Why Portland Trail Blazers Are Going Nowhere in the 2014 Playoffs

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That makes our defense sound 10x worse than it really is...I'm not worried.
 
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I've heard a lot of analysts skeptical of the Blazers in the playoffs. I think it was Tim Legler on Scott Van Pelts show today saying he just doesn't see any way Portland can win four games against Houston. I think most the national media figures we're just a .500 team who got a lucky hot start as we basically played .500 ball after the first 30 games. Tim and Scott were saying there is no way Portland can stop Harden and Dwight. Well how the heck are they going to stop LaMarcus, and the rest of our starters?

All the playoff teams in the west are extremely good, although GS without Bogut and Dallas are a step back. I think we have a great chance of winning this series and wouldn't be shocked if we did it in 5 games. I wouldn't be shocked if we lost the series either though.
 
As long as we can limit Howard to around 16 points a game for the series and just single cover Harden I think we will win. I'm not afraid of anyone else on the Rockets... Besides maybe Beverly's "ref is looking away let me sack tap this guy and steal the ball" defense.
 
should thank them for this article, hopefully it's the Rockets scouting report and they take the Blazers as an easy 1st round matchup. Most of the time we play better as the underdog. We're going to beat that team and get out of the first round this time. Wes will make sure of that
 
craigehlo said:
Asik or Parsons both have the ability to hurt the Blazers. Keeping Howard to 16 ppg would be due to a nagging injury, because there's no way in hell it would be because of the Blazer D.
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Parsons could get us but I have faith in Batum. Asik is horrendous on offense.
 
All these analysts keep spouting a "no hope" agenda for us just makes it better and better for Houston to be over confidant and let us steal game one.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
 
Anybody got this guys address so I can take a dump in his pool. If their is one fan base on this earth that doesn't need to be told about their team's playoff chances, its the Portland Trailblazers' faithful.
 
Draco said:
I've heard a lot of analysts skeptical of the Blazers in the playoffs. I think it was Tim Legler on Scott Van Pelts show today saying he just doesn't see any way Portland can win four games against Houston. I think most the national media figures we're just a .500 team who got a lucky hot start as we basically played .500 ball after the first 30 games. Tim and Scott were saying there is no way Portland can stop Harden and Dwight. Well how the heck are they going to stop LaMarcus, and the rest of our starters?

All the playoff teams in the west are extremely good, although GS without Bogut and Dallas are a step back. I think we have a great chance of winning this series and wouldn't be shocked if we did it in 5 games. I wouldn't be shocked if we lost the series either though.
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This is great news. I love being the underdog against a team reading its press clippings. I hope the Blazers are the same.
 
Very good, analytical article, except I can't figure out which unnamed big man refuses to play like one.

Too often, Portland's guards—and in particular Damian Lillard—are getting hit or caught up in screens. Because the big is dropping so far back, he is unable to contest any pull-ups. It's on Lillard and the other perimeter players to somewhat disrupt the shot attempt.
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Maybe Robinson is our secret weapon. Having been traded by Houston, he's probably eager to show them up in the playoffs.
 
i appreciate the homerism. i'm not saying we don't have a shooters chance to win some games but if dwight is healthy, beverly is riding lillards jock, and harden doesn't forget to show up a few times we really have no business winning this series.
 
The article has analysis and video illustrations of some points it makes. Read it and ignore the sensationalist title, which is there to get attention.
 
There are just too many unknowns to really predict.

How will Dame respond to the playoffs (go beast mode or get overwhelmed)?
Will Robinson be the X-factor? He's improved coming off the bench with his energy.
Can LMA turn the knob to 11 and do even more?
 
stevelol said:
i appreciate the homerism. i'm not saying we don't have a shooters chance to win some games but if dwight is healthy, beverly is riding lillards jock, and harden doesn't forget to show up a few times we really have no business winning this series.
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After 82 games, Houston and Portland end with almost identical records. Not sure how that makes it that the Blazers have no business winning this series.

I would say Blazers are going to shock the world, but a 5 seed beating a 4 seed (especially when their records are so close) is really not going to be a shock to a whole lot of people.

If Aldrdige is healthy, Lillard plays like an all star and Batum doesn't forget to show up a few times, Houston has no business winning this series. :D
 
Considering Houston had to go to OT to beat Portland in game 4 of the series (in Houston) and it took 41 from Flopper McGee, I'm not as worried as some are.

I doubt Portland wins the series, but it's not as clear cut as the 3-1 series implies. Think Houston would beat the Spurs in the playoffs? They won 3-1 against them too.
 
Treaty_of_Batum said:
After 82 games, Houston and Portland end with almost identical records. Not sure how that makes it that the Blazers have no business winning this series.

I would say Blazers are going to shock the world, but a 5 seed beating a 4 seed (especially when their records are so close) is really not going to be a shock to a whole lot of people.

If Aldrdige is healthy, Lillard plays like an all star and Batum doesn't forget to show up a few times, Houston has no business winning this series. :D
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The Rockets won 3 games to our 1 during the regular season.

Average score for the 4 games:
Rockets 116
Blazers 109.5

We should definitely expect a high scoring playoff series!
 
Draco said:
Well how the heck are they going to stop LaMarcus?
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By letting him shoot open 18-footers and trusting he won't wildly outperform his career average shooting percentage?
 
BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94 said:
As long as we can limit Howard to around 16 points a game for the series and just single cover Harden I think we will win. I'm not afraid of anyone else on the Rockets.
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Disagree – it seems to me that our best chance is to use our best defensive players – Wes and Nico – and smother Harden. Let Dwight get his; he will anyway against our bigs. But if we could stop Harden, we have a puncher's chance.
 
Hobbesarable said:
The Rockets won 3 games to our 1 during the regular season.

Average score for the 4 games:
Rockets 116
Blazers 109.5

We should definitely expect a high scoring playoff series!
Click to expand...

One of those wins by the Rockets were based off of having an extra 6 seconds in regular time in favor to Houston. Harden and Howard are both statistical anomalies when it comes to how many free throws they shoot per field goals taken. Howard has a reason behind it (having a bad FT% at 55%), but Harden does not (87%). Seriously, you can look at all the other shooting guards in the NBA this season and see where they take their shots from (thanks to basketball-reference.com) and mathematically show (through regression) how Harden's FTA/FGA ratio is your textbook example of an outlier in the world of statistics. Durant doesn't look so great either by the way.

I see this series having a lot of fouls called against the Blazers. Hopefully Stotts expands his rotation to throw some bodies on these two to collect fouls and keep the starters out of foul trouble.
 
bsped said:
One of those wins by the Rockets were based off of having an extra 6 seconds in regular time in favor to Houston. Harden and Howard are both statistical anomalies when it comes to how many free throws they shoot per field goals taken. Howard has a reason behind it (having a bad FT% at 55%), but Harden does not (87%). Seriously, you can look at all the other shooting guards in the NBA this season and see where they take their shots from (thanks to basketball-reference.com) and mathematically show (through regression) how Harden's FTA/FGA ratio is your textbook example of an outlier in the world of statistics. Durant doesn't look so great either by the way.

I see this series having a lot of fouls called against the Blazers. Hopefully Stotts expands his rotation to throw some bodies on these two to collect fouls and keep the starters out of foul trouble.
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No one on our bench can guard harden. Would be thrill on him and his d is alright, but not good enough to stop harden. Harden is going to end up playing 44 minutes per game.
 
Fonzthecpt1 said:
No one on our bench can guard harden. Would be thrill on him and his d is alright, but not good enough to stop harden. Harden is going to end up playing 44 minutes per game.
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We don't need to stop Harden (because you can't stop a player from getting flop calls), just the other Rockets from scoring. We just need to have someone from the bench to absorb all the "foul" calls against Harden so our starters can play more.
 
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