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2019-20 Re-Run: Portland Trail Blazers v Golden State Warriors

By Garrett Bugay

PORTLAND, OREGON - JANUARY 20: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers takes a shot against Alec Burks #8 of the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter during their game at Moda Center on January 20, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - JANUARY 20: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers takes a shot against Alec Burks #8 of the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter during their game at Moda Center on January 20, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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4th Quarter Analysis: Blazers take the final stanza, 26-21

12:00 left in 4th (offensive possession): Hezonja, on the left-wing, tries to make what should be a simple post entry pass to Carmelo but misses his target by several feet. Can we announce he’s a bust yet?

9:00 left in 4th (offensive possession): Jaylen Hoard shows great energy on the offensive glass, going from the left side of the court to the right corner to snag the rebound, giving the Blazers a second possession. This hustle play leads to free throws for Simons.

8:40 left in 4th (defensive possession): The Russell experiment in Golden State has already concluded, but he has some off-ball skills that fit into Steve Kerr’s motion-based system. Here he hits a three off a down-screen.

8:22 left in 4th (offensive possession): Lillard answers Russell’s three with one of his own. Chriss, defending the screener, hesitates for just a moment, and Lillard capitalizes. He’s up to 45 for the game.

8:10 left in 4th (defensive possession): Whiteside comes out a little too high on the floor for the Russell-Chriss pick-and-roll, which opens up the lob. As the roll man defender, the aim is to disguise your intentions as long as possible, forcing the guard to make a choice, rather than committing early and making the decision obvious.

7:57 left in 4th (offensive possession): Dame rejects the screen and gets downhill going right, forcing help from Russell, who is guarding Trent Jr. in the strong-side corner. Trent Jr. has to start making those shots on a more consistent basis. He’s hitting just 39 percent of his corner looks, which is in the 35th percentile for his position, per Cleaning the Glass.

7:05 left in 4th (offensive possession): The Blazers exhibit excellent ball movement on this possession. Portland sets a double screen for Lillard at the top of the key. He gets trapped and makes a beautiful bounce pass between the two defenders to Anthony, who popped to the left-wing. The Blazers have a 2-on-1 situation on the left side, and Melo correctly swings it to the corner. Simons should space into the deep corner (right near the baseline) to maximize the distance that the defender (Burks) has to cover, but he doesn’t, which allows Burks to prevent the shot. Simons doesn’t panic, though, and recognizes Burks is conceding the baseline drive. He takes it and makes a great dish up top to Lillard, who nails a rare catch-and-shoot opportunity.

6:38 left in 4th (offensive possession): Simons executes a nice between-the-legs dribble on Russell, who gets beat like a traffic cone as he barely moves inside the three-point arc by the time Simons is laying the ball in the basket.

5:10 left in 4th (offensive possession): Lillard isolates in the right corner and is shut off by Paschall, but somehow manages a cross-court pass to Trent Jr that is right on the money. Unfortunately, the shot is well off the mark.

4:40 left in 4th (offensive possession): The Blazers run a set that features a Lillard-Whiteside pick-and-roll with no shooter in the strong-side corner. The goal of that design is to make it difficult to help on the roll man since there isn’t anyone readily available in proper help position. But the Warriors play it well, with Russell taking away the pass to Whiteside, and using the other two help defenders to guard the three Blazers spotting up in a congested area. Burks makes a great play blocking Lillard’s floater attempt from behind.

3:52 left in 4th (defensive possession): You can see why the Warriors are excited about Paschall. He showcases his versatility, first corralling the rebound, then pushing it himself, which leads to a cross-match with Simons guarding him. He then utilizes his post threat to draw a double team and makes the simple pass to Damion Lee for an open three.

3:23 left in 4th (defensive possession): Whiteside does a great job of sprinting back on defense and blocking off the rim on a Burks drive. When he stays disciplined, he’s a quality rim protector.

3:12 left in 4th (offensive possession): Gary Trent Jr. makes a great back cut to get to the line. Often cutting isn’t as complicated as some would have you believe. It’s often predicated by the person guarding you being out of position both spatially and orientationally. If the defender can’t see you, it’s typically advantageous to move.

2:58 left in 4th (defensive possession): Here, we see great defense from Trent Jr. on Russell. He goes under the screen at the top of the key, which is usually a no-no against capable off-the-bounce pull-up threats like Russell. The critical distinction is Russell is a few feet beyond the line, which alters the math a bit. He cuts off a right-hand drive and forces the pass. Russell eventually gets it back, but with just a few seconds left on the shot clock, he’s forced to take a deep step-back three.

2:40 left in 4th (offensive possession): Whiteside does a great job of altering the angle of the screen at the last moment to get Lillard a free path to the basket; Dame has 51.

2:04 left in 4th (defensive possession): Gary Trent Jr. doesn’t appear to know a screen is coming (perhaps a lack of communication from Whiteside?), and Russell gets a wide-open look. Fortunately for Portland, it doesn’t drop.

1:33 left in 4th (defensive possession): The Warriors run split-cut action (post up with two off-ball shooting threats running towards each other, which generates various options to screen or cut). Simons and Trent Jr. mess up the switch and Lee cuts straight to the rim, but Whiteside is there for a huge block, his 5th of the night.

1:10 left in 4th (defensive possession): The Blazers give up two offensive rebounds: the first coming from all five guys failing to box-out and the second coming off an unfortunate bounce. The Warriors score on the 3rd attempt. If you give any NBA team that many chances, they’re extremely likely to score.

0:51 left in 4th (offensive possession): Lillard changes directions smoothly and looks to have Willie Cauley-Stein beat, but the former Kentucky Wildcat makes an excellent recovery block. Cauley-Stein still has incredible raw tools that showcase why he was a previous top 10 pick.

0:33 left in 4th (defensive possession): Terry Stotts erroneously challenges the foul call on Trent Jr., who pushes Burks’ hip with his left arm. Again, he should have challenged Whiteside’s block earlier in the game (0:25 left in 3rd), a challenge that would have been successful, but coaches seem eager to hold on to their problems until late in the game for irrational reasons.

0:22 left in 4th (offensive possession): Lillard hits a ridiculous step-back to his right with the defender all over him. Burks knows his team is up by three and is playing up on Dame to try and force the drive. But Lillard’s handle, range, and step-back ability going either direction make him the ideal offensive threat for that situation. That is his 10th three of the night!