Revisiting the apocolypse at Philly

Walton'sBeard! · Post #1 » by **Walton'sBeard!** » Sun Jan 6, 2008 6:23 pm

Bear with me, there is a point.

That game would have sent any team into a tail spin. To come from ahead and lose a 25 point lead is devastating. Over the following 8 games Portland was 1-7, with that one win being a narrow home victory over an injury-depleted Sacremento. Had the Blazers held on Philly they would now be 22-12, what's more, I don't believe that rough stretch of 8 games would have ever happened. I think Portland would have gone at least .500 in that stretch which would leave us sitting at 25-9 right now. If if's and buts were candy and nuts.... Yeah I know.

And now my point:
To all those fans of other teams crying "fool's gold" when looking at Portland's 21-13 record, maybe you're right. But I have reason to believe the opposite. This team has convinced me they are that good and any rough stretches past or in the future are the real anomaly.

Wizenheimer · Post #2 » by **Wizenheimer** » Sun Jan 6, 2008 7:07 pm

it's said that hard lessons are the best teacher. Maybe that Philly loss was one of those necessary hard lessons, and portland wouldn't be as good as they are now, without being as bad as they were that night.

southnc · Post #3 » by **southnc** » Sun Jan 6, 2008 8:40 pm

Walton'sBeard! wrote:Bear with me, there is a point.

That game would have sent any team into a tail spin. To come from ahead and lose a 25 point lead is devastating. Over the following 8 games Portland was 1-7, with that one win being a narrow home victory over an injury-depleted Sacremento. Had the Blazers held on Philly they would now be 22-12, what's more, I don't believe that rough stretch of 8 games would have ever happened. I think Portland would have gone at least .500 in that stretch which would leave us sitting at 25-9 right now. If if's and buts were candy and nuts.... Yeah I know.

And now my point:
To all those fans of other teams crying "fool's gold" when looking at Portland's 21-13 record, maybe you're right. But I have reason to believe the opposite. This team has convinced me they are that good and any rough stretches past or in the future are the real anomaly.

If only...

The improbable loss after a 25 pt lead to Philly can easily be canceled-out by the even more improbable last millisecond shot by Outlaw to beat the Grizzlies, which started the win streak in the first place. So, the current record is relevant.

At this point, that Philly game is no longer relevant IMO; especially after the beat-down they got when they visited Portland shortly afterwards.

UGotThrilled · Post #4 » by **UGotThrilled** » Sun Jan 6, 2008 9:44 pm

The main point I think is that yea we are probably not as good as a team that wins 16 out of 17, but we also arent as bad as a team that loses 7 out of 8, we are somewhere in between, like maybe somewhere around where our overall record is right now. Man, I love when Martell is hot. We need to remember that part of the playbook for when Brandon and LMA are struggling. We have another guy who can score a lot of points, but only if plays are run for him.

Red Robot · Post #5 » by **Red Robot** » Sun Jan 6, 2008 10:39 pm

If you're arguing that the Blazers are better than their record, I'll have to disagree. Portland has allowed almost as many points as they've scored. You're right that to some extent it's because they've played like two different teams, but they're still fortunate to be 21-13 right now.

Not to say this isn't a good team. They're more than good enough to go .500 the rest of the way and guarantee a playoff spot.

CounterLead · Post #6 » by **CounterLead** » Sun Jan 6, 2008 11:18 pm

The improbable loss after a 25 pt lead to Philly can easily be canceled-out by the even more improbable last millisecond shot by Outlaw to beat the Grizzlies, which started the win streak in the first place. So, the current record is relevant.

Travis' buzzer beater was more improbable than Portland losing after having a 25 point lead? That doesn't make sense at all. Buzzer beaters are fairly routine in the NBA . . .

Walton'sBeard! · Post #7 » by **Walton'sBeard!** » Mon Jan 7, 2008 12:36 am

Red Robot wrote:If you're arguing that the Blazers are better than their record, I'll have to disagree. Portland has allowed almost as many points as they've scored. You're right that to some extent it's because they've played like two different teams, but they're still fortunate to be 21-13 right now.

Not to say this isn't a good team. They're more than good enough to go .500 the rest of the way and guarantee a playoff spot.

Yes, I am arguing that Portland is better than their record, or at the very least as good as their record. You make a good point with their point differential, however during that skid they were blown out many times. I maintain that that stretch of games did not accurately reflect the Blazers.

As hard as it is to accept, I actually believe we are seeing the real Blazers right now. There is plenty of time. Maybe they will get injuries or forget how to win or maybe they aren't that good. I could easily be proven wrong. But I think we are seeing the real thing now.

Post #8 » by **BlackMamba** » Mon Jan 7, 2008 1:42 am

i think the blazers have established with their record how good or bad they are.

of course they aren't a title contender or favorite, but this portland team is a young and talented team that will only get better game after game.

kellex · Post #9 » by **kellex** » Mon Jan 7, 2008 2:31 am

CounterLead wrote:
The improbable loss after a 25 pt lead to Philly can easily be canceled-out by the even more improbable last millisecond shot by Outlaw to beat the Grizzlies, which started the win streak in the first place. So, the current record is relevant.

Travis' buzzer beater was more improbable than Portland losing after having a 25 point lead? That doesn't make sense at all. Buzzer beaters are fairly routine in the NBA . . .

yeah but outlaw actually becoming relevant was highly unlikely. and especially having the guts to take and make a buzzer beater.

i think the team is at best an 8 seed...which would mean better than the lakers and better than golden state...and i believe its true with both of those.

trentsdad · Post #10 » by **trentsdad** » Mon Jan 7, 2008 4:15 am

I am as much a fan as anyone on the board, but lets talk about what the record will be after the 7 game road trip, at that point we will have played more on the road than at home......if we are still 7-10 games over 500, we are for real, if only a game or 2, then its going to be tough

Post #11 » by **mojomarc** » Mon Jan 7, 2008 4:18 am

trentsdad wrote:I am as much a fan as anyone on the board, but lets talk about what the record will be after the 7 game road trip, at that point we will have played more on the road than at home......if we are still 7-10 games over 500, we are for real, if only a game or 2, then its going to be tough

+1