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April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot!

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April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#1 » by Soulyss » Thu Apr 1, 2021 8:44 pm

A nice 4-0 roadtrip to round out an 11-4 March... CJ is back, Nurk is Back, Powell is here... What is your April projection?

Apr 2 vs Milwaukee Bucks (L)
Apr 3 vs Oklahoma City Thunder (W)
Apr 6 @ Los Angeles Clippers (L)
Apr 8 @ Utah Jazz (L)
Apr 10 vs Detroit Pistons (W)
Apr 11 vs Miami Heat (W)
Apr 13 vs Boston Celtics (W)
Apr 16 @ San Antonio Spurs (L)
Apr 18 @ Charlotte Hornets (W)
Apr 20 vs Los Angeles Clippers (W)
Apr 21 vs Denver Nuggets (W)
Apr 23 vs Memphis Grizzlies (W)
Apr 25 vs Memphis Grizzlies (L)
Apr 27 @ Indiana Pacers (W)
Apr 28 @ Memphis Grizzlies (W)
Apr 30 @ Brooklyn Nets (L)

I have the Blazers 10-6 in April and 39-24 on the season and 5th in the West at the end of April.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#2 » by DaVoiceMaster » Fri Apr 2, 2021 12:00 am

At worst, 8-8. I'd be happy with 10-6.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#3 » by d-train » Fri Apr 2, 2021 1:46 am

10-6 looks about right
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#4 » by GEE » Fri Apr 2, 2021 1:59 am

10&6 seems a bit optimistic. I really like the recent up-tempo style Stotts is running since landing Powell in Portland, but don't understand what he is doing with the player rotations, especially at the SF&PF. Even though we've won the last few games, if he keeps the 3, and even sometimes 4, small guard lineups, we will likely get a reality check very soon with this upcoming schedule. Love the style, not a fan of the rotations.

As for the April (as long as Powell continues to start at SF) I see a grinder of a schedule. 16 games in 29 days with 3 cupcake wins, 6 almost certain Ls, and 3 against the Grizz who if healthy, scare the hell out of me, so 1-2 there. Finally, 6 more that I would put at .500, 3-3 there.

Put me down for 7-9.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#5 » by BlazersBroncos » Fri Apr 2, 2021 2:41 am

10&6 seems a bit optimistic. I really like the recent up-tempo style Stotts is running since landing Powell in Portland, but don't understand what he is doing with the player rotations, especially at the SF&PF. Even though we've won the last few games, if he keeps the 3, and even sometimes 4, small guard lineups, we will likely get a reality check very soon with this upcoming schedule. Love the style, not a fan of the rotations.


The small rotations were destined to happen the second we traded for Powell. That being said, I wish we would give those 10-14mpg that Simons is seeing to Little. Powell can handle the ball as the secondary guy in situations that one of Dame / CJ is off the court. He isnt great, but probably as good as Simons as a distributor and ballhandler, which isnt saying much.

I am optimistic about this team. We had 2 guys coming off big injuries and one who just got off a plane and went 4-0. I am going with 10-6.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#6 » by monopoman » Fri Apr 2, 2021 3:58 am

I mean with this team nearly at full strength I think they are much more dangerous, Powell is a hell of a pickup and is what GT Jr. might be in 2-3 years if everything goes right.

Nurkic is a revelation inside especially on the defensive end, I think a 11-5 record over April is very possible. I would put my money on 10-6 though since 11-5 would be a very good month.

I will be hoping for an 12-4 or 11-5 month though and the Blazers prove most of us wrong at going with 10-6.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#7 » by Norm2953 » Fri Apr 2, 2021 6:05 am

Let's see how the injured hold up before we have predictions.

Team is better with Nurk playing 30 mpg but he has to be able to stay on the court for they need his size
getting ready for the playoffs. Final record might be impacted by Stotts experimenting with different lineups
for it does not take much to see those big front courts in Denver, Lakers and Clippers as a matchup problem for
Portland in the playoffs. They might be better off 6-10 and getting their playoff rotation set as opposed to 13-5
and not knowing how they will matchup against the first round opponent.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#8 » by monopoman » Fri Apr 2, 2021 6:52 am

Norm2953 wrote:Let's see how the injured hold up before we have predictions.

Team is better with Nurk playing 30 mpg but he has to be able to stay on the court for they need his size
getting ready for the playoffs. Final record might be impacted by Stotts experimenting with different lineups
for it does not take much to see those big front courts in Denver, Lakers and Clippers as a matchup problem for
Portland in the playoffs. They might be better off 6-10 and getting their playoff rotation set as opposed to 13-5
and not knowing how they will matchup against the first round opponent.


I saw the stats the Blazers win 9% more games with Nurkic available and playing then when he is unavailable. That is a pretty big difference in win rate and I assume it comes mostly from his defense since his scoring is always less reliable.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#9 » by Wizenheimer » Fri Apr 2, 2021 4:49 pm

I think 9-7. Could be 8-8. Blazer DNA is still the same as it has been in the Olshey/Stotts era: they consistently beat up the lottery teams and struggle against the good ones

and another big part of the DNA is still the same: Blazers rise and fall on how well Dame plays. He's dinged up. Hopefully, he's healing. The Blazer schedule since the break has been by far the easiest in the NBA. It's about to get a lot more difficult. But Dame feeling good and going on his annual superstar rampage could really change the equation

*****************************************************************************************

with every western conference team playing 3 games with the others, tiebreakers have never been as important as this season. That's something to keep a close eye on the rest of the way

* Blazers hold the tiebreakers with Golden State and Dallas; but both of those teams are well behind in the standings

* Suns own the tiebreaker with Portland. Lakers and Blazers are even

* Portland is at a 0-1 disadvantage with Utah, LAC, Denver, & San Antonio.

Blazers really don't want to be in a position where all of the 5 teams they are chasing own the tiebreaker. Good new is it seems pretty likely Portland will avoid the play-in tourney

*******************************************************************************************

monopoman wrote:I saw the stats the Blazers win 9% more games with Nurkic available and playing then when he is unavailable. That is a pretty big difference in win rate and I assume it comes mostly from his defense since his scoring is always less reliable.


I'd be a bit skeptical about that stat. I suspect there's a lot of context to it. Besides, that would only mean 2 more wins, at most, in the remaining games. With the schedule, that could be 1 or 0

here's another factoid: Portland is 1-8 in the playoffs with Nurkic as starting C; Blazers are 8-8 in the playoffs with Kanter as the starting C
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#10 » by GEE » Sat Apr 3, 2021 1:20 am

"here's another factoid: Portland is 1-8 in the playoffs with Nurkic as starting C; Blazers are 8-8 in the playoffs with Kanter as the starting C"

W :o W! Amazing stat.

I'll just say once more that I like the recent up-tempo, not walking the ball up style we've seen the last handful of games, along with the connected defensive effort. Dame and CJ seem to have really stepped up their efforts on D, but the player rotations to me are concerning, especially if Stotts continues to go small for no reason. Guess I'll find out if the three small guy starting lineup is just an experiment or not, in about an hour when we tipoff against the DEER.

DEFENSE MATTERS and there's no long-term success against the best teams, running 3 small guards at once.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#11 » by PDXKnight » Sat Apr 3, 2021 4:11 am

GEE wrote:"here's another factoid: Portland is 1-8 in the playoffs with Nurkic as starting C; Blazers are 8-8 in the playoffs with Kanter as the starting C"

W :o W! Amazing stat.

I'll just say once more that I like the recent up-tempo, not walking the ball up style we've seen the last handful of games, along with the connected defensive effort. Dame and CJ seem to have really stepped up their efforts on D, but the player rotations to me are concerning, especially if Stotts continues to go small for no reason. Guess I'll find out if the three small guy starting lineup is just an experiment or not, in about an hour when we tipoff against the DEER.

DEFENSE MATTERS and there's no long-term success against the best teams, running 3 small guards at once.


i like Nurk a lot but that’s a brutal stat. I wonder what his price tag will be in 2 seasons, if he’s affordable might be good to retain him but with his injury history and given our limited playoff success with Nurk obviously would seem like we need to be wise about what we pay him
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#12 » by J-RITZ » Sat Apr 3, 2021 5:51 pm

7-9, but hoping they can steal a couple more.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#13 » by Soulyss » Sat Apr 3, 2021 8:05 pm

Batting 1.000 so far ;P
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#14 » by d-train » Sat Apr 3, 2021 10:38 pm

Wizenheimer wrote:
here's another factoid: Portland is 1-8 in the playoffs with Nurkic as starting C; Blazers are 8-8 in the playoffs with Kanter as the starting C

It's a 100% meaningless factoid as are so many factoids.

Kanter started 14 of the 16 playoff games he played for Blazers. In the last 2 games, he lost his starting job and his minutes to Meyers Leonard. Nurkic never lost his starting job to anyone.

Actually, Nurk is 1-9 in playoff games he started for Blazers. It's worth noting that his 1-5 record against Lakers was the same record Joker and Harden had. And, the 0-4 record against the Pelicans was more because of Lillard's poor play than Nurkic's performance. Pelicans ran Nurk off the court because of missed shots and turnovers by his teammates, not him. You can't blame the big man for being big.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#15 » by monopoman » Sat Apr 3, 2021 11:23 pm

Oden2 wrote:
GEE wrote:"here's another factoid: Portland is 1-8 in the playoffs with Nurkic as starting C; Blazers are 8-8 in the playoffs with Kanter as the starting C"

W :o W! Amazing stat.

I'll just say once more that I like the recent up-tempo, not walking the ball up style we've seen the last handful of games, along with the connected defensive effort. Dame and CJ seem to have really stepped up their efforts on D, but the player rotations to me are concerning, especially if Stotts continues to go small for no reason. Guess I'll find out if the three small guy starting lineup is just an experiment or not, in about an hour when we tipoff against the DEER.

DEFENSE MATTERS and there's no long-term success against the best teams, running 3 small guards at once.


i like Nurk a lot but that’s a brutal stat. I wonder what his price tag will be in 2 seasons, if he’s affordable might be good to retain him but with his injury history and given our limited playoff success with Nurk obviously would seem like we need to be wise about what we pay him


I assume other teams will be wary of Nurkic with the recent injury woes. Now if he comes back and looks very good over the 2021-2022 season those injury woes might not be a huge concern for other teams looking at Nurkic.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#16 » by skywalker33 » Tue Apr 6, 2021 2:14 am

Put me down for 2 wins vs. the LAC, make it so !!
Texas Chuck wrote:I'd like to see Utah, and Denver lose


Exactly as I've been saying all along !!
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#17 » by Soulyss » Sat Apr 10, 2021 3:16 pm

Oof... Still Batting 1.000! 1 - 3 start (as planned) Time for the team to put it together starting TONIGHT.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#18 » by GEE » Sun Apr 11, 2021 12:26 am

Same here, but easy to predict so far. Same with tonight's game. I see us winning even without Nurkic. Then I see us losing 2 of the next 3.
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#19 » by GEE » Sat Apr 17, 2021 4:54 am

GEE wrote:Same here, but easy to predict so far. Same with tonight's game. I see us winning even without Nurkic. Then I see us losing 2 of the next 3.


STILL PERFECT... but not as comfortable with the second half of April, maybe this:

LAC(L) Confident
DEN(L) Was confident until Jamal Murray injury.
MEM(W)
MEM(W) - worried a bit about losing one of these two to the Grizz.
IND(L)
MEM(L)
BKN(W)
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Re: April Blazer Predictions! Call your shot! 

Post#20 » by DaVoiceMaster » Sun Apr 18, 2021 8:37 pm

3-5 through the first half of April with another 8 games to go. I said at worst, they'd finish 8-8. That's still doable, but they cannot afford to drop anymore close games. They need to learn how to close out quarters and the game overall. They gave the Miami game away because they could not close out the third quarter. They do this far too often.
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