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@  Mario Peña : (12 July 2019 - 03:06 AM) WHOA.
@  slick shoes : (08 July 2019 - 09:16 PM) I would have to assume that to bring in Russ we'd have to ship out CP. I don't see it working any other way.
@  thejohnnygold : (08 July 2019 - 08:45 PM) The money makes it virtually impossible...I wouldn't worry. I have to admit I find the idea of having Paul, Harden, and Westbrook on the floor together intriguing.
@  slick shoes : (08 July 2019 - 02:51 PM) im going to go ahead and pass on any westbrook to houston deals. iso hell.
@  slick shoes : (30 June 2019 - 11:43 PM) trevor ariza has absolutely zero interest in returning to houston lol
@  slick shoes : (28 June 2019 - 08:16 PM) Id rather lose EG or Clint than PJ and ONLY if were getting Jimmy. Sounds like we have a trade partner for Clint if Jimmy isnt using us for leverage for his 5 year max offer.
@  thejohnnygold : (26 June 2019 - 11:33 PM) Do y'all think if we all tweet at Morey to NOT trade PJ he'd listen?
@  slick shoes : (21 June 2019 - 01:20 AM) ....and the new uniforms are trash.
@  thejohnnygold : (15 June 2019 - 02:05 PM) Agreed. Although, the injury narrative will probably keep them chirping.
@  slick shoes : (14 June 2019 - 02:40 PM) SO glad all of the Warriors fanboys can crawl back into their respective holes for an entire year. Good for Toronto/Canada as well.
@  thejohnnygold : (05 June 2019 - 07:33 PM) I think so.
@  slick shoes : (04 June 2019 - 07:20 PM) Dame and CJ #2 I assume?
@  thejohnnygold : (30 May 2019 - 05:42 PM) 3rd best backcourt in the NBA!!!
@  slick shoes : (29 May 2019 - 09:04 PM) im sure hed be great alongside jrue holiday and no one else. 100% iso ball all the time.
@  thejohnnygold : (29 May 2019 - 06:46 PM) Anthony Davis + the #1 pick?
@  slick shoes : (29 May 2019 - 05:39 PM) shopping the entire team including james. what is the point if you trade our best player away? what could we possibly get in return that is equal value of james harden?
@  slick shoes : (11 May 2019 - 02:07 AM) turnovers and missed free throws the theme of the game thus far. throwing away endless points.
@  thejohnnygold : (09 May 2019 - 01:35 PM) I wish we had found a way to steal that game...it was there for the taking.
@  Mario Peña : (01 May 2019 - 04:09 AM) Is it me or does Capela look in over his head? Why is this happening now?
@  Mario Peña : (26 April 2019 - 09:14 PM) Imagine how much it ticks off Beverly, Harrell and Williams.

Photo

Rockets vs Warriors 2019 Semifinals Showdown


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#1 Mario Peña

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Posted 29 April 2019 - 12:32 AM

Not a bad start and like Rahat mentioned on Twitter I also believe game two is the one Rockets can steal. Kerr went with the Death lineup so I sort of count that as the first adjustment. Now it’s D’Antoni’s turn. Maybe there was enough there to mitigate Clint’s effectiveness. Thoughts?

What do y’all about the rebounding disparity, Paul’s lack of impact or dare I mention the crowding of James’ space on his threes?
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#2 thejohnnygold

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Posted 30 April 2019 - 07:53 PM

There was a lot to like and plenty else to dislike in Game 1.  I felt like we came out pretty flat early on up until maybe mid-way through the 2nd quarter.  Considering they have spent an entire year waiting for this moment I was disappointed by what I saw early.

 

Still, we hung in there despite everything and had a chance at the end to steal a win.  I found the officiating atrocious for both teams, but I do think the Rockets got the short end of that stick.  I can't help but feel the Rockets bring that on themselves to a certain degree.  We all know about the boy who cried wolf...well, what do you expect to happen come playoff time when the NBA puts their veteran refs in there and "playoff rules" come into effect?  The eye test usually tells you that the more aggressive team will get the calls.  I have no data for this, but it often seems to be the case.

 

I'd like to see the Rockets bait Golden State into foul trouble by dusting off the Chandler-Parsons-this-pump-fake-should-be-obvious-but-for-some-reason-everyone-bites-on-it-every-time strategy.  If they are going to defend the 3 like that it should be no problem to get them leaning into us and collecting plenty of fouls as we put the ball on the floor to drive past them.  Once they collect enough they will have no choice but to back off.

 

I want to see more composure.  I want to see better recognition on offense.  I want to see better team defense.  I want to see Kenneth Faried instead of Nene.  I want Austin Rivers back.  I want us to be less predictable.

 

Lastly, I wouldn't mind seeing D'Antoni try the unthinkable and bring Harden off the bench in the next game.  Throw Danuel House/Austin Rivers in his place and let them start the game with some strong defense and grind in the half court with CP3 to help wear them down a bit.  Then, let Harden come in (like he did in OKC) and get to work.  Ultimately, he is only going to surrender a few minutes of playing time, but it just might maximize the minutes he does play...just one crazy fan's thoughts.

 

Lastly, I don't envy Scott Foster's position.  I feel like he is in a lose-lose situation and I know which way I would err if I were him--which is not good for us.

 

Lastly, if y'all haven't been watching Denver play you are missing out.


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#3 thejohnnygold

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Posted 05 May 2019 - 04:01 AM

It's strange to have won the game yet, somehow, still feel disheartened.

 

I like our offense more when CP3 is the lead ball-handler.  There is more movement.  I think it plays into Golden State's hands when everyone stands around and watches James dribble.  Golden State has clearly watched the film.  They know what's coming.

 

This could have easily been a loss.

 

I don't mean to be a Gloomy Gus.  I just don't think we will win 3 more playing like this.  Our coaches are going to be the difference moving forward.

 

Oh, and that block by Capela.  Let's hope that woke him up and he will continue to be a factor for us.


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#4 thejohnnygold

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Posted 09 May 2019 - 07:59 PM

I'd like to rescind my previous statement regarding CP3.  That is all.


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#5 slick shoes

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Posted 09 May 2019 - 08:57 PM

No excuses with KD out for the rest of the series. 


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when you win two games in a row that's called a winning streak.

trickin' six digits on kicks and still holdin'.

#6 thejohnnygold

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Posted 10 May 2019 - 05:05 PM

No excuses with KD out for the rest of the series. 

 

Except for the part where Curry is going to shoot more...He came alive once KD went down and is largely why we lost that game...and rebounding....and mistakes....and lousy first quarter energy...and Klay Thompson going nuclear while D'Antoni refuses to call a timeout to see if we can cool him off...and running virtually ZERO offensive plays outside of somebody drive past your man and let's see what happens.

 

Sometimes I agree with the haters...watching this team play offense can be a grind at times.

 

I'm looking forward to the team coming out with a ton of energy tonight.  Capela vs. Looney will be a key match up for us.  Clint has got to win his individual battles down low and convert more of his tries.

 

One last thought...does anyone else wonder why the Rockets don't patrol the "3-point shot" rebound zone better?  We are shooting over 50% of our shots from deep; yet, we set up one rebounder (Capela) directly beneath the rim and wonder why we aren't getting more boards when they all clang off and land 10'-15' feet from the rim.  I'd like to see the Rockets take advantage of this as I see clear, open gaps nearly every time we clang a three.  Those two wing shooters should be running 45 degree slants through those gaps when the shots go up instead of just bolting directly back on defense.  Imagine how many extra possessions we'd get.


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#7 thejohnnygold

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Posted 13 May 2019 - 10:17 PM

For some reason the doom and gloom feeling is worse than previous years.  Try as I might, I am struggling to find a silver lining for the next few years.  At least I can look forward to the Knicks sliding down the draft and missing out on both Zion and Ja tomorrow.


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#8 slick shoes

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Posted 14 May 2019 - 02:00 PM

For some reason the doom and gloom feeling is worse than previous years.  Try as I might, I am struggling to find a silver lining for the next few years.

 

That loss at the end of the season against the Thunder is an EXTREMELY bad look given how the playoffs played out. Could've been the Blazers grinding out a 7 game series against the W's while we imposed our will against the Nuggets. I have NEVER seen the 'Kets have absolutely ZERO sense of urgency at home in a playoff elimination game against the best team of our generation. Pathetic. 

 

I found this clip interesting. I don't see what else there is to do without a major overhaul of the roster or coaching staff (or both). 


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when you win two games in a row that's called a winning streak.

trickin' six digits on kicks and still holdin'.

#9 thejohnnygold

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Posted 14 May 2019 - 07:37 PM

That loss at the end of the season against the Thunder is an EXTREMELY bad look given how the playoffs played out. Could've been the Blazers grinding out a 7 game series against the W's while we imposed our will against the Nuggets. I have NEVER seen the 'Kets have absolutely ZERO sense of urgency at home in a playoff elimination game against the best team of our generation. Pathetic. 

 

I found this clip interesting. I don't see what else there is to do without a major overhaul of the roster or coaching staff (or both). 

 

I agree...that is interesting.

 

I think it's time to remove the constraints of "the system" and let the guys play.  They get it.  No one is arguing the analytics; however, there comes a point where it detracts from the players' ability to play.  Harden is clearly a savant.  What we've got here is the equivalent of taking Charlie Parker and forcing him to solely play marching tunes.  Sure, he would play them perfectly...but it inhibits his own greatness.

 

For our role players, I often feel like it freezes them in place.  They might see the cut, but they won't take it because it would put them out of position and that's not what they're supposed to do.  Very often, they get forced into rushed, heavily-contested three's that, more often than not, clang off the iron and it's another possession squandered.

 

Where was D'Antoni in all of this?  I struggled to find his fingerprints on anything.  Are they sitting back, shrugging, and saying, "Eh, the shots didn't fall.  Next time they will...", as if that hasn't been the story the last 3-4 years?  There's a reason the shots aren't falling, Mike.

 

Fivethirtyeight.com has a very level-headed article on the matter.  This stat is from that article:

 

 

There it is.  Plain as day.  Considering his usage rate, that is huge in a series where there were no blowouts and those extra points likely would have swung the series our way.  (not to mention the assumed points they scored off of these no-calls which frequently result in a fast break or some other easy bucket).

 

I don't know what else there is to do besides run it back and hope those shots fall.  Cap-wise we're pretty limited.  Every team needs shooting which makes Gordon our best asset.  The question is what could we possibly get back that actually makes us better.  That answer is not readily apparent.

 

This really could be a case of bad luck.  Morey's vision clearly works...up until the point you run into one of the all-time great teams.  It's hard to maintain perspective, but would anyone fault Stockton, Malone, or Jerry Sloan for what they did or how they did it despite the disappointing results?

 

What I would love is to have a definitive low-post threat.  I thought we had him in D-Mo.  A guy you can put in the game, give him the ball, and say, "go get some buckets".  I guess I'm just old school that way, but to completely eschew that aspect of the game seems myopic to me.  Who did Golden State have to thwart a full on assault from the low post?  Draymond, Bogut, and...Looney?  I'd take my chances against that group.

 

Down the stretch when both teams are gassed I think I'd rather see our big man post up an exhausted defender rather than us launching threes on tired legs that (as they so often will) clang off the front iron.  We have got to perfect the 5-minute game.  The last 5 minutes.  The most important 5 minutes.  Bring back the big man!  (Let's go get Boban!  He's perfect for the role.)


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