As good as Parsons was in the first half, he was that bad in the second half. Second half of 4th quarter and OT, Parsons was basically nonexistent . . . surprised he is talking shit.
100% agree. Batum's contribution to this team is for him to do a little bit of everything, not just score the basket. Parson was probably coached by McHale to try and use a mind game on Batum, since the mind game on Lillard was shit. Regardless, it would be nice for Batum to block a few of Parson's shots!
Do we want our 3rd/4th offensive option to be taking 20+ shots (like Parsons did)? I guess if he's scoring on them, but with the way LMA, Wes and Lillard were killing HOU I thought Nic's 6/10 shooting was exactly what was needed from him. Those 21 shots that Parsons took were 21 shots that could have been taken by Harden/Howard, which probably would have resulted in more fouls. Let's let Parsons take as many shots as he wants.
Apparently Nic is so good he only has to show up for half a game for the Blazers to win . . as evidenced in game 1. Funny because if Blazers lost I could name the 3-4 posters who would blame the loss on Batum. But even when Blazers win they win dog Nic for his first half performance and try to cliam that if Blazers lose, it will be because of Nic. Personally, I think Parsons is a stud of a player and glad Blazers have Nic to answer him.
We will see if Batum bites on the bait. Personally I think he's much smarter than this, as well as the coaching staff. And what's in bold is what McHale hopes Batum does for Portland. The more you take away from Lillard and Aldridge, the better chance they have to win. I really like how our team is the team with the edge. The Swag while the other team is just bitching and trying to get unfair advantages.
If Harden guards Batum tonight and he doesn't take advantage of it, I think Parsons will have a good case here.
Reminds me of the SacQueens vs. the Lakers. The bitching is a joke. I'm so glad we are on the other end of this madness. Our team used to bitch a lot too. This team is something special. They just let their game do the talking.
bitching/whining like these sorry sacks means you need an excuse/crutch because you lost, shows the character of that team
If you are referring to the time Nash was on Batum years ago, then it would be a great idea. This Batum is much different. Think about the pick and roll with Lopez. You think Harden is going to fight through a screen? LMAO! Lopez will thank McHale as he walks off the court.
Harden guarded Batum for a few possessions in the last game IIRC. Batum didn't really take advantage of him. Though if Houston plans to use this strategy for an extended period of time I hope Stotts sees this and adjusts.
These starters have gotten a lot of national praise, but the world never truly understood how deep and skilled they are all, that is about to change.
A motivated Batum doesn't equal a selfish Batum. It just means he's aggressive. I think Batum likes rebounds and assists every bit as much as points. It's just the type of player he is. At any rate Batum can score in a variety of ways when he's being aggressive and he's not the type of guy who'll continue to chuck up shots when he's not hitting. This can only help the Blazers, if anything, so hopefully it does.
So your plan is to have the Blazers run the PnR with them and not go to LaMarcus and Lillard often? Sure the pick and roll could work a few times, but it's not like Nic is always the best and making the best passes, either. He's not Steve Nash. Good team defense with Asik and Howard could negate it. And we already know Batum isn't going to make Harden pay 1 on 1.
