It happens....we lost to the worst team in the league in the lockout season and beat the best..that was the Gerald Wallace, Ray Felton, Camby Blazers I believe. Fact is, we aren't getting blown out much at all this year..off the top of my head I think Philly, Detroit and GS have tromped us.
Yes...I'm not surprised Jeff would say that as he has never won a title. And of course the Draft is now getting more and more out of the question but most people talking about it were doing so when the Blazers were 10 or so games under .500 in a weak West and very close to the #4 pick. Glad the Blazers are playing better and hope they win a series or at least are competitive.
Jeff's never won a title but he's been to the finals...that's noteworthy. He's also someone who stood up for the Blazers beating the Warriors and said we didn't get the respect when they say Curry scores 31 in a loss. Darkweb was all over that one.
It is noteworthy...but fairly forgettable as well. Then again, he got to the Finals which means it was good playoff experience for his team which is quite different from getting swept and blown out in the 1st round. Again, things have changed. Portland was terrible in a very weak West early in the season. Now they are finally over .500 in still a weaker West but the team is improving. So as they have grown, good playoff experience would be helpful. At the time, if they had kept playing at that level, they needed more help than a 1st round drubbing would have provided.
Remember that brutal stretch in November where they lost 7 striaght games. But 4 of them were games they just flat out blew. Collapsed against the Pistons, lost to freaking Denver by 4, lost in the last seconds to Memphis by 1, then blew that triple OT game to Houston. If we had just won 3 of those games, including Memphis, we'd be seed #5 right now.
I'll never forget that finals series...Knicks haven't sniffed one since. Jeff had them in the conf finals as well as the championship game...why would you water that down Tpup? Did you also consider our last western conf finals forgettable? I sure don't. Nor the championship series against the Bulls
Yes they would have but at that point, which would have been more helpful. a #4/5 pick or a 1st round drubbing/blowout. NBA title...quite right. State, regional and even 2 national titles in other sports...then quite incorrect.
1st round blowout? wow....ok ...you and I have different value systems about playoff experience. What national titles have you won in what other sports?
Not watered down but certainly few remember the 2nd place team as much as the team that one it other than the losing teams own fans. I appreciate the fandom and emotional support for your team. I tend to come at it from a more league wide view and try to be more balance about it in the grander scheme of things. And if you knew my personal history, there are few bigger Blazers fans. I'm just not a big fan of mediocrity which is where the Blazers have resided for the vast majority of their franchise history. That doesn't mean I don't love my team, just a simple reality.
What's not a simple reality though is assuming they'll be blown out or swept in a first round series...and even just winning one against the Grizzlies last season definitely helped with the growth of guys like McCullom, Crabbe and Leonard. We are developing from within' and I like it. There's a bit of an oxymoron in saying you're not a fan of mediocrity, then saying your a fan of the Blazers but they have always been mediocre..just sayin' I tend to look ahead and as players take it game by game, I take it season by season.
I'm not assuming they would get blown out or swept. I'm questioning the value of such an experience. So you find out as a team you are no where in the ball park as who you just played....probably knew that already. I like their development as well and have stated such many times...not sure how anyone would like their recent direction. You can certainly be a fan of a team but not like how they are playing or have for much of their history. Cub fans are some of the most passionate there are yet if you ask them, most of them wish they had done better and don't prefer the mediocrity they have been in for decades.