Blazers need 3 point scoring

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by swish3, Oct 24, 2018.

  1. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    The Blazers (9 of 28) lost the swish3 contest Jan 5 with HOU (13 of 38) in a home win 110 - 101. This was a good win for the Blazers who played determined defense, had 27 assists, only 9 turnovers, out rebounded them 47 - 40, and made 45.7% of FG. Nurk had a good game with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 assists in 31 min, and played good defense.

    CJ led with 3 of 8, Dame was 2 of 5, Zach was 1 of 1, Chief was 1 of 2, and Seth and Jake were 1 of 4. Meyers was 0 of 1, and Evan was 0 of 3. For HOU, Rivers scored 5 of 10 and Harden scored 5 of 17. There was good defense by the Blazer starters and bench throughout the game with only a few lapses.

    Evan is now 4 of 34 for the season (11.76%!) and must stop attempting swish3s. The 3 swish3s attempted by Evan in this game should have been taken instead by Meyers, and Evan needs to be looking for Meyers on the arc to make these shots. Evan was valuable in this game for the defense that he provided, and without fouling, but needs to stick to jump shots near the basket.

    Let's use Blazer talent to score at least 13, or better yet 15, swish3s per game to avoid the 12 point deficit of the HOU game and maximize the probability of wins.
     
    Wizard Mentor likes this.
  2. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    The Blazers won the swish3 contest Jan 7 scoring 11 of 31 (35.5%) while NY Knicks scored 7 of 23 (30.4%). The Blazers bench scored 49 points and played for 22 min in this win that included 25 assists, some notable pick and rolls and dunks, another excellent game for Nurk, and the 1st double-double for Jake.

    Seth led scoring 3 of 6, Dame scored 2 of 6, CJ scored 2 of 7, Evan scored 1 of 1, Jake scored 1 of 2, Meyers scored 1 of 3, and Chief scored 1 of 4. Mo and Zach were each 0 of 1. This was better than being stuck on 9 scored in each of the previous 3 games, but short of the 15 that is correlated with 69% winning. With emphasis on the most productive swish3 shooters (currently Seth and Meyers) taking 6 or more swish3 attempts per game, the Blazers can reach this 15+ goal and perhaps do even better than the 54 win record (projecting 65.85% from the present 27-14 W/L) for the regular season, and on to the 16 wins that will constitute the NBA Championship.
     
  3. Wizard Mentor

    Wizard Mentor Wizard Mentor

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    Right now I'm really liking our swish3's, but I'm loving our beast2's.
     
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  4. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    The Blazers won the swish3 contest and the game over the CHI Bulls Jan 9 scoring 11 of 26 versus the Bulls 9 of 22. The game showed good defensive energy in the Q 2, 3, and 4 after a slow start in Q1 when the Blazers traded baskets. This was a poorly officiated game that included questionable calls against Nurk, Zach, Meyers, and Seth, and no-calls that show have awarded FT to them and other Blazers. Dame had no FT in the 1st half! But the Blazers overcame the home court disadvantage refs to win the game. This was an excellent game for Zach even though he fouled out.

    Seth led scoring 3 of 5, Zach and Nik each scored 2 of 3, CJ scored 2 of 4, and Dame scored 2 of 5. Chief and Jake each were 0 of 2; Nurk and Simons each were 0 of 1. It does not make sense that Simons, now 0 for 6, should attempt swish3s instead of Seth (48.5%) or Meyers (41.7%). Meyers again made 0 attempts and there were no plays or even looks to find him on the arc in this game, but he was averaging >50% earlier in the season when shooting 3 or 4 swish3 attempts per game. The Blazers coaches need to game plan for 6 swish3s each by the best talent Blazers, Meyers and Seth, to achieve the 15+ that will be needed against challenging competition. We have 25 wins and with enhanced swish3 scoring are on the way to a 56+ win season and the NBA Championship.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2019
  5. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    The Blazers won the swish3 contest Jan 11 against the CHA Hornets and reached the goal of 15 swish3s. Blazers scored 15 of 40 (37.5%) versus CHA 13 of 30 (43.3%) in a game that showed good growth of defensive intensity, assists, team play, and shared scoring. Nurk again had an excellent game with 11 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 6 blocks. CJ was a strong with 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. Dame was excellent with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks! Dame deserves kudos for his notably growing defense! Meyers had a season high 3 blocks and Zach had 2 blocks that contributed to the team total of 16 blocks, just 1 short of the Blazer team record. Evan scored 15 with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Nik scored 13 with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. The Blazers progressed significantly with this game.

    CJ led scoring 5 of 11, Seth scored 2 of 4, Dame scored 2 of 7, Evan scored 1 of 2, Chief, Zach, Nik, and Gary each scored 1 of 3, and Jake scored 1 of 4. The Blazers reached 52 of 93 (55.9%) for FG shooting, third highest of the season, led rebounds 47-43, had only 9 turnovers, and had 31 assists, a season high. This is fun basketball to watch.

    There was noticeable synergy in team play and better communication as noted by Dame that signal growing excellence that can power the Blazers to the Championship. Le't keep this going!
     
  6. tlongII

    tlongII Legendary Poster

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    No mention of Meyers?
     
  7. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    You are right, tlongll. Now that Meyers is playing better defense, has the same 109 DRtg as Zach, DRB% of 23.3, TRB% of 15.2, and Blazer leading ORtg of 122, and TS% of 0.632, there is more to mention that Blazer fans should notice. Meyers is contributing significantly and can continue to progress on the way to the Championship that looks increasingly probable.
     
  8. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    The Blazers won the swish3 contest Jan 13 against the DEN Nuggets, but lost the game 116-113. Blazers scored 12 of 34 versus DEN 9 of 22, and DEN scored 45 of 81 (55.6%) of FG vs the Blazers 40 of 88 (45.5%). This close game was a near miss that was influenced by some strategically timed bad ref calls against Nurk and no-calls against Jokic (there at least 4) and having the wrong Blazers in the game in the 2nd half to score swish3s and keep up relentless defense. The Blazers had nice leads in the 1st and 3rd Q that were overcome by unanswered DEN swish3s, 6 of 7 in the 3rd Q. This was a season high game for Jokic with 40 points (one less than his career high).

    CJ led with 4 of 10, Zach scored 2 of 3, Dame scored 2 of 10, Nik scored 1 of 1, Jake scored 1 of 2, Meyers scored 1 of 3, and Chief scored 1 of 5. Nurk had a difficult game, being stiffled early by the refs for touch fouls on Jokic while allowing Jokic to push, hold, elbow, and slap Nurkic that seemed to take away Nurk's good start momentum. In the 3rd Q when DEN was pouring in 3s, the Blazers should have gone to highest % shooters Seth (no shots!) and Meyers to counter, and can win these close ones by keeping most accurate shooters and strong defense on the floor at key points in the 2nd half.

     
  9. PtldPlatypus

    PtldPlatypus Let's go Baby Blazers! Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    I wouldn't necessarily characterize making 3 more shots on 12 more attempts as "winning" the swish3 contest.
     
  10. TBpup

    TBpup Writing Team

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    Quite right. 'Winning' on 25% shooting to get the additional makes seems like '2 steps forward, 3 steps back'.
     
  11. TorturedBlazerFan

    TorturedBlazerFan Well-Known Member

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    Seems like the James Harden move...
     
  12. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    OK. Now you are getting my point that selecting who should be shooting swish3s is the key. In that 3rd Q, the team leading high % Blazers should have been shooting rather than just rely on desperate shots by Dame. The lower 35% vs DEN 41% swish3 shooting was the difference, but need not be if the Blazers stuck by prioritizing shooters (Seth, Meyers, and in this game, Zach.

    The Blazers can improve on who is on the court and shooting swish3s in the 3rd and 4th Q, and that can make the difference in getting to the 54 wins that appears in reach this season. Let's try to optimize by relying even more on the bench for their strengths, swish3 scoring and energetic determined defense that can win that critical 3rd Q and the games!
     
  13. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    The Blazers scored only 10 of 31 (32.3%) versus the SAC Kings 10 of 26 (38.5%) in the Jan 14 loss 115-107. Blazers FG were 37 of 92 (40.2%) vs SAC 43 of 87 (49.4%) in a game in which both Nurk and CJ had a bad night. Nurk scored only 6 points with 11 rebounds and 5 assists, in 29 min, and was again bothered by questionable fouls called on him. CJ scored only 6 points with 6 rebounds and 1 assist in 30 min, and was 2 of 14 for field goals. Blazers committed 11 turnovers in the 1st half, and made only 17 points in the 2nd Q.

    Dame led with 4 of 12, Meyers scored 3 of 4, Chief scored 1 of 2, and Seth and Evan each scored 1 of 3. CJ and Zach were each 0 of 1, Jake was 0 of 2, and Nik was 0 of 3. Evan must stop attempting swish3s because he is below 20% for the season, and must be considered selfish to shoot when teammates are shooting 3 times his accuracy. In this game, based on season % shooting, Seth and Meyers should have been shooting the 3rd and 4th Q swish3 attempts to also take pressure off of Dame.

    This was a game that showed the coaching mistake of who was in the game based on performance. Meyers scored 11 points with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in only 19 min, and was taken out right after scoring his 3rd swish3 at a time when scoring was needed. In this game, Meyers screened for open shots, gave excellent assists, played good defense, made a dunk, had 0 fouls, and hustled every play. It would have been better to have him on the court when Nurk was struggling in the 2nd half. Seth scored 5 points with 1 rebound and 2 assists in 21 min. Both Meyers instead of Nurk and Seth instead of CJ should have been on the floor 24 min or more based on productivity at both ends of the court.

    One weakness that the Blazers must overcome to reach the Championship is more responsive choices by the coaches based on Blazer player productivity in the game. The SAC bench could have been held to less than 58 point scoring (and increase Blazer bench 34 point scoring) if Blazer coaches will rely more strongly on bench players who are producing better than the starters in games like this one.

     
  14. stampedehero

    stampedehero Make Your Day, a Doobies Day Staff Member Moderator

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    BLAZERS NEED to defend three point shooting.
     
  15. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    The Blazers won the swish3 contest Jan 16 with CLE Cavaliers by a 30 point margin! Blazers scored 16 of 29 vs CLE 6 of 19. Nurk had a good game with his 1st triple double (including 10 assists) + 5 blocks in 28 min. Jake scored 18 points with 3 assists in 26 min. The Blazers had only 4 turnovers and played good defense most of the time, and won each Q, winning 129 - 112.

    Dame led scoring 4 of 6, Zach scored 3 of 4, Jake scored 2 of 2(!), Chief scored 2 of 3, Seth and CJ each scored 2 of 4, and Nik scored 1 of 4. Evan and Simons (who should not be attempting any more swish3s because of unacceptable %) each were 0 of 1. These wasted opportunities need to be prohibited by the coaches. It was absurd to see Simons who has the worst swish3 % in the NBA, i.e., 0, to fail to pass the ball to an open Meyers on the arc to make that swish3. Simons, the high school kid, has shown speed, but terrible shooting, lack of passing, and turnovers.

    The Blazers started this game with 2 Dame swish3s but then a lot of misses with back and forth (7 lead changes) until about midway through the 2nd Q, after which the Blazers pulled away and kept a lead of at least 10. The excellent minimization of turnovers (4), 28 assists, and strong 55% swish3 shooting made this a solid win. In the upcoming Pelicans game, it will be important to again have good swish3 distribution involving the best % shooters, 25 or more assists, and screening and passing plays that look for open shots, especially from the arc. With Seth, Meyers, Zach, CJ, and Chief as scoring threats, the multi-teaming of Dame can be used against the Pelicans for enhanced distributed scoring and the win.
     
  16. Sarni

    Sarni Well-Known Member

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    He has attempted them 8 times this season. I know he's missed all of them but it's really a tiny sample size (yes I know you love tiny sample sizes with Meyers)..
     
  17. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    The Blazers won scoring 11 of 34 versus NOP 8 of 25 in the Jan 18 home win 128-112. This was a superlative game for Jake, who scored 20 points (10 of them in 1:38) in a blitz with 4 of 7 in 12 min in the 2nd Q to put the Blazers in the lead that NOP could never catch up. As the score reveals, Blazer offense--not defense--won the game, although we won the rebound contest 53 - 41 and scored 23 on offensive rebounds, and passed well with 30 assists and only 6 turnovers. This game was great fun to watch!

    Jake led scoring 4 of 9, Chief scored 3 of 6, Dame scored 2 of 9, Meyers scored 1 of 2, and CJ scored 1 of 3. Seth, Zach, and Evan were each 0 of 1, and Mo was 0 of 2. Evan should have passed to an open Meyers rather than wasting the shot, as Meyers will make more than 2.7 times as many swish3s based on season stats. Let's feed open men on the arc in the Jazz and OKC games.

    This game shows that the Blazers this season triumph over NOP with Anthony Davis, and have a basis for confidence in the playoffs on the way to the Championship. The offensive growth with shared scoring, multiple swish3 threats, increased assists, spreading the floor, and looking to the arc has us on the way to a 54+ win season. Let's keep the winning streak going!
     
  18. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    The Blazers won scoring 8 of 18 vs UTAH Jazz 7 of 33 in a game in which Blazer defense and swish3 shooting in the 4th Q made the difference. This was a good game for Nurk with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 6 blocks in 32 min despite some questionable ref calls against him and no calls for him. Nurk fouled out on a phantom foul. After a weak 1st half, Nurk fought hard in the 2nd half to get most of his scoring and blocks and brought momentum. Dame scored 26 with 8 rebounds and 8 assists, scoring his swish3 in the 4th Q when needed. CJ scored 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists and a steal, and took only 17 FGA in 38 min. Jake scored 12 points with 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in 25 min.

    Meyers led scoring 2 of 2, Jake scored 2 of 3, CJ scored 2 of 4, Seth scored 1 of 1, and Dame scored 1 of 5. Zach was 0 of 1 and Chief was 0 of 2. Despite falling far short of the target 15 swish3s, the 44.4% was better than UTAH and enough for the win. For the OKC game, Blazers will need 15+ to win, and should employ a game plan that aims for 6+ attempts each by Meyers, Jake, and Seth.

    This game marks another important step on the way to a 54+ win season and on the the Championship, and is notable for the psychological victory over the UTAH team that only a month ago beat the Blazers by 30 points at PDX.
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2019
  19. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    The Blazers lost scoring 10 of 36 (only 28%!) vs OKC 11 of 23 Jan 22 in a game which showed the importance of swish3 shooting, a let down in passing (both 19 turnovers and only 21 assists) that showed a regression from recent progress. There were a lot of unforced errors, instances of weak defense, and a number of adverse ref calls that held us back.

    CJ led scoring 7 of 12, Dame scored 2 of 10, and Meyers scored 1 of 3. Seth and Nurk were each 0 of 1, Jake was 0 of 4, and Chief was 0 of 5. The Blazers failed to run the rotations that would create catch and shoots for Seth, Meyers, and Jake that were needed in a game in which Dame struggled and Chief was missing. The Blazers need to plan for 15+ swish3s for wins.
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2019
  20. swish3

    swish3 Well-Known Member

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    The Blazers scored 12 of 26 (46.2%) vs the PHO Suns 13 of 38 and thus less than the Suns, but the better FG3% and FG% (46.8% vs 40.9%) was sufficient for the 120 - 106 win. This was a balanced scoring game (Dame, CJ, Nurk, Jake, and Seth in double figures with 25 assists and 16 turnovers. Although turnovers mostly due to bad passes and early game weak defense that allowed a Suns driving advantage were flaws to correct, the game was not in doubt in the 2nd half. This was a needed road win.

    CJ again led scoring 4 of 8, Seth scored 3 of 7, Jake scored 2 of 6, Dame scored 1 of 3, and Chief and Mo each scored 1 of 1. The efficiency of shooting was nicely accomplished by avoiding wasted shots by lower percentage shooters.
     

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