The Truth

I tried to stay away, to just sit back and watch the forum while spending some time talking baseball with the Yankees fans, the NFL and Wrestling, until I realized the rest of the forum is basically dead.

I tried so hard but thread after thread crying about the refs appeared and I just could not take it anymore.

Here is the truth plain and simple. Do you know why Houston is a title contender, albeit a long shot, but still a contender? Part of it has to do with James Harden and Dwight Howard but the biggest reason why they are a contender is because they will do whatever it takes to win a game. Maybe it is Patrick Beverly tackling Russell Westbrook, or flopping after Lillard sticks his elbow out too far, maybe it is James Harden attacking the rim time and time again and going down like he is shot whenever there is contact, maybe it is crying to the refs when your not getting calls or maybe it is Dwight Howard pushing people out of the way in order to get rebounds.

For some reason Portland does not play that way and because they don't they have a long ways to go before they can be considered title contenders.

Hate on Jason Quick all you want but he was right Portland needs more out of its big three than it is getting.

LA shoots too many jumpers plain and simple, I waited and waited for his numbers to rebound but they just haven't, 46% from the field is solid for a small forward or guard who take half of their shots as 3's but not for a PF taking 98% of their shots inside the arc. In addition, his help defense, especially on pick and roll is terrible. Overall he is a great piece but he needs to get some easier buckets, and improve his help defense before he can really become this team's Dark Knight.

Lillard is a little careless with the ball on drives, he has been that way throughout college and while his awareness has improved, he still gets a little careless or reckless in traffic. Defensively Lillard tries but he is getting murdered not just by elite PG's but by average to bad ones as well. Lin, Calderon, Hill, and Rubio are not guards you should need to fear, yet Lillard allows them too often to get into the paint and control the game. Go under a pick from time to time, ask for a switch, do something besides fight through a screen and end up trailing the ball handler into the paint.

Batum needs too shoot more simple as that, he makes 11.3 million and he needs to act like it. Take around 3 jumpers a game away from LA and give them to Batum. The more confident Batum is shooting the ball the less stupid passes there are for him to attempt. When Batum plays with confidence and swagger you seem some of the Scottie Pippen comparisons come to life, when he plays passively, the turnovers and the inconsistency emerge.

The Indiana Pacers are a lot like the Blazers in the way they try to play the game the right way and straight up. The Pacers are also a much better team and I believe if they continue to play with honor and integrity it is going to cost them. Lebron James learned his lesson and he now does whatever it takes to win, the same with Dwayne Wade and the rest of the Heat. The margin for victory in this league is so slim that if you are not willing to do whatever it takes to win then you are always going to be sitting at home watching someone else enjoy a parade in their honor.

Love it or hate it but those are the facts.

 

Sorry but it's the truth?

 

If that's what it takes to be a contender, count me out.

 

Um we know the team has to play better. How is that news? Quick isn't offering anything interesting to the discussion. You, however, did. You said we should cheat. That's an interesting point of view.

 

Apparently, someone needs to consult the dictionary to discover the difference between "truth" and "opinion".

 

What you are saying is that we don't cheat. We just put our heads down and play ball.

Well, so *ucking what?

 

I think there is something to what you are saying.

I think you have to play a more physical, defensive brand of basketball going into the playoffs. Some of these guys on Portland, I feel should be further ahead in this area than they are. They seen the playoffs twice. Who are the players I'm talking about? LA and Nic. They are both old enough and have been to the playoffs a couple time to know and understand what you have to bring to the game once you reach that stage. Instead, they bother appear to be oblivious to it. With a month and half left, that could change.

With that said, I'm not sure pushing and getting by with shoving people three to five feet should be considered lawful and should be any part of the game. That's what Houston did last night. This is not football.

 

I suggest you "stay away" longer. The Yankees forum can use you.

 

Oh I will return Yankees fans maybe crazy passionate homers but at least they have 27 reasons to think they are better than everyone. Portland fans act like this because it is either root for the Blazers or Minor League Soccer. But before I go you need to understand part of the reason Portland continues to say wait until next year, while teams like the Thunder, Spurs, Heat and even the damn Clippers believe they can win this year.

To help France win Batum punched someone in the balls, you do not see that passion from him in a Blazer uniform.

 

Opinions are like assholes

Delicious

 

I'm so disappointed. I thought this thread as going to be about Paul Pierce.

BNM

 

Portland fans act like what? Know-it-all posts and goodbye posts, only to return yet again to say the same thing over and over? That seems to be your m.o. Are you leaving for good again? BTW, thanks for letting us know which boards you've been hanging out on in what I guess was your absence? I say 'guess,' because I really didn't even realize you'd been gone.

 

I was hoping for Carl Williams, in some sort of retro boxing/get tougher post.



A lesser talent, yet took Larry Holmes to 15 rounds, and won that fight, IMO.

 

totally agree with quick AND lamarcus needs tog et his fucking ass down low in the last two minutes. quit with these fucking horrible jump shots hes taking 20 feet out

 

I will never support flopping. There's a difference between taking a charge and maybe making it a little more obvious, and the bullshit that the Rockets do. If that's what it takes to win in the NBA, I don't want any part of it. That's not basketball.

 

At some point, and I'm afraid that day is very near, roller derby will have more credibility than NBA basketball.

BNM

 

I used to love basketball. I used to watch the Bulls, the Pacers, the Magic, etc. There were so many good teams and good players. Great rivalries to watch in both conferences. At this point I only watch the Blazers, and I'm getting to a level of apathy about the NBA that I might stop doing that. It's clear that the league is not on the up and up. I've seen way too many games where you can tell the refs have an agenda. I thought once LA and Dame made the All-Star team they would start getting some calls, but I have yet to see it happen. The league is very clearly about money and nothing else. They don't care about the product on the court. They only care what will make money and that, in their eyes, is superstars.

If we had any other pro team, I would probably lose interest in the NBA entirely.

 

No wonder the new commissioner is named Adam Silver.

 

That is because you have ran off enough contributors to this forum it must be hard to keep track.