Game Thread GAME# 49: BLAZERS @ THUNDER - JANUARY 22, 2019 - TUESDAY, 5:00 PM, NBATV & NBCSNW

We offered three first round picks and any player besides our big 3. Pacers could’ve had Donovan Mitchell, Kyle Kuzma, and Mo Harkless. They passed.

 

Because I'm not a fucking idiot. For Pritchard to send him to us we'd have had to trade Dame.

 

Impossible? We scored 112. Need better D.

 

This is my biggest problem with Stotts. He just REFUSES to play through Nurk late in games, instead leaning on Dame and CJ. The offense hasn’t *consistently* evolved in three years. You’ll see flashes of things that work, but as soon as some adversity inevitably hits, its right back to Dame CJ Dame CJ Dame CJ Dame CJ Dame CJ.

 

He didn't get a chance tonight because of OKC's defensive scheme against Nurk.
Lamar Hurd even mentioned this on the broadcast... With how much Hurd/Calaboro miss during games. The fact that they saw it obviously it was obvious.

 

They were denying the cuts around Nurk hard, and he forced passes he shouldn't have several times, and we went away from it.

 

The Blazers got there and in their motel rooms by 4 am after playing in Utah last night. I think maybe they might have run out of gas.
Pretty obvious that team was giving everything they had. Just didn't have enough to in the end. Got to give OKC props for playing that game to win on their court.

 

Did they even post Nurkic tonight? He fucking owns Adams yet I can’t remember off the top one designed post up.

 

Ah fuck, not Blazers Outsiders...

 

Exactly. So there shouldn't be any talk about 'oh Stotts didn't run the offense through Nurk'.
It obviously wasn't working as easily as it has against previous teams. Can't keep going to the well that doesn't exist.

What it did do, is allow CJ and Lillard space to operate in the lane.

 

I don't even know if that would do it. It would create better opportunities for Nurk 1 on 1 and take pressure off of Dame and CJ but you still need another consistant scorer. Layman's success the last couple of games absolutely made that difference. But he got caught up by the OKC D and looked pretty frustrated.

 

Posting Nurk is completely different than what Portland has been doing.
Not saying it shouldn't happen, but Portland tried to run the same stuff through Nurk with him in the high post.
OKC just refused to get beat by backdoors.

tldr having Nurk own adams in the post is not having Nurk get others involved.
That's old Aldridge offense.

 

You might be underestimating Russel Westbrook. Dude is a freaking bad ass. I would put money he would kick the shit out of just about anyone in the Bosnian League that tried. Just sayin.

 

That’s what I’m saying. If that’s not there, why not try something else?

 

Yeah. We just made too many mistakes and got ourselves in a hole, and then kept making them every time we got close to getting out of it. We shot just over 25% from 3 and they were basically 50%.

 

I give OKC all due credit for the win. PG13 is having a great season.

 

They did try something else.
Just not low post Aldridge type offense.
It seemed to work as CJ/Lillard/Nurk lines show so.
But back to the basket post ups don't really get others involved.

 

He wouldn’t last a day in Bosnia. Youre talking about a war torn country, they’d laugh in Westbrook’s face (like Nurk) because he hasn’t experienced half the stuff they have. He’s literally a joke.

 

I think I care more about Stotts not having the team ready for the pressure defense OKC applies than Portland's 3 point %.
If Portland limits OKC to half of the steals they got, Portland walks away with this game.

BD obviously had the Thunder ready for Nurk. Why didn't Stotts have Portland ready for gambling defense?

But I've had this same issue with Stotts for a few years now.
Gambling/pressure defense and Stotts looks like this guy.