Game Thread GAME #46 - BLAZERS @ RAPTORS - JANUARY 23, 2022 - SUNDAY - 3:00 PM (PDT) ROOT SPORTS

who gives a shit? i dunno what the difference is between your posts and some of our resident trolls sometimes.

 

just trying to figure out what you mean by "cynical"

by the way, several time over the years you have attached labels to me, personally, or at at least implied....have I ever labeled you as a poster?

 

really?

do you even realize what you post here?

 

Tone? Sure. Your original point seems to be (and I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong) that we shouldn't take too much heart in the Blazers' 4-2 record because they didn't beat any "good" teams and still aren't likely to fare well in the playoffs. I'd say that right now, without Dame, Norm, Nance and Zeller, the Blazers are pretty much fielding a rebuilding-level roster. For them to achieve the turnaround that they have...to see both Ant and Little shine in an expanded role and get consistent solid performances from McLemore, is encouraging. To know that 3 of the guys who are currently not playing are likely to be available soon and that there's a chance Dame will be available by the playoffs says that this team's best days may be in front of them. To know that they have a stretch of 10 easy games in March that could move them up as high as the 6th seed is something that Cronin has to take into account. So, yeah, a "tone" that seems to say the Blazers should just toss in their hand on this season, I think is unfair.

 

how dare you post something positive.

wait lemme pull up some stats that show ben mclemore is better than simons.

 

I have said most of the things you just said, recently, in different ways than you, and in different threads than this. I just didn't say those things in the post you're objecting to. 4-2 over the road trip is a decent result. So is 6-4 over the last 10 games. By the way, 8 teams have a better record over the last 10; 3 other teams are at 6-4 like Portland. Is there a tone in stating those facts?

I got caught up in the tank for the pick mode like most people around here. For damn sure I was not the only one talking about a high lottery pick, so I sure wasn't alone in that tone. But I think it's pretty clear the Blazers will probably make the playoffs or at least make the play-in. Those 6 wins in the last 10 are part of that. My 'cynicism' is making me think it will probably make for a rinse-repeat of previous playoffs though. But if Dame is back playing well, and the Blazers can avoid both Phoenix and Golden State in the first round, maybe not

 

Still only 6 of 15 teams in WC above 500.

 

That's the weird thing - our season has felt like (and has been) a dumpster fire - but there are a lot of other teams also performing well below projections. The Clippers are a mess health-wise. The Lakers are just a mess. The Jazz have health issues AND their awful perimeter defense is finally catching up to them too despite Gobert. GSW is winning but Curry's shooting is awful. Denver has Jokic and a bunch of deadweight.

 

Okay, it was the tone. I’m over it.

 

sometimes parity is not a good thing

 

yes, it obviously means we're ready for prime time!

 

I understand...you thought I was too negative about the road trip, given the circumstances. I was just focusing on different circumstances in a reply to a post

 

How often does a team draft top 3 and win a championship with that player in the last 20 years? I think it’s only Duncan and LeBron. Is there a Duncan or LeBron in this draft?

 

You're very invested in the idea that this team is nothing without Dame. So, when they play well without him, you go to great lengths to downplay the sustainability or the quality of opponent. I can't speak for others, but that tone is pretty obvious to me at times.

 

Would have to throw it in a spreadsheet to compare. We're 20th in the league in terms of total possessions so it would be fairly to give a minor uptick to to how often we're passing per possession. Unfortunately, the only hurts the case for those extra passes providing a positive results

Just going off the data I can find. I know all the 7th grade coaches who have been preaching jump stops, pivots, and extra passes won't like the data though.

 

Out of the 74 NBA champions, most of them have come from the No. 1 (53) and No. 2 (12) seeds. That’s 65 titles between the two seeds and the rest were divided between the third (7), fourth (1) and sixth seeds (1).

 

It's neat that you're taking an interest, but honestly, I think it's irrelevant until the last 1/4 of next season.
Right now, we're in "learning to make the extra pass" mode. I don't expect an immediate payoff. If we're "contenders" (however one defines that) at the end of next season and the extra passing still doesn't pay off, then the experiment didn't work, and we need to reconsider our options.

 

ok...that's your interpretation of what I'm thinking

allow me my interpretation of what I was thinking: a 4-2 record on the road trip is fine, but there was some context to that 4-2 record I felt like pointing out

 

I agree with you 100% that half season stats don't mean a ton. I'd also add looking at a stat for one team vs all 30 teams has way less value. Luckily, I've been pulling this data for the last couple seasons, for all 30 teams, so we have 90 data points on if there is a correlation between more passes/more wins or more passes/better offensive rating. So far after 2.5 seasons and 90 data points, there has been nothing that connects the two. I'm highly confident if we went back 10 years, the lack of a correlation would continue.

To think passing matters signficantly more to Portland than other teams would take some mental gymnastics. So let's say randomly next year we pass a lot more and win more, I don't think one data set by one team would be enought to disprove a much larger data set.

 

Very interesting. I wonder if you screened out teams with a top 75 all time player, whether there would be some sort of correlation. "Top players don't need passing" would be a compelling narrative, though idk if it's true. However, the GS championship teams and the Spurs championship teams, for example, were very good passing teams.