I'm confused why teams score so easily. Our philosophy seems sound in theory (pack the paint and contest threes) and comes from the Indiana school. Their D is #1 BY FAR and ours is trending toward bottom-5. Is the personnel THAT much different? Hibbert and George are elite defenders, but like, we can't muster top-15 D? Everyone in our starting lineup should be capable. Is it an effort problem?
They definitely looked like they were trying to put effort into it. Listening to all their post game interviews, they definitely don't seem like the type that want to be lazy on that end and sound mad about it.. Honestly don't know how we are THAT bad at defense.. We have players capable of it too. Though lillard lets guards penetrate very easily, so he really gotta step that up..
We need to mix up how we guard the Pick and Roll. You can't simply go over the pick every time. Sometimes (depending on the ballhandler) you have to go underneath. I'm so goddamn SICK of LA switching onto the ballhandler it makes me SICK. This is nothing short of him being a lazy Defender.
Switching on picks, lack of effort/intensity, and not fighting through picks. I think that sums up our defense right about now. Must improve. Good thing it's only December.
Word! No matter who is at the top with the ball ( and not always is that a Steph Curry or Kevin Durant), the Blazer defenders almost without exception go over the top of the scree and then are trailing the ball handler thereby forcing them to catch up from behind, the 'big' to hedge down into the lane and leave their own man, or switch altogether leaving one of our bigs 20' from the basket against the other teams best ball handler. One would think an occasional departure for that depending on the opponent/player might be a start. Is that too much to even suggest?
problem is our D seems to be getting worse the past few weeks then it was earlier in the still young season
Does anyone remember the Blazers playing zone one time yet this year? If nothing else, just to change things up?
Focus and commitment. Hard work. The team has the players. They just don't do it. And I don't think they need the coach to tell them what to do. I think they know.
I understand Stotts philosophy, it's just that you need to mix it up some. Show some zone in occasion, a little trap, then double the ball handler. Make the guards have to think more. I understand you don't want to give up the three, but we are the best three point shooting team. Most the time, we will always win that battle. Sometimes you just need to take chances and make the team get flustered. Guards, not worrying about pressure can pick you apart. Bring in pressure man!
I'd rather see Stotts clog the lane and let other teams take a shot at the perimeter. We have been giving up monster numbers in the paint and I'd like to see other teams shoot a barely-contested 20-foot jumper than get a barely-contested layup.
It's all coaching. POP will be going to the hall of fame for it. Stotts? I like him better then Nate but he doesn't have the first freakin clue how to motivate a defense.
I'd like to see what teams are shooting in the lane against us versus what the same team shoots from '3'. If we are getting killed in the paint and the opponent is shooting 55-60% on those shots and they shoot less than 40% from '3' (which most do against us) I would much rather have them shoot from the outside. At the least, mix it up a bit once in a while.
Watching Holiday tonight, I was really hoping that Dame would pick up on that mid-range game that Jrue has. That shit is unstoppable. I really think Dame needs to work on that pull-up, mid-ranger. It would be the last piece, in my mind. He's a killer from deep, but if he could work on that little pull-up J, I think he'd be virtually unguardable.
