GT: Cats @ Blazers Thu Jan 2 10PM

[fatlever]

This could get really ugly. the best offense, facing a team struggling to defend recently. the best 3pt shooting team facing a team that prefers to pack the paint at the expense of giving up the 3pt line.

14-20 here we come.

[Tupik]

Not in the least bit optimistic about this one. I think I'll be watching Heat-Warriors and I might catch this one if I'm still awake when it starts (4am start here so idk).

With the way we've been playing these last couple of games, this could get ugly very fast.

[Seven11]

Chalk this up as a loss. A blowout loss at that. The Blazers bread and butter is the high pick-and-roll and Fat Albert can't and won't defend it. Lillard will score 30 points. Kemba will be beat up from trying to fight through a million screens by himself so he will shoot miserably. Aldridge, the player that Zeller is supposed to become will light up jumper after jumper making that show Griffin did on us last night look amateurish. The same thing for Matthews. If Henderson couldn't defend Dudley from the 3-point line then Matthews will wreak havoc. Needless to say that Batum will quadruple outplay Tolliver. All of the high hopes I had for this team last week has evaporated because we're not making adjustments.

[BigSlam]

In light of Portland's rainy weather, today's GT is brought to you by hot chicks in the rain.

Go:

Spoiler:

[fatlever]

to be fair, it was tolliver who was getting roasted by dudley all night.

[amcoolio]

Bless our hearts for trying but we aren't going to win against +.500 teams with the complete 0.00 we are getting from both the forward spots.

[fatlever]

Bless our hearts for trying but we aren't going to win against +.500 teams with the complete 0.00 we are getting from both the forward spots.

i love josh for what he is brought to the team. based on the current roster he should be starting, because nobody can take his job. he is absolutely a player that should be in a team's 10-man rotation. however, his lack of scoring, rebounding and rim protection are just not good enough to warrant playing 30 minutes at this level. until we can replace him with someone better, we are going to continue to struggle.

that being said, its ridiculous that biz (or to a lesser extent, adrien) hasnt been given any minutes at power forward considering the lack of options.

the double-edge sword though, our offense falls apart when josh isnt on the floor due to the lack of creativity and passing from our guards.

[LamarMatic7]

I have a lot of catching up to do with all the games I've missed as of late because of the holidays. No idea how to approach this game which I hypothetically could watch, yet is on at 5am in the morning.

[mrknowitall215]

I'm going to make a few bold predictions for this game...

1. The Charlotte Bobcats will defeat the Portland Trailblazers

2. Kemba Walker will score 25+ points on at least 50% shooting

3. Bismack Biyombo & Al Jefferson will finally play alongside each other at some point in the game

4. Chris Douglas-Roberts will receive more minutes than Anthony Tolliver

5. Cody Zeller will score in double-figures

[LamarMatic7]

I'm going to make a few bold predictions for this game...

1. The Charlotte Bobcats will defeat the Portland Trailblazers

2. Kemba Walker will score 25+ points on at least 50% shooting

3. Bismack Biyombo & Al Jefferson will finally play alongside each other at some point in the game

4. Chris Douglas-Roberts will receive more minutes than Anthony Tolliver

5. Cody Zeller will score in double-figures

I honestly don't see number three happening. Clifford seems to be a coach who strongly sticks to his principals and ideas.

but I assume that you predict number one since you aren't buying the Blazers to the extent everybody else is so I agree with that. They're still the number five team for me in the West.

[mrknowitall215]

I'm going to make a few bold predictions for this game...

1. The Charlotte Bobcats will defeat the Portland Trailblazers

2. Kemba Walker will score 25+ points on at least 50% shooting

3. Bismack Biyombo & Al Jefferson will finally play alongside each other at some point in the game

4. Chris Douglas-Roberts will receive more minutes than Anthony Tolliver

5. Cody Zeller will score in double-figures

I honestly don't see number three happening. Clifford seems to be a coach who strongly sticks to his principals and ideas.

but I assume that you predict number one since you aren't buying the Blazers to the extent everybody else is so I agree with that. They're still the number five team for me in the West.

I'm viewing tonight's contest as a trap game for the Blazers. If you look at the one thing that Charlotte consistently struggles with, it is scoring, and Portland is within the worst 10 defenses in the league. If the Bobcats can make the Blazers play to a slower tempo, and keep the score within 80-90 points, then they'll have a reasonable chance to win

[HornetJail]

My predictions:

We hold Lillard+Aldridge to at least 5 points below the tandem's season average: they average 45ppg between them, so I think we hold the two below 40.

Wesley Matthews leads them in scoring, mostly from 3

Al Jefferson goes ham

Kemba bounces back for a 25 point night

Biz goes berserk but only sees the floor for 10-15 minutes

We lose by only one or two possessions

[JDR720]

I feel like Mo Williams will kill us

[JDR720]

Prediction Portland-98 CHA-95

Kemba scores all over Lillard and goes for 24pts
Al gets 20/13
Gerald sucks but still scores 16pts
McBob hits 2 threes and has 5 assists
Cody scores 8pts and gets 5rebs
Tolliver cools off from deep
CDR hits 1 three

[mrknowitall215]

My sleeper pick to have a great night on Charlotte is Dorrell Wright. I wanted to say Nicolas Batum, but everybody is well aware of him beyond Aldridge, Lillard, & Matthews

[mrknowitall215]

My unshocking revelation is that if Clifford is really coaching to win that he is playing the bench too much as if the Bobcats have quality depth

[catch20two]

All I know about this Portland team is that they don't play much defense but they score in bunches because all of their guards and wings shoot the 3 pointer almost religiously. Our only hope is to that the rim is unkind to them tonight and we step up our defense.

[JDR720]

Putting Biz on LaMarcus a few mins might not be a horrible idea, he'll get scored on to but at least he might block a few of his shots

[catch20two]

You're right. Biz don't stand a chance on defending LMA's jumper but neither does McBob. At least Biz might bother him with his length and block a few of his interior shots. I'm more so worried about us getting outrebounded. LMA would kill McBob on the boards and Lopez is going to outhustle Jefferson. For as smart of a coach as Clifford seems he is awfully stubborn with putting Biz at PF. He didn't have no problem putting Tolliver at SF

[HornetJail]

My unshocking revelation is that if Clifford is really coaching to win that he is playing the bench too much as if the Bobcats have quality depth

Yet he sticks with the wrong bench players when he does. Biz really needs more minutes, and at the expense of Jefferson. Not because Jefferson is bad, but because he gets gassed quickly.