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

I went last night-
1- They have no answer for Davis
2- They have no answer for Jrue; their perimeter defense is soft, and getting to the rim vs PDX is too easy
3- Give Gentry a lot of credit. I know hes a great, great man, and its nice to see him do well
4- Nurk going soft to the rim is absolutely the most frustrating thing ive seen this year
5- I NEVER, ever, talk about refs, but holy moly...I cant even begin to understand how they missed such blatant calls
6- The 13 game win streak was some other worldly event that doesn't make much sense other than they were hot playing against teams that were missing guys and not very good...because this whole "3rd best in West" was fools gold.

 

I know the effort isn't there and this isn't an excuse but the dude is straight up gassed. Sure wish we would have locked up the 3rd seed sooner to rest him.

 

In the streak, we beat healthy GS, Utah, and OKC teams and the latter two were on the road.

 

I speak a little German "Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch".

I had to look up the spelling of bisschen. Hey, my German is 50 years old, okay?

 

Basically, I wish he traded the pick for Mirotic as with him, we win this series, add I wish he traded it because I don't have confidence that he'll draft the right guy in this draft.

 

The refs weren't garbage huh?

 

Yep, they made many mistakes. But I do not attribute their errors to intentional errors. I think they were just sloppy.

 

If it was intentional I'd boycott the NBA.

 

You don't have to blame the refs after every loss, or even any loss (I don't like to either), but it's okay to acknowledge bad officiating when it happens and acknowledge that officiating (good or bad) does in fact have an effect on a game.

 

Dying?

 

But if we had Mirotic would he help us at all in this series? He can't guard Anthony Davis so people would be saying that he has no role in the series. The funny thing is that Vonleh would actually be our best player at defending AD.

I am choosing to believe that Olshey has been told to stay under the tax at the last two deadlines due to the team underperforming at that point in the season. The meeting between Dame and Allen was to make sure this would be the last year of that. We'll see this summer if they spend the necessary money.

I don't get having no faith in Olshey's drafting just because of Swanigan though.

 

It's more the draft class than Olshey. I have a gut feeling he's gonna miss.

 

Well our Pick is the 24th, so don't expect something Special

 

Hutchison could be there and he's special.

 

Alright, I've heard all the chit spoken, and read the hate as well at nauseam. Yes Holiday has played incredible, but when Dame misses a wide open shot, that's all it is . So on Thursday, if Holiday can't throw it in the ocean, it's because Dame locked him down, c'mon man! Yes, the double teams on Dame have been effective. Maybe the Blazers ought to try that some, huh coach. Don't get me wrong, Dame hasn't played well, but it's not because Holiday has just locked him down. Dame has missed many open looks. Now his assist are down. Doesn't help when the coach sits Nurk all second half. Now Nurk does need to get tougher, and play through pain. Dame does. I guess his threshold isn't the same, but who the heck knows when Terry sits him. So yes Dame has played poorly, but these idiotic remarks throwing him to the trash heap make me sick. Dame is a special player, and WILL continue to prove that. Maybe the Blazers don't win this series, but I haven't given up hope. This team is YOUNG, don't forget that doom and gloomers. The rest of the country doesn't seem to notice that fact at all. But it sure would be nice if some of the haters in here would. We Are Portland. We're fighters who have to work twice as hard to get the well earned respect. Stand Proud, and fight for your team.

 

I just think your better than that. Using a draft pick as a knock against Olshey in a draft that hasn't even happened yet isn't an argument that someone who wants to talk Blazers professionally would need to resort to.

 

I'm not using it as a knock against him. Having little confidence in his decision making in the future isn't a "knock" on him, which implies that he's already screwed up. He hasnt.h I just think he will.

A lot of it is, other than Hutchison, there's no one good at that portion of the draft. The draft is top heavy, and I believe Hutchison will either be gone by 24, and if not, it's unlikely that Olshey picks the specific player I want A with everyone else being extremely mediocre and not worth having over Mirotic.

 

Weren't the reason we lost

 

I have faith no matter where we pick but I'm a draft geek (as I'm sure you are too). Hutchinson has been available where we pick in a lot of way too early mock drafts so we'll see. No one thought Jimmy Butler would be an All-NBA player and he was picked 30th.

Despite being pissed with the Collins pick, I think he is clearly our starting PF as early as next year. Not only would Mirotic have taken playing time away from Collins but having his contract on the books would've hamstrung us this summer (assuming we used the TPE). I like the hope of a draft pick at a very low salary locked up for four years.