A few games ago I was thrilled with the Blazers, thinking this is a contending team. Blazers are still winning which is good, but they just don't appear to be playing well for several straight games. Defense still seems good, but the ball is stagnating, shooters are missing cutters and most importantly, the Blazers just don't appear to be energized and working well together. The great news is that the Blazers are good enough to get wins while playing their B game, but right now I'm not impressed and thinking this looks like first round and out team.
No way we are a first round and out team. We need these ugly games. We must learn to win those physical games, which seems to be the game plan against us. This is playoff style basketball and we either learn through this or have no business being in the playoffs in the first place
I'm VERY happy. I don't take 15-4 for granted. I'm loving it. Losing sucks and we've only done that 4 times. As for the playoffs, the first round will be hard for everyone. I like our chances. Like LeBron, Lillard has never lost in the first round. I like our chances when he's in the game.
15-4 says a lot. We certainly are a top 10 team in the NBA, however we need to find the shooting stroke and keep it at a decent rate (Something like .470 from the floor, .380 from 3 and .800 from the FT line) consistently. I like the way we are playing defense right now though, we are kind of playing what I'd call a swat/steal/swarm (Like the Heat did with LBJ) defense and it really bothers teams but it takes a lot of energy out of the players and it only works against teams with no real go to option.
Offense can come and go; if you don't have defense to anchor you, you lose games where you don't shoot well. We have the defense going pretty well, so I'm not so worried about our slumps. We've shown we can endure them against most teams.
My only gripe is that we haven't taken care of business against the top teams. Like the Clippers, Grizzlies, Warriors..... I'm still waiting for that marquee win, or two.
Exactly. The fact that we're winning ugly is a huge bonus. We're not even clicking right now and getting wins. What happens when we're clicking?
I'm proud of this team even when playing poorly on offense, they've been really good defensively. 19 games in with 4 losses. The great teams win when they struggle offensively. Seems these guys just don't quit even when they are behind. Allan Crabbe has only played a handful of games and I feel much better when he's defending on the court. Freeland is making layups and jumpers. Blake seems to be clicking with Stotts playbook. I think we're just getting warmed up
This is my thoughts as well. Do I wish the offense would pick up? Sure. Is the defense playing THAT GOOD? YEP. And that's impressive and important no matter how you slice it.
15-4 with everyone healthy... long ways to go, but it's a near perfect start to the season. What really matters for a good team like this is making the playoff and playing their best hoops then, but I'm very very happy with how things are going. STOMP
I look at it this way, our offense has not really been clicking and our shooting percentage poor yet we are still winning, I credit our improved D, this is actually a solidly positive development
I am happy about some things (Improvement by Crabbe, Their improved D, the bench) Still not happy about a few things. Their ball handling by everyone but our Pg's still makes me nervous. LA should not dribble away from the basket, Wes still is inconsistent) And their 3 pt shooting is getting lazy. Since they are so good at shooting them, they tend to shoot them off the dribble too much. Sure they can hit those too, but not as well as when their feet are set. So I would cut down on those types of 3's if I were Wes and Nic. Dame needs to shoot a little more for my taste as well. Give him a few more picks to set up his mid range shot. He is money with it.
Im very happy. We are winning the gut check games this year, and winning when we have bad games. Blake and Kamen have been huge both in play and attitude. Crabbe is looking legit and CJ was coming on strong before his injury. Im a little concerned about TRobs recent role, but he seems to be taking it in stride.
