Trailblazers Game Report

[Coolbreeze44]

A large but relatively quiet crowd in the first half. I just had the feeling that once we lost the lead it was going to be tough to get it back. Once Portland went berserk in the 3rd quarter the crowd really went off the hook, culminating with the lob to Cannaughton and his reverse dunk. At that point the writing was on the wall and i had to suffer through it.

The Blazers were hot, no doubt about it. One frustration for me is they walk a very fine line with their screening. They know just how much to move on their to avoid a foul but make it very difficult to get over. On the road they might not get away with crossing that line, but at home it's a different story. So they were red hot, set borderline screens, and our defense wasn't good enough to get any stops when the game was in it's competitive phase. Add to that we were without Butler again and it's not hard to see a loss coming in that building.

I think we knew Jimmy wasn't going to play 80 games this year, but it shows you the value of durability. KAT and Wig are out there every night and it makes a big difference. When we have the whole gang we are a tough out. But it's hard to win on the road with one of your best players out.

I don't want to grade the performance of every player, but I'll mention a few things. I thought Teague really struggled, particularly on the defensive end. Maybe we should at least inquire about what a Kemba Walker would cost us. It was interesting how Thibs divided the minutes. Maybe it was due to the back to back, but Wig and especially KAT sat for lengthy periods in each half. I kind of expected him to go for it a little more tonight, a more winnable game than Thursday night against the Warriors. Probably wouldn't have mattered though, it just wasn't our night.

Some things I liked:

- KAT's work on the boards
- Wig's ability to get inside and hit his floater
- Belly's effort on the boards
- Gorgui's shot seemed to be going in
- Thibs constantly working the officials - you have to do it in this building

Lillard and McCollum are so good, but they're also so redundant. I think it both helps them and hurts them. I really wanted McCollum during his draft year and Flip passed on him before making the trade to get Bazz and Dieng. In retrospect that was a huge mistake. I was really impressed with him tonight.

I'll just add that I didn't like the way the Wolves warmed up before the 2nd half. Most of the guys stood around the 3 point line and took just a few shots, most of which didn't go in. It was way too nonchalant for my liking. I wonder if Target Center regulars have noticed something similar at home. Anyway, hope this adds some perspective tonight.

[Lipoli390]

Thanks for the report, Cool. Your description of the game matches what I saw on TV. I love you point about durability. Some people overlook how the tremendous value we get from both Wiggins and KAT on durability alone. As you know from many of my prior posts long before he came here, Butler's durability was always a concern of mine. I'm still happy we have him, but I remain concerned.

You and I both really wanted McCollum in the draft. He's become everything we expected him to be. We could have drafted Gobert with out other 1st round pick. Now we have Bazz and Gorgui instead. Oh well...

[AbeVigodaLive]

Thanks for the report, Cool. Your description of the game matches what I saw on TV. I love you point about durability. Some people overlook how the tremendous value we get from both Wiggins and KAT on durability alone. As you know from many of my prior posts long before he came here, Butler's durability was always a concern of mine. I'm still happy we have him, but I remain concerned.

You and I both really wanted McCollum in the draft. He's become everything we expected him to be. We could have drafted Gobert with out other 1st round pick. Now we have Bazz and Gorgui instead. Oh well...

And me!

To be fair, I can't take too much credit because I mostly stay away from draft prognostication stuff. It's not really my bag. But in an otherwise mediocre or poor draft... I was high on Oladipo at the very top and McCollum in the next hodgepodge of players.

Ironically, I remember seeing all the draft picks paraded in front of Bill Simmons on some ESPN show. I remember thinking that I dug McCollum even more. And I wanted nothing to do with Shabazz Muhammad. Oh well.