Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

**HarkTheSound** · 10-04-2022, 02:09 PM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

Future Table of Contents.

Still figuring one the right format for how I want to present the articles, I don't think you can just upload PDFs to posts or I'd do that. If anyone has a good idea for how to best present stuff from google docs please let me know.

**HarkTheSound** · 10-04-2022, 02:10 PM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

NBA as Top-Heavy as Ever as 1983-1984 Season Tips Off
76ers, Lakers, Celtics Headline Shortlist of Contenders

Magic Johnson and the Lakers have won two championships in his four-year career, but they were swept by the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals in May.

By Adrian Russillo
Oct. 14, 1983

Parity is not expected to be a word used by members of the NBA community this season. Everyone knows who the contending teams are — there’s only a couple of “Haves” and a whole lot of “Have Nots.”

Such is life in the Association as the 1983-194 season is set to get underway.

The NBA’s reigning champions, the Philadelphia 76ers, are still riding high after an immaculate, and surprising to many, sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in May’s Finals.

The 76ers, paced by MVP Moses Malone, avenged their six-game defeat to the Lakers in the 1982 Finals in what was a tour de force playoff showing by the former Houston Rocket product. He averaged 26 points and 15.8 rebounds per game in the 76ers’ dominant 12-1 postseason record.

The 76ers will have some competition to get back to the Finals for the third consecutive year as the Celtics, Pistons, and Bucks are considered the teams with the most firepower to compete with Moses, Julius Eriving, and co. Larry Bird and the Celtics enter the preseason as the odds-on favorite to win the East despite being swept by Sidney Moncrief, Marques Johnson and the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals a year ago.

Meanwhile, the Lakers, led by Magic Johnson and an aging-but-still elite Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, will also look to get back to the Finals for the third straight season. Magic has won a pair of championships in his first four years in the league, and the Lakers appear without a significant challenger in the West Conference. The other teams expected to contend for playoff spots in the West — the Suns, the Trail Blazers, the Spurs, and the Jazz — are all vying for the No. 2 seed unless something goes seriously awry in Hollywood.

Elsewhere across the league, many eyes will be trained on the Houston Rockets, who are welcoming one of the greatest college basketball players of all time, Ralph Sampson, to the team. The rest of the roster around the former Virginia great leaves much to be desired, but Sampson, the No. 1 pick in the 1983 NBA Draft, is expected to dominate right away and could help lead Houston to many playoff appearances down the road.

Preseason Position Preview
(Parentheis denotes overall rating)

Top Point Guards

Magic Johnson (95) — Lakers
Isiah Thomas (92) — Pistons
Rickey Green (86) — Jazz
Gus Williams (85) — SuperSonics
Maurice Cheeks (84) — 76ers

Top Shooting Guards

George Gervin (91) — Spurs
Sidney Moncrief (90) — Bucks
Alex English (88) — Nuggets
Walter Davis (88) — Suns
Darrell Griffith (86) — Jazz

Top Small Forwards

Larry Bird (97) — Celtics
Julius Erving (90) — 76ers
Adrian Dantley (90) — Jazz
Mark Aguirre (90) — Mavericks
Bernard Kings (89) — Knicks

Top Power Forwards

Kevin McHale (89) — Celtics
Buck Williams (85) — Nets
Dan Issel (85) — Nuggets
Maurice Lucas (85) — Suns
Kenny Carr (84) — Trail Blazers

Top Centers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (95) — Lakers
Moses Malone (95) — 76ers
Robert Parish (90) — Celtics
Jeff Ruland (87) — Wizards
Bill Laimbeer (87) — Pistons

Awards Predictions

1st-Team All-NBA

Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird, Bernard King, Moses Malone

2nd-Team All-NBA

George Gervin, Walter Davis, Mark Aguirre, Adrian Dantley, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

3rd-Team All-NBA

Sidney Moncrief, Alex English, Kevin McHale, Kiki Vandeweghe, Dominique Wilkins

Rookie of the Year

Ralph Sampson

Defensive Player of the Year

Tree Rollins

MVP

Magic Johnson

**HarkTheSound** · 10-04-2022, 02:10 PM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

Trail Blazers Take Aim at Getting Back to the Postseason

Published Oct. 21, 1983

Mychal Thompson (left) saw his numbers decline in 1982-1983 (20.8 points per game to 15.7 and 11.7 rebounds per game to 9.4) but is expected to help lead Portland’s frontcourt alongside Kenny Carr.

By Shams Schmitz | The Oregonian

It’s the Los Angeles Lakers and everyone else.

Just don’t tell that to Portland Trail Blazers players.

With the regular season set to start one week from today, most prognosticators feel the NBA’s Western Conference is the Lakers’ to lose, but based on media day interviews with Portland Trail Blazers players leading up the team’s season opener against the San Diego Clippers, they feel they’ll have to something to say about who will earn the conference’s spot in the NBA Finals come May.

Portland is coming off a 46-36 season in which they earned the No. 5 seed in the West. They swept the No. 4-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in the best-of-three series (this will be the first season of the NBA’s shift to a 5-7-7-7 format). However, the Trail Blazers were merely a speed bump for the Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals as LA dispatched Portland in five games.

It’s been a while since Portland has advanced past the conference semis — the last time they did so was in 1977 when they won their first and only championship thanks to Maurice Lucas, Bill Walton, and co. The good news for Blazers fans is Portland returns an experienced lineup that features many players still in their primes who are supplemented by rising and exciting talent.

The oldest players on the team are frontcourt mates Kenny Carr and Mychal Thompson who are expected to make up the starting power forward and center positions for the team, respectively. Carr, a seventh-year pro out of N.C. State, and Thompson, a five-year veteran out of Minnesota, are battle-tested but they’re also one of the smallest frontcourts in the league. Carr (12.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg) is an undersized post bruiser at 6-foot-7 and Thompson (15.7 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 4.8 apg) is playing at the center position although he’s a natural power forward at 6-foot-10.

Joining them in the frontcourt is small forward Calvin Natt. Natt, a fifth-year pro out of UL Monroe, is a strong finisher and rebounder at a sturdy 6-foot-6, 220 pounds. He averaged 20.4 ppg and 7.5 rpg a season ago.

When discussing the Blazers’ backcourt, it all starts with shooting guard Jim Paxson. Paxson was leading scorer for the Blazers a year ago, posting 21.7 ppg and 1.7 spg. Paxson is the go-to shot-maker for the Portland team and is a good passer — however, there is one big caveat. The fifth-year pro from Dayton is in his contract year, and sources with knowledge of his contract situation say Paxson is looking to join a bigger market and cash in on free agency next offseason. It’ll be interesting to see Paxson contract status has a negative effect on the team as they look to make another playoff run.

Paxson will be joined in the backcourt by Fat Lever, a 6-foot-3 pass-first and defensive point guard heading into his second season. The former first-round pick out of Arizona State started half of the team’s games a year ago and is expected to take over as the full-time starter with a year of experience under his belt. Lever averaged 7.8 ppg, 5.3 apg, and 1.9 spg in 1982-1983.

The Blazers don’t have a deep roster, but there are a couple of standouts who will come off the bench this season. Let’s start with point guard Darnell Valentine. Valentine was the team’s starting point guard a year ago but broke his left foot and only played in 47 games. He averaged 12.5 ppg, 6.2 apg, and 2.1 spg. Valentine will come off the bench to start the season, but if he outperforms Lever he could reclaim his starting spot. In the meantime, he should provide a nice boost off the bench, especially from a distributing and defensive perspective.

One player coming off of the Blazers’ bench who is expected to be an impact scorer right away is shooting guard Clyde Drexler. Drexler, who was drafted with the 14th pick in this year’s draft, averaged almost 16 points and almost 9 rebounds per game for Houston last year and helped lead the Cougars to a NCAA National Title game appearance. Drexler has impressed team officials early on with his athleticism and smooth mid-range game, and sources behind the scenes are saying it’s only a matter of time before Drexler cracks the starting lineup.

The rest of Portland’s bench is mostly made up of replacement-level big men and a decent wing player in Jeff Lamp (4.4 ppg last year) who will spell Natt, Paxson, and Drexler as needed.

Portland makes up Western Conference’s “second tier” of teams jockeying for position behind the Lakers, and expectations are that the Trail Blazers should contend for the No. 2-6 seed, depending on injury luck and if Drexler and Valentine can provide meaningful depth for a team that severely lacks it.

Portland Trail Blazers Roster Breakdown

**the_kevstaaa** · 10-04-2022, 06:12 PM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

This looks like it's going to rule.

**Chicago Made** · 10-04-2022, 09:44 PM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

love it will be following

**the_kevstaaa** · 10-06-2022, 09:54 AM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

Love the write up! Also, Fat Lever was my dude!

**Pharcyde82** · 10-06-2022, 11:41 AM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

Amazing concept you're putting into play. Looking forward to your updates.

Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

**kibaxx7** · 10-06-2022, 03:12 PM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

Always happy to see another Blazers story. I have no idea how my team will look when I reach the '80s. I'll be following!

**HarkTheSound** · 10-07-2022, 10:40 AM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

Originally posted by kibaxx7

Always happy to see another Blazers story. I have no idea how my team will look when I reach the '80s. I'll be following!

Admittedly thought of your Blazers team when I was debating which team I wanted to use and document, but figured a completely different 2K, a future universe with different rosters, and the draft classes I'll be using will ensure I won't steal any of that 70s Blazers thunder!

**HarkTheSound** · 10-11-2022, 12:53 AM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

Star-Studded NBA Draft Class Looms as Teams Strategize for Season

Scouts, GMs eagerly anticipating a draft that will have immediate impact on the league

[

Michael Jordan, a championship-winning guard from UNC, highlights this year's exceptional wing class.

By Adrian Russillo
Oct. 24, 1983

With the start of the NBA season only a couple of days away, many fans are looking forward to the on-court action as the Philadelphia 76ers are set to defend their NBA title.

However, a not-so-subtle secret in league circles is that there are a lot of team executives who already have one eye looking toward the future. Regardless of which NBA source you ask, they all say the same thing: the 1984 draft is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory.

Experts are saying this class has everything prospective teams are looking for: good point guards, exceptional wing talent, and highly-touted big men. The wing class in particular is one scouts and GMs can’t stop raving about. 6-foot-8 wing LeBron James out of high school and 6-foot-6 guard Michael Jordan out of basketball powerhouse UNC are the headliners and are currently projected to be the first two overall selections in the summer.

James is particularly noteworthy because he has already announced his intentions to make himself eligible for next year’s draft despite being a high schooler. While some executives have expressed some trepidation about the move and wonder if James should test himself in the collegiate ranks first, he already has a grown man’s body and he’s dominated high school basketball like few before him. James is an elite scorer and passer and projects to be a triple-double threat every time he takes the floor.

Joining him at the top of most team’s boards is Jordan. Jordan rose to fame after a game-winning shot to defeat Georgetown in the 1982 National Championship game, and he followed his freshman year up with a dominant sophomore campaign (20 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.2 spg). He’s decided to play one more year of college basketball under the tutelage of Dean Smith, but it’s widely expected the athletic and superb scoring guard will suit up in Carolina blue for the final time this season.

Elsewhere in the class, Carmelo Anthony out of Syracuse and Dwyane Wade out of Marquette round out the cream of the crop on the wings. Anthony is a scoring forward out of Syracuse and though he has yet to play for the Orange, he’s proven his elite talent in some epic duels against James in the high school ranks. Wade is entering his second season for the Golden Eagles after averaging almost 18 points per game, and while he is a plus scorer, his all-around game, especially on the defensive end (2.5 spg, 1.1 bpg at 6-foot-4) makes him one of the best potential two-way guards in the draft.

A potential dark horse wing prospect on many teams' radars is Oscar Schmidt out of Brazil. Schmidt is much older than his classmates at 25 years old (26 by next year’s draft) but he’s thought to be one of the best scoring wing prospects in years and there are whispers he could go in the Top 5 depending on the team. He currently plays for JuveCaserta of the first division level in the Italian League. Schmidt is a marksman from the outside at 6-foot-9 and is a FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion and has won a FIBA Intercontinental Cup Finals Top Scorer award. Schmidt is now looking to test his abilities in the top league in the world, and many scouts are curious how his game will translate.

An elite draft class wouldn’t be complete without a healthy stable of big men and this draft is as good as it gets at the top. Hakeem Olajuwon out of Houston is the quintessential generational center prospect so many teams these days are looking for. Olajuwon, a rising junior, averaged 13.9 ppg last year to pair with 11.4 rpg and 5.1 bpg. He (and current Blazers guard Clyde Drexler) paced the Cougars to a national title game appearance a season ago and scouts are wondering if Hakeem can help Houston finish the job this year.

At power forward, Charles Barkley out of Auburn and Chris Bosh from Georgia Tech look to be this year’s top prospects. Barkley, a rising junior, posted 14.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg, and 1.6 bpg last year and shot almost 65% from the floor despite being undersized for the position at 6-foot-6 (though he weighs a sturdy 252 pounds). Bosh is a freshman for the Yellow Jackets and has yet to compete in a collegiate game, but scouts are raving about his shooting touch and agility in team workouts despite being 6-foot-11.

The point guard crop is headlined by John Stockton out of Gonzaga, a small school in Spokane, Washington. Stockton is the best pure passer in the draft and has quick hands when he gets down in a defensive stance. The 6-foot-1 rising senior posted averages of 13.9 ppg and 6.8 apg last year.

With this much talent set to be available in June, how will this affect teams’ decision-making during the season? Several teams are well-positioned to take advantage of this year’s elite draft crop with multiple first-round picks that they’ve previously acquired like the 76ers, the Blazers, and the Clippers.

According to the scouting service DraftExpress, here is a list of the top 10 projected picks as it stands in the preseason.

**the_kevstaaa** · 10-11-2022, 01:52 PM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

Madness in the best possible way.

**XxVal_MarXx** · 10-11-2022, 03:10 PM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

i saw the Italian juvecaserta championship win in the 1990s thanks to Oscar Schmidt, great shooter, I am curious to see his NBA career

Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

**HarkTheSound** · 10-12-2022, 12:03 PM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

Originally posted by XxVal_MarXx

i saw the Italian juvecaserta championship win in the 1990s thanks to Oscar Schmidt, great shooter, I am curious to see his NBA career

Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

I saw him in one of the 1984 classes I downloaded and was curious to learn his story. I looked him up and read about his scoring prowess and how he put together such a great career overseas so I definitely wanted to keep him included in this class.

**HarkTheSound** · 10-20-2022, 02:18 PM

Re: Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

Portland Treading Water Through Season’s First Two Weeks

Published Nov. 14, 1983

Rookie Clyde Drexler is already making an impact off of the bench for a Portland squad that otherwise lacks talented depth. He’s proven his worth as a scorer but needs to develop further on the defensive end of the floor.

By Shams Schmitz | The Oregonian

It was not the best start to the season the Portland Trail Blazers could have hoped for, but it wasn’t awful, either.

The Blazers are 5-5 after the season’s first two weeks, and there are some trends starting to develop for this team as we learn who they are and will be.

Here is a game-by-game breakdown of the Blazers’ first two-plus weeks of the season with quick highlights from each contest followed by some overall thoughts on this stretch of games.

Season Opener vs. San Diego Clippers; Oct. 28

104-83 L (0-1 record)

Portland opened its 1983-1984 campaign at home against the San Diego Clippers, a team that’s not expected to contend for a playoff spot this season and is one year away from leaving the city and relocating to Los Angeles.
Blazers fans showed up looking for an easy victory from a team that returned most of its core from a good 1982-1983 season, but instead, they witnessed an absolute egg by the home squad.

The Clippers led by as many as 29 points en route to a 104-83 victory. Portland committed 21 turnovers and gave up 23 offensive rebounds as San Diego cruised to an easy win. Portland actually had a better field-goal percentage than the visitors (55% to 49%) but the turnovers and 24-6 disadvantage in second-chance points doomed them in the loss.

Guard Jim Paxson had 19 points and 4 assists to pace Portland while forward Kenny Carr posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Second-year star forward Terry Cummings put up 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals for the Clippers while center James Donaldson added 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals.

At Golden State Warriors; Oct. 29

123-105 W (1-1)

One night after a deflating defeat to the Clippers, the Blazers rebounded to score a 123-105 road win against the Golden State Warriors in Oakland.
Portland had six scorers in double figures and shot 60% from the floor in the victory. They had 33 assists on 44 made baskets and outscored the Warriors in points in the paint, 50-34. The game was never in doubt as Portland built a 16-point halftime advantage and led by as many as 19.

The Blazers were led by Kenny Carr, who led all players with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Jim Paxson notched 20 points in 27 minutes, while point guard Fat Lever (17 points, 7 assists) and forward Carl Natt (17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) also had stellar outings. Golden State guard Sleep Floyd tallied 25 points, 3 assists and 4 blocks, former No. 1 overall pick center Joe Barry Campbell finished with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks, and forward Purvis Short added 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for the Warriors in defeat.

At San Antonio Spurs; Nov. 1

123-112 L (1-2)

The Spurs took control of the game early against the Blazers (34-22 advantage in the first quarter) and held serve the rest of the way to come away with the 123-112 victory. Guard George Gervin led all scorers with 35 points and fellow guard Gene Banks chipped in 18 points and 5 assists. Center Artis Gilmore posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Spurs shot 54% from the floor and led by as many as 18 points in the victory.

The Blazers featured a balanced scoring effort in the loss as seven players reached the double-digit scoring threshold. Guard Jim Lamp came off the bench to post 22 points in 16 minutes and sixth-man Clyde Drexler had 19 points and 8 rebounds. Fat Lever had 12 points, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks in a solid all-around effort. Portland shot 52% from the floor but only 67% from the foul line while the Spurs were 85% from the stripe.

At Dallas Mavericks; Nov. 2

125-88 W (2-2)

The Blazers bounced back to beat the Mavericks in the second game of their Texas road trip, and it was never in doubt. Portland shot 53% from the field and held Dallas to 40% shooting. The difference in the game was the points in the paint differential as Portland outscored Dallas 46-24 around the rim. The Blazers also held a plus-13 rebound advantage for the game.

Six Blazers reached double-figure scoring as Calvin Natt paced the way with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Jim Paxson had 20 points and center Mychal Thompson had his best game to date with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists. Dallas forward Mark Aguirre led all scorers with 29 points (he also had 11 rebounds) but only shot 11-34 from the floor in an inefficient outing for the talented scorer.

Vs. New York Knicks; Nov. 4

109-73 W (3-2)

Portland picked up its second straight blowout victory to improve to 3-2 on the season as they rolled over the New York Knicks 109-73. The Blazers only led by three at halftime but blew the game open in the third quarter when they outscored the Knicks 29-9 after halftime. Portland then outscored New York 28-15 in the fourth quarter to put the visitors away. The Blazers forced 20 Knicks turnovers and held New York to 32% shooting from the floor while they shot 52% thanks in part to their good ball movement. Portland had 34 assists on 43 made baskets and held a 47-23 bench points advantage.

Clyde Drexler led the Blazers with 22 points and 9 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end. Kenny Carr had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and point guard Darnell Valentine came off the bench to add a double-double as well with 13 points, 10 assists, and 4 steals. Center Bill Cartwright had 22 points and 9 rebounds for the Knicks in the losing effort.

Vs. Phoenix Suns; Nov. 6

102-97 W (4-2)

The Blazers picked up their third consecutive win after holding off the Suns in the fourth quarter to pick up a 102-97 victory. Portland trailed by nine points after the first quarter but outscored the Suns 27-16 in the second quarter to take a slight halftime lead. They led by one entering the fourth quarter and after a back-and-forth battle came away with a two-possession win.

Portland shot 56% for the game and held a 48-36 points in the paint advantage despite allowing 22 offensive rebounds to the Suns while only managing 9 themselves.

Jim Paxson led the Blazers with 26 points while Clyde Drexler added 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Mychal Thompson chipped in 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists while Fat Lever had a double-double with 10 points, 13 assists, and 3 steals. Guard Walter Davis led all scorers as he had 28 points for the Suns.

At Houston Rockets; Nov. 8

95-94 L (4-3)

The Blazers returned to Texas and suffered another loss in the Lone Star State as a fourth-quarter comeback attempt fell short. Forward Rodney McCray’s 20 points and point guard Allen Leavell’s 16 points and 6 assists helped the Rockets hold onto an 8-point lead entering the fourth quarter as Portland couldn’t take advantage of forcing 20 Houston turnovers.

Four Blazers scored 15 or more points in the loss — Calvin Natt (19 points and 13 rebounds), Kenny Carr (18 points and 5 rebounds), Mychal Thompson (18 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals), and Jim Paxson (17 points, 3 steals). Another contributing factor to Portland’s defeat was an abysmal mark from the charity stripe as they shot 24/40 (60%) while Houston shot 35/44 (80%).

Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers; Nov. 10

116-105 W (5-3)

The Blazers bounced back from another loss to Texas to secure a double-digit win against the Cleveland Cavaliers two nights later. Portland raced out to an early lead and extended it to 21 points by halftime. The Cavs chipped into the lead in the second half but never seriously threatened as the Blazers shot a scorching 59% from the field while holding the Cavs to 41% while notching 7 steals and 7 blocks.

Calvin Natt was one of six players in double figures for Portland with 23 points and 7 rebounds. Fat Lever chipped in 20 points and 8 assists, and Kenny Carr posted a double-double with 15 points and 13 assists. Guard World Be Free led all scorers with 29 points and 5 assists in the loss.

At Utah Jazz; Nov. 12

135-105 L (5-4)

The Blazers suffered their worst defeat of the season in Salt Lake City as the Jazz notched a 30-point home win. Portland shot 53% from the floor but committed 17 turnovers and some would say they were the victim of some home-cooking by the referees as Utah shot 68 free throws compared to 20 by the Blazers. The Jazz made 55 of their 68 attempts (81%) and also shot 59% from the floor.

Forward Adrian Dantley was the game’s leading scorer with 31 points and three other Jazz players crossed the 20-point threshold — Forward John Drew had 24 points, guard Darrell Griffith added 23 points and 5 assists, and point guard Rickey Green posted 22 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals. Dantley had 19 free-throw attempts and five other Jazz players totaled at least six attempts from the charity stripe. Dantley’s 19 shots from the line almost matched the number of total attempts by the Blazers.

Jim Paxson was Portland’s top performer with 16 points and 9 assists though the team showcased good balance with eight players reaching double-figure scoring. Darnell Valentine had a double-double with 10 points and 12 assists.

Vs. Atlanta Hawks; Nov. 13

116-109 L (5-5)

Portland dropped its second game in as many nights in a seven-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta jumped out to a 10-point first-quarter lead and held Portland at arm’s length from there despite a strong performance from rookie Clyde Drexler (24 points on 10/14 shooting, 8 rebounds).

Guard Dominique Wilkins continued his torrid stretch to start the season as the second-year pro out of Georgia is quickly solidifying himself as one of the elite scorers in the league. Wilkins posted 41 points and 11 rebounds on just 18 shot attempts, making 16 of them while going 9/10 from the free-throw line. Paced by Wilkins’ proficiency, Atlanta shot 56% from the floor and 92% from the foul line (34/37).

Jim Paxson had 22 points and 6 assists in the loss and Kenny Carr notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Takeaways From Portland’s First Two Weeks

Portland is clearly a team still finding its footing as we reach the middle of November. The Blazers have some experienced talent with a healthy dose of young veterans, but so far seem to be lacking a clear-cut leader in the locker room as players are still figuring out their roles.

An interesting theme from the first two weeks of the season is how many of the games have simply been uncompetitive (in either direction). Portland has showcased a feast or famine trait where they are either blowing teams out or they are being blown out. Seven of the 10 games have been decided by double digits.

Two concerning trends for Portland so far have been their tendency to commit a high number of turnovers and their inability to defend high-level wings and scoring big men. The Blazers lack a shutdown defender on the wing or in the paint, though rookie Clyde Drexler has the potential to eventually develop into a plus defender if he can progress in that area. He simply isn’t there right now. Mychal Thompson is playing center, but he is playing out of position as a natural power forward and hasn’t displayed the defensive chops to take on scoring centers. Paired with an undersized power forward in Kenny Carr and Portland simply is deficient at stopping potent frontcourts right now.

Portland was projected by most experts to get back to the playoffs, and nothing they’ve shown so far should cause people to worry about those predictions. But they do have some notable areas of improvement to work on if they want to contend for a higher seed and avoid the likely No. 1 seed Los Angeles Lakers for as long as possible come postseason play.

Blazing a New Trail | NBA 2K23 MyNBA Eras "What If?"

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