Patrick: Blazers Coach Terry Stotts Says "We've Had Some Slippage Lately" On Defense

Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts was interviewed on The Dan Patrick Show on Friday.

Here's the video.

Erik Gundersen of The Columbian has a full transcript, which includes discussion of Stotts' job interview with Blazers owner Paul Allen, the challenges facing the Blazers, and his history with longtime NBA coach George Karl.

DP: I got to watch most of the second half against Cleveland. There's a lot of things to like but there is a lot of things that make me nervous come playoff time for you guys. You guys can shoot, you guys can make free-throws. Defensively I'd be a little concerned. Lillard I'd like him shooting a little better from the floor but he's spectacular, he's fun. LaMarcus Aldridge, I think the national media may be getting a chance to see him and putting up numbers. He's rebounding a little bit more. It"s just hard to be a great jump shooting team I think. Once you get to the postseason it feels like can you live and die by that jump shot? Your thoughts on this built for the long haul and once you get into the postseason.

Stotts: Well, i think those are all legitimate observations. Our defense is not where it needs to be to be a contending playoff team. It's going in the right direction and we've had some slippage lately. But I think the loss to Minnesota will kind of get us back on track with our focus on defense.

The conventional thinking about jump shooting in the playoffs, I think that's convenient. If you have a team that make jump shots, you know, you've got to play to your strengths. The way I look at it is, the best defensive teams takeaway the paint. The best defensive teams takeaway the rim and takeaway easy baskets. So the fact that if you're able to shoot and I was part of a championship team and that was our strength in Dallas. It's conventional wisdom that jump shooting teams don't do well but not all teams are good jump shooting teams.

So, I think it's important that you play to your strengths and shooting perimeter shots like I said is a strength and Indiana and San Antonio take away the rim, they takeaway all that stuff so you have to be able to take jump shots.

Here's the full transcript.

The Blazers now rank No. 23 in defensive efficiency (they ranked No. 19 on Monday). Portland has conceded 104 or more points in five straight games. On their recent 3-1 road trip, Portland conceded an average of 112.5 points, including 120 points to the Timberwolves in the trip's only loss.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter