GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ MAVERICKS - 1/18/2014, SATURDAY, 5:30 PM (PST), KGW

Check out Joel with monster screen on the weakside.



Gorgeous ball movement btw. Had those guys scrambling on D. The Pacers and possibly the Heat (when they want to) are the only teams with the patience to defend through that many passes in a single possession.

 

Rewatching the game.


I remember someone saying "Did Dirk put his mouthpiece in his sock?"

The answer is yes.

 

I've seen quite a few of our guys do that throughout the years. Always disgusting.

 

One thing I've seen with Lillard on the bench is he is always in the game, cheering everyone on. I just watched the CJ 3 go in, and Dame is up yelling "YEAH CJ!"

It's good to see that from the ROY.

 

Watching that replay of the Matthews T and the Offensive foul... Bennett Salvatore looks like he was pissed at matthews and was just waiting to unleash it. It looked like a grudge call. He looked pissed.

 

Well he did have to play the starters. See if Stotts ever uses that lineup again. I seriously don't see how anyone can argue that it wasn't a dumb lineup, the result speaks for itself. If he hadn't pulled him they would have blown the whole god damn 40 point lead and lost the game.

 

That's the thing. No one was arguing it wasn't a stupid line up. We were just pointing out that them blowing some of the lead had no bearing on how our actual day to day rotation was tonight.

That line up stunk. That's why we'll probably never see it again, even if it a blowout. Stotts is a smart man, he tinkers with things.

 

When Batum takes it to the hoop, instead of his usual passive stat padding way, the Blazers go to another level.

McCollum looks good so-far. He looks quite comfortable considering it's his first couple of games. Color me impressed.

 

My favorite stat of the night: Dallas goes on a 25-2 run and is still down 15 points.

What an ass whipping.

 

Batum almost has the complete package. If he spent an offseason working on his handle and his body & explosiveness - he would be one of the absolute top players in the league.

As it is, most nights he seems content to cruise, auto-piloted by that considerable talent of his.

 

At this point, I think we need to accept Nico for who he is. Yes, he has the whole package. However, he doesn't have the mental makeup of someone who can lead a team and be counted on to dominate night in and night out. Instead, he's like basketball caulk; he fills in all the little cracks. Bottom line, he's a much more stable Lamar Odom.

 

And I'm totally fine with that. He's the perfect third wheel. He might even get an All-Star game at some point, but he brings everything you want from a third guy. He can pass, he plays defense, he can score, and he has to be one of the best rebounding small forwards in the league. I'm completely content with who Nic is at this point. No point in lamenting what he could be. Some nights he'll be aggressive on offense, but most nights he'll flirt with a triple double and that's it. I'm cool with that.

 

I just wish we could have completed the boot-stomping till the end, but I guess the Dallas starters were embarassed enough. Payback for them running of the court giggling like little girls when they beat us at the Rose Garden. And how did the Blazers take the victory? Just nonchalantley walk of the court.

 

I'm simply proud of this team, the way they play together is just what I want to see from any team. Just saw the recap this time but enjoyed it deeply, I feel like I have faith in this team, we've had some great moments (I remember a win at Dallas that was our 13th in a row) but not for a long time have I felt so much like they just get the job done, not by embarrassing anyone but simply with confidence that earns them respect. The highlights showed Dirk's expression going to the locker room, it was of disbelief and respect, it made me proud.