Yep--we win that Denver game, and we're a game back of them. We keep our 4th quarter lead against Utah on 2/21, and we're a game back of them. We keep our 4th quarter lead against Phoenix 1 week ago, we're 1/2 game back of them. Hell, we win all those games, we're the 2 seed right now. All that tells me is that as long as we're not the 8 seed, we have as good a shot at the conference finals as anyone.
Nothing says "I have no self esteem!" more than a "Nothing says, "I have no self esteem!" than an "I told you so" post on the internet" post on the internet. Seriously, the projection in here...
Seriously, though, why are you pointing to just one game? In fact, there were a number of games the Blazers coulda/woulda/shoulda won.
I was just disappointed back then that we lost a game that I knew would count basically as two games when looking at the standings in April. We can make up for it with a win in Denver this week but still... when you're trying to make a title run (and that's what I expected when we started this season), you've got to win those games. I don't point to the other games because I'm talking about Denver. And that counts as two games basically. If you reverse one of our other games, we're 2 games back of Denver but if you reverse our game with Denver, we're only 1 game back of them. Get it? Regardless, we're playing great ball now and we look to be in good shape. The bench is a problem though. I thought we were letting Outlaw go because Cunningham was playing so well, but we hardly play him anymore. Players like Rudy, Webster, and Bayless need to step up if we're going to win it all this season. Otherwise, we should re-sign Blake and Outlaw and send Webster & Bayless packing for draft picks.
Rudy missed what....30 games, Nic 40 games, Greg 60, Joel 50 ,Travis 50 and you are talking about a couple free throws?!? You have to look at the big picture brother.
I was looking at the big picture when I bemoaned that loss. Y'all said it was just a game, too early in the season, but I saw where that loss fit into the big picture. It was huge. Took us out of the division race. In the first month of the season! How crazy is that?
Nobody is disagreeing that the loss hurt us. Every Blazer fan wishes that we had gotten those points and that win. But why stop there? Every single close loss so far could have theoretically been won if SOME Blazer had hit a few more of their free throws. I count 12 games this season that we lost either in OT or by 5 points or fewer. What if we'd nailed a few more free throws and won just HALF of them? Yup -- #2 in the West! That game wasn't any more important to us, statistically speaking, than our other games against Denver, and only slightly more important the rest of the 78 games on our schedule (since the extra value only kicks in if we actually end up tied with Denver at the end -- still pretty unlikely). Those free throws, while important, weren't any more important than any other missed free throw in any of those close losses. That's why nobody else freaked out too much then, and that's why nobody else if freaking out too much now. That's the big picture.
yeah it was crazy. I kept looking at "today" so I felt it musta been some weird dream, but I wasnt waking up lol. I'm glad it wasnt just me.
Hmmm.........I'm thinking he (Oden) did (miss critical free throws). http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009102922&prov=ap
EVERY free throw is critical in a close game. All told we missed 8 free throws that night -- Greg's were not more critical than the others just because they happened near the end.
Nope. Says so right in your link: "Remarkably, Oden has never missed a free throw at any level in his basketball career...high school, college or the NBA. Meanwhile, Outlaw single-handedly cost the Blazers the game." Surprised you missed that!
