Game Thread PLAYOFFS: ROUND 1, GAME 2: PELICANS @ BLAZERS - APRIL 17, 2018, TUESDAY, 7:30 PM (PDT), TNT & NBCSNW

Words over substance. If he is waiting until now to find a challenge, I question his basketball acumen.

 

"Stotts has to morph into a better coach", ain't that the truth. Nurk, 15 minutes. That's absolutely asinine. The Blazers couldn't buy a rebound after tying the game. Nurk should have been inserted into the lineup.

 

I actually believe the NBA wants the Pelicans to be a thing.

 

i just got home from work, and considering the day i had i honestly think someone gonna end up on the First 48 if i watch this after reading the last dozen pages or so.

this is really REALLY fuckin underwhelming.

 

Is that why Lillard was one of the 6 players pictured in the collage they put out at the beginning of the playoffs. Anthony Davis wasn't in that picture. It was Harden, Dame, DeRozen, Simmons, LeBron, Durant.

 

We avoided the Rockets and Warriors to advance but looks like we are going to get swept anyways lol.

 

I think that collage was done by ESPN, not the NBA

 

He knows he's not a good coach, so he's got the soft skills.

 

Let's be honest it's because Davis is ugly as sin.

 

Love Lillard but the fact is he's lost 8 playoff games in a row.

Starting to feel like Lillard time is the regular season.

But Stotts is also to blame. He had two days to adapt to how they're playing Lillard and failed miserably.

 

Lillard has won 11 playoff games including a series winning buzzer beater. Davis has won 2 games. He has Rondo as an effective leader but Dame has more experience and he's an MVP candidate and first team All NBA for a reason.

 

The reason being those are regular season awards.

 

I love Dame but the 'MVP' candidate is being dominated by whomever you pick of the starting guards on the Pelicans.

 

A couple of things:

1. Refs absolutely railed the Blazers. I have never seen that amount of oddly missed calls in a playoff game. It was HUGE and it was a big reason the Blazers lost this game.

2. Damian Lillard is overrated, or at least was by me. . His decision making is just not good for a point guard. The role-players (minus Evan Turner) all played as well as you can expect from them. There's only so many excuses you can make for the man before you realize he gets demolished by every single opposing guard he's faced off against in the playoffs. He's my favorite. I wish he was better. But he's just not a top tier talent. I think the Blazers should consider seeing what they can get for him.

3. Moe Harkless is REALLY good. If the Blazers somehow come back and win this series, it's because Harkless has legitimately transformed into a an elite level role-player. The man was a team high (by far) +10 in 27 minutes of action tonight. He went 5-5 from the floor, with 5 rebounds, a block, and good defense...All while coming off of an injured knee.

4. Stotts is not just 'not a good coach', but he's a 'bad coach'. I've been trying to avoid labeling him as long as possible, but man, playing Turner 20 minutes when he's by far the worst player you can run out there is mind boggling. The Blazers run the exact same thing on both sides of the ball with only slight variation every single game. It's either the team is full of dumb players who need to be traded, or the coach is bad. He seems like a swell dude, but he's bad.

5. Sticking with my prediction that Pelicans win this in 5/6. They have a better team, the two best players on the court at any given time, and somehow a better coach. I think Dame will get hot and steal a game, but otherwise we are clearly out of our league.

 

Do not use "adapt", "adjust", or "anticipate" when discussing Stotts.

It only confuses people.

 

Yup. But apparently Olshey didn't have a 1st round pick to trade...

Oh wait.. we have to draft the next Caleb Swanigan..

 

At the game I was thinking how nice it was not to see a single fan of the Pelicans there (they later showed one on the jumbotron but that is it). At the playoff games versus the Warriors last year it was fucking pathetic how many GS fans there were.

After the game though it really pisses me off that we are losing to that crap franchise.