Is it just me or does everyone else feel the same way every time these guys get a shot off? I feel like everything they throw up goes in. It is hard to hate either one of them too because they just go out there and play hard without any or much trash talking and showboating.
Lillard has really shown me something. I've definitely become a huge fan of his game. Would be interesting to see how Beverly would do against him if he was healthy. Lillard's made him look like a pretty average defender to this point. The guy barely makes mistakes. He's averaged like 2 TOS per game in the series playing nearly 45 minutes a game. He's shot 45% from three. Just a solid player. Blazers' fans must feel like they won the lottery with this guy locked up for the foreseeable future.
Its not hard to hate Lillard at all. Screw that guy! Next time he goes in for a lay-up I want to see someone put his sorry aZZ on the floor. That said, its too bad the Rockets were not able to draft him. His clutchness sickens me.
when they put up a shot, i feel the exact same way i do when jason terry puts up a shot against us. it's a bad feeling.
wes matthews too. these guys have shown a derek fisher-like ability to consistently drain the J in the playoffs. would be nice if they cooled off a bit for game 6.
Add Matthews to the list. Seriously, every 3 they put up seems to go in. Frustrating to watch a 10-15 pt lead disappear like that. Portland definitely brought their A game for us, while we are at about a C+ because of Harden.
I especially hate that Lillard keeps draining off balance 3s after going around a pick. For most others it's a bad shot, but for him it's automatic.
I know that feels, clutchpeeps, but like Aldridges slippin' last night, they can't keep hitting these rates so far above their averages, and I hope their uncanny success in the series has gotten them confident in taking worse shots than they normally would as that bodes well for us going forward. Can they make them? Sure, maybe, but it can't keep going at the rate it was for Aldridge as evidenced last night, and I'm hoping for the same leveling of averages with Lil and Batum. Sadly, they have three guys that at any time are going off, so we are going to have to play our best to beat these guys, as they're coached pretty well and match up well against us, especially with the mistakes we make as a young team.
Thats because they used picks as often as it gets, and most of their shots are good shots with the space and mismatch created by the picks. Durant, Westbrook and Harden are a few players who can get off their shots without picks. However, they struggled against good defense in playoff so far. Using picks on offense and defending picks on defense makes all the difference in this league.
Batum's 3 pointer hits the net with such force, it's like someone stabbing me in the chest every time.
Nothing to dislike about the Blazers. High effort and clutch with heavy minutes. They've built the team organically, and have had some bad luck along the way (Roy and Oden).
I agree. But for the fact that they are playing the Rockets, it's definitely a team you could root for. Well, that and Mo Williams of course... who I suspect isn't even that liked by his teammates there. They just have nothing else off the bench. Lillard is the easiest to like of all. As noted... he's really really really good. There's definitely some awful defense involved. Be it pick and rolls where he either gets an open shot or more often than not the big comes out too far and Lillard blows by for an uncontested layup... or PBev, whose aggressive style is fun, but not really fundamental. PBev is so capable defensively he'd be better off just trying to play really solid defense, instead of homerun defense. But regardless, 25.5 points, 7.5 assists, 6.5 boards, a steal, only 2 turnovers, with 46% three point shooting? That's crazy good. This is with a usage rate of only 21%. Harden has a 28% usage this series... And then Batum... he's like a 4th quarter assassin. It must be frustrating as a Blazers fan to wonder why he doesn't do it the whole game.
With all due respect to Bev, he is simply outmatched against Lillard. I love Bev and the way he plays, but in this series I havent really noticed a significant defensive impact when he's in the game vs. when he's out. On offense, he doesnt provide enough to warrant significant PT. By comparison, Daniels and Lin are atleast threats from the perimeter and limit the amount of double teaming Lillard is able to do on the other end of the court.
Outmatched? He has a torn meniscus and is playing ball with 103 temp. If he is healthy Friday, I can confidently say that Lilliard wont play as well. Saying that, Lilliard is a stud!
I don't hate Matthews or Lillard. Lillard's response to Beverly's radio call out was fairly classy and made Beverly look like a A-hole. I respect Lillard for not trash-talking or dropping down to Beverly's level. That being said - I truly hope Lillard has the worst games of his career on Friday and Sunday, and Beverly is completely over his Flu.
