Spurs & Blazers 1&2 and both teams on a 7 game win streak

[k0kakw0rld]

Spurs 9-1 What else can we say about this team *BEAST*
Blazers 9-2 Playing great basketball :applause: The surprise of the year?
Lillard & LMA all stars, who's with me? :rockon:

LMA 22.6 PPG 9.2 RPG :applause:
Lillard 20 PPG 4.5 Rebs 6 APG :applause:

[Droid101]

Are you a Blazer fan? Why would you want them to win? They can't win a playoff series with this roster. Why not tank for picks?

[VIntageNOvel]

Are you a Blazer fan? Why would you want them to win? They can't win a playoff series with this roster. Why not tank for picks?

sadly its true,
blazers need 1 more star player to become a legit contender,
its the perfect time to tank
they are young and have solid pieces in batum and LMA,
this way they would only on clippers territory

[BallsOut]

sadly its true,
blazers need 1 more star player to become a legit contender,
its the perfect time to tank
they are young and have solid pieces in batum and hickson,
this way they would only on clippers territory

I thought Hickson was with the Nuggets now :biggums:

[Droid101]

sadly its true,
blazers need 1 more star player to become a legit contender,
its the perfect time to tank
they are young and have solid pieces in batum and hickson,
this way they would only on clippers territory
Right?

Don't get me wrong.. my entire family is from Portland so I enjoy when the Blazers do well...


But this is not the season to try. They'll get demolished in the playoffs.

Keep on keeping on.

[Mr. NBA]

Mike Conley is putting similar numbers to Lillard but better efficiency and much better defense.

19/5/2 on 50% with 2 steals.

Unfortunately, both guys have no chance over Westbrook and CP3. Too much star power.

[qrich]

I thought Hickson was with the Nuggets now :biggums:

He is, I'm sure he meant Aldridge.



As already stated, Portland has some real solid pieces, but why go all out for a one and done? They aren't going to be a free agent destination and I can't see them acquring the final pieces via trade. I really like three of the five starters they have, but those three aren't going to be enough to overcome, and they need to further bolster their bench.

[All Net]

Fun team to watch but do agree they are one move away from contender status.

[VIntageNOvel]

I thought Hickson was with the Nuggets now :biggums:


He is, I'm sure he meant Aldridge.



As already stated, Portland has some real solid pieces, but why go all out for a one and done? They aren't going to be a free agent destination and I can't see them acquring the final pieces via trade. I really like three of the five starters they have, but those three aren't going to be enough to overcome, and they need to further bolster their bench.

yeah my bad:facepalm


Right?

Don't get me wrong.. my entire family is from Portland so I enjoy when the Blazers do well...


But this is not the season to try. They'll get demolished in the playoffs.

Keep on keeping on.

batum is great 3rd/4rd option just like chandler parson
but unless lilard become top 3 player in the future (which is i doubt), lilard&LMA would be another CP3 & Griffin

imagine if they add wiggin/randle/parker :eek:

same thing can be said to the wolves,
and look at the standing in the west,
#9-10 = suns and memphis with 55% win :facepalm
this is the best time to tank yet they decide to grit their teeth aiming for playoff (including pelican, noel + pick for jrue just :facepalm )

but its blessing in disguise for the lakers,
in the east we would be in the playoff :lol

[Myth]

I disagree with the tank idea. If you build a culture of losing season after losing season, good players won't want to go or stay there. Last year, Blazers were in the playoff hunt with an atrocious bench and a defensive liability at center. If we try to tank or avoided getting better, we lose Aldridge in hopes of getting a lottery pick that works out, but continue establishing a culture of losing.

What they need to do is model the team after the championship Mavs, and they have done a decent job of moving in that direction (Keep in mind that Stotts was credited with the Mavs offense). Mavs succeeded on offense by putting Dirk at the free throw line and surrounding him by 3 point shooters, who were good at swinging the ball around. Blazers are now starting to do this, which is why they are hitting shots at a high clip, with the difference being that Aldridge prefers to stand to the side of the elbow instead of right at the free throw line. The addition of Mo Williams is great, but not for the reason many think. He is great because he is the first vet lured to Portland to come off the bench and add depth, and him succeeding with the team can open the eyes of other vets. Blazers need to continue making the team a destination vets want to go to by making a culture of trying to win rather than being known to tank. All the Blazers need to do is get to the playoffs (which gives guys like Lillard experience), then hope that by the 2015 playoffs we have 1 good run (taking a team to 6 or 7 games in the 2nd round is sufficient) and players will view the team like the Warriors after their recent run, which will make them more willing to join the team in hopes of making the next jump.

[BlazerRed]

I disagree with the tank idea. If you build a culture of losing season after losing season, good players won't want to go or stay there. Last year, Blazers were in the playoff hunt with an atrocious bench and a defensive liability at center. If we try to tank or avoided getting better, we lose Aldridge in hopes of getting a lottery pick that works out, but continue establishing a culture of losing.

What they need to do is model the team after the championship Mavs, and they have done a decent job of moving in that direction (Keep in mind that Stotts was credited with the Mavs offense). Mavs succeeded on offense by putting Dirk at the free throw line and surrounding him by 3 point shooters, who were good at swinging the ball around. Blazers are now starting to do this, which is why they are hitting shots at a high clip, with the difference being that Aldridge prefers to stand to the side of the elbow instead of right at the free throw line. The addition of Mo Williams is great, but not for the reason many think. He is great because he is the first vet lured to Portland to come off the bench and add depth, and him succeeding with the team can open the eyes of other vets. Blazers need to continue making the team a destination vets want to go to by making a culture of trying to win rather than being known to tank. All the Blazers need to do is get to the playoffs (which gives guys like Lillard experience), then hope that by the 2015 playoffs we have 1 good run (taking a team to 6 or 7 games in the 2nd round is sufficient) and players will view the team like the Warriors after their recent run, which will make them more willing to join the team in hopes of making the next jump.
:applause:

[Djsonny]

I disagree with the tank idea. If you build a culture of losing season after losing season, good players won't want to go or stay there. Last year, Blazers were in the playoff hunt with an atrocious bench and a defensive liability at center. If we try to tank or avoided getting better, we lose Aldridge in hopes of getting a lottery pick that works out, but continue establishing a culture of losing.
:applause: they have done a decent job of moving in that direction (Keep in mind that Stotts was credited with the Mavs offense). Mavs succeeded on offense by putting Dirk at the free throw line and surrounding him by 3 point shooters, who were good at swinging the ball around. Blazers are now starting to do this, which is why they are hitting shots at a high clip, with the difference being that Aldridge prefers to stand to the side of the elbow instead of right at the free throw line. The addition of Mo Williams is great, but not for the reason many think. He is great because he is the first vet lured to Portland to come off the bench and add depth, and him succeeding with the team can open the eyes of other vets. Blazers need to continue making the team a destination vets want to go to by making a culture of trying to win rather than being known to tank. All the Blazers need to do is get to the playoffs (which gives guys like Lillard experience), then hope that by the 2015 playoffs we have 1 good run (taking a team to 6 or 7 games in the 2nd round is sufficient) and players will view the team like the Warriors after their recent run, which will make them more willing to join the team in hopes of making the next jump.

:applause: well said man.

And to guys who say, if you arent going to be a contender, tank. Why bother playing sports if you feel you cant win it all. That means 80% of the league should just tank. Even if they tank, blazers owe this years pick to bobcats, no reason to tank because theres no pick to tank to

[SpurrDurr]

Blazers might be the surprise of the season if they keep playing like this.

They most likely end up having the 5th seed in the west which is really a big accomplishment for them.

Lilard outplaying Irving badly so far.. really impressive.

[KNOW1EDGE]

I think the biggest reason the Blazers dont tank is Aldridge.

Portland desperately wants to keep him, but LA is in his prime and wants to win a chip, not tank and be in the lottery every year.

I believe LaMarcus will leave via free-agency. Portland would be smart to trade LA for a high draft pick, tank, and shoot for Jabari Parker :bowdown:

[gin17]

instead of tanking, they should try their best at getting a playoff spot so that this young team can get playoff experience, which will be valuable/priceless for the team. also, it will show other players that Portland is a good place to be in. Winning attracts good, veteran players (see Miami), which are key to success (glue guys, specialists, leadership, experience).

[Brook(lyn)Lopez]

Blazers hot start can be attributed to their shooting of the three ball at an unsustainable clip. No way they keep shooting it this well as a team, plus they don't have viable paint scoring options when the jump shots stop falling (they will).
They should still make the playoffs though, just as a lower seed.

[Myth]

Blazers hot start can be attributed to their shooting of the three ball at an unsustainable clip. No way they keep shooting it this well as a team, plus they don't have viable paint scoring options when the jump shots stop falling (they will).
They should still make the playoffs though, just as a lower seed.

They are shooting 3s this well because of the offense they are running is getting them wide open 3s. It is similar to the 2011 Mavs offense. I don't know if they will sustain their three point shooting, but I believe it is sustainable for the most part.

[Brook(lyn)Lopez]

They are shooting 3s this well because of the offense they are running is getting them wide open 3s. It is similar to the 2011 Mavs offense. I don't know if they will sustain their three point shooting, but I believe it is sustainable for the most part.

They are shooting .422% on about 10 a game. Keep in mind the highest 3 point field goal percentage for a team in a whole season was .428 1996-1997 Charlotte Hornets. I'm not sure how many attempts they took that year per game, but it's rare for a team to shoot over .400 on three point attempts for a whole season.

Same thing will happen to the Warriors, they are shooting .460 on 3 pointers for the season, no way they sustain that.

[Clifton]

Are you a Blazer fan? Why would you want them to win? They can't win a playoff series with this roster. Why not tank for picks?
If you have respect for yourself, you win out in the end.

They already have a franchise player. What are they tanking for exactly? A superstar whom they won't be able to afford to re-sign?

With the financial rules the NBA has now there is simply no reason to draft a great player. You aim to draft okay players who won't get noticed.

Lillard will be a top 20 player in the game for fifteen years. He's loyal and solid by nature, a guy you build around.

The Pacers never tanked for a pick, neither did the Spurs. Miami is dirty and dishonorable, but it wasn't tanking that made them what they are. It's the teams that "draft well" that get shafted, like OKC, which will probably never ever win a title despite drafting better than any team since Showtime.

[Brook(lyn)Lopez]

If you have respect for yourself, you win out in the end.

They already have a franchise player. What are they tanking for exactly? A superstar whom they won't be able to afford to re-sign?

With the financial rules the NBA has now there is simply no reason to draft a great player. You aim to draft okay players who won't get noticed.

Lillard will be a top 20 player in the game for fifteen years. He's loyal and solid by nature, a guy you build around.

The Pacers never tanked for a pick, neither did the Spurs. Miami is dirty and dishonorable, but it wasn't tanking that made them what they are. It's the teams that "draft well" that get shafted, like OKC, which will probably never ever win a title despite drafting better than any team since Showtime.

You kidding me bro, where were you in the 90's?
Did you forget the Spurs losing The Admiral for the season the year before Duncan was drafted. Once he was out, they tanked big time for Duncan, and lucked out and got him. They got lucky as hell, and for all the consistency they had with Duncan, they wouldn't win multiple championships without tanking to get him.

[Myth]

They are shooting .422% on about 10 a game. Keep in mind the highest 3 point field goal percentage for a team in a whole season was .428 1996-1997 Charlotte Hornets. I'm not sure how many attempts they took that year per game, but it's rare for a team to shoot over .400 on three point attempts for a whole season.

Same thing will happen to the Warriors, they are shooting .460 on 3 pointers for the season, no way they sustain that.

My point is that they can remain a top level 3 point shooting team all season. I'm not even going to pretend to guess what their % will be for the season.

[ninephive]

You kidding me bro, where were you in the 90's?
Did you forget the Spurs losing The Admiral for the season the year before Duncan was drafted. Once he was out, they tanked big time for Duncan, and lucked out and got him. They got lucky as hell, and for all the consistency they had with Duncan, they wouldn't win multiple championships without tanking to get him.
How many games did you expect that Spurs roster minus Robinson to win?

[Jailblazers7]

If you have respect for yourself, you win out in the end.

They already have a franchise player. What are they tanking for exactly? A superstar whom they won't be able to afford to re-sign?

With the financial rules the NBA has now there is simply no reason to draft a great player. You aim to draft okay players who won't get noticed.

Lillard will be a top 20 player in the game for fifteen years. He's loyal and solid by nature, a guy you build around.

The Pacers never tanked for a pick, neither did the Spurs. Miami is dirty and dishonorable, but it wasn't tanking that made them what they are. It's the teams that "draft well" that get shafted, like OKC, which will probably never ever win a title despite drafting better than any team since Showtime.

Yeah, tanking would basically be saying to Lillard that "we don't think you are good enough" which is not something you want to do to a rising star. Only thing I would like to see from Lillard is a little better shot selection. Shooting 7 threes per game is a little much for me with the type of skill he has. I think in the next 2 years he will really improve his PnR game which will vault him to a higher level.

Also, Portland has a great fanbase who would not take kindly to tanking. A small market team can't really afford to purposely isolate their fans and players by tanking and crossing their fingers at the lottery/draft.

[tpols]

Why would blazers tank? They got Batum/Lilliard/Mathews/Aldridge... Thats a beast two way lineup. By the time Wiggins or whoever they got was in his prime 3 out of 4 of those guys would be exiting their primes.