Game Thread GAME# 71: BLAZERS @ SUNS - MAY 13, 2021 - THURSDAY, 7:00, TNT & NBCSNW

Crazy part for me is i just watched three games in three nights that could have sealed the deal. Lakers win two games in a row on Mathews heroics and then this game ends like this?
The end of this season has been stressful for sure.

 

There's no way it wasn't the first option - I have no doubt Chris Paul was holding him if I had the replay to look at.

 

I hope every is happy with the incoming collision with the Clippers. The team that does the best job of completely smothering and taking Dame out of the game. Probably the worst matchup for us in the entire playoffs outside of maybe Milwaukee.

 

On the other note. Dame was disappointed at the end. Probably with a lot of things. He should have this last ball as well.
Silver lining is, maybe he will realise, that he needs brainy coach to help him in moments like this and maybe he realise, that he doesn't have to go into those moments if team play important games in January.
I say, that we play much better cos of Nurk, ofc. But we had tone of "it's just one game"s on the beging of this year (again).

Apart of that, I am happy to see Dame going strong in btb game. Two weeks ago it would be 150:100 for Suns.

 

We go from potentially facing Denver/Utah in the first two rounds to LAC/(PHX/LAL) with that loss ... that stings something fierce right there.

My thoughts:
- Officials were horrendous all game long. Even our announcers, who are routinely neutral, kept calling out CP3 for how physical he was allowed to play.
- Unbelievable foul call. Booker doesn't really even attempt to make the shot, rather his goal was to bait the officials into a foul and he was bailed out. One of the worst calls I've seen in recent memory and unreal the officials decided the game with that whistle. Book was flopping to the floor before he even let it go.
- Phoenix sold out to stop Dame from getting the ball. RoCo had just made two FTs; I was relatively confident with him at the line. Just like Saric missed 3 of 4, RoCo missed as well. It happens.
- I was most upset with our second to last possession that ended up with Dame putting up a shot-clock beating, contested 3. We wasted too much time and stopped doing what was working, which was attacking the rack.
- Nurk needs to be better around the rim. He left so many points on the board in the first half and also committed 5 first-half turnovers. If we're going to utilize him heavily in the offense, he needs to be more reliable at finishing around the rim.
- Let's be real, this was a bit of a fluky win for the Suns. There's no way Payne or Craig hit those shots the rest of the season.

 

Dumbest. Challenge. Ever.

 

Dude I don’t fucking blame him he knows most likely he’s seeing the clippers now. They’ll demolish us. Denver is good too but with no Murray and a semi inexperienced Porter Jr playing we had a real shot against them

 

Bridges is a certified Blazer killer.

Our bigs were pretty meh overall.

 

Should have had this one

 

I don't understand how that last play was a foul. Nobody touched him.

 

I meant for the free throws. It feels like we usually struggle to get him the ball when we need free throws.

 

Yeah, real fluky.

No way in hell Payne and Craig will combine to score 31, let alone on 11-16 shooting (5-6 from 3), ever.

Probably would have been better had Ayton played, less shots from Payne and Craig

 

You're looking at the micro. Try the macro. We lost or we won by a point without their second most important player isn't going to get it done in the playoffs. It was ISO ball the entire 4th quarter and shitty rotations at the end that cost the game and the season.

Who the hell takes Nurk out when you need a stop on defense? These are basic basketball fundamentals.

 

Just finished watching the game. Of course is twice the size of the Utah game thread because we lost.

 

I'd honestly rather we get our late lottery pick with an announcement of Terry's firing instead of the playoffs when we'll get smacked around and not getting our pick.

 

So, that is what it feels like to shit the bed and roll around in it for two hours.