Cleveland at Portland

[Billy]

Let's face it, this team is crap right now. The continued optimism during our 4-6 L10 is mind boggling. It could easily be 2-8 or 1-9. We have issues.

That's pretty much been the nature of this conference and the NW Division this year. Utah was all but left for dead a week and a half ago. Now they are back in first. There's nothing that says that Portland can't make the exact same run.

Heck, if you want to look back to December 3rd, Portland was left for dead. No hope, put away the paddles dead. But they came back. It's going to be a bumpy ride this year. The team has experienced everything now from a huge winning streak, to bad losing streaks, to all-star hype (today is the day btw), to now big trade rumors. It's a ride for these guys as well, we just have to see what happens.

[Wizenheimer]

-= original quote snipped =-



That's pretty much been the nature of this conference and the NW Division this year. Utah was all but left for dead a week and a half ago. Now they are back in first. There's nothing that says that Portland can't make the exact same run.

Heck, if you want to look back to December 3rd, Portland was left for dead. No hope, put away the paddles dead. But they came back. It's going to be a bumpy ride this year. The team has experienced everything now from a huge winning streak, to bad losing streaks, to all-star hype (today is the day btw), to now big trade rumors. It's a ride for these guys as well, we just have to see what happens.

completely true

and it was just a little over 3 monts ago that most here were expecting the blazers to only win 30-39 games. And that was reasonable. Most national media didn't even expect portland to win 30.

Instead, Brandon Roy has become an all-star candidate, LMA has continued to improve, Jones has been solid and deadly from the perimeter, Travis has exploded, blake has been everything you could ask, webster has improved tremendously, and Rudy has been named FIBA player of the year. And then of course, Oden's rehab has been going extremely well.

So expectations have exploded, seemingly to the point that all memory of september expectations has vanished, as well as memory of how very young teams in the NBA always struggle at different times of the season. Hell, even veteran teams struggle...ask the Spurs.

Portland won a game they should have lost Sunday, last night karma ran them down. Who knew karma was 6'8 and wore #23?

[The Sebastian Express]

I think I will just be happy that we are 26-19 and it is almost February, we are in the thick of the playoff race and it is almost February, and this team made history times three with the winning streak when no one thought they would do anything this year. Let alone be here.

[mojomarc]

Yes, Pup, we were up 11 with four minutes left with 35% shooting, and it's a shame we lost the game, but games are 48 minutes long and we only played 44.

On another note, this is testiment to how bad the Eastern Conference really is when one of their leading teams can only win by one (on a last second shot even) against an 8th seed playoff contender in the West who has a 35% shooting night, too. We played down to the level of our competition tonight, and it wasn't pretty. We can talk about Lebron winning the game for him, but teams beat single players, and Cleveland really is maybe a 1.75 player team at best in the West. The comments made by one analyst (can't remember who it was, but they were recent) that the Eastern Conference games looked like JV games compared to the West really seems to be true.

I know that doesn't make the loss any easier, but I really think this is a lot due to the youth of the team. They look at these East teams and have a tough time convincing themselves that they'll actually have a game on their hands. That will change with experience, as they learn to better prepare themselves mentally. We've seen a few times this year (the first half of the Boston game most clearly) that this team is mature for it's age but still not mature. Luckily, these sorts of awkward adolescent phases rarely last too long, and we have a good set of folks out there who should grow out of it.

One other factor that hasn't been mentioned--I wonder if the trade rumors didn't rattle the team a bit?

[Spykes]

One other factor that hasn't been mentioned--I wonder if the trade rumors didn't rattle the team a bit?

It's possible. I mean, we've all see how adversely effected the Bulls were after the summer long Kobe to Chicago talk. I can definitely see trade talk being something that can rattle guys who haven't been traded before.

I think I will just be happy that we are 26-19 and it is almost February, we are in the thick of the playoff race and it is almost February, and this team made history times three with the winning streak when no one thought they would do anything this year. Let alone be here.

I couldn't agree more. Even if we miss the playoffs, I don't see how anyone could consider this season a failure.

[Wizenheimer]

Yes, Pup, we were up 11 with four minutes left with 35% shooting, and it's a shame we lost the game, but games are 48 minutes long and we only played 44.

On another note, this is testiment to how bad the Eastern Conference really is when one of their leading teams can only win by one (on a last second shot even) against an 8th seed playoff contender in the West who has a 35% shooting night, too. We played down to the level of our competition tonight, and it wasn't pretty. We can talk about Lebron winning the game for him, but teams beat single players, and Cleveland really is maybe a 1.75 player team at best in the West. The comments made by one analyst (can't remember who it was, but they were recent) that the Eastern Conference games looked like JV games compared to the West really seems to be true.

I know that doesn't make the loss any easier, but I really think this is a lot due to the youth of the team. They look at these East teams and have a tough time convincing themselves that they'll actually have a game on their hands. That will change with experience, as they learn to better prepare themselves mentally. We've seen a few times this year (the first half of the Boston game most clearly) that this team is mature for it's age but still not mature. Luckily, these sorts of awkward adolescent phases rarely last too long, and we have a good set of folks out there who should grow out of it.

One other factor that hasn't been mentioned--I wonder if the trade rumors didn't rattle the team a bit?

well, someone else pointed out that it looked like frye and jack had already been traded in the 2nd half.

[mojomarc]

-= original quote snipped =-



well, someone else pointed out that it looked like frye and jack had already been traded in the 2nd half.

Must have missed that. I was on the phone the entire second half, so I wasn't paying much attention to the game chat or the thread.

[Jumpstop]

I'm really dissapointed with the way the Blazers decided to defend LBJ in the final quarter. On that double screen they were setting on Roy, the screenman's defender needed to come out and force LeBron out so that Roy could recover and even if LeBron passes over, I would much rather have one of the Cav's screen men take a shot at beating us than LeBron.

But on a positive note, NICE game by Joel

[Papercut]

^^^ Yes exactly, Jumpstop, that was infuriating to watch. I didn't know if I should blame the coaches or the players, but their strategy defending Lebron was TERRIBLE.

If Roy is going to go under that screen, the screener's defender needs to come out and trap Lebron. Instead, that defender was sagging into the lane giving Lebron wide open 3 pointers. He did it 3 times in a row, including one after a timeout, and the Blazers didn't adjust. Especially with an 11 point lead, giving up those 3s was just a terrible tactic.

You can't blame the officials for this one. I thought Roy got hit on a couple of those drives in the 4th quarter, but if you're going to let Lebron get wide open looks like that, it doesn't matter what you're doing. And in real time I thought Lebron's winner was a travel, but on the replay it was clear that he just made a great play.

[ph1sh55]

The real reason we lost was Cleveland stop playing Larry Hughes. I swear he was single handedly trying to throw the game for them.

[ImmortalD24]

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/vid ... Id=2459788

Go to 04:45 and really watch his feet.

[mojomarc]

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=&categoryId=2459788

Go to 04:45 and really watch his feet.

What's the point of worrying about a call like this? Refs have borderline calls that they make practically every time down the court, and they're going to make some right and miss some because they're only human. These calls balance out during a game.

Continuing to grouse about a single call in a game when there are hundreds of calls/no-calls that could go either way just seems like making excuses when, if our team played like they deserved to win the game it wouldn't have been a remotely close game.

[TheOUTLAW]

Admittedly I am a Cavs fan, but it does not look like a travel at all to me.

[pr0nny]

The fact that it was a game winning layup enrages me. Foul him for Christs sake. He was bricking FTs all night.

[TheOUTLAW]

Nobody intentionally fouls someone putting them on the line for the game tying and game winning free throws.

[Papercut]

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=&categoryId=2459788

Go to 04:45 and really watch his feet.

Okay it was definitely a travel, but it was close enough that it would never be called in that situation, superstar or not.

[Jumpstop]

Travel or not, LeBron never should have been allowed to drive to the hoop. At less than 5 seconds left, the Blazers should have double teamed him as soon as he gets the ball and make him pass out of it and let another Cav try to beat you...and if LeBron doesn't pass out he has to take a difficult jumper with 2 defenders on him.

Letting LeBron go 1 on 1 is asking for a drive to the hoop for 2 or a shooting foul on the way.

[pr0nny]

Nobody intentionally fouls someone putting them on the line for the game tying and game winning free throws.

True. In hindsight it sure sounds like a good move though

[541Blaza]

Travel or not, LeBron never should have been allowed to drive to the hoop. At less than 5 seconds left, the Blazers should have double teamed him as soon as he gets the ball and make him pass out of it and let another Cav try to beat you...and if LeBron doesn't pass out he has to take a difficult jumper with 2 defenders on him.

Letting LeBron go 1 on 1 is asking for a drive to the hoop for 2 or a shooting foul on the way.

yep

[sabi]

I liked that Brandon was trying to take it to Lebron each time at the end of the game but I think he forced a couple of bad shots while doing it.