Where was Aldridge in crunch time? Why did Stotts keep him on the bench? He was the hottest guy on the floor and yet we didn't use him when we needed him most. Was Aldridge injured, or was this just our way of sending the Warriors into the post-season with a little momentum?
I think you have to just let the last 15 games or so go and chalk it up to tanking to justify it in our Blazer minds. Yea we get the 10th pick! Along the way we had to deal with embarrassing loses, set franchise records for loses, lost all our home mojo and basically played embarrassing basketball . . . but hey we got the 10th pick instead of the 12th.
I thought PapaG's response was accurate. He was playing too well. We cut a 14 point half time deficit to 3 at the end of the third quarter and we had all the momentum. Winning that 4th qtr would have more than likely cost us 2 positions in the draft. That would have been a bad win.
They did not tank the whole 15 games. They lost many of those with all our players trying hard to win. But when it was obvious we were out of it.......yeah then we tanked it by playing our younger players.
Did you really think they were trying to win? Some of those scores and the level of play tells me players were checked out a while ago . . . especially some of those loses at home. For me, last night was just a continuation of they type of basketball they have been playing the last few weeks . . . I don't know if they are playing to lose, but they weren't playing to win, IMO.
It's pretty clear that Aldridge, Batum, and Matthews would have been playing the last few games if this were a playoff chase--or if it were the playoffs. But Portland has been sitting them under the convenient excuse of "injuries" in order to strengthen their standing in the draft. This was on full display last night when Aldridge got pulled with about 10 minutes left in the game. We had a real chance to win this one, but we didn't want to win it. Flat out. WE DID NOT WANT TO WIN. It's pretty embarrassing, but it's the truth. Every Blazer fan who paid money to attend that game last night was sold a false bill of goods.
A small glimmer of hope: Golden State lost 17 of their last 20 games last year while dealing with injuries, and look at how they bounced back this year.
I said they did no tank the whole 15. They were still on a east coast swing when the steak started. Right after two big wins in Chicago and ATL. The last game in OKC and the first game back against Brooklyn......they were fatigued, not tanking. The game at home against Utah...they were up 8 late before losing in the last 3 minutes. Yeah they tried during the beginning of the streak. They played bad, but they tried. They either got off too slow starts and tried to get back into it late (I.e Barton's big game) or they started off oK and then the bench let them down. But hey, this is what most of this forum wanted. Why complain now?
How do you know all the fans wanted to win? Maybe they just wanted to see a good game. And they got one. It was a good game. Blazer fans are smart. They knew what was at stake before they entered that arena.
What was "at stake"?? Are you kidding me? You think getting the 10th pick instead of the 11th pick is going to turn this franchise around? This is a piss-poor draft and nobody knows if any of these guys are going to be difference-makers. The idea that we lost a game intentionally--and matched a record 13-game losing streak--just to move up one more pick in a weak draft is nauseating.
