Game Thread GAME# 68: BLAZERS @ THUNDER - MARCH 14, 2016 - MONDAY, 5:00 PM (PST), CSNNW

I was thinking the same thing also. But it is possible still and i just don't think we match well with the Thunder.

 

For that matter, the 3rd seed isn't guaranteed for Thunder either. Clippers are right there.

 

Steamrolled by the Warriors, Boat-raced by the Thunder with the Spurs looming on the horizon. All of those teams will have HCA against Portland and unless things change drastically, the Blazers will make the Playoffs....but it won't be much of a series. They just don't have the talent or the depth to hang with the Top-4 teams if they are healthy and I'm not sure they even make it a competitive series.

So we are back to, 'How much quality experience to you get from a 4 or 5 game series and is it worth giving up your 1st round pick for getting rolled'?

Right now, with just 7 less wins, their season wouldn't really be that much worse but they would have the #7 or 8 pick in the Lottery.

 

We do need to realize this second half of the year is going to feature more games like this...especially against contending teams. A large portion of our roster simply hasn't played this much this far into the season.

CJ, Harkless, Meyers, Aminu, Crabbe, Vonleh all haven't had this big of roles for an entire season.

 

If the Blazers would put as much effort into their defense as some of you do worrying about that stupid draft pick, they'd have a lot better chance of winning some of these tough games.

 

Nobody listens trust me. I've said the same thing.

 

We've also steamrolled the Warriors ourselves and we beat OKC in Portland. We can MORE than hang with these teams in the playoffs. And your question doesn't matter. The team tries to win and that's that.

 

That if we sucked, we'd have a pick? Yeah, that is true for all the teams in the NBA. But we're winning more than we lose and we have destroyed some very good teams when we have had a chance to rest and prepare for a team. 11-2 record when 2 or more days off including blowout wins over Cleveland and Golden State.

 

This season has already been a huge success. I wasn’t really expecting to get even this far at the beginning of the season after the rebuild, so I’ll take it. We won. Rome wasn't built overnight.

That being said, clearly the cake needs another ingredient or two before baking… id rather obtain those finishing touches with a decent asset a pick NOW teams want that nets us perhaps a solid rotational player (in a trade) for the real push next year.

What's gaming folks up is the fact the 6th spot sounds pretty but In reality the sixth through ninth are pretty much the same.

I'd rather the Blazers miss the playoffs and keep their asset you can use this year to help us next year when our window really opens.

This team pretty much has to play at 90% or better to beat the top teams. That’s hard to do four times in a seven-game series. I’ve enjoyed our occasional big wins but now It's time to face reality that the last two weeks have shown when the pressure and hype picked up. That's having no shot at the second round and the pick is more important at this stage of their growth.

 

How is the last week "reality" but the wins aren't?

 

We're not in full strength until Alexander and Montero come back from the NBDL

 

Very true....but in their last 5 losses, they have given up 116 points or more at an average of over 120. That is epically poor and it needs to get better in a hurry.

Quite right but he Cleveland game was found to be a 'strike' game by the players to get rid of Coach Blatt and the Blazers were nice and rested after the biggest stars of the Warriors had all been involved in All-Star festivities. Not discounting the wins but just pointing out the balance of reality.

The Blazers have absolutely over performed expectations but that doesn't mean they have major holes in places and don't need as much help as they can get. 11-2 is a great record when they have 2 days off but for comparison, how many of those games were against teams that had the same amount of rest? I'm guessing that is a pretty low number so again, it's something out of balance.

 

Worst game of the season by far.

I know Neil does not plan on doing any big moves this summer but at least four guys just have to go.

Terry should sit Vonleh for the rest of the season, he should not play if this season is not about development anymore, just give Davis 30 minutes a game or move Aminu to the 4.

 

No disagreement from me there. The crappy shooting last night wasn't of much concern to me. The Thunder played good defense, but the Blazers were still getting open looks and couldn't knock them down. Just one of those nights. The defense, especially transition defense, however, was horrid. The defense has been poor the past 5 or 6 games. If the Blazers can't get back to playing the kind of defense they were when they were winning, they may slip out of the playoffs.

My position on the draft pick hasn't changed. Once it became clear that the Blazers were going to be too good to have a realistic shot at a top-3 draft pick, I crossed the pick off of my list of things to worry about. We've got plenty of 10-14 picks on our roster and the consistent thing about them is that they only start to contribute after 3-4 years. They're seldom All-Star quality players (although CJ could jump to that level). In order to move up to contending status in the next couple of years, the Blazers need smart trades and free agent acquisitions. That's far more important, IMO, than late lottery picks. Winning now and making the playoffs, even if they get swept, establishes the Blazers as an up and coming team that will be attractive to free agents. Maybe not top-tier free agents, but the next level down could see themselves having success in a Blazers uniform. Winning also helps to establish value for players on the roster who may end up being assets in trades. In my book, at the stage that the Blazers are at in their redevelopment, winning beats losing every time.

 

Seven of the Blazers' last eight losses have come against playoff teams and the eighth was against the Detroit Pistons, who are currently percentage points behind Chicago for the final playoff spot in the East. Portland has lost five straight road games, including back-to-back blowouts against two of the Western Conference elite teams in the Thunder and the Golden State Warriors.


Again how is being a sacrificial lamb in the playoffs better than having one more asset to use in a trade worse ?? SMH

 

Completely agreed. However, it has yet to be proven that Portland can get a a very good Free Agent. Davis and Aminu are solid role players but this team needs a big upgrade in the front court to legitimately compete. Dame and CJ will only get so much better as they are pretty good already.