NBA 2019-20: Who wins the bubble?

[Bourgeois Zee]

That's how Stotts has played Lebron the last 7 years and it usually resulted in a 20-pt Blazer win. (Or Harden, or Westbrook). It does work. You aren't going to stop great players. But, they can't beat you alone, no matter how great they are. They need help, too.

Huh?

LeBron has won 75% of his games against Portland in his career. He's 4 - 1 against them in the playoffs. He's gone 13 - 7 against Portland since Lillard was drafted, seven years ago. In those 20 games, Portland has won exactly zero game by 20 points or more. (The closest was a 19-point victory, 101 - 82, against James' Cav team on November 4, 2014.)

[texasdave]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ch-sources-say

Doc Rivers is gone. See ya.

[Kingspoint]

Huh?

LeBron has won 75% of his games against Portland in his career. He's 4 - 1 against them in the playoffs. He's gone 13 - 7 against Portland since Lillard was drafted, seven years ago. In those 20 games, Portland has won exactly zero game by 20 points or more. (The closest was a 19-point victory, 101 - 82, against James' Cav team on November 4, 2014.)

This season doesn't count as half the Blazers' best players were destroyed and gone by injuries throughout the entire season (but we won't forget "Kobe Night" where the short-handed Blazers beat them on their home floor 127-119.

But, under normal injuries, the year before went:

Oct 18, 2018, POR 128, LAL 119, LeBron a -4 on the +/-
Nov 3, 2018, POR 110, LAL 114, LeBron a -22 on the +/- Portland's bench of inexperienced youth and G-League players was horrible.
Nov 14, 2018, POR 117, LAL 126, LeBron a +4 on the +/- Evan Turner's -21 on the +/- did them in.
Apr 9, 2019, POR 104, LAL 101, Doesn't count as the Lakers played their 3rd string resting their rotation players.

The year before:

Jan 2, 2018, POR 110, CLE 127, LeBron 0 on the +/- scale. POR had just won in OT the night before in CHI and had nothing left for the next night in CLE. They still did a great job when LeBron was on the floor with a +/- of zero.
Mar 15, 2018, POR 113, CLE 105, LeBron -3 on the +/- scale. LeBron rarely wins in POR, just like Kobe rarely won and Harden and Westbrook.

The year before:

Nov 23, 2016, POR 125, CLE 137, LeBron +17 on the +/- scale. 2nd of a back-to-back again for POR. They had nothing left at tipoff. No Aminu. Plumlee getting his first NBA starts. Probably the worst bench in the history of the NBA at the time. No Chance.
Jan 11, 2017, POR 102, CLE 86, LeBron -7 on the +/- scale. Six weeks for the young and new player to play together and for Plumlee to work through his errors thanks to Stotts making him a very good high-post passer, and the results were reversed. Once again, Stotts holds LeBron in check when he's on the floor focusing on not letting his teammates be effective. It was a lead of 20+ for most of the 4th quarter. A 20-point blowout, Zee. Sorry about that.

The year before:

Dec 8, 2015, POR 100, CLE 105, LeBron +7 on the +/- scale, 2nd of a back-to-back for POR, of course, just like every other year, so they always are given the worst possible chance on the schedule against LeBron in CLE. CLE won because of a charge by LeBron in a 3-point game when it should have been LeBron's 5th foul with a chance for POR to tie. Plumlee was a +5 for the game as the Starting Center.
Dec 26, 2015, POR 105, CLE 72, LeBron -29 on the +/- scale, worst on their team. Without a back-to-back for POR, they were rested and buried them. It was a back-to-back for CLE, but that's no excuse to play this poorly. POR never did. It wasn't even this close. POR led 63-34 at Half.

The year before:

Nov 4, 2014, POR 101, CLE 82, LeBron -15 on the +/- scale. It was a 21-point lead before CLE made a cheap 1-footer with 14 seconds left. So, sorry Zee, another 20-point blowout. They seem to be the norm every season here as I type this up. Three years in a row of LeBron being blown out by 20+ when he comes to Portland. Like Phil Jackson and Kobe, they hated coming here because they knew they would lose before they got on the plane. Phil Jackson just started making excuses for not showing up near the end of his time in LA.
Jan 28, 2015, POR 94, CLE 99, Doesn't count as LeBron did not play. Irving hit a game-winning three with six seconds left. Lillard missed from 23-feet with 3 seconds left.

The year before:

Dec 28, 2013, POR 107, MIA 108, Does not count. LeBron did not play, The two teams had a combined 46-12 record going into this game. Bosh nailed a 3-pointer with 1 second left to win the game in POR. Bosh was a +14 that night.
Mar 24, 2014, POR 91, MIA 93, LeBron +4 on the +/- scale. LeBron made a layup with 11 seconds left. Bosh blocked Lillard 2 ft from the rim with 2 seconds left.

The year before:

Jan 10, 2013, POR 92, MIA 90, LeBron -9 on the +/- scale. Matthews hit two "3's" with 57 seconds left and 27 seconds left to lift POR from down three to up 1. Ray Allen missed a "3" with 12 seconds left. Aldridge hit a free throw. Chalmers missed a "3" as time expired.
Feb 12, 2013, POR 104, MIA 117, LeBron +21 on the +/- scale. MIA just took over in a tie game with 4 minutes to go and closed it out.

Nothing before matters as there was not Stotts and it's Stotts I am talking about.

So, that's POR 6 wins, LeBron 7 wins, not the record you so falsely tried to quote, when Stotts faced LeBron. Of those 6 wins, 3 were 20-point blowouts, not the one you so falsely tried to quote. Another was by nine points, a blowout if you ask any Vegas line-layer.

So, yes. Stotts knows how to play against LeBron, probably better than any Coach in the NBA, and Stotts was usually going up against him with lesser talent, and on way too many back-to-back nights (three of those seven losses, all on the road in CLE, were on back-to-back nights).

How you defend against LeBron, is you let him have his, play him straight up, and try not to let the others be effective in the outcome. Easier said than done, but that's the best way and Stotts record of success against him speaks for itself.


Stotts has won Coach-of-the-Month five times, and usually when it matters, in January, February and March. That's pretty consistent. He's one of the most underrated Coaches in the league. He knows what he's doing.

Also, in those 13 games, LeBron had a -30 total on the +/- scale. MINUS-30!!!

[Bourgeois Zee]

This article talks about LeBron's success against the Blazers just before the start of this season:

LeBron James has found success against Portland in his career. In 27 total games against the Blazers, James is 18-9.

Now, the article is dated. It doesn't count this season's stats. LA beat Portland 6 games to two this year.

In LeBron's games just against Dame, LeBron owns a 12 games to seven advantage. Lillard sat out the last game this season, so we add that one to the list.

Ergo, LeBron has beaten the Blazers 13 games of 20 since Lillard was drafted.

If you scroll down on that last site, you'll notice the scores of the games. In no game does Portland win by 20-- which was your original claim.

You made stuff up. Again.

You moved the goalposts. Again.

I've tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, but this is ridiculous.

[M2]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ch-sources-say

Doc Rivers is gone. See ya.

That is fascinating, both in terms of what the Clippers and where Doc might go.

[Bourgeois Zee]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ch-sources-say

Doc Rivers is gone. See ya.

This surprises me. Mike D'Antoni would be a solid choice for LA, but apparently, they're looking at Jeff Van Gundy (good coach, but old) and Tyron Lue (meh). Like to see Sam Cassell get a chance-- he'd be a good head coach, I suspect. Ime Udoka would be a good assistant hire, but he's probably not who Ballmer is looking at.

[M2]

If this year doesn't count for the Blazers, then last year doesn't count for the Lakers.

[Bourgeois Zee]

That is fascinating, both in terms of what the Clippers and where Doc might go.

I do wonder if Doc would be a good fit in New Orleans. (They need a steady hand.) I like his brand of basketball there. He could help Zion.

[M2]

I do wonder if Doc would be a good fit in New Orleans. (They need a steady hand.) I like his brand of basketball there. He could help Zion.

That's got to be the job everybody wants, right? They've got weapons, an enormous stockpile of assets and a basketball VP who's won a ring.

[Bourgeois Zee]

That's got to be the job everybody wants, right? They've got weapons, an enormous stockpile of assets and a basketball VP who's won a ring.

They've also got outsized expectations and a kid whose body is just as likely to break down as hold up to the rigors of the NBA. Zion did remarkably little in the bubble-- he didn't rebound or play defense, and that's a major warning sign to me.

He'd shown dominance previously, but I fear he might be a coach killer.

[WVRed]

They've also got outsized expectations and a kid whose body is just as likely to break down as hold up to the rigors of the NBA. Zion did remarkably little in the bubble-- he didn't rebound or play defense, and that's a major warning sign to me.

He'd shown dominance previously, but I fear he might be a coach killer.

Plus it’s New Orleans.

I would have to think Houston and Philadelphia are higher up on the list than New Orleans.

[Revering4Blue]

Why Doc Rivers Is Out As the Clippers Coach | The Mismatch | The Ringer

[M2]

They've also got outsized expectations and a kid whose body is just as likely to break down as hold up to the rigors of the NBA. Zion did remarkably little in the bubble-- he didn't rebound or play defense, and that's a major warning sign to me.

He'd shown dominance previously, but I fear he might be a coach killer.

Plus it’s New Orleans.

I would have to think Houston and Philadelphia are higher up on the list than New Orleans.

Living in New Orleans is not a bad gig. Plus, anything like success you have there is going to celebrated. If you go to Philadelphia and do anything less than win a title, you'll be despised (and possibly despised even if you do win a title). Houston seems tenuous. If I was ring shopping, I think I'd take my shot with the Clippers (though obviously Doc can't go in that direction). But the Pelicans present a project with a high ceiling.

[Rojo Rijo]

Living in New Orleans is not a bad gig. Plus, anything like success you have there is going to celebrated. If you go to Philadelphia and do anything less than win a title, you'll be despised (and possibly despised even if you do win a title). Houston seems tenuous. If I was ring shopping, I think I'd take my shot with the Clippers (though obviously Doc can't go in that direction). But the Pelicans present a project with a high ceiling.

Agree on Pels. A no lose situation for a coach, especially like Doc. The likelihood they get worse is extremely low and they haven't yet reached the point where the expectations are difficult to achieve. On top of that you inherit a player like Zion who will be entering the prime of his career (age 24-29) when LeBron's career should be wrapping up. Granted that is 4 years away but if Doc can manage to meet the minimal expectations between now and then he should be fine. I also see New Orleans as a team that is loaded with pieces. I don't know if I expect the current group to be the one they still have around in a few years but my goodness look at what they have in terms of draft picks and young players that have good+ value.

[Bourgeois Zee]

But the Pelicans present a project with a high ceiling.

If you believe in the individual parts NOLA has, I can see your argument. Perhaps their Laker tenures have soured me on Ingram (bad team, good numbers guy and a bad fit with Zion) and Ball (at best, a late-career Rondo clone). Jrue Holiday doesn't play defense anymore. JJ Redick never did, and he's 35. If Zion's a transcendent talent, he can carry that team as currently constructed to a playoff spot, maybe a first round win.

But he's going to have to buy in defensively and on the boards. 8.1 rebounds for a kid with that physique, that low on the blocks in their offense, with that type of explosiveness is just criminal. That's a lack of trying. And that's hard to coach away, IMO. He will always need a superior defender next to him, either a big (Gobert, AD, Bam) or a wing (Covington, LeBron, Butler). Maybe that's the guy Ingram turns into-- a second fiddle who's an All-Star level 3-and-D guy. But the next time he plays defense will be the first. (His feet are s l o w-- Ingram would be a weapon as a PF if he could bulk up and get stronger, but his frame likely won't allow that.) Maybe that guy is Jakson Hayes. I like his motor and progression. But he's currently a non-shooter-- and the only way you can survive two non-shooters in today's NBA is if they are superior at everything else. (And even then, it's hard.)

NOLA needs a coach who can find an acceptable defensive scheme AND be able to create an offense around a SF non-shooter with decent playmaking skills. Spo has done it. (Twice.) Nurse could do it. Maybe Dwayne Casey. Who else has that type of resume?

The sneaky good situation absolutely no one is talking about is Indiana. Just about everyone on that roster is entering his prime. (UFA Justin Holiday is 30 and three years older than their next closest contributor.) Just about everyone can dribble, create, and has the tools to defend. (They were stuck with a coach that demanded discipline and accountability last season, but was extremely basic on both ends of the court. Antiquated, even.) Oladipo can take a game over-- if he's enthused-- and wreck offenses with his long arms and quickness.

A lineup with Warren, Lamb, Brogdon, Oladipo, and Turner can go five out, and all five guys can create their own shot. Sabonis could be fulcrum around which the entire offense could fly when he's in the game. (And a beast down low in a 4-out offense where he get to play with the ball, similar to his Dad in Portland.) That's the type of team that could go all Miami if they had the right coach. (They may need to figure out if Oladipo is willing to be a part of that team instead of apart from the team before they get going.)