86 replies to this topic

[justwin]

Well at least you  were uncompromising in personifying that the real (Or a great part) culprit is coaching.  It's also ironic that in a earlier post you demonstrated that Houston Bench was one of the less used in the NBA.  In my opinion, not being able to effectively institute your bench into the mix can be a mistake.  Make no doubt about it, Houston has been blessed with good talent not only in the ranks of the NBA but also from the college level.  If you can remember the Phi Slama Jama, the talent was there to win the championship but the team was simply outcoached by a coach that had a team with inferior talent. Not saying that Portland has inferior talent because they indeed have excellent talent but they may also have a superior coaching to boot.  Hell, if they (Rockets) need a motivational speaker vs. a tactician, I'm the man for the job--and, they probably will lose as well, no matter how much they are motivated to be hyped up.  Just saying, it would be interesting to see if the prevailing analysis on coaching prevails or will it be kicked to the curb.

[thejohnnygold]

All the Rockets have to do is play defense.... Obviously easier then it sounds lol but if they would just focus on their defense, than kick it to dwight in the post every once in a while they will be fine. I honestly think if they can run the blazers up and down the court for 3 quarters which they have not done we can get back into this series. Harden is obviously thinking about his shot to much you could see it in the first 5 he took. If he would just use the pick and rolls and play freely he will be fine. The blazers have learned his driving tactics and that is obvious seeing he has not been to the free throw nearly as much as he usually is. 

 

I also think Mchale is lost, Lin fouling with 28 seconds left was down right embarrassing if I am the coach, during timeouts you have to be letting your players know all the situations that can occur and what to do. Those guys get so caught up playing the game that they forgot about certain stuff that is why it is the coachES jobs to keep every player aware of what is going on.

 

I suppose so.  Regarding the coaching and that foul....man, sometimes you forget to tell people the stuff you just assume they should know.  In the coaching I do (not for basketball) I am constantly flummoxed by things I don't say (because in my head they are inherently understood) and then my player goes and does it ....I realize it's my fault for not saying it....but I shouldn't have to explain every single minute detail to someone who has been doing this for this long....especially when you only have so much time to talk before they have to get back out there.  If that were the case he'd have to start every huddle with a lecture on how to pass, dribble, and shoot.  I'm being ridiculous there, but where does it end?

 

Am I the only one who saw Beverley run over to Lin immediately afterwards and incredulously look at him with palms up saying, "What are you doing?!?!?!"

 

While McHale could be held responsible for not "getting everyone on the same page" I think Lin is equally accountable here.  I mean, how many of us at home had the same thought...."Jeremy!  What are you doing?!?!?"  None of us needed McHale to know not to foul there.  In fact, my first thought was, "McHale must have told him to do that because no player would be so stupid"....obviously, with Bev's reaction that was not the case.  I blame Lin for this one.  Sorry.

[Mario Peña]

I blame Lin for that as well. I am with you on that and saw Bev yell at him too. I am going to rewatch it today if I have time.

[thejohnnygold]

I blame Lin for that as well. I am with you on that and saw Bev yell at him too. I am going to rewatch it today if I have time.

 

You are a masochist if you watch that again....   In my opinion, the only thing worth watching is Aldridge being amazingly good.

 

I don't want anyone to think I'm being anti-Lin so I will repeat what I said elsewhere.  I thought Lin played well on defense last night (outside of that play) and while his 1-5 shooting looked bad he was one of the only players who looked aggressive against Portland's D.

[dbd]

How do you know coach didn't tell Lin to foul? Is it possible Bev didn't hear coach telling Lin to do it? You guys have a double standard.

When I said accountability, you dismissed like I am idiot. When Huq said the same thing, you tongue are tied.

[thejohnnygold]

How do you know coach didn't tell Lin to foul? Is it possible Bev didn't hear coach telling Lin to do it? You guys have a double standard.

When I said accountability, you dismissed like I am idiot. When Huq said the same thing, you tongue are tied.

 

I don't....but I do.  Double standard?  Please...I would feel the same if any of our players had done that.

 

I just re-read the thread here....you never mentioned accountability or anything like it.  You did say we should play Lin and Daniels more if we want to win...so there's that.

 

Rahat said a whole lot.  I agreed with some and disagreed with some.  What part are you referring to?

[QNoir]

What gets me is that ... Beverly really isn't looking like some superior defender to the extent that his lack of playmaking is warranted, while Lin's defense has looked spectacular. He not only stayed in front of Lillard, but looked to block him twice (but there was a foul call and the second was blocked again by Howard). Just run more offense through him. This "no assist" game is just ugly and not worth the trade-off. And beyond that, certainly don't tell Chandler Parsons that when Harden sits, it's "Parsons time." That's just ridiculous.

 

I actually thought Bev had a good game, but looking back at Aldridge's big plays, Asik kept having to move toward the lanes left open on Lillard drives, with Bev chasing behind. We can all say Beverly is an elite defender, but so far, Lin has done better. At some point in this series, Beverly has to show us.

Edited by QNoir, 24 April 2014 - 05:58 PM.

[goRockets]

Playoffs are the true test of leadership, not just talent. Dwight and Harden are plenty talented, top 5 at their positions if the not the best. But if you look back at the history of these two very talented players (basketball skills wise), it's pretty evident neither are natural born leader type players (like Kobe, Durant, Lebron, Jordan, etc). Both are chill-out, easy going players who don't step up and become the vocal leader a team needs when it's in trouble. Yes Harden took some blame for his bad shooting in game 1, but as soon as history repeated itself in game 2, he brushed it off with a "haven't you seen someone shoot 29% in 2 games... weirdo" comment. He also did not come out to post-media conference, only talked from locker room, after both games. That is a sign of a player who cannot handle negative spotlight, and for a franchise player, that's troubling. Jeremy Lin is a natural leader, even though he's just a role player and the ball is effectively out of his hands most of the game. So Rockets have basically rendered him irrelevant, even though in my opinion I think Lin handles negative pressure much better than Harden.

The Rockets team basically go as far as Harden take them, and Dwight too to a lesser extent. Harden is still young player, so maybe he will mature over time into a leader who can handle the positive praises as well as the negative scrutiny when he fails miserably when his team needed him the most. I blame some of this on the coach too, who basically has not held Harden accountable to anything the last 2 years. He lets Harden stay in games when he's played no defense whatsoever, and give the ball to him only at end of games even on nights when clearly he is not the best player on the floor. But McHale is a stubborn coach who will live and die by his star, then so be it. The Rockets will likely die this series because they've long made it clear that Harden is the one to take them there, and if he can't do it, then they are ok the journey ends there.

But hope is not completely gone yet, Portland still need to beat Rockets 2 more times to advance, so here to hoping the Rockets would at least put up some resistance next two games to extend series as long as they possibly can, if only to get some respect.

[timetodienow1234567]

That argument with the reporter was "weird". It also made me laugh.

[amacbrooks12]

New head coach of the Houston Rockets?

-Chris Webber

[QNoir]

Playoffs are the true test of leadership, not just talent. Dwight and Harden are plenty talented, top 5 at their positions if the not the best. But if you look back at the history of these two very talented players (basketball skills wise), it's pretty evident neither are natural born leader type players (like Kobe, Durant, Lebron, Jordan, etc). Both are chill-out, easy going players who don't step up and become the vocal leader a team needs when it's in trouble. Yes Harden took some blame for his bad shooting in game 1, but as soon as history repeated itself in game 2, he brushed it off with a "haven't you seen someone shoot 29% in 2 games... weirdo" comment. He also did not come out to post-media conference, only talked from locker room, after both games. That is a sign of a player who cannot handle negative spotlight, and for a franchise player, that's troubling. Jeremy Lin is a natural leader, even though he's just a role player and the ball is effectively out of his hands most of the game. So Rockets have basically rendered him irrelevant, even though in my opinion I think Lin handles negative pressure much better than Harden. ( ... etc.)

 

I wouldn't go so far as to say Lin is a natural leader. He lacks a lot in that regard. Yes, he's mature and handles questions well, and his off-court presence is probably more respectable and likeable. However, he just isn't vocal enough, critical enough, confrontational enough, take enough risks. Not that the team needs him to be that. He's just fine. But he's kind of soft (vocally). You can see it in his interactions with his teammates. He would need to take less blame and more control to be called a natural leader.

Edited by QNoir, 24 April 2014 - 06:16 PM.

[BlueJazz29]

What a brilliant piece. I wish Daryl Morey will read this. Nails every major problem with the Rockets. 

 

One suggestion, please stop ackknowledging the crazy Lin fans on Twitter. I am a die hard Lin fan, yet I have nothing but love and respect for Bevereley. He is the heart and soul of this team. Not all Lin fans are crazy/disgusting so please don't say that, and I suggest you add those crazy ones to your block list. 

[Guest_Account]

Hey guys,

 

Great forum. I really enjoy lurking here, though this would be my first post. I thought this would be an appropriate time to comment because, as depressing as this series has been, I think a some of these troubles might have been expected and there is still optimism for the future.

 

-  Houston is still lucky enough to have both a top 3 center and shooting guard (more on this later) with additional cap room coming in the near future. Just because they are on the team, however, doesn't negate the fact that this is their first year playing together, that a large portion of the team is very young, and that they are playing in an incredibly deep conference. My initial long-term thought when Howard signed was that this would be a true contending team in 3 years. Every team has a learning curve, particularly in the playoffs and I genuinely think the Rockets are going through the normal growth of a superstar team where people are still learning their roles. I wouldn't place too much weight in this first round. If this is still happening in the third year, then I'll start worrying.

 

- I normally don't like to throw coaches under the bus, but I think Rahat's observations about McHale are completely accurate. He shows an inflexibility and lack of imagination that I find damning in a coach. If I recall correctly, KG once referred to his play-diagrams as something you would see on an Etch-A-Sketch. I always thought a stern hand was better suited for a young team, than a player's coach was. As previously mentioned, in a pressure situation, players, particularly young ones, will freeze a little. I think this would have been alleviated by set plays, where players can default to what they know, rather than having to freelance and risk the coach's wrath (aside from Harden, who seems to have free reign).

 

- Howard has been giving us exactly what we thought he would. Some offense, good individual defense, and great help defense.

 

- I know I am risking loss of credibility in saying this, but I am not as high on Harden as a lot of people on this forum. My rationale is that I like two-way players far more than I like explosive one way players. An easy example would be Paul George. A more difficult sell would be someone like Klay Thompson, who exerts a lot more defensive energy and was able to contain a player like Tony Parker, while also being a solid offensive player. He comes at a smaller cost (enabling you to find a better supporting cast), and drastically improves you on one end of the floor more than you would sacrifice on the other end. I am not saying someone like Thompson is better, but I think someone like him is an easier fit into a championship team, both stylistically and financially. I think offense is one of the easiest things to find in the NBA, and placing a high premium on something that is more easily replaced is a mistake. Put it this way, think about how many shooting guards have had career nights against the Rockets and ask if this is really a characteristic you'd want out of one of your max players.

 

Don't worry Houston, you're future is still bright. I think I am going to sit back, enjoy the close games, and hope to see a lot of growth over the next couple of games.

[Guest_Account]

Sorry to add to this, but as much as I love Beverly's grit, I worry about the long-term ramifications of his decision to play on his knee. Like I've repeated a hundred times already, a championship this season is a long shot and I really hope he can stay healthy for the future. He is a great sidekick for Harden (this is coming from a big Lin fan) and his loss would be a big blow to the team.

[datruth]

been a fan of the game for along time
If a player is going off like LA you must take the ball out of his hands.
One thing i noticed over the years I have seen the best players check the other team best player all the time when it comes to the playoffs. i have seen Lebron check Parker, Rose, Hibbert, West, Rondo, Pierce, Dirk, if didn't matter their size because the leader of the team sets the attitude that he is going to take it upon himself to win. In the playoffs good coaches will exposed your weakness.. This team is lost on the defense side of the ball. No way a team should be able to do the same thing over and over. i noticed in the second period Blazers sent extra people at Howard and Howard traveled twice and made a bad pass. That is in game adjustments and Mchale must make changes on the run. It's not over till its over. I have seen it all in sports. Go rockets

[txtdo1411]

People are murdering Harden today. If he doesn't pick it up, this is going to be a long off-season for us as fans having to read the same narrative over and over. 

[Buckko]

3 names James Harden, Kevin Mchale, Lamarcus Aldrige has killed us.

[timetodienow1234567]

I read somewhere that Portland has the best player in the series. I'm beginning to believe that.

[Buckko]

I'm not a Lin fan but to focus on Lin's bad foul is irrelevant compared to all the Horrid errors james has made. Chucking up contested shots that can't hit the side of a barn, running into several defenders trying to get fouled and just turn it over, ball hogging and killing the offense, and finally defense just like losing Matthews to the point where he is on the other side of the court in CRUNCH time for an easy dunk (I was screaming at my television).We have been far to lenient on mchale and harden. I'm going to have to have a far better mchale rant later. One more thing, should we be worried of the continuing pattern of harden choking in the post season? This has not been the first or second time and Dwight can't carry this team.Might also need to re-analysis that rondo trade in the offseason with parsons growing inconsistency and arrogance (You don't declare yourself the best in a playoff series period).

[TheHolyBeardedOne]

Houston vs. Portland

 

LaMarcus Aldridge had another monster game against Portland. The Rockets were much more successful when they covered him with Omer Asik than when Dwight Howard or Terrence Jones covered him.

 

  Omer Asik Dwight Howard Terrence Jones Matchup Coverage 53% 29% 7% FGM-FGA 6-14 (43%) 6-7 (86%) 5-6 (83%) Points 15 14 10

 

Dwight Howard really dominated Robin Lopez down low. He scored 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting in 6:05 of matchup time versus Lopez. Portland was much more successful when LaMarcus Aldridge was covering him, as Howard shot only 1-of-5 in 2:33 of matchup time with Aldridge.

Patrick Beverley has done a nice job of holding Damian Lillard in check this series. In 23:13 of matchup time, Lillard has shot 6-of-14 for 15 points versus Beverley. Lillard had six drives versus Beverley in Game 2, but he was only able to score two points off of those drives.

James Harden: Offense

 

  Wesley Matthews Nicolas Batum Matchup Time 6:53 3:09 FGM-FGA 3-7 1-3 Points 9 2 Drives 6 2

 

I am sure most of you seen this but with Asik guarding LMA he has been way more effective than T-Jones and D12.. I really feel like he has done the best he could.

 

I just feel that it is Harden and Parsons in these next 2 games that really need to step up and play consistent basketball. I wish Harden would drop the BS and get to work he can do some many things with his skill set but yet he has not played like he normally can. It seems like yesterday against Matthews he played halfway decent unlike when Batum was guarding him.