Game Six Forensic Fan (@ LAC, 11/8/14) From the Top: Flipping the script on most of the season so far, the Blazers got out to a hot start, taking a 62-53 lead into halftime. Their hot third-quarter streak halted in Staples Center though, and Dame’s foray into Lillard Time for the last 3 minutes came up a bit short. Clippers 106, Blazers 102. What to say about how good the officiating was? Shut up, K*be, no one asked you. Yeah, that’s more like it. Player of the game: Kind of has to be JJ Redick on this one. Don’t gloat—you didn’t have that pre-game, either. 10ppg on 29% shooting through the first 5 games didn’t scream “I’m about to go OFF!”, but I guess maybe it should have. 11-13 for 30 points, and the only starter on LAC who had a positive +/-. Plus, he was about the only Clipper who didn’t flop or try to get away with a cheap one at least twice. Monster Games ™: LaMarcus offset a poor shooting night to earn a double-double (21/10reb), Nic had another run at a triple-double with 10pt/8reb/8ast, but Dame’s 25/8/7 was the beastiest of the Monster Games. Points Per Shot: LaMarcus’ 22 points on 21 shots was barely over a 1.0, Dame’s 25 points on 14 shots was good for another stellar 1.78, Kaptain Kaman had 8 on 5 shots for a legit 1.6, but today’s goes to a guy who put up 19 on just 10 shots (1.90). Sideshow Rob, come on down! Coin Ratio: The Blazers’ hot start was predicated on great ball movement, and even with the stagnation of the second half maintained a good 25-assist-on-36-makes ratio. Nic busted a Buck again with 8 assists on 6 shots. Dame’s 8 dimes in 14 shots (57 cents) was well above-average for his style of play, while Blake’s bankruptcy (0 assists on 4 missed shots) was mentionable only for being so unmentionable Rebounding/Defense: The Blazers once again held their own on the boards, outrebounding LAC 43-37. LMA’s aforementioned 10 led the way, but DeAndre Jordan had 6 offensive rebounds and, for his final of 14, this crushing, uh, totally legal tap-out to seal the win. Bench: You knew it was too good to last, but regression is supposed to be to the mean, not past it. A game after their sweet 42-point effort, they went 5-17, for 13 points and 10 rebounds. Amazingly enough, it gets worse. Take out Kaman’s 4-5, and the bench went 1-12 with 5 points and 3 rebounds in 45 minutes. But it can’t get worse, right? I mean, unless you subscribe to the theory that the freshest legs on the team for tonight’s back-to-back are Crabbe, Leonard and Claver! Get some, guys! Final Thoughts: It’s a bit difficult to present a Forensic Fan after a game like this without crossing the line in multiple different areas. But hopefully there's a quick turnaround bounceback--yeah, we'll see tonight. Well, it’s about that time. Sad Blazers’ Bench photo. Today’s not worth a really retro one. Because while it was a bit of a throw-the-remote game, I think every fan watching knew in the middle of the third it was going to be a tough one. But we get another chance tonight v. Denver. Represent Rip City, Blazers Fans! And see you next time.
If Blake does ANYTHING the Blazers win. 0-4 from the field with more TOs than assists and a -15 in plus/minus. His inability to initiate offense or create anything for his teammates was something the Clips were completely taking advantage of when he was in the game. The guy plays very hard and does what he can but he just doesn't have the ability to do anything other than make a wide-open '3' or make the obvious pass in the flow of the offense. When he's able to do those things, great. When either of those things is not available, he is a liability.
I think that Bad Blanky comes around less often than Bad Mo, but I agree that Steve's not someone (like, say, Damian) who'll shoot himself out of a slump in-game. If he's struggling, then let's check out other options.
There really hasn't been much Good Blanky so far. He's shooting 26% from the field and most of those are wide-open '3's. Now he won't dominate the ball like Mo but he also won't create a shot for himself or anyone else outside of the most basic of passes in the offensive flow no matter how much Barrett raves about him. The vast majority of his assists are the 'swing the ball around the perimeter and Blake happens to be the last guy to touch the ball before the last player shoots' variety. If he is not hitting his wide-open shots, teams have no respect for anything else he does and the Clippers took advantage of that.
Bad mo is 10 times worse than bad Blake. Why? Because bad Blake doesn't shoot well, but he's not hoisting shot after shot and turning the ball over like Mo. Also, Mo plays zero defense, so we are always playing at least 4 on 5 on the defensive end. But alas, most you guys look only at the offensive stats, so it's falling on deaf ears.
I certainly wasn't saying I wanted Mo back or preferred him. Just that Blake is having a very poor start and even when good, he is very limited.
id argue that when blake is good, he offers the same or just below what mo gave us. and even an uptick in assists over mo.
I personally like him in the line-up. That limitation puts him in a role. He knows there are plenty of other players that score better than him, which he will look to give them looks. If it was someone like Mo, none of those guys would have shots unless they are with 2 seconds left to shoot
I like the team defense better with Blake. I like the team offensive style better with Blake. Mo may have led the team in free steak dinners, but I like the no-nonsense, focused, driven, disciplined, veteran leadership that Blake provides, and the impact that has on team identity. Same goes for Kaman. Those two are doing their jobs. It's up to the other backups to continue to develop and to do theirs.
