CJ McCollum complains about Warriors setting ‘a lot of illegal screens’

The Portland Trail Blazers were poised to even their series against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night until they blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter. If you asked Blazers guard C.J. McCollum, he might tell you the officiating had a lot to do with it.

McCollum says Klay Thompson, who scored a game-high 27 points, has been difficult to defend because the Warriors are getting away with setting illegal screens.

“They set a lot of illegal screens,” McCollum said before the game, via Jason Quick of CSNNW.com. “They are moving and stuff. That’s the respect you get when you are champions, you get a lot more respect from the referees. You have to figure out a way to get around those screens and make it difficult.”

Thompson scored 37 points in Game 1 and shot 7-of-14 from 3-point range. He has stepped up in a big way in Stephen Curry’s absence, and McCollum acknowledged that he needs to do a better job of defending Thompson.

“Overall, I did a decent job,” he said. “I felt like all his shots were contested — they weren’t all well contested — but he was guarded on all of his shots. But I felt like he was too comfortable. He did whatever he wanted to do. I have to be there on the catch and make him do some different things.”

The bad news for McCollum is that those so-called illegal screens probably aren’t going to be called any more frequently heading forward. The Warriors — and plenty of other teams — have been getting away with them all season. The harder Portland works to fight through them, the more likely they are to get a call.

H/T Pro Basketball Talk
Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports