warriors

Casey Holdahl

On Thursday, Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts was a guest on The Doug Gottlieb Show on CBS Sports Radio. Over the 15 minute conversation, Stotts discusses LeBron James saying he would have been his pick for 2016 NBA Coach of the Year, Kevin Durant signing as a free agent with the Golden State Warriors, the notion of "super teams" in the NBA, having confidence in your players and his participation in the Men's Wearhouse National Suit Drive.

You can listen to the entire interview here, though I'm transcribed a portion which you can read below...

On LeBron James saying Stotts should have been Coach of the Year:
"To be honest, it felt pretty good. I have a lot of respect obviously for LeBron, what he does and what he’s done in his career, but for him to come out and say that, it made me feel good."

On Cleveland winning the NBA Finals after being down 3-1 to Golden State:
"Obviously it was historical. A lot of things went into it, but when a team can do that and to win two games on the road being down 3-1, it’s really remarkable. It just put an end to a historical season as it was with Golden State and what they did during the regular season, the way they came back against Oklahoma City and then for Cleveland to do that, it was just remarkable. I thought it was a remarkable season to begin with and it finished that way."

On Kevin Durant signing with the Warriors:
"My first reaction was he earned the right to be a free agent. I know a lot of thought went into it and it wasn’t a decision that he took lightly. I know he took a lot of criticism for making that decision but I think he earned that right to make whatever decision he felt was best for him. I think it’s going to be interesting with Golden State. Obviously defending them is going to be a challenge because — we talked about versatility — they were already an extremely talented offensive team and he’s going to make them better. They’re going to be a different team than they were last year, they’re not going to have the big guys. When you lose Festus Ezeli, who is on our team now, and Andre Bogut and Maurice Speights, the look of their frontline is going to be different. But I think they could be just as good just because of what they’ll be able to do at the offensive end."

His thoughts on "super teams" in the NBA:
"You know, I don’t know if it’s good or bad for the league. I’ve just kind of accepted that that’s the way things are. I know people have made comparisons when LeBron went to Miami and that was supposedly the first super team and they won two championships, but it’s not like there was a five year, seven year run dynasty. When you get out on the court, you still have to play the games. Obviously Golden State is going to be very good, but you’ve got to play an 82-game season, you’ve got to go through four series to win a championship. I think the league does thrive on star power, whether it’s star power within a team or having a team be a star. I don’t know, I think the league is doing extremely well, I think it’s extremely popular. I think this is just another story that people are going to be interested in."

On having confidence in shooters like Allen Crabbe and CJ McCollum:
"I’m a big believer in confidence when shooting. It probably goes back to my freshman year in college when I didn’t know whether to shoot or (laughs) you know the phrase. But anyway, I’m a big believer in confidence and Allen and CJ are two different categories. CJ struggled with injuries his first two years and was trying to get incorporated into a roster that was winning 50 games and never really got into a rhythm. I think shooting is about rhythm and confidence. Same thing for AC, really, is that he did have opportunities to play in his first two years but he was playing behind Wes Matthews and Nic Batum and his opportunities on the court were limited. When you’re looking over your shoulder and trying not to make mistakes and putting pressure on (yourself) to make a shot, it’s difficult. I really give it to CJ and Allen, they were ready for this year and they were prepared for it, the opportunity was going to be there. But I think that a lot of players — and you know, you played — is that if the coach trusts me, I’m going to play better. Whether I trusted them or not their first two years, certainly their opportunity was there and I trusted them with the role that they were going to have."

On his participation in the Men's Wearhouse National Suit Drive:
"Every year what I do is I go through the closet and knowing that I’m going to get some suits in the fall, I go through and weed out the older ones. There’s certain ones that I do kind of have a special place in my heart for them, but other than that, I just take some of the older suits and the Men’s Wearhouse has a great program with the suit drive to give away suits to people who can use them. I’m kind of a bigger guy so hopefully there’s some big guys out there who are able to take advantage of them."

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Stotts Talks Super Teams And Suits On The Doug Gottlieb Show

A happy Friday the 13th to all of you loyal podcast listeners. Before everyone goes their separate ways now that the offseason is here, Joe Freeman, he of The Oregonian/OregonLive.com, and I, Casey Holdahl of ForwardCenter.net and TrailBlazers.com, hit the Moda Center studio one last time to record a season-ending edition of the Rip City Report podcast, which you can listen to below...

On this edition, we attempt recap the series versus the Warriors, which ended in five games with a 125-121 loss at Oracle Arena Wednesday night, and the season in general, discuss the lasting effects of the playoff run and the respect that they earned from around the league due to their performance and look forward to some of the questions the Blazers will have to answer in the offseason, particularly in regard to free agency. And as always, we finish up by answering your Twitter-submitted questions on topics such as the culture the Trail Blazers have developed, (more) free agency, exit interviews and favorite moments from the just-completed season. It's been a fun one.

You can find the Rip City Report on Soundcloud, iTunes and Stitcher. Thanks to all of you who listened and left reviews this season.

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Podcast: Rip City Report, End Of Season Edition

OAKLAND -- Though they had every reason to do so, the 2015-16 Trail Blazers refused to give in to despair or doubt. Despite being picked as one of the worst teams in the NBA, they declared before training camp that their goal was to make the playoffs. When they were nine games below .500 before the start of the new year, they kept plugging along, never allowing themselves to take the easy road to the lottery.

When they eventually made the playoffs, they overcame a 2-0 deficit to advance to the second round for just the second time in 16 years. And after going down 2-0 to the defending champion Golden State Warriors, a team that set the NBA record for wins this season, they rallied to win Game Three, forcing at least a Game Five.

And in the end, the 2015-16 Trail Blazers died like they lived: by refusing to give up.

Though facing long odds of overcoming a 3-1 series deficit, the Trail Blazers gave a performance, both in terms of quality and effort, that typified their entire season, though it ultimately wouldn't be enough, as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined to score 62 points to lead the Warriors to a 125-121 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 19,596 Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. With the win, the Warriors have eliminated the Trail Blazers from the postseason by winning the series 4-1.

"This was a remarkable season," said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. "I've been in the league coaching for 23 years, it was a special year. We had all young guys who got better. They worked hard. We had success. With success being more than just making the playoffs and the success is more than winning a playoff series."

Especially considering the circumstances at the start of the season. After replacing four of five starters and nine players in total, most assumed Portland's 2015-16 campaign would be one devoted to developing the young players they acquired in the offseason while and giving themselves the best odds to secure a lottery pick. But instead, they formed themselves into a tough, never-say-die team that took advantage of low expectations and a weaker than expected Western Conference to shock the NBA by not only making the postseason, but by getting the fifth-seed.

"The goal at the beginning of the season was that we were going to work with the players," said Stotts. "They were going to get better and we were going to get better as a team. I was talking with my coaches, a lot of times in this league, you don't get that opportunity to work with a group of guys who come to work every day, there is no drama. They came to work, they got better, we got better, and we had success because of their character and their work ethic every day. So I don't have to wait long to understand how special this season was."

The Trail Blazers would hold an 11-point lead in the second half, but, as was often the case in the five-game series, were never able to deliver the knockout blow. The Warriors would eventually take their first lead of the game midway through the third quarter, a lead that would grow to as many as eight points, though that wouldn't stop the Trail Blazers from hard-charging until the final buzzer. The Trail Blazers cut the Golden State lead to two with under a minute to play, but could never put together enough consecutive makes to win the game or force overtime.

"You've also got to take your hat off to (Golden State) and give them credit," said Damian Lillard. "They did what championship teams do. When it was time to win games, they did things a little bit better than we did in situations where it made a difference in win or loss, and those are the things that we've got to grow from. We've got to remember these teams and remember executing down the stretch and how important one rebound can end up being."

In a way, Portland's play in Game Five, and in the playoffs in general, was a microcosm of Portland's "special season." They fought hard, comported themselves far better than most expected, had their opportunities and even looked like they might have played well enough to extend their season before falling just short.

"We went out there and put our best foot forward, and obviously we've got a ways to go before we're a finished product," said CJ McCollum. "We can all get better individually and collectively as a unit and I think we will. There are no excuses. We competed, but we're not satisfied losing 4-1, even if the games were close. I don't think we went into this playoffs like let's get the gentleman's sweep as a goal. That's not how we approached it."

The Blazers were led by Lillard who went 7-of-24 from the field to finish with 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes. CJ McCollum went 11-of-23 for 27 points to go with eight rebounds and five assists.

"He was tough," said Stephen Curry of McCollum. "He kept his foot on the gas pedal, made some tough shots and took advantage of some offensive rebounds and had the confidence to keep shooting and knock them down. So he did what he could to keep his team in the game. He's a talented player, so that's what you expect."

Portland got the kind of performances they needed from the role players to give a team like the Warriors a run for their money. Al-Farouq Aminu shot 50 percent from the field to finish with 16 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in 36 minutes. Maurice Harkless added 13 points in 19 minutes.

And then there was Allen Crabbe, who saved his best playoff game for last, going 7-of-9 from the field and 5-of-7 from three to finish with 20 points and three rebounds in 32 minutes.

As for the Warriors, Curry went 10-of-20 from the field and 5-of-11 from three to finish with 29 points, 11 assists and five rebounds in 36 minutes. Thompson went 13-of-17 from the field and 6-of-9 from three for a game-high 33 points to go with two rebounds and an assist in 34 minutes. Draymond Green had one of his quieter offensive games of the series, going just 2-of-7 from the field for 13 points, though he did grab 11 rebounds and hand out six assists.  Shaun Livingston came off the bench to added 10 points.

While the Warriors now move on to face the winner of the Spurs/Thunder series in the Western Conference finals, the Trail Blazers head back to Portland to begin their offseason, albeit about a month later than most expected at the start of training camp. Though they head home unhappy with the result, they can take some pride in knowing that, while their season is over, their journey as an up-and-coming team is just beginning.

"I think the experience that we got was great," said Lillard. "Regardless of what other people expected, I think what we were able to do was reassure ourselves that the foundation that we built this year is the right thing. We did it the right way and that's what allowed us to be in this position. So we've got to continue to work and continue to grow that same thing and do the same things that we have been doing all season long and try to continue going forward."

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Portland's Season Comes To A Close With Gutsy Game Five Loss At Oracle

Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts took questions from the media on a conference call Tuesday afternoon prior to the team departing for San Fransisco for Game Five Wednesday at Oracle Arena. Stotts discussed moving on from Monday's overtime loss to the Warriors at the Moda Center, how the team has improved offensively during the playoffs, Draymond Green's trash talk and whether close losses make the team hopeful or discouraged. Here's what Stotts had to say (questions are paraphrased)...

In a season that was in many ways about development, what did the team develop or take from the playoffs?

Terry Stotts: Right now, I’m worried about Game Five. We can talk about that at another time, but I think the important thing for right now is that we’ve played better in every game, which is improvement obviously. Just like in the Clippers series, we played better as the series went along and the same thing here. That’s part of the process and part of the growth.

How do you move on from emotional loss like Game Four?

Terry Stotts: I get asked that a lot after losses during the season or during a losing streak. I got asked kind of similar questions after getting down 0-2 against the Clippers and against Golden State. You just ramp it up for the next game and give the next game all you have.

What is it about group that has allowed them to continue to “ramp it up” during the playoffs?

Terry Stotts: You guys have been following the team all year and you know that they’re competitive, they’re driven, they want to get better. So I think it’s in their character to go out and compete. Obviously it was a disappointing loss and I would expect a quiet locker room, but we haven’t had any problem coming back. I think it has a lot to do with the character of each player.

What have you liked about your offense during this series and how has it improved?

Terry Stotts: I like the pace that we’re playing. I think as the series has gone on we’ve done a better job of screening and creating opportunities for us. Our passing has gotten better as the series has gone along,which creates better shots. And I think we gained some confidence in our shooting. We’ve shot the ball better and I think that feeds on itself.

Has the team gained confidence during this postseason run?

Terry Stotts: Yes and no. I think we were confident coming into the series, but I do think that we’ve played better each game. I think there is a tendency to feel, even after losing Game Two and losing Game Four and the way we lost, I still think that we look back on it that we played better. The confidence is there, I don’t think it’s ever wavered, but I think it has grown.

Is there an update on Maurice Harkless’ hip injury? Did he play limited minutes in Game Four because of the injury or was that just the flow of the game?

Terry Stotts: There's no update. He was fine last game, so there's no update.

Do Draymond Green’s comments during the series motivate your team?

Terry Stotts: Draymond does a lot of talking. That’s what he does. We’ll worry about our business and go about our business and really whatever he says doesn’t have much of an impact on us.

Does your team still discuss the low expectations many had for them at the start of the season?

Terry Stotts: I don't think that we bring it up. I think that's more of an outward perception. The people that were writing us off are the ones talking about it. We've always been pretty confident, from the beginning of the season, going back to September and October, that we were going to be a competitive team. We felt like we would be competitive in the playoffs and in both series'. So I know it's something to talk about, but I don't necessarily think it's served as a chip or anything. I just think that a lot of good things came together at one time and we worked and got better. That's kind of looking in the past and I don't think we as a group necessarily look in the past.

Does the way your team lost both games Two and Four help or hurt their confidence going into Game Five?

Terry Stotts: I think it’s encouraging. Going back to the last couple years where San Antonio we weren’t close, and Memphis we weren’t close, so to muster up the energy and the confidence can be a little bit more challenging. When you are in a competitive position in the couple of the games that we lost, I think it tends to trend toward having more belief.

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Stotts On Bouncing Back From Tough Losses, Trash Talk And 'Ramping Up' For Game Five

No one who saw Stephen Curry score an NBA-record 17 points overtime of Golden State's 132-125 victory over the Trail Blazers in Game Four of the Western Conference semifinals Monday night would be surprised to here he was announced as the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the second-consecutive season Tuesday morning. What's more, Curry garnered all 131 first-place votes, making him the first unanimous MVP in the history of the award. There's a strong case to be made that the series between the Warriors, a team that set the NBA record for wins in a season this year with 73, and Trail Blazers would be tied at 2-2 were it not for Curry's return from an right MCL sprain, which is just another small piece of evidence as to Curry's status as truly the league's most valuable player.

While Curry had MVP locked up well before the All-Star break, the rest of the ballot was far more unpredictable, with San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard edging out Cleveland's LeBron James for second. The Oklahoma City duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant finished fourth and fifth, respectively, with Clippers point guard Chris Paul coming in sixth and Curry's teammate Draymond Green taking seventh.

Then there's Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, who received one third-place vote, four fourth-place votes and nine fifth-place votes to finish eighth in the final MVP tally. What's perhaps most impressive about Lillard's eighth-place finish is that he did so despite only getting two fifth-place votes from the Portland media. Lillard, the lone returning starter from the 2014-15 team, averaged 25.1 points, 6.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 35.7 minutes per game this season while leading the Trail Blazers to their third-consecutive postseason appearance and just their second playoff series victory in the last 16 years.

Lillard finished ahead of Houston's James Harden and Toronto's Kyle Lowry to round out the top 10 vote-getters. Coincidentally enough, Lillard is the only player to finish in the top 10 in MVP voting who did not make the 2016 All-Star Game. Try to get that right next time, eh fans and NBA head coaches?

While Lillard fell well short of winning MVP, he still has a strong chance of being named to one of the three All-NBA teams, which are typically announced in late-May.

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Lillard Finishes 8th In MVP Voting

PORTLAND -- For four quarters, the Portland Trail Blazers did a good job of keeping Golden State Warriors point guard and reigning MVP Stephen Curry in check. Sure, he had 23 points in 31 minutes in his first game back after suffering a sprained MCL in his right leg roughly two weeks ago, shot just 10-of-25 from the field and 2-of-13 from three.

But Game Four went more than four quarters, which provided Curry five extra minutes to put on the kind of show the NBA has come to expect from the Golden State point guard. And in that extra time, Curry scored an NBA-record 17 points, four more than the Trail Blazers combined, to lift the defending champs to a 132-125 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 19,583 at the Moda Center Monday night.

"Remarkable," said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts of Curry's performance. "He looked fresh, he had his rhythm. He made tough shots, he made nice passes, he fought through screens. Obviously 17 points in overtime, it was a hell of a performance."

The Warriors now lead the series 3-1 with Game Five scheduled for Wednesday in Oakland.

The Trail Blazers build an early 16-point lead and scored a franchise playoff record 41-points in the second quarter, resulting in a 67-57 halftime lead. But an 11-2 run late in the third gave Golden State their first lead of the game, though both teams would take turns snatching the lead away for the rest of the contest.

"We jumped out," said Damian Lillard. "We had a great start to the game. I thought we controlled the game for the most part, but against a team like them, they're going to make runs, they're going to make shots. They stick to their principles defensively, they're going to disrupt some things. But I thought even with the things that they did on offense, when they made runs, we always answered."

After seven lead changes in the fourth quarter, Portland led 111-108 with just under a minute to play in regulation. But a wide-open Harrison Barnes three after a timeout with 51.9 seconds to play in regulation would tie the game on what would be the last score before the game went to overtime.

"It was a well-played game," said Stotts. "Both teams really competed hard, made great shot making, some hard fought defense and we just didn't have enough at the end of regulation."

And from there, it was all Curry. Though he was supposed to play only 24 minutes while working his way back into the lineup, the soon-to-be two-time MVP had to play extended minutes after Shaun Livingston, who started at point guard for the Warriors, was ejected for arguing with referee Scott Foster in the first half. Undermanned at guard, Steve Kerr had no choice but to play Curry almost 37 minutes, which turned out to be the difference.

"(Curry) had a great performance," said Lillard. "He's been great all season. He's the MVP again for a reason. He's been out two weeks and the kind of player he is, I'm sure he hasn't been sitting around. He was a bit rusty in the first half, but the second half we had some blown coverages and miscommunications and we allowed him to come off and get wide open shots. And then he got going. With a player like him, they see a couple go in, he's going to start bouncing around and feeling himself and that's just what happened."

The Trail Blazers were led by Lillard, who went 9-of-30 from the field, 5-of-18 from three and 13-of-16 from the free throw line for 36 points and 10 assists in over 46 minutes. CJ McCollum added 24 points while Al-Farouq Aminu put up a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds in 39 minutes. Mason Plumlee also had a double-double with 12 points, 15 rebounds and Allen Crabbe scored 13 off the bench.

Curry finished with 40 points on 16-of-32 shooting from the field and 5-of-16 shooting from three, nine rebounds and eight assists in the winning effort.

"The guy's played basically one basketball game in three weeks," said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr of Curry. "I expected what I saw early, I expected a lot of rust. I don't think anyone could'vs predicted the explosion. I figured that he'd find his stroke and make a few shots, but I mean, that was crazy."

Klay Thompson overcame a slow start to finish with 23 points on 7-of-18 shooting in 42 minutes. Draymond Green added 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 44 minutes.

Next up, the Trail Blazers face their first elimination game of the 2016 Playoffs Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

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Curry Returns To Down The Trail Blazers In Overtime

Both the Trail Blazers and Warriors are getting good injury news just a few hours before Game Four of their Western Conference semifinal series starts later tonight at the Moda Center (tipoff scheduled for 7:30 pm on TNT and 620 AM).

On the home side, Trail Blazers starting forward Maurice Harkless is listed as probable for Game Four despite suffering a right hip contusion on Game Two. Harkless tried to play through the injury, starting in Portland's Game Three victory on Saturday at the Moda Center. Though he started the game, the 6-9 forward was severely limited and would go on to play less than seven minutes in the win.

But after sitting out most of Game Three and resting on Sunday's off day, Harkless said at Trail Blazers shootaround Monday morning that he was feeling better and optimistic about his chances of playing come Game Four.

"I tried not to do too much on the court but I did some running around, moving around, side to side stuff in the weight room," said Harkless. "It felt pretty good so I’m going to try to do stuff on the court and participate in the whole shootaround, see how I feel."

Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts wouldn't give any indication as to whether Harkless would start Game Four if he is in fact able to play. It's possible either Gerald Henderson or Allen Crabbe, who both saw significant minutes increases in Game Three with Harkless sidelined, could start in Harkless' place even if he's healthy enough to play Monday night.

"I’m going to try to go either way, but I don’t want to be a detriment to the team," said Harkless. "Obviously if I can’t move well enough, I’m sure Coach will take me out."

The situation with the Warriors and Stephen Curry, though improving, is not nearly as cut and dried. Curry, who has been sidelined since straining his right MCL on April 24, has been upgraded to questionable for Game Four, though his availability won't be decided until later Monday afternoon.

"(Curry) went through shootaround and he felt pretty good," said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. "We’ll see, he’s going to get treatment again this afternoon."

Kerr said it was possible Curry, the reigning MVP, could come off the bench even if he's available to play in Game Four, as he's only played 39 minutes in Golden State's last eight games between his current MCL and an ankle injury in Game One that kept him out of most of the Warriors' first round series versus the Rockets.

But regardless of if Curry plays, the Trail Blazers say their preparation or game plan doesn't much change.

"We’ve played against them enough times to where we know how we will guard him," said Damian Lillard. "Our approach is the same either way. Coverages change when different guys come into the game, so that wouldn’t be a tough adjustment. We would guard him different than we would guard Shaun Livingston, we would guard (Leandro) Barbosa different than we would guard Livingston. It changes anyway, so when he comes back, we’ll just make that adjustment when he’s in the game. When somebody goes in for him, we’ll go back to what we’ve been doing these first couple games."

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Harkless Probable, Curry Questionable For Game Four

Greetings Trail Blazers podcast enthusiast, and a happy Mother's Day. Despite the pull of spending time with the women who give our lives meaning, Joe Freeman, he of The Oregonian/OregonLive.com, and I, Casey Holdahl of ForwardCenter.net/TrailBlazers.com, broke plans to hit the Moda Center studio to record yet another edition of the Rip City Report podcast less than 12 hours after the Trail Blazers defeated the Warriors 120-108 in Game Three Saturday night. Give it a listen...

On this Mother's Day edition, we discuss Portland's impressive performance in Game Three, particularly the efforts of Damian Lillard and Al-Farouq Aminu, the respective statuses of Stephen Curry and Moe Harkless for Game Four, Terry Stotts' wizardry throughout the playoffs, the perfection of the "Rip City" sleeve jerseys and answer some of your Twitter-submitted questions about Mother’s Day, Draymond Green’s histrionics, Ed Davis' increased playing time and how you should go about talking trash in the bay area. In the immortal words of House Of Pain, word to your moms, we came to drop bombs.

You can find the Rip City Report on Soundcloud, iTunes and Stitcher. Listen to it with your mom, she deserves it.

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Podcast: Rip City Report, Second Round, Game Three Edition

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Moda Health

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