Last in the league in assists and passing. Pretty sure they ranked 1st in pick n rolls ran so it's not a case of the Blazers running pick n roll as much as "many other teams". Watch their players that don't have the ball and compare them to other teams. Our guys just end up standing around watching whoever has the ball most of the time. It's been a bit better lately but we've consistently been the most stagnate offense. Never said anything about their offensive ranking.
I've said numerous times that the Blazers can get away playing a stagnate style of basketball against most teams due to the amount of offensive talent they have (it's enormous). They won't be able to get away with it against a top defense in the playoffs. What I've always said is our style of play limits our ceiling in the playoffs and isn't a style that'll succeed against the elite teams when it matters most. But you and others want to argue regular season offensive efficiency rankings as if it's even relevant to my point. It's not. Try understand what's been said before you mock people.
You really struggle to have basketball conversations so instead you mock those who try to with crap like this. Most teams know when NOT to run drop scheme. We don't. Smart teams won't run it against dynamic guards like a Devin Booker, Luka Doncic, or Chris Paul... But we do.
It’s like putting an F1 engine into a geo metro... sure it still goes fast, but imagine how much faster it would go in an F1 car?
Your straw man crap ain’t working. The team is wining. The season was 72 games and every team played the same teams. The overall is the overall. You can try to twist the facts with stats but it just isn’t working. Sorry. There is no more Strength of schedule argument. The Blazers have one of the best offenses in the league and that was with two starters injured most of the season. Time for some to admit they just might not be right about everything all the time and the professionals might have a clue about what they are doing.
My last post for a while again. I will formally apologize right now if I hurt anyone’s feelings by saying what I feel is true in a way that might not have been as sensitive as they might want to be told they are wrong. Just as others here understand that it’s nothing personal or in any way an attack on them in any way. I would prefer to leave things here in the forum and I will check back at times in the future.
If you're able to appreciate this team (or any years team), you're in a much better mental state than many. Keep enjoying the ride for all those who are unable to!
Strawman crap? Do you want me to bring up where are offense ranks in the postseason compared to the regular season? Because there's a noticeable decline in the postseason. I don't do what a lot of people do and talk out their ass, I can actually back my stuff up. You can't actually argue my "strawman argument", so instead you belittle it, mock it, and argue taking points that don't apply to it and things that were never said. For example: Nobody said that other teams didn't run drop scheme. I said criticisms of Stotts for continuously running drop are legitimate. Emphasis on continuously. Nobody is arguing that they didn't or couldn't have a highly ranked REGULAR SEASON offense. Nobody is making a strength of schedule argument right now. Again, nobody is arguing this. If you remember correctly, I was one of the few people saying they still had a good roster with those two starters injured. Nobody ever said anyone was right all the time. If you want to project that upon me, that's your own problem. I'd actually be excited if you made a good counter-argument to one of my points that actually made sense. Nobody ever said the professionals had no clue. You're arguing a ton of random shit because you care more about your rebuttal than about what your actually replying to. It's not about having a legitimate conversation for you. What's sad is it's like that with a lot of people on this forum. One of the guys that liked your post and picked Denver in 6 was on Twitter earlier telling other people they weren't real fans because he didn't agree with how critical they were of the team. It's strange how much some people care about the criticism others have for the team, especially those that get on people for caring too much about what's said on the internet. And y'all know exactly who I'm talking about, "FAMS".
OK. I was going to stay away and simply stay on Crypto but because it's you and i DO respect what you bring and where you stand i will respond. Lets start with this- They have played exactly ONE game in the post season and they played very well on both sides of the ball. If you are trying to bring the last two injury riddled seasons into it I can respond to that also. Now if you are trying to bring into this conversation seasons where this team was the youngest team in the league i can respond to that also. Fact is this is the first time this team is not patched together or very very young over the last 6 or 7 years. How about we rejoin this conversation at the end of the series they are currently playing? I happen to think and have even voted that this series will go 7 and I am hoping for a Blazer victory. Next- You have brought this up over and over again and i will give you some credit for revising your stance to "Continuously" even though that simply isn't the case when you add "Dynamic Guard" which you did in an earlier post. Fact is pretty much every team in the NBA has a "Dynamic Guard". Even the worst teams have a playmaker at the position. Twolves Ricky Rubio, Kings DeArron Fox, Rockets John Wall. Maybe the Thunder don't but Alexander will be. Every team runs drop schemes, Single coverage, Doubles and traps. The idea is to have the personnel to do it effectively and have the team defense tight enough to do it well. That takes time and over the last 20 games it has been happening. Go watch a Laker game and see what kind of problems they are having because they have not been playing together. That team has the personnel and you know it. Next- Again they have played one post season game. Try not to mix Harkless, Aminu and Turner into the team as constructed now. Next- That is exactly what it seems like you are doing when you talk about regular season or talk about doing it against certain teams. BUT I WILL ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE NOT. So then what is the point when you talk about good teams or bad? They have a complete season to look at but only a portion where they had a healthy roster. Next- We have had plenty of them. Understand that when i say something a little jaded i am the kind of person that says things like that as a joke and not as a personal attack. Ease up a little Bones. I personally like you very much and like what you bring. I'm just old and set in my ways. Hope you have a great day! Change your underwear... That was a joke Bones...
Yeah, I'd put our last Wes Matthews team ahead of us too. I really like that term "glass cannon." I'd never heard it before, but I'm definitely keeping it. I think Donald Trump proved that a glass cannon can be pretty effective given the right circumstance. Hopefully they do for us this year.
I have always heard it used in video games. Something with high damage but no armor. A mage, for example, would be a glass cannon. High burst damage, but very little armor so can't take any damage in return.
Great post and analysis - thank you. I think if the Blazers continue passing well and making the right passes, it'll be tough for any team to beat. 29 assists in game 1 and it was a beautiful brand of basketball. It's the 1 on 5 offense continually that allows team to get out and run on us for easy buckets. We've made concerted efforts to bring up the ball faster even on half court sets... it doesn't allow the defense to get set. Bring that a few more times against Denver and it'll be tough to beat us.
