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STOP THE PRESSES! Game 82 (Finally) Overreactions

THIS ONE MATTERED

False. Not even a little bit. Not only did Portland rest the stars, they wouldn't even let Napier or Turner play in the 4th quarter. OK it mattered just a tiny bit, and the Blazers benefitted from the loss for draft purposes. So there's that.

Just a brief comment on individuals: Was afraid that Napier would revert back to the mean. Instead he was outstanding again...Pat was HOT from deep (5-10) and finished the year over .500 on 3's....Both of those guys gave opposing teams tape to make them say hmmmm.....Layman settled down from last night. Man he elevates quickly on his dunk!......Vonleh's 19 boards shows how meaningless stats can be in these games....

While there were some things that were positive and interesting, there was one item that was so alarming that it is just sad: down the stretch on multiple plays, Leonard was in the low post with the ball against Jordan Crawford. JC is a gunner who has been in and out of the league because he is one of the worst defenders around. A big with any game would have abused him over and over. Meyers pitiful shots and turnover spoke volumes about the state of his game.

COIN FLIPS AND INCENTIVES - OH MY!

With the loss, Portland is tied with Chicago for the 15/16 spot. Coin flip to come. Memphis is tied with Atlanta for picks 19 or 20. Coin flip to come. Cleveland is tied with Toronto, Utah and LAC for picks 23-26. Coin flips to come. Wow!

Much was made during the telecast about Moe's $500,000 incentive to finish the season over 35% from above the arc. Harkless was at .351. If he went 0-1, he would lose the half mil. He smartly took all of his shots in the paint.

On the T-Wolves broadcast the other day they discussed a similar incentive for Ricky Rubio. Don't know the amount, but he would achieve the bonus if he shot more than 41% from the field. He failed, finishing at .402. Amazing! They set the standard of a horrible, mediocre NBA player and he couldn't do it. Got to love the NBA.

FINAL GRADE: No one got hurt. Some players got to play a real game on national TV. The game was competitive if not terribly interesting. The only remarkable thing was going 13-30 from three. Pretty good for reserves. Note the total lack of any actual defense in the game. It is a long grind and the season is now over. 41-41 for the season actually is about right. Bring on the Warriors. C-