Blazers Blow Out the (previously) 48-4 Warriors by 32 Current Record: 28-27 (7th in West, 0.5 games behind 6th) +/-: +1.1 (6th in West) ORtG: 107.6 (7th in NBA) DRtG: 106.4 (18th in NBA) SOS: -.20 (22nd in NBA) Streak(s): 4-0 in last 4, longest in west, longest in nba (tie) 9-1 in last 10 13-3 in last 16 http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2016.html http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/differential
After Gritty win against Utah... Current Record: 29-27 (7th in West, 0.5 games behind 6th) +/-: +1.1 (6th in West) ORtG: 107.9 (7th in NBA) DRtG: 106.6 (18th in NBA) SOS: -.20 (23rd in NBA) Streak(s): 5-0 in last 5, longest in west, longest in nba (tie) 9-1 in last 10 14-3 in last 17 http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2016.html http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/differential
After win against Brooklyn... Current Record: 30-27 (Tied for 6th in West, 3 games behind 5th) +/-: +1.3 (Tied for 5th in West) ORtG: 108.0 (7th in NBA) DRtG: 106.6 (18th in NBA) SOS: -.31 (23rd in NBA) Streak(s): 6-0 in last 6, longest streak in nba 10-1 in last 11 15-3 in last 18 http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2016.html http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/differential
Here's a little link for people (*cough* Talking Ball morons *cough*) who want to trade CJ: http://bkref.com/tiny/WAoQS CJ is playing like a maniac out there, and he should be our maniac forever. (btw, I was shocked to find that 2007-08 Steve Nash, at 33, shot about as well as Curry is now -- I was sure Curry's numbers were unique in the league)
Unless we're getting Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, or Paul George in return, trading C.J. would be foolish. Guys that can get you 20 points night in and night out are rare in this league. There are currently 21 players in the entire NBA averaging => 20ppg (not counting Griffin and Bledsoe who don't qualify). We have two and the two we have are among the youngest. Dame is currently 5th in scoring and C.J. is 15th. The only other teams in the league that are blessed with two 20ppg scores are GSW (50-5), OKC (40-16) and TOR (37-18). That's 3 of the top 5 teams in the league with a combined winning percentage of .765. Of course, there is more to winning than just having two 20ppg scorers, but it's a pretty good place to start. Although C.J. was a 4-year college player and is now in his third NBA season, there is only one player in the entire NBA who is younger than C.J. that averages more ppg. That player is Anthony Davis. So again, unless were getting Curry, Davis, Durant or George in return, I don't even listen to offers. I'm not claiming C.J. is a top five player in the league, but everyone else who scores more than him is either two old, too injury prone or too much of a head case. We know Dame and C.J. can play together and be successful (winning 15 of 18 have proven that). The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence. We are fortunate to have two young, unselfish, dynamic scorers who both want to be here and play well together. So, unless there is a no-brainer deal on the table, you don't take a chance on fucking up a good thing. BNM
Post of the week right there ... people need to take heed... the ones who think we need to trade CJ to get someone...better??
CJ's next step is to improve his ability to draw fouls. Despite shooting 45/40/80 on the season, his TS% is actually a pretty pedestrian 54% which is hovering around league average. Being able to drop 21 every night on league average efficiency is great don't get me wrong but if he could get a few more foul shots a game it's going to really cement his status as one of the premier offensive players in the league.
Man, the only thing I got out of that is how insane Curry is. 68% true shooting percentage on 21 attempts per game. He's got a higher true shooting percentage than a big man that only dunks with the usage rate of a shot happy chucker. GOD....DAMN.
@Dan Marang talked about that in his CJ podcast, specifically noting that in addition to his historically low free throw rate, CJ also has had a very low rate finishing at the rim. Over the last several games, however, CJ's rim finishing seems to have improved significantly, which could be the thing that takes him to the next level.
One reason I'd be very reluctant to trade C.J. is he has not yet reached his full potential. When I look at the list of current 20 ppg scorers, it's not just that he's the second youngest player on that list, it's that most of the players above him did not reach their peak until they were older, had more NBA experience, or both. Curry and Thompson are clearly the best backcourt in the NBA now, but in terms of age and experience, Dame and C.J. are at least equal, perhaps slightly ahead of where Curry and Thompson were at similar ages/levels of experience. That's one reason, I did include Klay Thompson on my list of no-brainer trade options. Talent/production wise, the two are pretty close, with a slight advantage to Klay. But Klay is almost 2 years older than C.J. and did not become a 20 ppg scorer until his 4th season in the league. Klay shoots higher percentages and is a better defender, but C.J. is younger and a better ballhandler and distributor. So, I wouldn't risk destroying chemistry and narrowing our window by two years for what's pretty close to a lateral move. Point being, C.J. still has areas he can improve, but he also has time to make those improvements. He's still a year, or two away from entering the beginning of the prime of his career. BNM
That's the thing that Dame and C.J. have in common, when someone points out a weakness in their game, they work on improving that area. They don't pout or get defensive, they listen to legitimate criticism and work hard to improve their weaknesses. And this isn't the same thing as having a chip on your shoulder when you feel slighted or disrespected and using that as motivation. This is about being smart, realizing you still have areas for improvement, and working hard to improve those facets of your game. BNM
I suppose getting hit a few more times at the rim wouldn't hurt. And I do like his latest CP3 / Steph Curry move where he stops when he feels a defender approaching from behind. But for the most part I really enjoy his ability to stop on a dime and hit the open jumper. His move and his shot is so quick he is not going to draw fouls, because no one is close to him. And that is a very good problem to have. Plus it take less of a toll on his body. Maybe he is fresher in the 4th because of it?
I'm not sure about the finishing at the rim thing. CJ has a stellar floater from 10 feet. He avoids unnecessary contact. It'll prolong his career.
It's not about quantity of rim finishes, but quality. If, when he gets to the rim, he's converting less than half the time, then more attention will be paid to the possibility of that floater, and it will be less accessible to him. If he can convert above 60% of the time when he gets to the rim, then he'll be considered a threat there, and defenders will endeavor more to prevent him from reaching the hoop, making other shots easier, or at least more open.
CJ has kicked up up a notch particularly on drives lately- what's been the bigger factor for his success lately is the fact that he's shooting 65% on the catch and shoot. All season long his pull up game was masterful, but that has fallen to the wayside- around 38%. He's clearly benefitting from the additional attention that defenses are paying to Lillard, and he's knocking down open J's more regularly. There will be some regression when you're shooting like that- but if he gets hot with his pull up game at the same time?! Well.. you've seen what he's done the last few games. EDIT: for reference sake- the time period I'm quoting is the month of February. Small sample size but it's a definite change (game plan/execution wise) so I feel it's wise to take a look at it (with a grain of salt of course). http://stats.nba.com/tracking/#!/pl...&CF=TEAM_ABBREVIATION*E*por&sort=DRIVES&dir=1
Both Dame and CJ are getting to the rim more- but a lot of those "rim looks" are coming in the open court. They've both increased their points in transition and points in the paint over the last month- quite a bit. That factors into the increasing percentage/efficiency at the rim from both of them- CJ is actually drawing less fouls (crazy, right?!) While Dame is getting to the line more often - particularly off the PnR action with a trailing defender. As for CJ in particular, he's going to the rim more aggressively and adjusting on the fly better. He's not floating towards the baseline/away from the hoop as much on lay ups. But, he's still using the rim to protect his shot a ton (going to the reverse or other side of the hoop). Hell, he even dunked the other night (14th dunk of his career BTW- yes I checked...)
Maybe CJ can learn to get whistles at the rim like Dame did magically overnight. I'm sure Dame will tell CJ his secret method that has nothing to do with the refs calling reputation instead of the game.
