Game Thread GAME# 74: BLAZERS @ PELICANS - MARCH 27, 2018 - TUESDAY, 5:00 PM (PST), NBCSNW

Meh doesn't really bother me. They're just making themselves targets for ridicule.

 

I completely understand Pat's thinking - the dunk was there, might as well take the points. The problem was he hesitated just enough to let the defender get back into the play. I even liked having him go long, beat the pressure they were using - just really, really unfortunate how it worked out.

 

He made the right decision, a second too late, that the dunk was a guaranteed two points, but two free made throws weren’t a guarantee.

 

Looked to me like he was fouled. Solid contact on the arm. Should have been shots.

 

It didn't watch the entire game, but what I did see was some one sided officiating. They couldn't be touched while we we're getting hacked with no whistles.

 

They shot 14 free throws. We shot 10. Really not that big of a difference.

Foul differential was about the same. 19 for the Pels and 17 for the Blazers. Take out the intentional foul at the end and it's pretty much the same.

 

Lillard scored his first 39 points without a free throw. That in itself should tell you something.

 

Why not just trade CJ and Lillard for 6 or 7 good players?

 

Besides poor refereeing it does tell me how prolific he is.

 

I'm happy for you man! i know you waited for a while for CJ to have a bad game.

 

I actually liked that the refs were letting the players play. It kept the game moving and I think it worked in Portland's favor. I know Dame was getting frustrated about not getting calls, but it works both ways and at least the refs were consistent.

Without Moe, I was worried about Nurk picking up too many quick fouls on Davis. He picked up his 3rd foul with 7.5 seconds left in the 2nd quarter, but was able to play the entire second half without picking up another foul. That let Nurk be physical and play like a beast, and that always seems to work in Portland's favor. If the refs had been calling every ticky-tacky foul, sure Dame would have gotten to the line more, but Nurk may have been sitting on the bench for long stretches and playing soft to avoid picking up another foul while on the court.

I think after a while, it also forced Dame to quit looking for the call and focus on creating good, makeable shots. Sometimes, you can tell he just puts his head down, draws contact and hopes to get a call. Last night, once it became obvious he wasn't going to get those calls, he stopped trying that tactic and worked for better shots.

BNM

 

Take out the intentional foul, and they have nearly double the FTA’s, 14-8.

 

Nearly double makes it sound worse than it is. In a normal game, a 6 FT differential isn't a lot. Fact is, neither team got to the line much. Davis was complaining all night as well.

 

In a four point game, 6FTAs is a bunch

That said, I only saw one egregiously bad call, where AD tripped over his own feet on a turnaround and Turner got called for the foul.

 

If you only saw one bad call, why are you bringing it up? Why not address the fact that the Pelicans were actually called for more fouls in total?

 

Nurk, Aminu and Ed all got away with some very physical play on Davis and that worked in Portland's favor. Dame also got repeatedly bumped/hit on his drives and didn't get the calls. The officials let the players play at both ends. I have zero complaints about the officiating last night. Sure, they could have called a tighter game, but it was fair and balanced and the officiating did not impact the outcome. What more can you ask?

BNM

 

Balance. See my thread about how Stan Van Gundy basically created a 12 FTA swing in the opponents’ favor after complaining to Adam Silver. Apparently we suddenly became a much worse defensive team, and everyone else became much better defensively.

 

PF’s called is the smokescreen refs use to say that a game was fairly called. No, fuck that. If you’re driving and shooting inside against big guys, they’re probably fouling you. Every opponent hasn’t magically figured out how to get to the line 10 more times per game than us in the last five games.

 

Well, we've also been playing better teams with players like James Harden and Russell Westbrook who get a LOT of calls. Also, it seems like we're shooting a few more 3-pointers per game lately, which will also have a negative impact on drawing fouls.

I think maybe you give Stan Van too much credit. He may look like a James Bond villain, but those guys never win in the end.

BNM

 

Okay. Lmao.