It was discussed in the forum well before the Brooklyn game about whether Billups would take Simons and Lillard out of a game on a defensive possession. The Blazers had such a defense-only possession and there was no reason to have Lillard or Simons in the game. The score was tied, so Brooklyn wouldn't foul intentionally if they didn't get the rebound. The Blazers had a timeout and would have used it if they had they got the initial rebound. Did Billups even tell us why he made such a blatantly wrong coaching decision?
It was a head scratcher for sure. The most simple explanation was to not ruffle feather or show , whether earned or not, he had faith in them in a game that meant more to me than probably any of the team. Hopefully next time he will reconsider. But it was a meaningless game more or less.
Outside of Atlanta, I can't think of a team in the league that does offense/defense substitutions involving their best offensive player, let alone their top two. Not saying that its the right move, but it's certainly uncommon.
