Game Thread GAME# 17: BLAZERS @ ROCKETS - JANUARY 28, 2021 - THURSDAY, 4:30, TNT

Healthy Blazers had a week of training camp and a brutal first two weeks of the season.
Injured Blazers have had a long home stretch and an easier schedule.
Hold onto your seat because holding on to that 29th best defensive spot might be a challenge.

 

I agree but he also was 4 games straight of 30+ points. I can give him one bad game out of every five. I'm good with that.

 

Every team had a week of training camp and playing 4 playoff teams out the gate doesnt make you a bad defense.

Blazers just had a ton of time off and played an easy OKC team and had maybe their worst defensive game of the year.

 

Anfernee more than made up for his lost production. Offense wasnt the issue yesterday.

 

Like i said. Holding onto the 29th best defensive spot might be a challenge at this point. They look to be going for outscoring their opponent but then that isn't really working either now is it?

 

What do you think the issues are defensively?

 

But at least now going into these games from here on, you know we are horrible on defense. With the worst coach in the league AND missing 2-4 of our best players. There should be no expectation for use to win right? Not realistically anyway. So no reason to moan and complain and bitch, EVERY game about the SAME things.
If you rolled up in your '84 Toyota Corolla and wanted to test my A7..... you'd be wasting your time getting all worked up that you actually thought you had a chance to compete with me. It just isn't happening.

 

Look, I'm not a huge fan of Audi either, but comparing them to the current edition of the Oklahoma City Thunder is a bit mean.

 

Lillard, Stotts, and Olshey are the constants.

 

Moan and complain? I'm barely in here. Where else would you catch me moaning and complaining? My postgame show?

OKC was missing 2 of their top 4 as well. They're an A7? If anything, the Blazers were the A7 last night and OKC was the '84 Carolla. And we got outraced. Sounds like we need a new mechanic!

 

We always play well when people say the schedule is “brutal.” Dame went nuclear during the “brutal” stretch last year and everyone said our Bubble schedule was “brutal” too. With no fans in the arena, I don’t think it’s like a typical road trip. Only the good elements remain like players bonding with teammates away from their families. No reason we can’t go 4-2 or better. The only team that seems to have legit HCA is Philly so maybe that’s the one we lose, I don’t know.

 

Yep. Simons and Trent provided more than enough scoring to replace injured players but poor defense prevented it from being a win. We should never lose a game when two bench players score 20+.

 

Yup. We have enough offensive players that can step up and make up for some of the scoring dropoff. It comes down to defense which CJ's absence doesn't hurt at all. We have a lot of issues on that end no matter who plays. Gotta fix em.

 

In that game Gary Trent started. He was not a bench player.

 

My biggest thing is the communication between players. Help defense and just overall energy. NBA players are good. They are always going to get times when they do things right and the shot falls but it's the times when they are caught way outta position because they simply didn't communicate or even work to get back.
Another issue is that corner three. Every team works to get that shot. Even the Blazers work to get that shot. They are always getting burnt by the drive and kick to the corner. This is sometimes position but also sometimes personnel on the floor. Our Bigs get caught alone and then the help defense collapses always comes from the defender on the corner it seems. If they are in position to defend that shot or defend the player getting the pass to make that shot the Big is left all alone way too deep into the paint. If he cheats out the weak side gets left open for a slashing layup or dunk.
A good offense can score multiple ways from the short corner…

1. Immediate attack to the hoop from the short corner.
2. Pass to a cutter… especially the high post player diving to the basket.
3. Kick out to a wide open shooter.

We see this game after game week after week. The 2-3 Zone is the preferred defense against it. But they can't continue to over commit. the second pass gets them all too many times.

The thing i see is the Blazers end up almost in a 1-3-1 when they don't work together and that spells huge problems and it leaves them in a precarious position over and over again.

It translates to both ends of the court. Blazers give up wide open three.... Blazers look around at who missed their assignment.... The opposing defense gets back and because they were already heading there they beat the Blazers back and set up. The Blazers come down and try the same thing but the defense is already set in their defense and then apply pressure to dame as he crosses the line. The Blazers now are around 14-15 seconds left on the shot clock. (Huge Problem IMO). This happens game after game.

We just watched the Knicks push the ball 4 times in the last 30 seconds of the game. They were shooting withing 3-4 seconds after inbounding the ball. That energy translates on defense as well. I don't like trashing Dame because he is who this team is right now but a bunch of this rests with him. He needs to push the ball and DEMAND energy on defense. Stotts can yell all he wants and he does at times but Dame has to hold these guys accountable as well.
Defense is the TEAM part of the game. The team unit wins or loses on the defensive side of the ball.

Just my take. There are other issues for sure but fixing these issues would help a bunch.

 

You're comparing that garbage roster that OKC put out on the floor the other night to an A7? And threw a Dame led team into the 84 Corolla category? I'm telling Dame...lol.
Credibility head scratcher....

 

and have Russell Westbrook do the counting. Talk about being torn