Portland Trail Blazers:
Offense: (111.8) 8th
Defense: ( 113.1) 26th
Net: (minus -1.4) 17th
Results Week 16: (2-2) Won vs. Spurs: 125-117, Heat: 115-109, Lost vs. Nuggets: 99-127, Jazz: 114-117
Games Week 17: (2 games) Tues at Pelicans | Weds at Grizzlies
At season end if the Blazers end up missing out on the postseason by one point this week will serve as the harbinger of why coaches challenges require major revamping.
As currently constructed a coach can’t challenge a play unless the refs have called a foul. That fact may have cost the Blazers the game against the Jazz. Although many screamed they lost the game because of the refs the truth is the uncalled obvious goaltend would only have tied the game and sent it to overtime. Still, it was the wrong call and left a sour taste in many mouths.
In particular, Damian Lillard was fairly outraged given how much heavy lifting he’s doing to carry his team up the ladder.
Consider the week they had with three games against seeded elite clubs (Heat, Nuggets, Jazz) along with a team competing with them in the chase pack (Spurs) as well as playing a brutal back-to-back versus the Spurs and then on the road in Utah.
Through those four games this week Lillard averaged 30.5 points, 8.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds shooting a ridiculously efficient 40.5 percent from deep on 11 attempts. Dame did so much – he has to get that call from the refs.