Portland@Wolves GDT

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

You guys should consider listening to Chris Finch post-game more often. You could avoid some of this reckless speculation type stuff.

Finch said after the game that he was mostly focused on getting stops late [because the team was playing with a lead]. He said that he wanted to go switch-heavy down the stretch, especially against Portland's backcourt -- Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons. Jerami Grant was also a killer last night. That mostly explains why Taurean Prince and Kyle Anderson were part of the closing unit, strategically. Finch also made glowing remarks about Austin Rivers and likely rewarded him for the night he had defensively as well.

What he didn't include was the fact that Portland came into that game with the 20th-ranked defense with a specific weakness in terms of protecting the paint. That, in part, allowed Finch to put out a lesser offensive unit and ride Ant the rest of the way, especially since he was attacking the rim late, which is where Portland is/was vulnerable.

Finch was asked about the noticeable absence of D'Angelo Russell in the fourth quarter when talking about who he decided to put on the floor late. He said it wasn't an anti D-Lo decision, but that he wanted to play certain matchups (ie. switchable, especially against Blazers' backcourt). He also said he thought Russell played well.

I think his reasoning is fair, and it worked out to the tune of a win last night, though I don't think he can expect to get away with that most nights with Russell on the roster. He's too good to not be out there, especially in clutch game situations.

He specifically called out DLO's defense on Simons...(2 points through 3 quarters?) The only subtext I heard was...'we got this game if Lillard doesn't go off...and if DLO is forced to switch to Lillard there could be trouble"......which is fair

Yeah, Chris Finch actually praised the job D'Angelo Russell did on Anfernee Simons defensively, specifically chasing and making him "earn" everything he got, which wasn't much as you mentioned. A notable omission from my original comment.

[FNG]

I also thought Russell played very good one-on-one defense on Simons. As Abe said in his game summary, it's fairly clear that DLo was a topic in the player's only meeting. And to his credit, he responded by having his best defensive game of the year in my opinion. He showed me that he has the ability to play defense...he just needs to want to. But I also heard what Leado pointed out in Finchie's post-gamer...that he was concerned that Portland might target Russell by forcing him to switch onto Lillard. Excellent recognition by Finchie, and good job putting exactly the right five guys on the court down the stretch. Two big wins against playoff-bound division rivals, and we saw ball movement and improved defense in both.

Let's see if we can continue the momentum tonight against the Clippers...I'll be there, and the house should be rocking with the late start. Portland is on the back end of a BTB, but not really, because none of the starters played many minutes in last night's blowout. The Wolves are favored by 2-3 1/2 points depending on where you look, but I think the odds will jump around today as we learn more about whether Kawhi and/or PG are playing. We really need another win, but I think this one depends on whether the Clips decide to play Kawhi or not...remarkably, Kawhi has the highest winning percentage of any player in NBA history at 74.48%...I wouldn't mind seeing his ass on the bench tonight!

[AbeVigodaLive]

I also thought Russell played very good one-on-one defense on Simons. As Abe said in his game summary, it's fairly clear that DLo was a topic in the player's only meeting. And to his credit, he responded by having his best defensive game of the year in my opinion. He showed me that he has the ability to play defense...he just needs to want to. But I also heard what Leado pointed out in Finchie's post-gamer...that he was concerned that Portland might target Russell by forcing him to switch onto Lillard. Excellent recognition by Finchie, and good job putting exactly the right five guys on the court down the stretch. Two big wins against playoff-bound division rivals, and we saw ball movement and improved defense in both.

Let's see if we can continue the momentum tonight against the Clippers...I'll be there, and the house should be rocking with the late start. Portland is on the back end of a BTB, but not really, because none of the starters played many minutes in last night's blowout. The Wolves are favored by 2-3 1/2 points depending on where you look, but I think the odds will jump around today as we learn more about whether Kawhi and/or PG are playing. We really need another win, but I think this one depends on whether the Clips decide to play Kawhi or not...remarkably, Kawhi has the highest winning percentage of any player in NBA history at 74.48%...I wouldn't mind seeing his ass on the bench tonight!

I wouldn't have expected Leonard to play in the back-to-back... BUT... the Clippers were atrocious last night in Denver.

Once the blowout was happening, Leonard was limited to 18 minutes and George only 13.

[Q-is-here]

I also thought Russell played very good one-on-one defense on Simons. As Abe said in his game summary, it's fairly clear that DLo was a topic in the player's only meeting. And to his credit, he responded by having his best defensive game of the year in my opinion. He showed me that he has the ability to play defense...he just needs to want to. But I also heard what Leado pointed out in Finchie's post-gamer...that he was concerned that Portland might target Russell by forcing him to switch onto Lillard. Excellent recognition by Finchie, and good job putting exactly the right five guys on the court down the stretch. Two big wins against playoff-bound division rivals, and we saw ball movement and improved defense in both.

Let's see if we can continue the momentum tonight against the Clippers...I'll be there, and the house should be rocking with the late start. Portland is on the back end of a BTB, but not really, because none of the starters played many minutes in last night's blowout. The Wolves are favored by 2-3 1/2 points depending on where you look, but I think the odds will jump around today as we learn more about whether Kawhi and/or PG are playing. We really need another win, but I think this one depends on whether the Clips decide to play Kawhi or not...remarkably, Kawhi has the highest winning percentage of any player in NBA history at 74.48%...I wouldn't mind seeing his ass on the bench tonight!

I wouldn't have expected Leonard to play in the back-to-back... BUT... the Clippers were atrocious last night in Denver.

Once the blowout was happening, Leonard was limited to 18 minutes and George only 13.

Not good. They really need a win.

[FNG]

I also thought Russell played very good one-on-one defense on Simons. As Abe said in his game summary, it's fairly clear that DLo was a topic in the player's only meeting. And to his credit, he responded by having his best defensive game of the year in my opinion. He showed me that he has the ability to play defense...he just needs to want to. But I also heard what Leado pointed out in Finchie's post-gamer...that he was concerned that Portland might target Russell by forcing him to switch onto Lillard. Excellent recognition by Finchie, and good job putting exactly the right five guys on the court down the stretch. Two big wins against playoff-bound division rivals, and we saw ball movement and improved defense in both.

Let's see if we can continue the momentum tonight against the Clippers...I'll be there, and the house should be rocking with the late start. Portland is on the back end of a BTB, but not really, because none of the starters played many minutes in last night's blowout. The Wolves are favored by 2-3 1/2 points depending on where you look, but I think the odds will jump around today as we learn more about whether Kawhi and/or PG are playing. We really need another win, but I think this one depends on whether the Clips decide to play Kawhi or not...remarkably, Kawhi has the highest winning percentage of any player in NBA history at 74.48%...I wouldn't mind seeing his ass on the bench tonight!

I wouldn't have expected Leonard to play in the back-to-back... BUT... the Clippers were atrocious last night in Denver.

Once the blowout was happening, Leonard was limited to 18 minutes and George only 13.

Not good. They really need a win.

Yeah, 4 losses in a row could force Lue to make a decision he would prefer not to make. On the other hand, the Clips are finishing up a grueling stretch where they have played 8 out of 9 games on the road. They may decide to mail this one in, and go home rested for 5 consecutive home games. And the Wolves have played quite well in the past two wins. My guess is Kawhi sits and the Wolves win this one. It's a big game, because with Houston next on the schedule, we have a chance to get back to .500. Go Wolves!

[AbeVigodaLive]

I tend to agree with FNG on this one.

It's a game that would usually be a "scheduled loss" and would have most certainly been one if the Clippers didn't shit the bed so very badly last night.

But that team is playing the long game perhaps more than any other team in the L. A loss dropping them to 21 - 20 is not catastrophic at this point. Kawhi Leonard hasn't played a back-to-back since 2021... and then he sat 9 of the next 10 games. LOL.

[Q-is-here]

I tend to agree with FNG on this one.

It's a game that would usually be a "scheduled loss" and would have most certainly been one if the Clippers didn't shit the bed so very badly last night.

But that team is playing the long game perhaps more than any other team in the L. A loss dropping them to 21 - 20 is not catastrophic at this point. Kawhi Leonard hasn't played a back-to-back since 2021... and then he sat 9 of the next 10 games. LOL.

Leonard is such a fascinating character to me.

- Gets drafted 15th in 2011 after a good, but unremarkable, two years at San Diego State.
- Enters the vaunted Spurs system at the peak of their powers and immediately makes an impact as a role player.
- Very methodically takes on more and more responsibilities with each passing year in San Antonio.
- Wins Finals MVP with San Antonio in his 3rd year at age 22, while he was still mostly a role player leading up to that point.
- Becomes one of the few true 2-way superstars in the modern era, where he could simultaneously check the opponent's best player on defense while still being his team's best player on offense. That just doesn't happen anymore.
- Despite his stardom, he displays a stoicism that simply doesn't exist anymore among star players and has been unfashionable in the NBA since the 80s.
- Gradually becomes an enigmatic prima donna that takes medical matters into his own hands, causing a rift with the Spurs that led to the trade to Toronto.
- Becomes a part-time player for all intents and purposes, but despite this, he wins a title and another Finals MVP with Toronto.
- Had a legit bad injury with the Clippers and now back to part-time player status again.

It will be very interesting to see if this long game pays off for the Clippers. They are a very deep team that has underachieved this season, but perhaps they are right where they want to be at this stage in the season, which is mostly healthy with plenty of time to make up ground.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Think about this...

Leonard's college career is mostly known for his battles with legendary bust, Jimmer Fredette.

- Fredette went off for 43 vs. Leonard's SDSU team in a clash of top 10 teams.
- BYU won the 2nd meeting too with Fredette scoring a less efficient 25 in the win.
- SDSU beat them in the conference tourney as Fredette went for an inefficient 30... but the most interesting part was the trash talk from Leonard to Fredette after the game. It was a story at the time...

[FNG]

Think about this...

Leonard's college career is mostly known for his battles with legendary bust, Jimmer Fredette.

- Fredette went off for 43 vs. Leonard's SDSU team in a clash of top 10 teams.
- BYU won the 2nd meeting too with Fredette scoring a less efficient 25 in the win.
- SDSU beat them in the conference tourney as Fredette went for an inefficient 30... but the most interesting part was the trash talk from Leonard to Fredette after the game. It was a story at the time...

Yep. And he was drafted 15th mostly on potential, because he was a terrible 3-point shooter and an undisciplined defender. But not only is he the all-time NBA leader in winning percentage, he is an extraordinary on/off performer...this year, despite only shooting 26% on threes (similar to his college numbers), the Clips are an astonishing 14.5 points better per 100 possessions when he is on the court. As much fun as it might be to see what Ant could do against him on offense, I think I'd prefer the win.

[Q-is-here]

Think about this...

Leonard's college career is mostly known for his battles with legendary bust, Jimmer Fredette.

- Fredette went off for 43 vs. Leonard's SDSU team in a clash of top 10 teams.
- BYU won the 2nd meeting too with Fredette scoring a less efficient 25 in the win.
- SDSU beat them in the conference tourney as Fredette went for an inefficient 30... but the most interesting part was the trash talk from Leonard to Fredette after the game. It was a story at the time...

Yep. And he was drafted 15th mostly on potential, because he was a terrible 3-point shooter and an undisciplined defender. But not only is he the all-time NBA leader in winning percentage, he is an extraordinary on/off performer...this year, despite only shooting 26% on threes (similar to his college numbers), the Clips are an astonishing 14.5 points better per 100 possessions when he is on the court. As much fun as it might be to see what Ant could do against him on offense, I think I'd prefer the win.

Him and Paul George are just a scary nightmare on paper. Big 2-way wings with a boatload of skills and battle tested. Just ideal modern-era players. Tatum and Brown are kind of a facsimile of this duo.

Yet....they have been fairly quiet because of all the days of rest.

Please, oh please don't play tonight!