Tag: Blazers

Sean Highkin: Portland Is “the Perfect Spot” for Jerami Grant

December 12, 2022 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

When healthy, Damian Lillard has proven that he is a worthy All-Star for the Blazers this season (@Trailblazers/Instagram).

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In a tightly packed Western Conference, where only a handful of games separate the first- and thirteenth-place teams, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report is encouraged by the Portland Trail Blazers’ start. Specifically, the Blazers have gotten All-Star-caliber, not to mention career-best, contributions from Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons. Such stellar play from Portland’s secondary stars has enabled it to weather a difficult early schedule played about half of the time without franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard. Here are some Highkin highlights on how Portland was able to stay afloat, lottery pick Shaedon Sharpe’s early flashes, what’s ahead for the Blazers and much more:

6:15-7:07: “I don’t think they’re a title contender, and I don’t think they think they’re a title contender either; that’s the other part about it. Joe Cronin, the general manager, went into the season saying that he doesn’t think this roster is complete and he doesn’t think it’s good enough right now to contend and that it’s still kind of a work in progress. … Going into the season…I said they would probably make the playoffs as a 7 or 8 seed out of the play-in. At this point, I’m pretty comfortable saying that I think they’re gonna be Top-6 just because they’re currently in the middle of the toughest part of their schedule. They’ve had a ton of road games.”

13:03-13:45: “Every single one of their rotation players has missed at least one game at some point this season. … Between the injuries and just how hard their schedule has been – between how many good teams they’ve played and how many games they’ve played on the road – it is kinda hard to get a read on how good they are or are not, which is why I said at the beginning of the season if they could get through this stretch and get to Christmas at .500, they’re fine, and I still think that, and I still think they’re in a good position to do that.” Continue reading

WC Finals: Lakers’ “Seamless Partnership” of Stars Vs. the “Never-Quit” Nuggets With Harrison Faigen, Katy Winge

September 22, 2020 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Harrison Faigen isn’t sure the Lakers should stick with their latest defensive approach against Nikola Jokic but is otherwise pleased with their defensive dominance this postseason (Keith Allison/Creative Commons).

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The Los Angeles Lakers, a team dismissed by some before the playoffs as not deep enough to win it all, have placed themselves two wins from their first NBA Finals appearance in a decade. They lead the never-say-die Denver Nuggets 2-0 after Anthony Davis’ buzzer-beating 3-pointer secured a thrilling Sunday night victory. To break down the series and its many compelling storylines, OTNB is joined by Harrison Faigen, Editor-in-Chief and writer for SB Nation’s Silver Screen & Roll, and Katy Winge of Altitude TV and Altitude Sports Radio.

*Time stamps may vary due to dynamic advertising:

Faigen (9:05-11:16): “This is one of the most seamless fits I think we’ve ever seen between two superstars…I think that by far the biggest [factor in Davis wanting to play for the Lakers] was getting to create this seamless partnership with LeBron James, where both of them are constantly making each other better. Anthony Davis is probably the best big man that LeBron James has ever played with, arguably his best teammate in terms of being able to make him better and how Davis does things that kinda paper over LeBron’s weakness, and LeBron does things that paper over Davis’. It’s just been complete symbiosis this year, both on and off the court.
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Tomer Azarly: The Clippers Want to “Build Own (LA) Identity”

April 7, 2019 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Patrick Beverley, according to Doc Rivers, is “unstat-able,” and guest Tomer Azarly agrees (FrenchieInPortland/Creative Commons).

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Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points goes in depth and breadth on the special 2018-19 Clippers team that has exceeded expectations despite significant player turnover. The Clippers are back in the playoffs, but whom should they hope to avoid in the first round? Tomer also touches upon what’s made the Clippers so effective, including super-subs Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, “unstat-able” Pat Beverley, Landry Shamet’s outside shot, reinvigorated coaching from Doc Rivers, clutch play and more. Obviously, the discussion closes with some Kawhi Leonard talk. Enjoy some noteworthy clips/Clips (*Due to dynamic advertising, excerpt time stamps may vary per listener):

10:30-11:15: “That [loss to the Lakers] complicates things a bit more, because they could certainly fall to the 8 seed and see the Warriors in the first round. I think right now Portland is probably the matchup they want to see…The Rockets, I think, are a matchup they really, really do not want to see…James Harden is in the midst of the greatest scoring season I’ve ever seen…The Denver Nuggets pose an interesting threat, but I think their lack of experience, and we’ve seen over the last couple weeks where they’ve struggled to sort of have consistency on both ends of the floor. We’ve seen Nikola Jokic’s lack of patience with the officials. Teams are really going at him and Jamal Murray in the pick and roll, which I think is a very exploitable scenario for the Clippers.”

16:30-17:08: “In speaking to some players, there was that two-day gap between when Tobias was traded and when they made the Avery Bradley trade and the Ivica Zubac trade. And over that two-day period, it was very weird in that they [the players] were just like us. They didn’t know, ‘Hey, are we tanking? Are we trying to make the playoffs? What is our endgame here, because we just got picks from Philly, we just got a young guy in Shamet, Wilson Chandler, those guys?’ And so once they made the trade, especially for Ivica Zubac, once they got solid role players in JaMychal Green and Garrett Temple, solid role players, solid veterans who have played the game for a while, I think it wasn’t that hard for them to put it together.”
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Dane Carbaugh: Blazers’ Lillard Has “Biggest Chip on His Shoulder Ever”

February 25, 2016 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Under the leadership of Coach Terry Stotts (pictured), the Portland Trail Blazers have exceeded expectations and are vying for the playoffs. (Wikimedia Commons)

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After a summer of roster upheaval, highlighted by the departure of LaMarcus Aldridge, the Portland Trail Blazers have been finding their way on the fly. Since falling to the Warriors by 20 on Jan. 8, they’ve caught fire, winning 15 of 18 games, including a blowout of those same Warriors. The knowledgeable Dane Carbaugh hangs with the guys to explain Portland’s scorching play, C.J. McCollum’s emergence, Damian Lillard’s excellence and so much more. Located in the City of Roses, Carbaugh has worked for SB Nation and Sporting News, among other outlets. He’s a skilled NBA video analyst for Vox, Blazer’s Edge, Hardwood Paroxysm and FloHoops. The Renaissance man, whose videos appear here also has his own podcast with Yu Miyagawa called “Between Me and Yu,” which can be found on iTunes.

Some particularly noteworthy clips can be found below:

7:15 – 8:10 on Damian Lillard’s underdog mentality: “(The underdog mentality) is definitely a part of his process… and what has happened to him by choice… He has the loyalty factor. He wants to put on for the city. He got MVP chants while he was at the free-throw line the other day.”

Tag: Blazers

Sean Highkin: Portland Is “the Perfect Spot” for Jerami Grant

WC Finals: Lakers’ “Seamless Partnership” of Stars Vs. the “Never-Quit” Nuggets With Harrison Faigen, Katy Winge

Tomer Azarly: The Clippers Want to “Build Own (LA) Identity”

Dane Carbaugh: Blazers’ Lillard Has “Biggest Chip on His Shoulder Ever”

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