My five points for Blazer improvement: 1. Defense 2. Perimeter Defense 3. Team Defense 4. Point Guard Defense 5. Defense
Interesting how much love Webster gets in the column. I am a big Martell fan, but I think Hendrickson might be overstating his impact a bit. I hope not, of course. Ed O.
I can't remember where I read this, whether it was on this forum or another forum. Anyways, this guy had a theory, that other teams shoot a high FT% against us because we allow so many open jumpshots, and we allow other teams to get into a rhythm. That once they step to the line, they can just knock it down in rhythm because they've been knocking down a lot of their field goals. Sounds kind of sketchy, but it's something to consider. Mike and Mike always talk about how missed free throws for the Blazers are usually contagious. Could free throw shooting be such a mental thing?
I think it's much more than just "sketchy"...I think it's substituting nonsense for explanation. Random variance seems to explain it much better. Looking at the numbers, Portland has the worst "free throw percentage against" at 80.8% and the best is 74.4%. So the variation is pretty large, and Portland's lead over #2 (Dallas at 80.1%) is pretty insignificant. Further, Portland was at 76.6% last year, and I don't think they played any significantly tighter defense. Also, the teams with the best "free throw defense" this season are Charlotte and New York. If you can't get in rhythm against them, you can't get in rhythm against anyone.