1.) Of course Vonleh: The guy has so much potential and he's finally coming into his game. Last year he started half the season and did very little....this year he will be a beast. To me he has effectively replaced Meyers in the rotation. 2.) Free Throws: The Blazers were 22/22 at the line for 100%. I know the Blazers aren't always going to make them all, but I think it's going to be an area of improvement this year. 3.) Shot Selection: The Blazers didn't get comfortable with taking low percentage jumpers. They took high percentage shots off of screens, by keeping the offense fluid, and by creating shots. 4.) Confidence: The Blazers seem to have a higher level of confidence. There seemed to be a sense of maturity in the team. The cake is baking just fine.
To me. the biggest improvement last night was Lillard. When your best player continues to get better and take it to a whole new level, that's HUGE for the success of your team. Yes, it's a one game sample size, but it's all we have right now. Dame's shot selection and scoring efficiency were the best I've ever seen. He created his own offense, created for others and took his shots within the flow of the offense. As I said in the game thread, he was a hero without resorting to hero ball. Remember when finishing at the rim was a weakness? Last night, he repeatedly took the ball right at Rudy Gobert, The Stifle Tower, The French Rejection, all 9'7" standing reach and 7'9" wingspan and repeatedly scored over and around him. It was so easy, it looked unfair. He played within the flow of the offense, but when the game was on the lone, he put the team on his back and carried them to victory. If he keeps this up, this could be the season he makes the lea from and all star level player to a bona fide superstar. BNM
All great points. I also like that Dame got to the line 9 times and C.J. 7 times. That was one of the holes in their game last year. They were both aggressive attacking the basket and putting pressure on the defense. UTA is supposed to have an elite interior defense, and I know they were missing Favors last night, but Dame and C.J. shredded them all night, scored at the rim and drew fouls. I liked that aggressiveness. I liked the results even more. BNM
Dame was so controlled. He didn't chuck up too many shots out of rhythm, and his decision making was better than I've ever seen.
I did like the change up Stotts did after a crucial timeout. Next play Utah gets Dame switched on Joe but while Joe ran through the paint Dame switched off of Joe and Harkless took over. It was perfect change up to what they were doing before where Stotts would just leave Dame on Joe.
I like that Dame went chest to chest with Johnson even in the mismatch..he didn't play matador defense so he took the challenge even though he couldn't win that battle....good to see him get in the stance like Wes used to and at least make the effort...Defense and ball movement look improved...much better switching and help defense
That only happened because Plumlee had 4 fouls in his 15 minutes, so attempted zero free throws. His nickname should almost be haiku. "He's Iso Joe, but not Black Hole, shave and a haircut. Six bits."
Thought of liking this post until the last sentence. Meyers is the real deal. Noah may also be the real deal but it doesn't mean Meyers isn't. He's just getting back from the injury and I'm guessing his defense is still far from good (still haven't watched a game this year to really know) but Meyers is a vital part of the plan
Well if Mike Rice wasn't announcing anything, that is a huge plus! A negative though is that the Moda Center lost revenue from lost alcohol sales if he wasn't announcing.
Plumlee improved last year. ed davis was 100% from the stripe, even on such a small sample size, wowza has that ever happened?
I liked hurd actually as color commentator. i miss the mikes but it sounded like hurd is already a fan. calabro is very professional but kind of boring i think they will improve as a team though.
There was a signature sound with the mikes when watching the Blazers that's currently missing with these two guys. It will take awhile for the fans to get used to them. But I like what I'm hearing from the two. I've always liked Calabro and Hurd is excited. That is a refreshing thing. Rice most of the time was going through the motions and throwing in fillers hoping it would stick. I feel he was burned out a long time ago.
He was guarded by Dame twice during Johnson's run; Harkless, Crabbe, Davis, Aminu, Turner, and Leonard all got burned by him too.
Are you basing that off the stat, or did you watch the game and know where and when those turnovers happened? Two were specific passes where the player he was passing to took off in the middle of the pass, so it went out of bounds. Some of that isn't better ball handling, but simply getting more familiar with the teammates and their tendencies.
