I watched Nate, when he played the game…he was very defensive minded and tough nose at that…there is not so much argument on what Nate wants to do….the argument is getting it to happen at game time and always making it a focal part of his game plan…defense is mostly hard work, hustle and dedication …..but the mindset of defense has to be drilled into your players until they bring it every game…I would have to say the defense is the weakest point on this team and when the fundamentals aren’t there, it can’t happen….The fundamentals come from coaching….. that is; in transition, you always have a safety valve player back…..this means you need to be ready to fill the vacant spots at center court and never allow the the opposing player to get ahead of you down court…..A lot of this is poor shot selection on offense that leaves you vulnerable or off balance at transition time…..the next step is understanding your ability to get an offensive rebound…if you are aware that the opposing team is sure to get the ball, then all 5 players are to run full steam and target the defensive paint area …once they get there and you need to stop the ball and pick up a player or try to get them to commit the ball to the sidelines…this gives you the benefit of using the sidelines as an extra defender to help stop the ball…..
    blocking out is another missing fundamental…..coaches do drills on blocking out..it is repetitious but is a basic fundamental of rebound positioning…the drill goes like this ; the coach throws the ball up off the backboard and the defenders step in front of their counterparts….the ball is supposed to hit the floor with all the defenders holding their counterparts at bay on their hips….if you do that, you can’t help but get the rebound…even the long ones you have a chance at because you are supposed to be in the other players jock…..
 team defense (rotation defense and help defense) are components of reaction defensive alignments that react to the ball and designed to keep a man in between a possible receiving man and the basket….it can also be playing the passing lanes as well
      position defense, player defense and game plan defense are all parts of a plan on how we will defend the team, a particular player or the act of what spaces we want to control on "D"l….for instance pushing a certain player to his weak hand, or not letting the offense get to their first option, or double teaming, or a particular position to guard a player ; example staying back on Rondo and daring him to take the outside shot instead of letting him blow by you (his favorite and most effective move)…..another basic is never turn your back on the ball
    I mean there is a lot to it…more than what Ive said….my coach used to say you play good defense and the offense will take care of itself….I’ve never known that to be not true….your offense will be a product of good defense= turnovers, steals,rebounding,shot blocking, all will make your offense so much easier, because you get a lot of easy hoops and you won’t wear out your star (Roy) having to work so hard for shots…..
    so what does that have to do with coaching…well a lot…not all of it….but a lot (your players have to execute the plan) ….it is emphasized so much that it becomes a mindset…automatic and part of your teams signature ….if its not getting done..then demand it…..then give them the hammer to get it done and follow up when they don’t do it…it’s tough, unforgiving and essential to being a good team…..it’s something to fall back on when the shots aren’t falling…..it’s something Outlaw could do if he was having a bad offensive night
   The Celtic game was an extreme case of missing just about everything, but defense has been an issue with this team and progress relating to defense is hardly anything noticeable… …. Not time enough to prepare is (IMO) an excuse and one the team dare not use…..It’s the NBA and this is why you have a coaching staff that inputs certain parts of the game….if this is being done, something is getting lost in translation out to the floor…..young teams can take advantage of their youth, but the Blazers often play like old men and let some teams off the hook…defense should be a young teams asset and should not be missing because of lack of hard work and aggressive play….

What is wrong with having a positive attitude (and being sarcastic)? I know we have recently built up a rivalry based on the subject of homers and non-homers. Admittedly, this is going way off topic in this tread, but I think it is time for us to have a throwdown Bobby Flay style and go toe to toe.

I think we should obey the Blazersedge Conversational Rules, and hash this out mano a mano right now.

Why do you hate homers?

I believe the Celtics starting five is the most talented collection in the NBA with the Lakers being a close second. Three Celtics are potential hall of famers and two are great role players. When you compare Pierce and Batum or KG and LMA, I hope you are mindful of the fact that you are comparing a former MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in KG to LMA. You are also comparing All-NBA, Rookie of the Year, and Multiple All-Star Paul Pierce to Batum. How about Rondo, a 3rd year player playing great defense and getting triple doubles to journeyman Blake. Ray Allen is still very talented and top 10 SG at his age as well.

The Boston team showed what a great TEAM they have and what great TALENTED individual players can achieve when they play together as a TEAM. If you think the Blazers will break even or surpass Boston in terms of individual players at almost every position, well I hope you understand what you are saying. I think you are much more bold and bullish than me and I suspect many other Blazer fans. While I hope the Blazers can become a championship team, I don’t expect the same level of individual achievement.

Last season, the Celtics got in the Blazers’ heads with their bullying and intimidation tactics. So when the Blazers walked into the Boston Garden the other night, they were already beaten. THAT is why, before the Celtic defense even ramped up, the Blazers were tentative, couldn’t hit an open shot, and made mental blunders like not getting back on defense. It got exponentially worse once that Celtic intensity increased. “If the shots had gone down, or if the Blazer’s had understood how to maintain player and ball movement, it would have been different.” Have you ever tried to shoot the ball or move from point to point on the court while being constantly grabbed, elbowed, pushed, nudged, and taunted? To be successful on the court, you must be aggressive, and the Celtics took away the Blazers’ aggression before they even walked onto the court. Then they picked up where they left off last year.

In my own post on this subject (“There’s no single fix for what happened last night”), I used a baseball analogy. If the opposing pitcher throws at your hitters and you don’t retaliate, then you have no shot. You’ve conceded the outside part of the plate to the opposing pitcher and are batting defensively—while their hitters are free to swing away with aggression.

Apparently you view the NBA as a peaceful, orderly world of pretty moves, sweet jumpers, and well-executed back-door plays. In this hoops paradise, any unseemly rough play is controlled by the all-seeing officials under the watchful eye of David Stern. Sounds like a nice place: I’d like to visit it someday! But the real NBA is a bit of a jungle, populated by huge, aggressive athletes—many of them from tough backgrounds—who are always looking for any edge they can exploit. And those referees? They’re midgets in a forest of tall trees, unable to see a great deal of what goes on out there. And when the intensity gets ratcheted up, they struggle to control it.

The reality is that a tough, veteran team like the Celtics can pretty much get away with whatever it wants to—including putting opposing players at serious risk of injury (reference KG’s play on Brandon Roy), and the only ones who can do anything about it are the players themselves.

…I would say that either Sergio or Bayless is part of a trade near the deadline this season. Blake will be allowed to walk when his contract is up, unless some other team demands him as part of a trade, either this year or in the summer of 2009.

Whoever is left becomes the backup PG behind a superstar free agent PG that we sign this summer. (Unless we’ve already gotten our superstar PG in the deadline-deal.)

Will he be able to pull this off? Dunno. Depends on who he can get. I think Devin Harris is 100% out of the question at this point, but Calderon may have become more attainable with all the chaos in Toronto. Deron Williams injury concerns might even open the door some on that front.