Game Thread GAME# 9: LAKERS @ BLAZERS - NOVEMBER 2, 2017 - THURSDAY, 7:30 (PDT), TNT

I don't like the alignment.
It was to stop corner 3's. However Lillard got caught on a back pick from Ingram and died. He needed to get over.

 

I cant

 

Who is CJ guarding?

 

The alignment has to be coaching.
I think it's poor coaching, so whomever came up with it needs to sit the fuck down.
But it's coaching.
No player would come out of the timeout and set in that alignment without being told to by coaching.

I understand what it was supposed to do but gimme a break.

 

You mean 12 times All-NBA Defensive Team Kobe Bryant ?

 

They seem to be in a sort of zone defense around the 3pt line, but it's absolutely terrible. It's on Stotts

 

If that is what the set looked like, any other coach would have called time and set it right. A half second more and we would have gotten burned.

This is the kinda thing I'm referencing when I say Terry isn't gonna last the season. We're seeing just stupidity on both ends of the floor. Terry's coaching might be falling on deaf ears, or he's just slipping altogether. About a minute prior, there was a 3 or 2 fast break after a steal that got Dame free throws in which our spacing (with Dame/CJ/Nurk leading the break) was just horrific. No fundamentals whatsoever.

 

Absolutely no one! With 0.7 seconds left, there is no time to close out. You have to stay with your man and be in his space. HORRIBLE defense by both guards. Why Stotts keeps playing them both in game on the line defensive possession just speaks to his stubbornness and lack of defensive acumen. He got testy last night when asked about the defense. Really? From a team that had almost zero 3-pt threat, you let them have a layup line to the tune of 55%.

If Lonzero doesn't pull a complete doughnut, Portland would have lost this game as well. Thank goodness they didn't but that was not a well played game in the least.

 

The more I look at that play the more I see what the idea was. Guard the three point line. In that situation we should've just taken Nurkic out and put Turner in. Forget trying to tip the inbounds pass just guard the three point line with 5 dudes.

 

We must start Biggie. Vonleh doesn't even try to score and Collins is still too raw. Biggie is ready NOW. I don't get why he isn't starting? I would start him even with Aminu healthy.

 

ET was in there, guarding the 3pt line like he should. I just don't get what the point of CJ was in the corner guarding no one. It's not like Lonzo had time to inbound the ball and get it back. No need to even be there. Just find a guy and switch all picks.

 

Can someone provide additional details? What happened? What was the question?

 

Then Connaughton, whatever.

I think CJ was guarding the corner in case they ran someone there? Stupid either way.

 

Much ado about nothing. At the end:

 

that last play was so good, that even Kuzma looked surprised by the good look he got

 

It was reported he was testy about it. This video he seems to be laughing it off and maybe slightly irritated. Still a very legitimate question.

http://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/video/stotts-not-interested-your-questions-about-defense

 

It's a zone around the 3 point line, that's probably how Stotts described the play. no doubt our defensive strategy is lacking

 

Fuck fuck fuck late start TNT games. I went out on couch and did not know what happened until this morning. Thank you, HCP, for posting video because you know all the sports media will just show Fakers.

 

Why is it always the guards that we bitch about? It was Kusma and Lopez that killed us all night. Look at Harkless on that play. He doesn't even look like he was ready for the play to start. Granted Kuzma cracked blocked him to get open but he does not seem aware of his surrounding.

I do agree that Stotts needs his best defenders out on a last shot attempt. Aminu if healthy would have been been out there. Davis might have been a better option last night since they were camped out on the line. But CJ was not the problem on that last shot.