Blazers are top 5 after 3 games. I think tonight's game against the Nuggets will tell us a lot. https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/defense?dir=A&sort=DEF_RATING
what Portland is doing on defense is really encouraging... but yeah, it's too soon to jump to any conclusions
agree, liked what I have seen overall so far but need to see it continue. Also GPII when back will only make it better
And Sharpe getting some experience. He is already looking like a plus defender, but you can see the rookie mistakes here and there...
So far I see players wanting to play defense as much as players want to play offense. This so far is the best thing the coach has done. We are also pushing the ball up the court much faster this year which leads to easier baskets. Less one on one play and taking good three point shots without just jacking up shots on the move.
The only reason that the Lakers were even close to NBA level competition in all 3 games they played is their defense, since their offense is a hot, steaming, poopoo platter with undigested corn bits in it. Also, PHX being good at defense is not a surprise either. FWIW, I like the variable defense being shown with switching and zone, but the Blazers might have to add some drop-coverage if they want Nurk on the floor against mobile bigs on teams that can shoot the 3. PHX and LAL are not that, but you try and play Zone against say, Boston or Miami - and you are going to suffer.
Yeah, but depending on how you view it you could say the Blazers beat two really good defensive teams, or the Blazer's poor offense made both of those teams look good on D.
Not too early to talk about it, but too early for it to be a meaningful sample size. It sure feels a lot better than the preseason, though.
We know PHX is good on defense, they were last year and will continue to be this year, the guys they lost were better offensive players than defensive players, so no question about that. The Lakers have been close in 2 of the 3 games they played and had several good quarters against the Warriors. We know it was not because of their offense, so that defensive rating is no fluke. They are big and AD seems more mobile on defense this year. We can hope the Blazers will be score more easily against lesser defensive teams, for sure, but I am actually not surprised that both PHX and LAL are good defensively.
Not at all. I just saw that and 25th in offensive rating. It’s funny because the score more points and we will win is 100% true. But that doesn’t mean you have to score 140. Defense wins championships. This team can actually defend and that’s not really something that generally gets worse. But the opponents will learn your defensive tendencies and you might not get as many steals and forced TO’s in a playoff game as you would regular season. Always been something that stays pretty consistent over the course of an entire NBA season. For better… or worse. I think we will finish the season top 10 in Def Rating. But it’s a long season.
Games are often decided in the last few minutes of a game. There is a different type of intensity at the end of games and you need to be solid on both ends of the court. I think we have some clutch shooters, ball handlers, and a few solid defenders where we can be good at it.
I think the OPP 3pt % is one the biggest lines to watch, because it’s todays NBA. Part of it is out of your control, but part of it has to do with how well you guard the 3 pt line. Having a small lineup with quick players can help.
Ya need to see more. I think we might be relying too heavily on that zone and it can get scouted. Also... We're 25th on offense at the moment
The Blazers are pretty decent in it so far, but it was against 2 teams that are either horrible from 3P (LAL) or ones that concentrate on the mid-range (PHX)/ The only team that concentrated on 3P shooting so far was the Kings.
Yes, let’s. But first, let’s merge this with one of the very much on the same topic threads already existing and currently being actively posted in and viewed. http://www.sportstwo.com/threads/is-it-too-soon-to-talk-about-defensive-rating.379957/#post-5432061 http://www.sportstwo.com/threads/is-portland-the-best-team-in-the-west.379922/page-2#post-5432667
A very valid point, but the more we keep playing like this the more that sample size grows. Our first loss of the season will teach us as a lot. First big loss of the season 15-20+ (if we have one) will teach us much as well.
