37 replies to this topic

[Red94]

New post: Houston Rockets 100, Charlotte Bobcats 89 - Practising for the Main Event
By: Rob Dover

The Charlotte Bobcats are one of the teams in the league with the most left to play for - to give their first visit to the playoffs in four years a chance of going well, they need to avoid the Pacers and the Heat in the first round and are pushing hard to catch up with Washington for the sixth seed. Earlier in the season such an opponent might have been a cause for concern, but the battle-hardening rigour of the NBA season has given the Rockets the necessary familiarity with winning to keep control of the game and come up with the comfortable win. They were put through their paces in a game that was never truly blown open, but they had their noses in front most of the way through and eventually opened up a gap at the end of the third quarter that they would not relinquish.

• This game felt in some ways like a good tune up for the playoffs. Perhaps not the same calibre of opponent as the Rockets will see come May, but a team that was well organised defensively and had obviously done a little bit of homework. On the first play of the game the Rockets tried to run one of their favourite sets - Harden posting up and then curling around a screen at the elbow from Howard. But unlike a lot of teams this year the Bobcats were ready and able to snuff it out. We'll doubtless see a lot more of that sort of thing in the seven game series to come.
• Parsons really struggled tonight, missing his first six shots. He hasn't been playing well for a while but it has been less important in past games because Beverley has been making his shots out of the gate. In the starting lineup, one of Beverley or Parsons has to be making their three point shots for the team to really click. Harden and Howard can do a lot individually and Jones will do his standard garbage man job, but having those shooters hitting really makes the difference between a hot start and a mediocre one. Hopefully Parsons can figure out what's ailing him and break out of his slump soon - he showed signs of it towards the end of the game when he hit two (VERY flat) threes to help keep the game out of the Bobcats' reach.
• I was glad to see Howard back in the lineup tonight. There might have been a temptation to leave him out one more game - what's the harm, right? But putting him back in meant that the two front-court tandems could get extended minutes working together. Both the Jones/Howard and Motiejunas/Asik pairings had some nice high-low passing moments tonight - perhaps a recent point of emphasis in training? Jones and Howard have been doing it for a while, but I was surprised and pleased to see Asik dropping the ball off to Motiejunas under the basket as well. The rotations were such that they were pretty much playing as pairs, perhaps with an eye towards formalising the playoff rotation. I like this strategy and hopefully it will bear fruit down the road.
• Late in the game we saw a few iso-ball possessions from Harden that worried me a little. The Bobcats were doing everything they could to keep the ball out of Harden's hands until late in the shot clock, and it seemed to break up the plays the Rockets were trying to run. Parsons would hold the ball for a while trying to get it James, and then James would look up at the shot-clock and decide it wasn't worth running a play. I would have liked to have seen a bit more off ball movement as a backup plan to give them a chance at an open shot. On this instance Harden made his isolation plays, but on another day the step-backs with a hand in his face may not be falling - we've seen it plenty of times in the past.
• Watching Big Al work in the post really is a treat. He's been getting rave reviews ever since the All-Star break and it's not hard to see why - there was a palpable sense of excitement from the Charlotte crowd whenever he caught the ball on the block, and more often than not that was justified. He palms the ball in one enormous hand before beginning his move, a starting position that he has made his own. And while his bag of tricks may not have all the balletic flair of a prime Luis Scola, there's a cunning and guile there that you can't help but appreciate as he somehow sneaks his way under his defender's arms yet again for a layup. Howard and Asik did a pretty decent job on him all things considered, but on balance he won the match-up pretty comfortably, posting 22 points (on 17 shots) and 11 boards and getting Howard in foul trouble.

[QNoir]

Parsons could have been racking up assists if he kicked it out on some of those shots. He can be a little predictable at times, trying to lean into a crowded lane. Of course, it doesn't help if kicking it out becomes a turnover. Maybe if he learned to turn his back and hold the ball low, like Harden can do in those situations.

Edited by QNoir, 25 March 2014 - 07:16 AM.

[redfaithful]

Looking at the current numbers for the month of March at http://espn.go.com/n...houston-rockets, a few observations:

• Balanced scoring: Harden is in his own stratosphere, but he is followed by the large group of Howard-Jones-Parsons-Beverley-Lin in the 11-15PPG range, with significant contributions (around 6PPG) from DMo-Hamilton-Asik.
• AFG% very interesting. Very impressive numbers for Jones (0.66), and Harden (0.61 with 7.5 3PA!!). All other rotations players between 0.5 and 0.58 with two exceptions. As pointed in the article, Parsons is having tough time offensively, with team-worse 0.44, and Hamilton slowed down to 0.46.
• Parsons compensates with 5.1 APG and good A/TO of 2.8. Beverley doing better in the A/TO column with 3.0.
• In the blocks column, Howard and Jones are very close at 1.33 and 1.25, with Asik a bit behind with 1.08. However, per 36 minutes Asik has 2.06, Jones 1.61 and Howard 1.43.

[dbd]

I am not sure why Lin's minutes are getting lower recently even though he was playing well lately.

is it McHale's plan to reduce Lin's role in playoff or resting a bit to accelerate in playoff. Very interesting. 

[BrentYen]

He is a back up, so.... I think it simply just depends on how were the starters doing. Also in some games, when you don use small ball, Lin will get more minutes only if PB plays very bad.

[dbd]

I knew he is a backup. 

But he was used in a different way in early season: a sixth man role.

 

PS. I won't lose my sleep if coaches didn't use him at all. Just tried to observe from bball strategy point of view. I am afraid that my post will draw people calling me a LOF, blah blah blah.....

[rockets best fan]

@dbd

I hope it's to reduce his role in the playoffs. if you think Lin has been playing well lately......we have a difference of opinion. I see a couple of good nights surrounded by a bunch of mediocre ones. as a matter of fact the less he plays lately the better I feel

[BrentYen]

I knew he is a backup. 

But he was used in a different way in early season: a sixth man role.

 

PS. I won't lose my sleep if coaches didn't use him at all. Just tried to observe from bball strategy point of view. I am afraid that my post will draw people calling me a LOF, blah blah blah.....

He has role that is given to him. I doubt it is a 6MOY role.

[Steven]

The less Lin plays come playoff time, the better the Rockets will be. Means Harden and Beverly are delivering.

[Buckko]

He's too inconsistent. 

[SadLakerFan]

People allow their like or dislike for Lin to affect their opinions. Hope Lin doesn't play because that means starters are playing well? Uhhhhh, this is the NBA, not high school hoops. There probably isn't a Spurs starter that averages more than 30 MPG (and that's not counting games where they sit out the entire game). Do you think that's because they aren't playing well or because Pop knows that when you start approaching 100 games, guys are running on fumes and adrenaline if they haven't had sufficient rest. That's why the Spurs are dangerous as you go deeper in the playoffs. I think they are more easily beaten in early rounds, when younger teams. Are still fresh than later, when that extra 20-30 % of PT comes back to haunt most players.

In the playoffs, even when rotations get shorter, lower starter minutes generally means the team is winning.

Edited by SadLakerFan, 26 March 2014 - 01:31 PM.

[SadLakerFan]

As far as Beverley is concerned, my view is that he should play more when he is playing badly than when he is playing well - when the shot isn't falling or when he appears mismatched.  He needs to learn to be effective when he isn't playing well.  I think most of you guys are younger, but some of us remember Matt Maloney - the last time the Rockets used a rookie PG in a deep playoff run - and it basically cost the Rockets a trip to the finals when he imploded against John Stockton.   

[grumpasaurus]

... when he imploded against John Stockton.   

 

Without any knowledge of the actual event my knee-jerk reaction is "well... he was against John Stockton"  

[rockets best fan]

@SadLakerFan

I don't understand your angle. why would I want any player to play more if he is playing poorly? whether it be Beverley or Lin how would it benefit the team to leave them in the game?

 

as for comparing the Rockets to the Spurs...........each team is in a different point in their evolutions. San Antonio is on it's final legs and we are trying establish our spot among the contenders. when Duncan, Ginobli and Parker were younger they played a lot more than they do now. San Antonio adopted this present strategy as their players aged. while I will agree resting players in preparation for the playoffs in smart especially for older teams, however each team is different. some young teams don't need as much rest......building chemistry and fighting for playoff seeding is more important.

[Steven]

People allow their like or dislike for Lin to affect their opinions. Hope Lin doesn't play because that means starters are playing well? Uhhhhh, this is the NBA, not high school hoops. There probably isn't a Spurs starter that averages more than 30 MPG (and that's not counting games where they sit out the entire game). Do you think that's because they aren't playing well or because Pop knows that when you start approaching 100 games, guys are running on fumes and adrenaline if they haven't had sufficient rest. That's why the Spurs are dangerous as you go deeper in the playoffs. I think they are more easily beaten in early rounds, when younger teams. Are still fresh than later, when that extra 20-30 % of PT comes back to haunt most players.

In the playoffs, even when rotations get shorter, lower starter minutes generally means the team is winning.

This is the playoffs where you play your best players until the game is out of hand, or they get in foul trouble or they break down. You don't play your reserves for an extended period, unless they are one of your best 5 players. Lin might be the 7th or 8th best player on the Rockets, therefore he should get the run of the 7th or 8th best player. If Harden and Beverly are both delivering, then that means less minutes for Lin, but probably means the Rockets are winning. And as a true Rockets fan I care more about winning then who plays. If Covington, Canaan, Daniels, Casspi and Garcia were the starters and the Rockets were winning, then that's all I care about, the score at the end of the night come May and June. Everything else is irrelevant.

[BrentYen]

7th best? who are the 1st 6?

[SadLakerFan]

This is the playoffs where you play your best players until the game is out of hand, or they get in foul trouble or they break down. You don't play your reserves for an extended period, unless they are one of your best 5 players. Lin might be the 7th or 8th best player on the Rockets, therefore he should get the run of the 7th or 8th best player. If Harden and Beverly are both delivering, then that means less minutes for Lin, but probably means the Rockets are winning. And as a true Rockets fan I care more about winning then who plays. If Covington, Canaan, Daniels, Casspi and Garcia were the starters and the Rockets were winning, then that's all I care about, the score at the end of the night come May and June. Everything else is irrelevant.

 

Perhaps my use of the term "playoffs" was confusing.  I think we're saying the same thing.  Obviously, you like to see starters getting good rest during the regular season.  In the playoffs, you are still trying to rest your guys as much as you can while still winning the games, because you have to be concerned about the games that are remaining.  Thus, rotations tighten and starter minutes go up as you get deeper in the playoffs, because you have fewer remaining games to worry about.  By the time you get to the finals, you might be basically down to six players playing meaningful minutes. 

[SadLakerFan]

Without any knowledge of the actual event my knee-jerk reaction is "well... he was against John Stockton"  

 

I was a pretty rabid fan back then and watched those games over and over on tape.  The Rockets had a great team of veteran starters (Olajuwon, Drexler, Barkley, Elie) that was a little old but still near the top of their games.  The only question mark was at PG, where rookie Maloney started, because the Rockets had traded Sam Cassell to get Barkley.  He was actually great during the regular season, but against the Jazz, he couldn't hit a show and he just self-destructed.  That would have been an NBA Finals for the ages.  Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Kukoc, Olajuwon, Drexler, Barkley . . . . . oh well, back to reality.

[Steven]

7th best? who are the 1st 6?

Harden Howard Parsons Beverly Jones Asik

[rockets best fan]

@Steven

I would disagree..........right now I think D-Mo is in front of him as well, making him 8th and dropping like a rock