Yes I concede I went overboard implying that Lillard is being outplayed by Rivers. The bottom line is Dame is playing far,far below the level of his own standards. If you can't see how sound passing and shot selection, as an example to the rest of the team, constitutes good leadership; and, you can't see that he is playing at an extreme level below his own usual standards - Then I don't know, opinions and all as you say - but you might want to get your eyes checked.
See that's the problem, Lillard isn't open off the ball. No one on the roster sets a solid screen like jordan does. Everyone watched all series so far CP3/Rivers/that90yearolddude grab, pull, hold, hand check whenever Lillard is off the ball to prevent him from getting it. The Blazer offense has even led to bad shots for Hendo/Crabbe/Aminu/Plumlee when they are specifically looking to get Lillard the ball with off the ball action. There are only so many times you can go backdoor in a series before the most athletic big in the NBA starts to key in on you.
But see your admission of Lillard's pride wanting to get better should allow you to back off the criticisms. IF you know he is going to work on it, then why keep bitching about it? Just let him do it...
I don't measure leadership by numbers Leadership is an intangible. And Dame has never slumped in that. My eyes are fine, though, thanks for asking.
Strange thing to say on a fan board. If a Blazer misses 10 free throws in a game, we talk about it. If someone throws a ridiculous pass, we talk about it. We talk about the Blazers on this board. That's what we do. That's why this board exists.
Yep, that's the one. "No one's going to remember the Open 10 years from now, who won...but they'll remember your 12!"
I'm honestly not sure if I'm attracted to her. Sometimes she's attractive.... and then sometimes not.
Bitching and discussing are two different things in my book. The OP in my opinion, is very much bitching and not discussing. Bitching often comes with exaggerations. Discussions come with a sense of levity and rationality. You can steer the conversation any way you like. But I'm telling you, your just rolling around the merry go round...Your never gonna be happy because what you want is simply not realistic. And why? Because you refuse to see past Dame to view the whole game in process and what effect Dame has on his teammates and what effect the opponents defense has on Dame. The extensive threads and constant bitching wears on some of us who also come here to discuss. If you want to continue to beat a dead horse with unrealistic expectations, then you better expect some rebuttals. That's why this board exists after all, right? Binx on that for a bit will ya?
The length of this thread and the quality and thoughtfulness of all the responses is an indication of just how relevant the topic is. No one has unrealistic expectations for Lillard. We've all watched him play for 4 years now and we are fully aware of what he can do on the basketball court. His own admission that the Clippers have been limiting his effectiveness is a sign of just how far he is playing below his own expectations. Let's hope he busts out tonight and reminds us all of how truly great he can be for an entire game.
But no player is perfect. They all have holes in their game. You could start a thread on a Warriors forum talking about how bad Steph is at defense. Or how he never gets to the line. What is frustrating to me is how quickly people seem to turn on him.
Sometimes you have to give credit to your opponent. Clippers have done everything they can to not let Lillard beat them. Even if it means giving up uncontested shots to Aminu and others. It's not like Dame is missing wide open shots. Even the ones he made in the 4th of Game 5 were tough. The 1st one with Rivers draped all over him was just sick. When he splits the double team he's got Jordan or Aldrich meeting him at the rim. It's a tough matchup for him even without Paul. You can't overstate how important it is for our secondary options to hit open shots in this case. Aminu, Harkless, AC, and Hendu can blow game 6 wide open if they can take advantage. Assuming we survive and advance to play GS Dame will play better because he'll get better shots. And no DJ to worry about. Some of his blocks on Lillard have been ridiculous where he's chasing the play and erases what looks like an open layup. That won't happen against GS. There will be other issues to deal with if we get to that series, but I doubt they can do to Lillard what the Clippers have.
The Warriors don't have a rim protector like Jordan (thank god). They also don't have a guard who can defend as well as CP3.
Binx, Please read below. Then read it again. You are asking for something that isnt there... give it up. Start a new topic, but please stop beating this to death....
Why don't you start a new topic instead of replying to this one? Or, better yet, go off and find a cure for cancer, or do something for the starving orphans in Africa. Meanwhile, the rest of us will keep talking about the Blazer topics that interest us.
I'm 99% certain you took my quote out of context to fit your argument. I would never criticize Dame for not forcing shots and making the right play. I criticize him for not taking control of his team when they are playing sloppy. I criticize him for taking bad shots that are out of rhythm and off balance.
