ FG3s and the 26-29 point per quarter scoring average that probably is needed for the wins if Meyers, Wade, and other bench fresh energy talent are included.
In Playoff game 1, the Blazers won the swish3 contest with 12 of 39 (30.8%) versus 8 of 24 for the Pelicans. However, the Blazers showed a great weakness in 1st half swish3 scoring, and Dame + CJ only scored 3 points in the first half as Pelican defense was effective against them. At the end of the game, Dame was 4 of 9 and CJ was 4 of 10, while Evan, Zach, and Pat were each 1 of 4, Chief was 1 of 5, and Shabazz was 0 of 3. This game was a loss for the Blazers because the coaching failed to adjust to the Pelicans strategy, failed to use substitutions in each quarter to find the hot shooters and play determined defense, and find best use of available talent. Jusuf took only 7 shots, which is not enough, Ed was not effective against AD, and Meyers was not tried early for his defense of AD as well as urgently needed high accuracy swish3 shooting. Blazer coaches should have played Meyers early, when swish3 power scoring was needed and to counter AD, not just in the last minute. And Meyers should have taken at least 4 shots. The Blazers can beat the Pelicans, and even win the series despite having squandered HCA in this game. If Blazer coaches will return to using the combination of the best shooting talent, getting 30 points out of the center rotation, substituting, and fresh energetic defense, the opportunity is still there.