GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CSNNW

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by Darkwebs, Nov 7, 2014.

  1. Darkwebs

    Darkwebs Awakened to emptiness Staff Member Moderator

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    [​IMG]





    S T A R T E R S



    [​IMG]

    VS
    [​IMG]






    WHEN: 12:30 PM, SATURDAY, 11/08/2014


    WHERE: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
    [​IMG]



    TV BROADCAST:

    [​IMG]



    RADIO BROADCAST:
    [​IMG]


    ------------------------------------------------------



    BENCH ROTATION

    PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
    BLAKE , MCCOLLUM , BARTON , ROBINSON , KAMAN

    LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
    FARMAR , CUNNINGHAM , BULLOCK , CRAWFORD , DAVIS , HAWES



    INJURIES
    TRAIL BLAZERS
    NONE
    CLIPPERS
    NONE





    HEAD COACHES
    [​IMG] - VS – [​IMG]
    TERRY STOTTS--- DOC RIVERS




    :reading:BLAZERS' GAME NOTES




    GO BLAZERS!!!​
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2014
  2. Darkwebs

    Darkwebs Awakened to emptiness Staff Member Moderator

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Blazers @ LAC Game Preview (11/8):

    Our Last game: 11/6/14. Awesomeness v. Dallas. LMA had 20/7, Dame had 18/6/5, Nic 8/9/9 and the bench pulled out 42 points and 10 assists as the Blazers crushed the Mavs 108-87.

    Their Last game: L 121-104 Golden State Warriors (11/5/14).
    Changes to their roster:
    Injury Updates: Joel Freeland still day-to-day, Big Baby Davis was out as of Nov. 7’s injury report, but rumors are that he could be available.

    Matchups:

    PG: Damian Lillard v. Chris Paul. One of the two marquee matchups tonight with two All-Star PGs squaring off against each other. One of the few times all year where Damian will be in a distinct positional disadvantage, and to help the team win he’ll have to step up. In 3 games last year against LAC he never had a game score over 11, averaging 15pts/3.7assists though he shot over 50% from 3 as the Blazers went 2-1. CP3 didn’t play game 82 against us, but in the other two went for 54 points and 28 assists (though, interestingly, he went a combined 0-3 FT in two games, while averaging 88% on 6FTs/game against other teams). CP3 is again leading the league in steals—as he has in 6 of the last 7 seasons.

    SG: Wesley Matthews v. JJ Redick/Jamal Crawford. Ballhanding wings with ridiculous range and little conscience are the order of the day for Wes. While Crawford has more ability to break Wes down off the dribble (and Redick much more likely to run off screens for catch-and-shoots) neither should provide much to slow down Wes on the offensive end, where he’s averaging a career-high 18ppg on 54% shooting (37% from 3).

    SF: Nicolas Batum v. Matt Barnes. Forget what I just said about “ballhandling wings”. Barnes is a glue guy right now (think “poor-shooting 34 y/o Ime Udoka”) that can play heady D but is averaging 6ppg on 37% shooting (26% from 3). Nic should be free to focus on CP3 during a decent amount of possessions, and if Matt Barnes is the guy who eventually burns us, I think Coach Stotts will take his chances with that. Nic had a stat-filler last game, getting 8/9/9 in 28 minutes, but it’s interesting to see if Good, Box Score-Filling Aggressive Nic shows up, or if he’s passive on the offensive end and lets the D play 5-on-4. Frankly, though, if he’s helping to lock down CP3, there’s enough firepower to hang without him.

    PF: LaMarcus Aldridge v. Blake Griffin. Another marquee matchup, and about the flip of the Damian/CP3 matchup for the Blazers. Griffin’s not as young a stud as Damian, and LMA isn’t quite the “grizzled veteran” that CP3 seems to be revered as, but LMA is in a place (both in team leadership, shooting and overall game) where Kia Boy is still hoping to reach. You can’t sleep on his talent, though—and he’s attempted to teach himself the art of long-range shooting for this year. But looking at his shot charts and percentages (36% on jumpers), I’m fine if he wants to show me what he’s learned all game. When he’s in the paint, he’s dangerous—both for his skillset and the propensity to have the referees call bogus fouls for him. I think I’ll save my Professor Andre Miller reference for later.

    C: Robin Lopez v. DeAndre Jordan. Both are about the 5th option on offense, though POR trusts RoLo waaaaaaaaaaay more with the ball than LAC does Jordan. He’s started out the year shooting 71% on limited attempts, but is up toward that 9ppg level. His calling card is D/rebounding, which is elite, and in the right circumstances can shut down the lane. Also the guy most likely to retaliate when a Blazer (I’m guessing Kaman or Robinson) puts Griffin on his keister at some point during the game.

    Give-a-Rip (City) Factor—a.k.a. why you should watch: I keep saying this (and will continue to), but it’s “another early-season matchup at home versus a western conference playoff contender”. Both teams have legitimate star (and fire-) power at the point and power forward positions. Portland and LAC are in similar places so far this season, with some uneven games played, some unprojected losses and general angst about “are they really going to make the leap”? POR at least has the Happy Factor going from two straight dismantlings of CLE and DAL, that Top 5 (?!?!) defense and signs of life from the bench. We knew the shooting would come around at some point, but if the guys become Top 5 in the NBA in defense as well…? (This is where some of my fanboi compadres might say something like “sqweee!” I don’t know why)

    Current Power Rankings:

    RipCityTwo (PtldPlatypus): (11) Kerr knows the game, but he has never coached. Until this team proves that they're upper echelon with him at the helm, I'm not buying it.

    ESPN: (8) Maybe it's a good thing that the Clips have to see their hated rivals by the Bay so soon, because this is a team already in need of a jolt. Most Underwhelming Team of the Week, to be precise, heading into Wednesday's Golden State trip after following up two nervy wins with a home L to the Kings.
    Covers: (3) The top three teams in the rankings are a combined 1-8 against the spread entering Wednesday, a clear sign of inflated lines. The Clips are 3-1 SU but also 0-4 ATS.
    Grantland: (Championship Contenders) The Clips made huge strides in Doc Rivers’s first year importing an amped-up version of Tom Thibodeau’s defense. They finished seventh in points allowed per possession and held steady at that level when Griffin and Jordan played together — a change from previous seasons, when those two were an uncoordinated mess.
    Still: The Clips struggled against the league’s best offenses. That’s not atypical, but the Clips surrendered about 108 points per 100 possessions against the league’s dozen best offenses — equivalent to what the Lakers’ defense, third-worst in the league, gave up for the season.

    NBA.com (9) It's great that Blake Griffin has put in a lot of work on his jumper. Bob Thate knows what he's doing and floor spacing is critical. But Griffin has become a little too jumper happy, taking 52 percent of his shots from outside the paint through three games, up from 37 percent last season. He was 0-for-8 from the outside in Sunday's loss to the Kings.
    Bleacher Report (11) The LA Clippers were off to a great start before getting embarrassed by the Warriors Wednesday night in the Bay. They failed to play any defense whatsoever and stood idly byu as the Warriors scored 15 threes. Star forward Blake Griffin is off to yet another career scoring year with 25.8 but has a career-low 6.4 rebounds per game. The Clippers can figure it out, and Doc Rivers usually will, but for now their start has left much to be desired.

    Link to Grandpa Blaze's Prediction Game
    (No MediocreMan's Over/Under game on weekends)

    Links to other team’s site(s): Clippers Official Site
    Clips’ Nation They have a pretty stellar game preview here, even if they do link to the BlazersEdge preview.

    Final Thoughts: I like where the Blazers are a lot more than where the Clippers are right now. LAC definitely has some firepower, and playing in a 12:30 Pacific game is a little odd for everyone involved, but POR’s shooting is starting to come around and they haven’t (excepting maaaybe SAC, which, troubling enough, was another road game) had a poor defensive showing yet. LAC could definitely get off to a 35-pt first-quarter start, but I will believe in our Top 5 D until it’s no longer there. Another tidbit to watch is that, even though the Clips have Jordan and Griffin, they’re 30th in the league in rebounding (versus our ranking of 4th). Even if our shooting is a bit off, the Blazers have shown that no one is above crashing boards and getting second-chance points. This is a game that I think will surprise national pundits a bit, and I think it’ll start a nice weekend off right.

    Blazers 109
    LAC 95
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 8, 2014
  3. Boise Blazer

    Boise Blazer Thread Lightly

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Those are some crazy scoring and 3 point shooting averages from last year against the Clips. Its another good test to see how far our defense has come because we were clearly ok with just running, bombing 3's and trying to outscore them last year.

    I was surprised at LMA and Rolo's rebounding averages against them considering they have Jordan. And also Dame's 3 point shooting against them since Chris Paul is guarding him.
     
  4. BrianFromWA

    BrianFromWA Editor in Chief Staff Member Editor in Chief

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Preview updated.
     
  5. Boise Blazer

    Boise Blazer Thread Lightly

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    If I was a Clipper's coach or fan this would be 100% unacceptable to me
     
  6. magnifier661

    magnifier661 B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Preview is bomb.com
     
  7. illmatic99

    illmatic99 formerly yuyuza1

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Early SAT game to accommodate the LA hockey team? SMH

    At least I can watch this one on LPBB
     
  8. Boise Blazer

    Boise Blazer Thread Lightly

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Looking at a few stats I noticed that the Clipps are dead last (30th) in OPP FG% at 50% and we are 2nd at 40%

    Almost the same story with OPP 3PFG% they are 27th at 39.8% and we are 6th at 29.2%

    They are 2nd in the league at forcing turnovers at 19 a game.

    Rebounds per game we are 5th at 47.4/gm and they are 29th at 33.8/gm

    So it sounds kind of simple and typical but if we take care of the ball and rebound all we have to do at that point is play our game and take our shots and we have a great chance to win the game.

    It does concern me a little that if we are moving the ball a lot it might actually play into their hands with forcing turnovers.
     
  9. Boise Blazer

    Boise Blazer Thread Lightly

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    [TWEET]531175419450753024[/TWEET]
     
  10. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Batum should look to score today. Crawford can't guard him.
     
  11. Boise Blazer

    Boise Blazer Thread Lightly

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    And I wonder if that may actually help our bench and hurt theirs as well. Should be interesting to see
     
  12. HomerLovesKoolAid

    HomerLovesKoolAid I have a well-known member.

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    LOL Chuckford.
     
  13. magnifier661

    magnifier661 B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Crawford starting?
     
  14. magnifier661

    magnifier661 B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Doesn't Doc know that Crawford is a horrible starter?
     
  15. riverman

    riverman Writing Team

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Well this will be a my first missed game of the season...gotta work! Go Blazers! Get a big win today!
     
  16. BrianFromWA

    BrianFromWA Editor in Chief Staff Member Editor in Chief

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Great time to be having a discussion with BrightHouse cable on why my LeaguePass purchase from 2 weeks ago is still "Pending".
     
  17. magnifier661

    magnifier661 B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    I used to like Ralph Nader years ago. Now he's an arrogant prick.
     
  18. Natebishop3

    Natebishop3 Don't tread on me!

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Anyone got a link?
     
  19. HailBlazers

    HailBlazers RipCity

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    3-2 vs. 3-2

    Gonna be a great game!! Go Blazers!!!
     
  20. magnifier661

    magnifier661 B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

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    Re: GAME THREAD: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - NOVEMBER 8, 2014; SATURDAY, 12:30 PM (PST), CS

    Aldride!
     

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