Hey, Blazers, here's an idea--if you're not going to compete, just stay in the locker room. Don't even bother coming out to the court. Give me 5 guys from the stands--all of them middle-aged and overweight--and I'll bet they'd show more heart and more fire than you did tonight. This was the most pathetic display of playoff basketball I've ever seen in Portland. Phoenix outhustled us all night--it wasn't even close. They got the loose balls, they went up for the tough rebounds, they ran harder and fought more fiercely from the very start of the game. You'd think THEY were the team that got blown out by 29 points the previous game. Am I disgusted? Yes. I don't care if you're missing your best player, and your starting small forward. The least you can do is play with heart and passion. I think the Blazers gave up on themselves before the game even started, and had their heads down from the start. That's inexcusable.
They seemed to be letting their terrible offensive execution let it effect them on the defensive end. It looked like it was just demoralizing them.
There has to some forms of torture that were more enjoyable than sitting through that game. They just didn't show up again.
*sigh* like I said in another thread.... if I could get through Cliff's dropped pass.... if I could get through Utah's 50 point blowout of the Blazers in the last game of a 5 game series..... if I could get through... the Game 7 collapse.... *sigh* if I could get through back to back first-round sweeps at the hands of the team I hate more than anything.... if I could get through the jailblazer era.... and lastly, if I could get through this year's injury plague... I can get through this. Not easily... but I can.
This series just demonstrates how valuable Brandon Roy is. The team doesn't quit when he's able to play.
Oh, come on. Where have you been? They've pulled out some gutsy wins this year without Roy, and they played their hearts out in each case. Tonight, however, was a different story. They didn't bring their A game, their B game, or their C game. They brought their F game.
There's the regular season and there's the playoffs. This choke job by our team looks pretty familiar--it's the exact same thing that happened last year against the Rockets. Roy was the only one who kept some of those games remotely competitive. Decent teams with a superstar just don't lose two playoff games in a row this badly.
Agreed. This team won one game in enemy territory w/o Roy. Now we look worse than the Nets once the Suns realized how to defend the Blazers. Losing is one thing. Back-to-back blowouts is another situation.
I hated the first half of this game, but maybe something can be salvaged from the way they played for much of the second ... we'll see.
I agree with both posts equally, so I repped both of you. I am ashamed, embarassed, and angry. But this too shall pass...
This pretty well sums it up. I wasn't really expecting the Blazers to win the series, but back-to-back blow-outs is a bit much. What happened to all the positive qualities that helped them overcome injuries to win 50 games? Someone used the term "demoralized". Right now, that applies to both the team and the fans.
While that's obvious to most people, there is still a small fraction of people who think we just need some coaching adjustments to defeat a team with more talent on a regular basis.
I don't mind being bested by Phoenix. That's fine; like you said, we're a walking skeleton crew with big holes where our top guys should be. The embarrassment is when I feel like *I* could cover Jason Richardson better than Bayless, Rudy, or Miller have been. Just get a hand in his face... or near it... or stand withing 10 feet of him when he's shooting! My expectations aren't that high anymore, but treating him like he's Andre Miller shooting a wide-open three and letting him (yes, letting him) score 42 points after scoring 29 the game before?! That's GARBAGE and anyone guarding him should be absolutely ASHAMED. Richardson is shooting 12-17 in 3 pointers in the last two games. That's 70% from a 39% shooter. He's good, but COME ON! COME ON! What the hell?! Put a hand in his face. Play man-to-man! ADJUST, GODAMMIT! This is not average behavior from this Suns team. This isn't simply the Suns playing better than us. This is being exploited. And we did nothing between Games 2 and 3 except change the venue of our embarrassment. ...but this will pass.
Our system and preparation is flawed. This team does not do the things that teams that are successful in the playoffs do. Our defensive scheme does not work this time of year. Why double off of great shooters? Poor defensive awareness. Why allow interior players to consistently go to their strengths? FYI - It IS possible to stop the drive WITHOUT HELP...it takes a little effort but it IS possible...in fact, all the good teams do it...GIVE IT A SHOT! Pathetic effort guarding their own...but it is not demanded so why would they? Our offensive execution is non-existent. The players do not know where to go to end droughts. They do not get to the line when they need to...or even have a clue how to get to the line. They NEVER crash the o boards...how many times do they get scored on then come down take a lousy fade away shot the other team wants us to take w/ no one within 15 feet of the basket. That's RULE #1 from the book "How to Lose Basketball Games 101" They play like a poor high school JV team does...without IQ and without purpose...just running around hoping they win. No toughness, no passion, no desire, no focus, no pride, no discipline, no resiliency, no savvy, NO LEADERSHIP (on or off the court). It is simply not a good product.
Agreed. And it REALLY bothers me to see how unimaginative our offense is. Nobody has a clue how to break down the Phoenix defense. What are the coaches doing? Why didn't the Blazers have a clear game plan last night?
