One of the reasons we're better is because CJ is now our second star player and he is way more efficient than Aldridge and doesn't hold back Dame.
They are definitely great at playing off of eachother and you can tell they are happy to let the other go off when they get it going. There is a certain synergy that wasn't there in the past, and not just between our top two scorers, but the team as a whole. I still don't think we are better than last year's team pre achilles. But, I will have to say that this team is better than the post achilles Blazers. And, within the next two years I full expect this team to be better than any team we could have had piloted by LA.
Yes, I am responding to my own post. Deal with it. I wanted to add one thing. It is already more fun to watch than any of those teams. 10 fold.
We very well could be on to something. But the sample size is too small. We should revisit this mid-season or end of season for sure!
The striking thing to me is they're combining for nearly 16 three point attempts/game between them, and hitting at 42%/46%. That's nuts. Hard to believe that trend continues, but you have to remember they did it against two of the best defensive teams in the league (Jazz & Grizz).
I hear you, but we took a dive before Wes went down. It's been one of the bad things about the Stotts era. All 3 of his seasons, we have started hot and fizzled in the 2nd half. Part of that, though, is that we played all the bad East teams in the fall. This year, the schedule is different. More of those easy games are later in the year.
I looked it up. We went 11-11 in the last 22 games BEFORE Wes went down. And 10-11 after he went down.
I loved Stotts' creativity early on, but last year felt like a major regression. Seeing the way LMA checked out in the playoffs, the starters [literally] all going separate directions, the apparent tight bond and elevated effort among the new group, Stotts again putting a very effective offense out there despite that figuring to be the weakness this year, and the "refuge"-ees sucking it up elsewhere, makes me think there were serious locker room issues last year that were kept quiet. I'm excited to see what this group can do going forward.
Great point. Let's hope we can continue to do well through more of these hard Bestern Conference games.
WE did cool down before the injury to Wes. You are right about that. I guess for me it the classic eyetest thing, which I know is not scientific. With a healthy Wes, it just seemed that everyone played harder and the sets on offense and our defensive intensity looked much better. We lost some games before the injury, but watching the games, I remember feeling a lot more confident that we could pull off a win. Just my thoughts. I am an optimist as well, so I am not trying to argue or anything. I love your opinions. I am excited about this team. I just personally feel like we need a little time and growth to get to the next level. Go Blazers!
Dame moves up to #4 in PPG. CJ at #11. Nice to see two Blazers near the top, both with solid fg%. Last year, LaMarcus was #7 (23.4 ppg, 46.6% fg), and Lillard was #13 (21.0 ppg, 43.4% fg). I'd be surprised if Lillard and McCollum can maintain this pace, but it's fun to watch while it lasts. My guess is that Lillard ends the year around 25 ppg, and CJ around 18 ppg. To be honest, I kind of hope that happens. That would probably mean that the other players on the team are stepping up to shoulder some of the additional scoring load.
Definitely. I'm not talking championship at the moment but we are definitely better than last year and will be even better in 2 years
Also, I love that Harden is shooting 34%, and is only in the pts race because of deceit. Just like him being in the pts race is a deceit.
There are still plenty of points for the supporting cast to score if Dame/CJ go for 50 a game so I don't see that as a problem.
I'm with you there, my friend! This team could be amazing in 2 years. 2017-2018 could be EVEN better. THAT is what I'm excited about!
It had more to do with everyone was on an expiring contract (except Batum). Once Wes went down they all knew it was pretty much over. Add to the fact that they're all playing for a new contract during the summer meant they were playing carefully so as to not end up like Wes and losing out on significant cash. It's human nature and something that was always in the back of my mind at the beginning of last season. I felt like if we hit the injury bug to one of our starting five everyone else will start thinking about their health more than winning a certain game.
On my high school team there was a lot of people who didn't have each others backs. Most were friends off the court so it seemed like we had a good locker room, but these dudes wouldn't support the other because of jealousy (the other guy was getting more minutes, touches, etc.). Everyone would compare themselves to others because their ego was too big, and it made for a bad locker room, even though it looked good on the surface. Now in college, Ive experienced what it's like to be a part of an actual TEAM, one that supports each other and has each others backs, and is motivated me and makes me play harder because I don't want to let them down. On the surface, they looked the same, but deep down, the locker rooms were drastically different. I think Portland's locker room last year compared to my high school. Wes has an ego. Love the dude, but the free agency "I'm worth $15M coming off a torn achilles" stuff brought it out. We all know Lamarsha compared himself to Dame, and when your top player has a fragile ego, it's a bad effect on the whole locker room. Sometimes Batum played like he didn't give a fuck, and who knew what was running through his mind. This year's TEAM is a TEAM. That was evident with the San Diego trip and the pre training camp work they put in. They all play hard and you can tell that they gel in a way last year's team never did.
