# Game 46:Trail Blazers @ Denver Nuggets



## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

*VS* 

*Portland Trail Blazers* *(17-28) @* *Denver Nuggets* *(25-23)*

_*STARTERS*_


*BENCH*


_*VS*_

_*STARTERS*_


*BENCH*



*TIME:* 6:00 pm PT, 9:00 pm ET
*TV:* KGW, *KGW*
*Radio:* KXL 750, *KXL 750*
*Location:* *The Pepsi Center*. Denver Colorado:


----------



## SolidGuy3 (Apr 23, 2005)

Tonight's game does not look good for the Blazers. The Blazers are on a back-to-back and playing in the thin air of Denver, all the makings of a blow-out. The Blazers will only win this game if they slow down the tempo, it would have been better if Monia and Webster were still with the team, we could have used depth tonight.


----------



## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

SolidGuy3 said:


> Tonight's game does not look good for the Blazers. The Blazers are on a back-to-back and playing in the thin air of Denver, all the makings of a blow-out. The Blazers will only win this game if they slow down the tempo, it would have been better if Monia and Webster were still with the team, we could have used depth tonight.


hold on, which is it? Webster is the biggest bust since bowie, or the team can use his depth to help them get a win against Denver tonite?


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

They would be on the inactive list anyhow, so I see how it makes little difference.

Now that being said, Denver has lost 4 games in a row I believe. Lets make it 5.


----------



## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

This would be one of the biggest wins in a long time. We gain a game on Denver and get a great confidence boost to start this 7 game trip. I really think we can do this if we believe. This is a really fun Blazers team to watch this year, I hope they pull off a minor miracle (we havent won in Denver in God knows when)


----------



## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

Dear Trail Blazers broadcasting, and that damn casino,

please kill that commercial with the 3 "women" singing that god awful song that has nothing to do with gambling.

thanks,

a fan


----------



## handclap problematic (Nov 6, 2003)

sings...."More more more....How do you like it, how do you like it. More more more.....How doooo you like your loooooove".

Sorry. I hate it as well.

Prunetang


----------



## bballchik (Oct 22, 2005)

Hap said:


> Dear Trail Blazers broadcasting, and that damn casino,
> 
> please kill that commercial with the 3 "women" singing that god awful song that has nothing to do with gambling.
> 
> ...


haha :laugh:


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

Well not a whole lot of defense so far, which isn't a good sign. I think Dixon just picked up his 2nd, so we might be seeing Jack soon.


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

Jack could not figure out which way he wanted to go with the ball.


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

It looks like the second unit is bringing good energy again so far tonight. This is a nice pattern starting to form over the last few games.


----------



## bballchik (Oct 22, 2005)

MAS RipCity said:


> This would be one of the biggest wins in a long time. We gain a game on Denver and get a great confidence boost to start this 7 game trip. *I really think we can do this if we believe.* This is a really fun Blazers team to watch this year, I hope they pull off a minor miracle (we havent won in Denver in God knows when)


lol. sorry i had to laugh, that sounds so peter pan.....you can fly if you really believe!!!!


----------



## handclap problematic (Nov 6, 2003)

Yeah, definately a rookie mistake for Jack....but he made up for it with a steal on the other end which led to a Patterson dunk. Over all though, I really love what I see out of Jack.
On a side note. Did anyone else notice that during last night's national telecast, Snapper kept calling him Jarren with an "n"?

Prunetang


----------



## handclap problematic (Nov 6, 2003)

Good first quarter overall. Blazers lead 30-28...and they definately don't look tired. 
Our offense is looking pretty good with very good passing. Denver is overplaying Zach and he is passing out which is leading to open shots. Two problems so far though: 1. We are having problems holding onto the ball, and 2. We are already giving up quite a few offensive rebounds to Denver. 
If we can keep up the energy level and cut down on those two aspects...we can win this.

Prunetang


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

Good first quarter. I was thinking initially that this game is Denvers pace and if it stays at this pace Portlands chances weren't good, but then I remembered the other night where Portland crammed 116 points down the Sonics throats. So, they might be up for it. :biggrin: 

Also it looks like Jack has pretty much taken off tonight where he left off last night, playing smart and taking what Denver gives him.

Rubens D on Carmello has been good.


----------



## RipCity9 (Jan 30, 2004)

Telfair 3-4 from deep!

Carmello is the biggest cherry picker in the NBA - for every hoop he gets by taking off on the shot he likely gets burned by giving up an offensive rebound.


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

No doubt big time Cherry Picker. That 4th shot by Telfair was just a heat check!


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

Barrett is quite the funny guy tonight :biggrin: 

:clown:


----------



## handclap problematic (Nov 6, 2003)

Man, the duo of Telfair and Jack playing together is sure looking good tonight. They bring the extra pass to the offense, ability to hit shots, and when they are in together they sure seem to be tenacoius on defense. Looking good guys.

Prunetang


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

What was Theo thinking on that last pass? :curse:


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

TELFAIR WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!! :banana: :banana:


----------



## RipCity9 (Jan 30, 2004)

WHAT A SHOT! Momentum saver right there!


----------



## handclap problematic (Nov 6, 2003)

Make that 4/5 from 3 for Telfair.....should a half-court shot be worth more than 3? hehe

As Jon Spencer would sing, "DAMN!!!!".

Prunetang


----------



## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

Wait...I thoight Telfair sucked and the world was going to end.


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

What a shot! Way to go Telfair!


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

I looked at the time other people had posted after Telfair made his three pointer at the end of the first half and I thought that was before he shot it!? Then I remember I had rewind to show my wife something during the pregame and forgot to fast forward! I've been about five mins behind the whole game. Sheesh. Anyway, great shot by Telfair to end the half. I was really pissed after we lost the lead. That made me feel a lot better.


----------



## Backboard Cam (Apr 29, 2003)

Coney Island in the house :jump:


----------



## bballchik (Oct 22, 2005)

don't look now but we have the largest lead of the night.........
go blake dixon patterson pryzibilla randolph!


----------



## bballchik (Oct 22, 2005)

why did nate take juan out after he was shooting so well. and then just now he sat blake after he hit back to back shots? it's like if someone gets hot he sits them. i don't get it.


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

Go young players go! go go go! :banana: 

:clown:


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

Wow, they have 13 more free throw attempts than we? 

Weak. We should be destroying them with the way we've been shooting the ball.


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

What BS! Why don't we get calls like that at home?


----------



## bballchik (Oct 22, 2005)

that call on viktor was crap. carmello was totally holding him down pushing off him to get up. should have been a foul on him. :curse:


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

bballchik said:


> that call on viktor was crap. carmello was totally holding him down pushing off him to get up. should have been a foul on him. :curse:


That was one of the worst calls I've ever seen!


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

mgb said:


> What BS! Why don't we get calls like that at home?


What? You mean if I push you in the back the foul is on you? Oh here, have a shove in the back so I can have a free trip to the line... :clown:


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

Portland: 56 percent from the field
Denver: 46 percent

Portland: 8-13 from 3
Denver: 3-6

*but*

Portland: 30 fouls
Denver: 15 fouls

It's remarkable they're not winning. This officiating is ridiculous.


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

Yea, at home our guy can have his arm grab and no foul.


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

this is like playing nba jam with computer assistance on.


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

Why do they keep giving the ball to Dixon?!?!?!


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

Why isn't Pryzbilla in?


----------



## RipCity9 (Jan 30, 2004)

38-16 in FT attempts. How is that possibly justified?

Also, why is Zach not touching the ball every time down?!


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

mgb said:


> Why do they keep giving the ball to Dixon?!?!?!


Because he's shooting well tonight and he can hit free throws?

That might have something to do with it.


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

Samuel said:


> Because he's shooting well tonight and he can hit free throws?
> 
> That might have something to do with it.


He's been consistently missing.


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

mgb said:


> He's been consistently missing.


He's shooting 50% in the half...


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

Man Theo just got totally postarized! :biggrin:


----------



## bballchik (Oct 22, 2005)

they've gone to the line 42 times and we've gone 19....hmmmm little lopsided here.


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

Samuel said:


> He's shooting 50% in the half...


What about this quarter? I believe he missed at least three in a row. Why not try someone else? Like maybe Zach?


----------



## spongyfungy (Oct 22, 2003)

sorry guys but Theo got absolutely posterized.


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

The refs are giving them this game on a platter, and the Nuggets are sending it back.


----------



## bballchik (Oct 22, 2005)

hasoos said:


> Why isn't Pryzbilla in?


he doesn't usually play in the fourth quarter anyway does he? isn't he usually one and three and they usually have theo and patterson in in the fourth.


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

mgb said:


> What about this quarter? I believe he missed at least three in a row. Why not try someone else? Like maybe Zach?


The refs pulled him, sorry.


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

You gotta be kidding me that Jack let that happen.


----------



## spongyfungy (Oct 22, 2003)

oh geez...Andre Miller steals the ball for the layup.


----------



## bballchik (Oct 22, 2005)

awful turnover by juan and by jack. yikes. that was horrible.


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

That is so sickening!


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

Horrible loss. They won every part but the end.


----------



## bballchik (Oct 22, 2005)

since ruben is such a good three point shooter and all i'm so glad he took the shot while double teamed instead of giving it to the open blake right next to him. :curse:


----------



## RipCity9 (Jan 30, 2004)

What have we learned for THE SECOND TIME? Don't throw the ball in to Theo on the last possession!


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

Wow, way to hang in there with the foul situation. 

Good Game. Portland had no business being up that long.


----------



## NWdivisionCHAMPS (Nov 8, 2005)

ouch.. the portland trailblazers lose a HEARTBREAKER... sure im a supes fan but that ones gotta hurt in the guts..


----------



## Sambonius (May 21, 2003)

Jack should NOT have been in there in the closing seconds. Telfair > the rest of our PGs.


----------



## BrooklynBaller (Jun 25, 2003)

That loss is attributable to two players ... Jarrett Jack and Viktor Khryapa. Jarrett for making so many careless turnovers (none bigger than the one at the end of the game). I watched the Denver telecast and they mentioned that Denver went on a run every time Viktor was in the game. I think the bulk of Melo's points came when he was being guarded by Khryapa. I'm so pissed!


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

spongyfungy said:


> This game was absolutely stolen by the Nuggets. They had no business winning this one. The ball needs to be in more steady hands.



Are you kidding? It was the other way around. Look at the stat sheet, guy.


----------



## RipCity9 (Jan 30, 2004)

As if we needed more evidence of how rigged these games have become as of late, 42-19 in FT attempts. Absolute crap.


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

It's nice just to be end it at the end but we should have won which hurts. Dixon really choked at the end, but no one played well at the end.


----------



## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

RipCity9 said:


> As if we needed more evidence of how rigged these games have become as of late, 42-19 in FT attempts. Absolute crap.


No worries. One loss closer to Andrea Bargnani.


----------



## RipCity9 (Jan 30, 2004)

Samuel said:


> Are you kidding? It was the other way around. Look at the stat sheet, guy.


You apparently did not watch this game. One team gets 23 more FT attempts, their star has 1 foul the whole game while the other team's star fouls out. They get a three point play late when the player clearly pushes off on the defender. Stolen.


----------



## Sambonius (May 21, 2003)

When you need ball handeilng you have Telfair or Blake handle it, not Jack. Jack isn't even a good ball handeler, he makes me nervous when he brings up the ball.


----------



## spongyfungy (Oct 22, 2003)

Samuel said:


> Are you kidding? It was the other way around. Look at the stat sheet, guy.


 I'm not sure where my post went. 

doesn't matter. Losing on a steal is just terrible way to go. Sure they were up a ton for most of the game. most games are won in the final minutes anyways. Blazers should have closed this puppy out.


----------



## e_blazer1 (Feb 3, 2004)

bballchik said:


> he doesn't usually play in the fourth quarter anyway does he? isn't he usually one and three and they usually have theo and patterson in in the fourth.


I am getting really tired of this slavish committment to the rotation of Przybilla and Ratliff. The offense gets more stagnant with Ratliff in there, especially at the end of the game when Joel's ability to score and better shot blocking skills would be a real plus. I'd like to see Nate pull Theo with about 4-5 minutes to go and let Joel finish. Tonight, with Zach fouling out, it would have been an especially sound move.

Jeez, I'm tired of losing these close ones. I know it's a sign of a young team, but our record could easily by 5-6 wins better than it is.


----------



## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

I watched the gamecast on nba.com and man 23 ore FT attempts? Pure bullcrap...if what the posters are saying is true...we get robbed in Denver once again.Man this would have been such a HUGE win too.


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

RipCity9 said:


> You apparently did not watch this game. One team gets 23 more FT attempts, their star has 1 foul the whole game while the other team's star fouls out. They get a three point play late when the player clearly pushes off on the defender. Stolen.


Again, you have it backwards. 

Portland wasn't supposed to be in this game. They shot out of their minds, hit 8 three pointers, and outrebounded the other team... but come on.

Read this stat, okay? Denver had *23* more FT attempts. I don't know if that's poor officiating, or what, but if the other team gets that many FT attempts, you shouldn't be in the game. Period.

The fact that the Blazers held on for so long was admirable. Denver shot 19 free throws *in the fourth quarter*.


----------



## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

well that just sucks. Thats 3 losses recently, where they had no business losing (Denver twice, and Dallas).

These are the kinds of wins that make me hate denver. they get a win in a game they don't deserve, and further propogates the theory that Denver is a good team.

Oh well, it's not like we don't have 4 days for this loss to stew in our minds or anything.


----------



## RipCity9 (Jan 30, 2004)

Samuel said:


> Again, you have it backwards.
> 
> Portland wasn't supposed to be in this game. They shot out of their minds, hit 8 three pointers, and outrebounded the other team... but come on.
> 
> Read this stat, okay? Denver had *23* more FT attempts. I don't know if that's poor officiating, or what, but if the other team gets that many FT attempts, you shouldn't be in the game. Period.


I'm confused how you're contesting that this was stolen. The Blazers outplayed the Nuggets, simple as that, yet were unable to overcome a laugher of a call disparity.


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

RipCity9 said:


> I'm confused how you're contesting that this was stolen. The Blazers outplayed the Nuggets, simple as that, yet were unable to overcome a laugher of a call disparity.


And you're underestimating the importance of that disparity.


----------



## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

A few thoughts:

1) I ****ing hate the Pepsi Center. Absolute House of Horrors. We are cursed in that building.

2) Can somebody please explain to me why the hell - during crunch time - we keep running that out of bounds play where we inbound the ball to Theo and he passes it? Against Dallas it resulted in a costly turnover and a three point play on the other end. Tonight, with 4 seconds left, it wasted precious time and then he throws it to Ruben??? What? Inbound the ball to a ****ing guard like everyone else in the league does. Especially in those situations where decision-making, ball control and clock management are all extremely important.

3) We played "not to lose" tonight rather than playing for the win. Too many times in the fourth quarter we'd get the ball into our half of the court and wait to initiate our offense with less than 10 seconds on the shot clock. Not sure how many of those baskets we converted, but I'd be willing to bet none. Milking the clock at that point wasn't half as important as getting a basket. Not sure if it's our personnel, or the coaching, or a combination of the two, but we are woefully inept at going for the jugular when we have a team down.

Grrrrrrrr.

EDIT: 4) Oh yeah, and the officiating tonight? An absolute disgrace. I'm not so concerned about the free throw discrepancy as I am about the mind-boggling calls that went against us. The refs got caught star-watching at that Carmelo dunk on Theo toward the end of the game. Even I - on real time - saw Carmelo use his off arm to prevent the block attempt from Theo. Not to mention Carmelo does that almost every time he goes up against a shot block attempt. That should have been an offensive foul. But like I said - star watching.

I'm not one for conspiracy theories and all that junk, but the officiating for us has been regrettable to say the least. Excuse my French, but the NBA officials need to take the All-Stars' and veterans'  french is usually bad. try german out of their mouths for two seconds and call the game the right way. 

-Pop


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

Samuel said:


> The refs pulled him, sorry.


Not when Dixon was throwing up the bricks, Zach was still in then.


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

mgb said:


> Not when Dixon was throwing up the bricks, Zach was still in then.


If I pretend to agree with you, will you drop it? I get it... you think Zach should have gotten the ball more. 

I don't.

:laugh:


----------



## RipCity9 (Jan 30, 2004)

Samuel said:


> If I pretend to agree with you, will you drop it? I get it... you think Zach should have gotten the ball more.
> 
> I don't.
> 
> :laugh:



You don't? What would have been a better option? The last 7 points for the Blazers were by Z-Bo. Again, did you watch this game?


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

RipCity9 said:


> You don't? What would have been a better option? The last 7 points for the Blazers were by Z-Bo. Again, did you watch this game?


You're so angry! 


:curse: :curse: :curse: 

Yeah, I watched the game. I don't think Randolph should be our main option down the stretch. Dixon, Blake or Jack, those are the guys I'd give the ball to.

But can you guys please relax? It's just a basketball game, and we all have differing opinions on it. 

Fact: This is a group of guys who haven't played together very long.

Fact: They're won't make the playoffs this year. 

Fact: They've made incredible strides this season.

Fact: They won't get calls in games like these.

Fact: Tonight's game improved their chances at a lottery pick.


----------



## bballchik (Oct 22, 2005)

e_blazer1 said:


> I am getting really tired of this slavish committment to the rotation of Przybilla and Ratliff. The offense gets more stagnant with Ratliff in there, especially at the end of the game when Joel's ability to score and better shot blocking skills would be a real plus. I'd like to see Nate pull Theo with about 4-5 minutes to go and let Joel finish. Tonight, with Zach fouling out, it would have been an especially sound move.
> 
> Jeez, I'm tired of losing these close ones. I know it's a sign of a young team, but our record could easily by 5-6 wins better than it is.


 :yes:


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

QUOTE=Samuel]If I pretend to agree with you, will you drop it? I get it... you think Zach should have gotten the ball more. 

I don't.

:laugh:[/QUOTE]
I don't care if you agree with me or not. We both can disagree. Adding your attitude is certainly not necessary but you are what you are.


----------



## handclap problematic (Nov 6, 2003)

All I have to say is BULL****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The end of this ***** made me cuss up a storm. Not only did we commit careless turnovers and boneheaded plays.... but the refs also ****ed us over. Doubleteam supreme.
For a second, right when the game was over, I almost reverted to my old gradeschool nintendo playing days. When I was in the heat of an old NES game back in the day and something bad happened I would often throw the controller. Well...this game brought back that feeling.

Prunetang
****


----------



## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

Sometimes I wonder if Theo gets the minutes he does because he's being showcased. 

He surely didn't deserve to be in the game late (nor did dixon really). 

Man, I hate these long waits between games. What drunkard came up with this schedule?


----------



## SolidGuy3 (Apr 23, 2005)

SolidGuy3 said:


> Tonight's game does not look good for the Blazers. The Blazers are on a back-to-back and playing in the thin air of Denver, all the makings of a blow-out. The Blazers will only win this game if they slow down the tempo, it would have been better if Monia and Webster were still with the team, we could have used depth tonight.


I under estimated the Blazers tonight. I still think the reason the Blazers didn't play well dow the stretch was because they ran out of gas. The back-to-back element and the thin air of Denver had alot to do with it, by the way, who is the Blazers strength and conditioning coach?


----------



## Stepping Razor (Apr 24, 2004)

Yep, Theo has killed us at the end of the Dallas game and both Denver losses. (I missed the San Antonio game so maybe he killed us there, too.) His bad picks and bad decisions with the ball are devastating.

Hopefully Nate will figure out how to look down the bench with about five minutes left, and yell, "Joel!" When that happens we're gonna be good!

Stepping Razor


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

mgb said:


> QUOTE=Samuel]If I pretend to agree with you, will you drop it? I get it... you think Zach should have gotten the ball more.
> 
> I don't.
> 
> :laugh:


I don't care if you agree with me or not. We both can disagree. Adding your attitude is certainly not necessary but you are what you are.[/QUOTE]

It wasn't so much attitude as me responding to you replying to an old post while the game was still going on. 

It was a moot point. We disagreed about the late game strategy and disagreements happen all the time. No need to continue the debate.


----------



## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

SolidGuy3 said:


> ...by the way, who is the Blazers strength and conditioning coach?


Bobby Medina.

Are you going to blame him for this game?


----------



## BBert (Dec 30, 2004)

This was the most disappointing loss of the season for me. I wonder if the team was just too fatigued to make heady plays at the end? 

When we are a good team, we'll win these, refs or no refs. For now, I still love this team!!


----------



## handclap problematic (Nov 6, 2003)

To quote solidguy from the NBA General Forum,

"If anybody catched the Blazers-Nuggets game, the Nuggets were down by 1 point and Miller stole the ball from Jack and coasted in for the game winning lay-up with 4 seconds left. Denver winded up with a 105-104 win. This is the second time, Portland has choked a game away to the Nuggets this season."


How the **** can you call yourself a Blazer fan? I usually don't harp on you for the things you do... I usually just go with the flow. But how can you call yourself a fan? You are celebrating a Blazers defeat with this sentiment. The title of this thread, started by yourself, was "Play of the night".
I am not going to say anymore....but let me just paraphrase what I want to say with these words, 
"Personal Attack".


Prunetang


----------



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

Prunetang said:


> To quote solidguy from the NBA General Forum,
> 
> "If anybody catched the Blazers-Nuggets game, the Nuggets were down by 1 point and Miller stole the ball from Jack and coasted in for the game winning lay-up with 4 seconds left. Denver winded up with a 105-104 win. This is the second time, Portland has choked a game away to the Nuggets this season."
> 
> ...


I agree with that sentiment. He should be banned not because he disagrees, but most of the things he says gets in the way of the thread topic.

Also, [Personal Attack], [Personal Attack], [Personal Attack].


----------



## Goldmember (May 24, 2003)

The Nuggets shiny blue uniforms are gay. 

Why doesn't Joel ever finish games anymore, hello Nate? I'm beginning to think they are deliberately limiting Joel's minutes to help keep his value down.


----------



## SolidGuy3 (Apr 23, 2005)

Samuel said:


> I agree with that sentiment. He should be banned not because he disagrees, but most of the things he says gets in the way of the thread topic.
> 
> Also, [Personal Attack], [Personal Attack], [Personal Attack].


Portland has choked two games against Denver this season. It wasn't a personal attack. Miller made the play of the game.


----------



## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

Ok stop it, just stop it. I've read several of these posts and those of you blaming the refs need to stop. Portland didn't shoot many FT's because they were shooting jumpers most of the game period. It's a tough loss to be sure, but in the long run does it really matter? Portland didn't just lose thweir chance at the playoffs, they gained a better chance of getting a difference maker for the next several years in the draft.


----------



## southnc (Dec 15, 2005)

Wow - That was a painful tough loss. But, that's life in the NBA, and the Blazers aren't the exclusive team that has to deal with this - ALL teams do. Atleast it was an "away" game. I also feel that Nate should take some of the blame for this, as I did not like any of his sets in the last couple of mins.

A game like this can be looked at as a cross-roads: Either you learn from it and get tougher OR you fall apart. I think Nate & his staff will keep things in the former perspective.

Two things struck me as areas of improvement: Shot-Clock management (way too many shot-clock violations or bad last-second shots) and points in the paint (or lack of).

I feel especially bad for JJ, as having something like that happen early in your career and having to think about it for a while (next game is 4 days after) is got to be very hard on the young guy.

I also would have preferred the ball be in Blake's hands near the end of a game - Blake has been clutch all year, whether big last-second shots or making key free throws. He's a cool customer.


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

southnc said:


> I feel especially bad for JJ, as having something like that happen early in your career and having to think about it for a while (next game is 4 days after) is got to be very hard on the young guy.
> 
> I also would have preferred the ball be in Blake's hands near the end of a game - Blake has been clutch all year, whether big last-second shots or making key free throws. He's a cool customer.


Blake has been making mistakes recently at the end of games, but I wouldn't mind seeing him have the ball under those circumstances. I think Telfair would be a good choice too because of how quick he is, but I'm kind of glad JJ was the one with the ball because he has to be put in those circumstances to learn from them. He played well at the end of the last game, but you learn more from your mistakes.


----------



## southnc (Dec 15, 2005)

mgb said:


> Blake has been making mistakes recently at the end of games, but I wouldn't mind seeing him have the ball under those circumstances. I think Telfair would be a good choice too because of how quick he is, but I'm kind of glad JJ was the one with the ball because he has to be put in those circumstances to learn from them. He played well at the end of the last game, but you learn more from your mistakes.


I'm not quite sure what mistakes Blake has made, but I want to point out that while I still do not agree with Nate for having Jack handling the ball under those circumstances, I feel JJ has done a terrific job this year as a rookie and will continue to improve.


----------



## mook (Dec 31, 2002)

we've progressed from being a team that gets wildly blown out in losses to a team that just chokes in the end in losses. 

they are still losses, but it is progress. teams rarely go from "massively blown out" to "squeaking out wins." there's usually a "just barely lost" stage there in between. 

although it killed me at the time to see us just give this one away, in retrospect it shouldn't really surprise anyone. blunders like we had with Jack turning it over and the huge free throw disparity are to be expected with the second youngest team in the league. 

if we can continue to be competitive every night while seeing guys like Telfair and Randolph have nice games, it really ain't so bad. 

our guard play has improved so much lately that I really can't say that the PG or SG position is definitely our weakest now. last night, I'd say it was probably SF that killed us the most.


----------



## mook (Dec 31, 2002)

mgb said:


> Blake has been making mistakes recently at the end of games, but I wouldn't mind seeing him have the ball under those circumstances. I think Telfair would be a good choice too because of how quick he is, but I'm kind of glad JJ was the one with the ball because he has to be put in those circumstances to learn from them. He played well at the end of the last game, but you learn more from your mistakes.


I was pissed at the time, but in retrospect, what are you gonna do? Blake is our most experienced PG, but his only turnovers of late seem to happen in critical late game situations. Telfair has been up and down all season, and he's only shooting at a 37% FG, so when you need a bucket he ain't exactly ideal. 

I think Nate wanted to see how Jack handled a critical, high pressure possesion, and now he knows. You can't really fault Nate for trying to learn more about his youngsters. If it were Cheeks still coaching, he'd probably have Blake (or Telfair) handle the ball for 40 mpg every night, and we wouldn't know anything about the other two PG's. Nate likes to experiment, and that's a good thing for a team so young. 

Sometimes the experiments blow up in your face, and you just have to live with it.


----------



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

theWanker said:


> I was pissed at the time, but in retrospect, what are you gonna do? Blake is our most experienced PG, but his only turnovers of late seem to happen in critical late game situations. Telfair has been up and down all season, and he's only shooting at a 37% FG, so when you need a bucket he ain't exactly ideal.
> 
> I think Nate wanted to see how Jack handled a critical, high pressure possesion, and now he knows. You can't really fault Nate for trying to learn more about his youngsters. If it were Cheeks still coaching, he'd probably have Blake (or Telfair) handle the ball for 40 mpg every night, and we wouldn't know anything about the other two PG's. Nate likes to experiment, and that's a good thing for a team so young.
> 
> Sometimes the experiments blow up in your face, and you just have to live with it.


Yea, I think Nate realizes Jack is going to learn from that. So I wouldn't be surprised to see Nate put Jack in the same exact circumstance again.


----------



## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

e_blazer1 said:


> I am getting really tired of this slavish committment to the rotation of Przybilla and Ratliff. The offense gets more stagnant with Ratliff in there, especially at the end of the game when Joel's ability to score and better shot blocking skills would be a real plus. I'd like to see Nate pull Theo with about 4-5 minutes to go and let Joel finish. Tonight, with Zach fouling out, it would have been an especially sound move.
> 
> Jeez, I'm tired of losing these close ones. I know it's a sign of a young team, but our record could easily by 5-6 wins better than it is.


Amen to that!

These end of game rotations remind me of WeakCheeks.


----------



## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

did telfair get a shot in the 2nd half? Or was Denvers defense of him better than I remembered?


----------



## Utherhimo (Feb 20, 2005)

that was ugly this is by far the worst season i have ever seen in terms of refing the game! absolutly the worst! STERN wants certian teams win? when a ref calls a foul on one they should call it when they see it at the other end but this years seems to be about protecting star teams.

jack dribbled too much but the team let denver halt the dagger from sinking but without those extra 23 ft portland would have won in a blowout~!


----------



## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> Ok stop it, just stop it. I've read several of these posts and those of you blaming the refs need to stop. Portland didn't shoot many FT's because they were shooting jumpers most of the game period.


Cute theory, but the points in the paint stat reads like this: Denver 42, Portland 36. That doesn't say to me that Portland was settling for outside jumpers.



mediocre man said:


> It's a tough loss to be sure, but in the long run does it really matter? Portland didn't just lose thweir chance at the playoffs, they gained a better chance of getting a difference maker for the next several years in the draft.


Do you honestly think there is a difference maker in the draft this year? In my opinion, this is the worst draft class in maybe 20 years. When you look at the mock draft board and see that Adam Morrison is the #1 prospect, it kinda makes you cringe. I think the guy might average 14 and 7 in a good year. And the list doesn't get much better after that.

We're much better off gaining some momentum, playing well and increasing the value of our current players and perhaps giving free agents a reason or two to even consider Portland. This is a really bad year to be putting all of our eggs in one basket (i.e. the draft).

-Pop


----------



## NugzFan (Jul 26, 2002)

good game.


----------

