Game Thread GAME# 48: BUCKS @ BLAZERS - APRIL 2, 2021 - FRIDAY, 7:00, NBATV & NBCSNW

They sure did push him tonight. They had lost to the Celtics, Nicks and Clippers before beating the Lakers. They played tonight like they felt they absolutely needed that win.
They got the Kings tomorrow also. So they are not done at all.

 

The Thunder are beatable like any team but i would not call that team "garbage".

 

I think your original thoughts were correct. The Blazers got beat by a team playing much better tonight but i think there is plenty of room for improvement. This is Nurks 3rd or 4th real game workout. He will need another 3 or 4 to get back into real game shape. I also think the Blazers could have easily made some shots and made that game tougher on the Bucks. Couple possessions at the end could have put that at a 6-8 point game easy. We all know they left 20 points on the court without question.

 

Yeah on nights like tonight they have to think about winning games. Melo was not a good choice at all. I would have rather had Jones in the game no question.

 

Oh i agree wholeheartedly. I kind of think he is still timkering. I personally think Powell should come in off the bench and take the controls.
Melo needs to start taking a back seat to winning games. I'm hoping this will happen a bit more as they approach the playoffs. Melo has had enough "legacy" games. He now needs to become a team player.

 

I agree... Giannis is a bad matchup for everyone, but in particular Melo. DJJ would have no chance on Giannis either, but would've provided a much better look on the weakside.

 

Not to mention, it will be the Moses Brown Revenge Game. Expect 20/20 from Moses tomorrow night.

 

Jones has a better chance and at least has hops. He plays solid defense and is much quicker.
Nobody can shut Giannis down but you can create problems for him putting the ball on the floor and if he gets by you then a jumper can block from behind.
Jones would have no question been a better option tonight with Melo hitting nothing IMO.
I also feel they missed his length with the starters. I feel Powell and the 3 guard lineup is only good in certain situations. I feel Stotts should go back to Nurk, Roco, Jones, Cj. Lillard and bring Powell off the bench.

 

I agree with this if you know Melo isn't going to make a shot, you should never play him, ever. However, we've seen a lot of instances where a player starts out bad and ends the game hot, or vice versa. We've seenthreads where Melo starts out 1-4 and everyone wants him at the end of the bench for the rest of the game, then he finishes the 2nd half with 14pts and is a big part of the win.

I'm not a Melo lover by any stretch, but I don't think he was the main issue tonight. I don't think DJJ is a starter on a contending team. Frankly, we've seen he's not really even a rotation player on a team making a championship run.

 

Here are some positives-
I watched Nurk take a ball to the hoop with authority not once but twice!
I watched the Blazers play hard and work to come back when they could have given up.
I watched some new offensive wrinkles directed at Powell and trying to get him some open looks.
I watched the entire team get a bunch of open looks they can and quite often do hit.

 

We get two defenders in off season. Both with high defensive ambitions. It took some times for them to mash with this team. And now Stotts got the new toy in Powell and he forgot defense was our problem, cos he is so exited he got another 3point shooter, so he benched DJJ.

And another funny thing commin from players. "It was bad day in the office. Up to the next one." Really? Roftl

 

Sure. If he was hitting his open looks the Blazers are in that game. It also would have opened up the court for Lillard. That goes for Nurk making a few shots around the rim as well.

 

The question is; why is he our best option. Total failure by Olshey.

 

He has had about five games all season where he actually helped the team win ball games. He is taking time away from Powell and Jones; they may not re-sign partly because of that. He disrupts the offense. He is a terrible defender. He gets no more criticism than he deserves.

 

I hope that's not an actual quote, cuz I have had a really bad evening and the game was the least of it. Luckily I don't own a gun.

 

Ok, let's pretend it's fake!

 

We did have 11 steals; that's pretty good.

 

Tough game guys, hated to be right