Game Thread PLAYOFFS: ROUND 1, GAME 1: BLAZERS @ NUGGETS - MAY 22, 2021 - SATURDAY, 7:30, ESPN

It would be really nice to come back to Portland up 2-0!

 

I'm actually interested in watching tomorrow as well. There are a couple upsets brewing.

 

Fun stat:
Blazers 29 assists on 6 turnovers.

 

That's a fucking crazy stat because our season averages are a league low 21.3 assists per game and thankfully a league low 10.8 turnovers per game but 29 and 6 is out of this world and if we keep moving the ball like this without turning it over then this offense with all of it's potent scoring could do some very special things.

 

What is our record on assists (that are obv irrelevant in winning) this season?

 

This is a sweep

book it

 

I just blazed a nugget in celebration.

 

Dude if you enjoy watching two guys hug every 3-4 seconds, I guess that's cool too

 

Not the stats. Dude was facilitating the offense. Setting hard ass screens. Was actually super active on jokic, yet jokic was just hitting crazy hit. He played a gem of a game. Simons as well.

 

Agree, i have high expectations on Dame in this series. In the past Denver always did a great job to take Dame out of the game with Gary Harris and Torey Craig, they traded Harris and let Craig go, and now Murray and PJ Dozier are out, they have absolutely nobody who can even slow down Dame, i dont know if Dame will ever face a better matchup in his Playoff career than facing 5.10 Campazzo and Austin Rivers, Lillard should absolutely torch them in every game, that's why my expectations are so high in this series. Dame can and should play even better than in the OKC series

 

Jokic averaged 8.5 assists over the season. He averaged 3.5 against Portland in 3 games though.

We just come at him with a ton of size, and Nurkic knows his game better than any center in the league.

Make Jokic exert a ton of energy scoring in the post and defending high pick and rolls and just don't let him pass to open men.

Kanter looked to bump Jokic every second he was out there.

He can be extremely productive as a scorer and defender for 30 minutes, but not 40 minutes. He needs some possession off where he just stands there and passes to guys who score and gets a breather. He's not getting that. Not with Nurk and Kanter tag teaming him and nobody throwing doubles on him.

Jokic just looked gassed at the end. He shorted two shots, he didn't block Nurk under the rim, and he took a couple shots that were makeable but weren't as easy because he didn't back in.

I'm not sure what Denver does to combat this strategy. They just don't have personnel that can create their own shots when Jokic isn't doing it for them.

 

When you're responsible for 60 of the team's 123 points, that's a pretty good indicator.

 

I NEVER root for the L*kers!! (but, I just might in their series against the Suns. Shhhhh.......)

 

Absolutely, my point was that i expect numbers like that for the whole series. Dame is that good and the matchup is perfect for him

 

Im optimistic about our chances, but game 2 could be telling who actually wins this series. Don't get me wrong if we do end up losing we can still win the series, but game 2 is all about adjustments for Malone and Denver, specifically what are they going to do against Dame? Hard double? Not sure, but if they make the adjustments needed to pull out the win, dare I say it Stotts will have to figure out how to counter it in the future matchups. Until Denver proves it can stop it, though, definitely keep rolling with whats working Stotts.

 

Denver is very capable of playing better. Porter is a 44% 3 point shooter. He will not go 1-10 again.

But besides the fact, Portland scored 123, CJ, Dame, and NP were only 21-56 from the field. They can shoot better as well.

I never bashed Ant like some of you, but even I am amazed about his improvement. Not surprised about his 3 point shooting, but rather how comfortable he looks out there. I think he can be a good rebounder for a guard. He obviously has hops but he also reacts quickly to the ball.

I do think they will need one more defender to play. Either Little, Jones, or RHJ. Not major minutes but I think Terry needs to ease one of them in.
But which one? Little is the best shooter of the 3, but he is also the least experienced..... and would he get the rookie treatment from the refs? (Even if he is not a rookie)

 

10-25 isn't a perfect game. He can be better which is bad news for the Nuggets