Game Thread GAME# 68: CAVALIERS @ BLAZERS - MARCH 15, 2018 - THURSDAY, 7:00 PM (PDT), NBCSNW

In the game Portland pulled 2-2. BG played 30 minutes, and CP3 played 25 minutes.
Portland clearly had game 4 in their favor, after clearly taking care of business in game 3.
The series was going 2-2 regardless of the injuries.
Whoever won the best of 3 after that no one will ever know.

 

And defense.

 

He's not wrong about a distant 3rd. We are 10 games back, after an 11 game win streak. As for SA and LAC being ahead of us if not for trades and injuries, it's an opinion. SA is 3.5 behind us, and LAC 4.5. Is Leonard worth 4 wins? Probably. Are Paul and Griffin worth 5 wins? Maybe. While he seemed to be saying it for no reason, it certainly wasn't a ridiculous statement

 

I really want to keep Pat Con on this team going forward.

 

Blazers so hot they can win 5 on 8

 

Agree. He's no superstar in training, but he is a really good role player. He straight hustles his ass off.

 

HEll YEAH!!!!

 

Yes, because POR is the only team that has benefitted from the Spurs' injuries and the Clippers' trades.

Does Kevin McHale live in some alternate universe where only Portland plays the post-trade Clippers and every other Western Conference team must face them with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin? In Kevin McHale's world does Kawhi Leonard only sit out games against Portland and play against everyone else?

BNM

 

I think he is saying without those things happening, they would have won more games against the rest of the West and put their record ahead of us. I don't think he meant it as a comparison between the three teams.

 

Very sour grape-ish.

 

Kyle Korver lite.

 

Yeah, I was going to mention that. Dude, if a team makes a trade that makes them worse then the team is worse. Period. As there is no alternate universe no one can say "what it" the Spurs and TWolves had not had injuries. Although the standings show a big gap between Houston/GSW and the rest of the West, since the break Portland has played better than Golden State and as well as Houston. In fact they have not lost, have met every challenge. They beat good teams and had no letdown against bad ones. I wish the national media could give this team some credit without all the damn stupid qualifiers.

 

I think more like Ginobili.

 

Good points. Just wanting to bring the kid back into the real world. If we are tied 2-2 this spring in a series and then lose Dame and CJ and then lose the series........ I'm quite sure most on here would blame that for the reason we went down.

 

Most?

 

True, but I'd also point out that when the Warriors lose two of their All-Star caliber players, they've still got two left who can play. Their bench also has players who have been All-Stars. Portland...not so much.

 

The only reason why we were able to win 5 on 8 is because the Cavs are horrrrrible at shooting free throws.

They went 12-21 from the line (57%)

 

To be fair they would have needed to have gone 21-21 to win the game outright.