Portland fans, what is the difference between this year and last year team?

[Micku]

Serious question. I don't know why they are doing so well in the beginning of the season. Is it their bench? They didn't seem to improve much, but I don't know. The starting line up didn't seem to improve much either. Educate me why the team is so good atm because I hardly watch them.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Not a Portland fan but: Bench.

[I.R.Beast]

it's clearly their bench...their bench was awful last year.

[RoseCity07]

I called JJ Hickson garbage from start. The biggest difference is Hickson is gone. He held us back so much. Robin Lopez not only protects the rim he gets rebounds on both ends. When he gets a board he kicks it back out. Robin Lopez might be the perfect player next to Aldridge. We needed a legit 7 footer that wouldn't ever take a shot unless he was completely open. Lopez does that.

The Blazers also loaded up with shooters. Dorell Wright, Mo Williams, CJ McCulloum (when he gets back). No Aldridge is free to shit on teams in the post. If teams double him Lillard/ Matthews(shooting the 3 over 50%), Batum, Wright/ Mo Williams are all very capable 3 point shooters.

[DMAVS41]

Not a Portland fan but: Bench.

I thought their bench is pretty weak...no? Every game I've watched...it's basically all the starters playing big minutes. Mo Williams is a good player, but nothing special or something.

I like Robinson as well, but unless I just happened to catch anomaly games...it seems the biggest weakness of this team is the bench. They never played anyone much at all in the games I've seen.

[chazzy]

Lopez helps their defense and Wes Matthews is playing waaay above his level so far :lol

[che guevara]

A number of things. The improved bench is the obvious one (Mo Williams, Thomas Robinson, Joel Freeland, and Dorell Wright are godsends after the garbage they they trotted out last season), Lillard is improved, Mathews has been on a ridiculous shooting streak (over 50% from three so far), and Batum's been more efficient - combine these things, and the Blazers offense has jumped from average to top 3 in the league.

Lopez is also a HUGE improvement over Hickson, who put up some of the most hollow numbers in the league - he was a complete bum on defense, while Lopez is solid. Blazers are still a below average defensive team this year, but they were atrocious last year.

[Proctor]

I thought their bench is pretty weak...no? Every game I've watched...it's basically all the starters playing big minutes. Mo Williams is a good player, but nothing special or something.
Anything at all is better than the flaming pile of sh1t they had for a bench last year. Their new bench has really came through.

Lopez has also made a bigger difference than I originally cared to admit.

[chazzy]

Woah just checked. Going into tonight, Wes was leading the league in TS% with a ~17ppg volume! :lol

[BlazerRed]

2 things:

Lopez
A bench

[DMAVS41]

Anything at all is better than the flaming pile of sh1t they had for a bench last year. Their new bench has really came through.

Lopez has also made a bigger difference than I originally cared to admit.

So the bench is no longer terrible and that has helped.

I still think that is their weakness going forward this year...that and the defense. I like Mo in that backup role, but I'm not sure if the rest of the roster is enough. Still think they are a solid bench player away from the elite teams.

Someone to help their defense would really go a long way to making them better suited for the playoffs.

[iamgine]

Serious question. I don't know why they are doing so well in the beginning of the season. Is it their bench? They didn't seem to improve much, but I don't know. The starting line up didn't seem to improve much either. Educate me why the team is so good atm because I hardly watch them.
Blazers core team - Lillard, Wes, Batum, Aldridge - are very very solid. They needed a legit center and a good bench, and they got it this season. Simple as that.

[Micku]

I thought their bench is pretty weak...no? Every game I've watched...it's basically all the starters playing big minutes. Mo Williams is a good player, but nothing special or something.

I like Robinson as well, but unless I just happened to catch anomaly games...it seems the biggest weakness of this team is the bench. They never played anyone much at all in the games I've seen.

Yeah, that's what I thought too.

But I guess any improvement, no matter how slight, to the bench is big plus side. And I suppose the players that they require are a better fit to the team.

I didn't know JJ Hickson was bad for the team. He put up good numbers, but he was a bad fit with Aldridge and the stats weren't impactful? I didn't know Robin Lopez would be a great fit for the team.

I just wouldn't guess that they would have such a good start. I don't even know how they are so good offensively either. But I guess they are making their 3pt shots and the spacing is better.

[BlazerRed]

Yeah, that's what I thought too.

But I guess any improvement, no matter how slight, to the bench is big plus side. And I suppose the players that they require are a better fit to the team.

I didn't know JJ Hickson was bad for the team. He put up good numbers, but he was a bad fit with Aldridge and the stats weren't impactful? I didn't know Robin Lopez would be a great fit for the team.

I just wouldn't guess that they would have such a good start. I don't even know how they are so good offensively either. But I guess they are making their 3pt shots and the spacing is better.

Hickson wasn't a good fit. We needed a taller C who can block shots and put in some buckets, which is exactly what Lopez has been doing.

[JordanL]

I thought their bench is pretty weak...no? Every game I've watched...it's basically all the starters playing big minutes. Mo Williams is a good player, but nothing special or something.

I like Robinson as well, but unless I just happened to catch anomaly games...it seems the biggest weakness of this team is the bench. They never played anyone much at all in the games I've seen.

You don't get it... last year our bench would have possibly given up less points by shooting at the opponents hoop.

[DMAVS41]

You don't get it... last year our bench would have possibly given up less points by shooting at the opponents hoop.

Haha.

Like I said...I haven't seen enough games probably. I just saw basically what Chazzy posted. Seems like Lopez has been a great fit and then Matthews is playing out of his mind...70% TS:eek:

[EnoughSaid]

You all keep saying bench this, bench that, when in reality their bench averages the lowest minutes in the league. It's just that Wesley Matthews has gotten to an insane start, and LA is getting the boards and punishing the other teams offensively.

[Myth]

RoseCity covered much of it with the players, but coaching adjustments by Stotts have been brilliant.

Lopez coming in for Hickson has been huge, not just because he is a better defensive player, but it allowed us to change our defensive philosophy on pick-and-rolls. Many have probably watched that video already, but if not: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTXWcGvazsk
No way that would have worked with Hickson last year. I'm not sure if Stotts made that adjustment because of the roster changes, or just because he realized something needed to change.

The motion offense has also been much improved. There is significantly more off ball movement by the team. There was glimpses of it last year, but it wasn't used as much. Not sure if that was a coaching ajustment or the players just buying into it more. This is also where he helps to have the addition of 3 point shooters such as Mo and Wright. By adding wing depth, we always have 3 point shooters, and the off ball flow is allowing them open shots. Wesley Matthews is really capitalizing on this and canning his 3s. He really seems to thrive off constant movement. And as mentioned earlier, the 3 point shooters spread the floor and now teams have to bite on them, which means Aldridge is getting clearance down low like he has never had before.

There was also improvements in front court depth. This is the most minor of the 3 changes I'm listing, but still should not be overlooked. Thomas Robinson is raw as heck, but he hustles and adds energy. Sometimes that is all you need coming off the bench. He has a long ways to go, but he still causes problems by being aggressive. Freeland is not new to the team, but the improvement in his game is very impressive. Last year he was lost on defense and couldn't hit an open shot. His "specialty" last year was supposedly his midrange jumper that never went in (only knew it as his "specialty" because the Blazer announcers said he made it all day long in practice but never in a game), so I never thought he was going to be anything in the NBA, particularly on defense. But he showed up and obviously worked hard all summer, and unlike most players, his improvement was on the defensive end. It really is one of the best improvements in defense I've seen from a player over 1 off season. He isn't a great defender, but he went from bad to more than serviceable and that was really needed.

[iamgine]

You all keep saying bench this, bench that, when in reality their bench averages the lowest minutes in the league. It's just that Wesley Matthews has gotten to an insane start, and LA is getting the boards and punishing the other teams offensively.
Bench is a big part since collectively they play more minutes than any starter:

Portland bench last season:

77.6 MPG 21.8 PPG 47.6 TS%

Portland bench This season after 18 games:

67.3 MPG 23 PPG 50.5 TS%


Play less minutes, score more points more efficiently.

[50_40_90_]

You all keep saying bench this, bench that, when in reality their bench averages the lowest minutes in the league. It's just that Wesley Matthews has gotten to an insane start, and LA is getting the boards and punishing the other teams offensively.

Not just this.

I say Damian Lillard is another huge reason. He plays with a lot of poise and control.

I would say he's up their in the discussion of top 5 pg, way better than Wall or Deron.

[All Net]

Their bench has been better. Mo Williams has been great but the addition of Lopez has been amazing for them. Very underrated center. Matthews has gotten better too. That guy is a stud.

[Joshumitsu]

Last year, the Blazers starting 5 were the top scoring starting 5 in the league. Give them a decent bench and a good start and chances are they'll have a better season than before.

I think Mathews may eventually cool down so I don't know how that will impact this team in January or February. On the other hand, Aldridge is simply having a prime year so I don't expect him to slow down.

[Djsonny]

Anytime you add a new starter, you are going to improve. Portland by adding Lopez, allows Lamarcus to play 100% at pf. LA was forced to play a lot of center when Hickson was around. With more energy, LA can spend it grabbing more rebounds. Mo is first off the bench, so not only did you add a starter, you added your six man. Keep in mind, the coach, terry slotts, was the new coach last year and I think now, you are seeing the "mavs" offense starting to gel. Ball movement this year is a beautiful thing to watch.

[Myth]

Anytime you add a new starter, you are going to improve.

What? So by changing your starters you improve? I don't understand how you came to this conclusion.

[Djsonny]

What? So by changing your starters you improve? I don't understand how you came to this conclusion.

lol ok shit my bad, wasnt really thinking when i typed that. Hickson was a starter.

[Myth]

lol ok shit my bad, wasnt really thinking when i typed that. Hickson was a starter.

lol, no prob. :cheers:

[kurple]

1) Robin Lopez
2) Easy schedule
3) Bench

[Myth]

1) Robin Lopez
2) Easy schedule
3) Bench

So they beat the Spurs, Pacers, and Thunder because of their easy schedule?

[poido123]

1) Robin Lopez
2) Easy schedule
3) Bench


You usually post pretty solid but this was not one of your best :oldlol:

[Myth]

The real reason has not been mentioned:

Rose Garden is now the Moda Center. This is important because Moda is a health insurance company, so this obviously eliminated the team's injury curse (McCollum being the exception).

[BlazerRed]

The real reason has not been mentioned:

Rose Garden is now the Moda Center. This is important because Moda is a health insurance company, so this obviously eliminated the team's injury curse.
:lol I like your logic. RIP Rose Garden doe :cry:

[Myth]

...

I miss your mustache. Get rid of it because Movember ended?

Btw, April 2013 has a bad rep, but I'm glad one of the few good ones happens to be a Blazer fan :cheers:

[kurple]

So they beat the Spurs, Pacers, and Thunder because of their easy schedule?
no. all respect to the blazers for beating those teams

but their schedule have been pretty easy, cant deny that

[Myth]

no. all respect to the blazers for beating those teams

but their schedule have been pretty easy, cant deny that

Their schedule has been average (actually their SOS was average before playing Pacers and Thunder, so I don't know what it is now). But even if the rest of the schedule has been easy, you don't beat all 3 of those teams in a short amount of time just by a fluke game. Those were hard fought games that Portland came out on top of, not just off nights for the other teams. You know that Thunder came into this game knowing that Portland just beat the Pacers. Portland has a bit of a target on their backs now and they are still winning.

Edit: http://espn.go.com/nba/stats/rpi/_/sort/SOS
Blazers 13th out of 30 teams, so average as I stated. Their schedule has been harder than both the Pacers and the Heat, yet their record is pretty much just as good as those top teams. You don't have a top record in the league because their average schedule makes it so much easier for them than all the other teams in the league.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Portland is slightly above average in SOS.