In the first half of the Blazers vs. Nuggets, Lillard scored 30 points. 6 three-pointers, 5 assists, 8 free throws. The plot is not much different from the version we are familiar with, the Nuggets defense line is not raised, Lillard shoots far away, the Nuggets defense is raised, and Lillard rubs through the human slit. Jokic's weakness in defending the top backcourt blocker doesn't need to be overemphasized, and it's no secret that Lillard once blasted 55 points against the Nuggets in the playoffs, and the Nuggets are afraid of him.
But in the second half, the Nuggets "only" let Lillard score 14 points, and there was nothing unusual in the way - play with the death clip. Lillard is bound to continue to drill through some rounds, but there are always times when he succeeds in forcing him to get out of the ball. The rest depends on the performance of the Blazers puzzle players. What is the response of these brothers? 2-of-12 from three-point range at halftime, 8 turnovers.
This is the old script of the Blazers, and the opponent caught Lillard and reaped the satisfying results. Nurkic played unbelievably poorly, and if he only watched this game, he should call Master Huo to inquire about the contact details of the T1 league and plan for the future after the end of this contract, although it is still a few years away. Grant is decent, Hart is sharp, Simmons Jr. is hard to say, the Blazers have not cracked the Nuggets' defense well, and even this enhanced version of the Nuggets is not a defensive powerhouse.
Of course, it's not a big deal. On a full game, the Blazers still blasted good offensive numbers, and they lost because they couldn't defend the Nuggets, which is obviously not their own problem. The Nuggets are now the strongest offensive team in the league, with all-round three-dimensional coverage of the Marine, Land and Air Rockets, and the defense of Billups is not a false name. Anyway, the Blazers just blew up the Lone Ranger in two games in a row, and in terms of offensive efficiency for the entire season, it ranks 8th in the league, which is certainly not bad.
Seriously, nothing unexpected.
The various operations of the Blazers over the past year or so, to put it bluntly, are to coax the fans and coax Lillard. In the deal that management acquired Nance Jr., the first-round lottery for the Bulls was locked in lotto protection until 28 years, and it was not until the playoffs this year that he could be sent out, when he could regain the ability to operate aggressively. This means "Mentor, it's not that we don't believe you, but you have to make some performance first, and our investment can continue." Last year's operation to send away CJ, Powell, and Covington, I would like to call it a god's hand, revitalized the team in terms of salary space, and laid the groundwork for later getting Grant. But the real purpose of this wave of operation is not to improve combat power, but to achieve the optimization and reorganization of age structure and salary under the premise of maintaining combat power, so that the Blazers still have the ability to continue after providing Lillard with an epic big contract.
Team operation is the main premise of player growth, coaching effect, chemistry, star performance, injury status and other factors that affect the team's record. The pioneer has maintained a "retention" posture in operation, and if it wants to make a breakthrough, it must hope for a windfall. Looking at it now, whether it is new signings or young people, there are accidents, but they are not to the extent of changing the situation, not to mention that the accidents are not all positive.
Injuries have undoubtedly affected the Blazers. Attracted by high hopes, championship guard Payton Jr. has played a total of 6 games so far. Another defensive titan, Winslow, played 29 games. Little played 23 games and Lillard was absent for a while. The Blazers' best player is Sharp, who is also 6th on the team in total playing time, but Sharp is the type of person who looks at the highlights and explodes, but the actual performance is full of holes. It is precisely because he has played for a long time and Goalkeeper is the player with the most total minutes played by the team, that I can barely accept the result that Billups is not good at defending.
But what about after the personnel are aligned?
I think the Blazers are lower than expected, not that the playoff position is not suitable, but that the Blazers are 21st in the league in defensive efficiency, which is low. The Blazers' configuration is unlikely to pull the defense to the top because the starting two-gun configuration locks the defensive ceiling. Simmons Jr. has gained significant muscle during the off-season, and defensive improvement is faintly visible early in the season, but now you cut to the Blazers' game, and it doesn't take long to see the goal being targeted. Lilard is there, and Simmons Jr.'s most suitable position is still the sixth man.
In addition to the fact that the two-gun can't be changed, and the Blazers' insistence on Sharp's use — you can also see from this that the Blazers aren't single-minded about winning, they're building a smooth team, both now and in the future — the other configurations on the Blazers' defensive end have many advantages, including:
The No. 5 defense is generally standing and has continuity, and this position is the most important position on the defensive end. Although Nurkic bleeds today, he is still a qualified center forward. And Eubanks' performance exceeded expectations;
There are many points that the flanks and strikers can defend. Winslow and Payton don't have to talk about it, these two are top defenders. Grant is a resilient striker and also has some defensive value. Hart is a tough defender, and he's a bit short on the line, but that's what the Blazers put Simmons at No. 2. Defensively, the Blazers are missing a forward card.
In the second half, if the personnel is relatively healthy and the Blazers shorten their rotation and squeeze the game as best they can, they must deliver defensive performance above average. This is important to know two things:
Why did the Blazers abandon the hard-built four-shooter roster and instead return to the average but tough line of forward shooting? Isn't it because the defense of the configuration at that time could not hold up?
Why did the Blazers switch from Lillard dominating everything to a dispersed style of play? Judging from recent games, Lillard is still the most effective means for the team to start with the ball, so why take off your pants and fart and engage in some redundant strategies to make the team swoop from one of the teams with the fewest mistakes in the league to the exact opposite position? Part of the reason has to do with defense. A player like Winslow, if you don't do some tackle, he doesn't know what to do on the offensive end.
If the Blazers' defense doesn't improve, their transformation won't be effective at all. The current performance has obviously not fully released the energy of the resources in hand. This is the same as the Timberwolves - before talking about configuration, you must first confirm that the coach has done a good job.
This game against the Nuggets was an introduction. It doesn't matter if you lose to the Nuggets, what matters is that with Lillard still strong and still restrained the Nuggets, the Blazers have not done many things as well as in the past. Another reason for the Blazers' rich offensive routine is to deal with Lillard's massive ball being pinched, but what came out of the second half today doesn't seem to show improvement in this area. Hart had no problem with making five fewer three-pointers per 36 minutes, somewhat extreme, and he and Simon became weaknesses on both ends of the starting lineup. Nurkic has raised the threat of limited space, but the frivolous glitches have not improved, which is still a flaw.
Aside from Grant and the backup center, there is very little where the Blazers get stronger.
In the second half, the pioneers need to completely release the energy of existing resources and feel as soon as possible where the upper limit is after they replace half of the personnel. The Blazers can certainly make additions, but with first-round picks untied at least this summer, there is not much room for trades, and it seems that personnel changes are too frequent. But in the long run, the limitations of the two-gun configuration are still a cliché, and the respective problems of Nurkic and Hart also need to be discussed and solved after reaching a certain level.
However, these are all for later, and the management's thinking may not be consistent with the fans' pursuits. Many of the operational details hint that the pioneers just wanted to paint the finish beautifully.