This is my first attempt at this, so here it goes. It seems to me great teams in every sport are built in a similar way. All sports playoffs seem to be a little slower and more physical. In baseball it helps if you have a dominant rotation and bullpen. In football it becomes a rushing and defensive game and hockey relies on goaltending and defense. Basketball is somewhat the same with the game slowing down and more points coming inside and without a lot of fast breaks. With an owner that has built a great defensive and rushing football team that was a coaches aneurysm away from back to back super bowls, I am shocked the owner hasn't insisted we be built or coached more conducive to winning playoff games. There are definitely exceptions to this, but I think the rule would be a good one to follow.
That and he takes A LOT of pressure and attention off of Damian, freeing up his game. Oh yeah, and he plays defense.
I'm surprised he hasn't looked at the blueprint of the Seahawk organization and what has made is successful in the last two years and try to replicate it down here. And then I remembered that would mean his removal in all player personal decisions. And then I become no longer surprised.
I was going to say, I miss Mediocre Man, but OneLife beat me. Mediocre Boy: Paul Allen hires GMs to make the decisions, though Allen stays in daily e-mail contact. So it doesn't surprise me that his GMs have different management philosophies. With statistics taking over NBA management, and with Aldridge insisting on staying 12 feet from the basket, we rely upon long 2-pointers. When I say I'd like to see a traditional emphasis on inside play, Aldridge fans always speak up. And now, playing injured has gotten Aldridge's head together, so there's less to criticize, just the usual about his taking plays off, spacing out except when trying to score. So I agree with you, but as long as Aldridge is a fixture, we can't change to a traditional inside-outside mix.
The Blazers are built around a guiding principle: Find SHOOTERS who can fill needed roles on our team. The reason for the board meltdown? Our shooters, who are fantastic shooters btw, are missing OPEN shots. Combine that with are extensive injury problems.... I was going to make its own thread for this, but check out how the Mavs are built: http://basketball.realgm.com/analys...As-Mavs-Unable-To-Look-At-Roster-Holistically
I dont know the NBA but my dad is a coach, so i understand basketball somewhat. Portland seemed to barely make it out of round one last year and got run out of the playoofs in round two with Matthews. Is he really the reason for the games this year, or is it jyst a comforting excuse? I dont mean any disrespect to any of you, but to me it seems like the same team make up and philosophy this year, and it just doesn't seem like this is the best way to go about it. As for shooters not making shots, could it be because Memphis is imposing their defensive will on Portland and making them take shots from areas of the court they arent as successful from?
Maybe if half the team could get diagnosed with fake ADHD, then they could legally snort adderall at halftime.
Lillard's shooting, not Matthews' absence, is why we're worse than a year ago. Plus, other teams have figured out Stotts' system, and even copied it.
We are fine. Who expected to win in Memphis without our SG or his replacement! Now that Afflalo is back, we will look much much better on offense and defense. Aldridge/Lopez/Kaman/Leonard have destroyed Gasol/ZBo/Koufus this series. We just need our guards to at least draw even with Conley/UDRIH/Lee and we will start winning games in this series.
I mean this with all due respect, KingSpeed, but this sounds like the definition of insanity to me. I am watching the league more and more, and it just seems the better performing teams are built a certain way and play a certain way. Saying "we are fine" and "who expected to win without so and so" doesn't address the problem. Portland is not fine. It was proven last year, and now this year that having a team that launches shots from the outside and doesn't play great defense is a way to fail in the playoffs. Winning has nothing to do with competing. Memphis is a better team, but Portland seems to be getting embarrassed
The team that is killing us is composed of players who were not known for defense before they came to Memphis. Zach was a notorious one-way player. Gasol was a lumbering beast. Only Tony Allen was really known for defense (and even that came in the NBA, I believe). Team defense can be improved whatever your roster, so I don't think it's necessarily the construction. (Golden State significantly improved theirs, as well.)
The next-round series between Memphis and Golden State should be an interesting clash of styles. Memphis is pretty much an outlier - they've traveled through a wormhole from the 90s. They don't even shoot many 3s.
Portland is "not fine" because Portland is injured. Healthy, Portland is built the right way. Not a finished product, but close. With a healthy Wes and Afflalo, and healthy remaining roster, Portland's defense was absolutely playoff quality. That's why we traded for Arron. This playoffs should have been a tune up and preparation for next season. If we get everyone back, continue to develop a few players and maybe add a piece we are right there next season. We caught some tough breaks. It happens. To us.
Good post. We did catch some bad breaks. But we're not alone. Halfway through last season it looked like the Pacers would be battling the Heat for several years worth of ECF/NBA championships. And who would have thought the Thunder wouldn't sniff the Finals again by now back in '12? Our fan base/local media is just so sensitive to the sky is falling mentality because in the past it has. Roy and Oden both done by 27 years old on the heels of everything before them (Jail Blazers then lottery) were unusually heavy blows to endure. But this is different. These aren't career threatening injuries, even Wes will be ok. The other guys we're missing are just nicked up at the wrong time. That, and our star PG is struggling, probably at least in part due to the defensive attention he's getting with so many backups on the floor. None of this means the team is constructed wrong or is falling apart, despite what a couple of local journalists would have you believe.
