2 replies to this topic

[marbony81110]

I just want to get the opinion of the fine members of Red94. I live in Germany right now, so I purchased NBA League Pass International to make sure I won't miss any games. The problem is the time difference. I set my alarm so I could wake up and watch the game live early in the morning over here. Anyway..... 

 

I know this was the first preseason game, but there were several things that I noticed.

 

1. Our starting line up is not going to miss a beat with Parsons gone. Ariza looked good and fit in perfectly. I think Terrence Jones was used sparringly in this first game. I was curious to see how he developed over the break.

 

2. We have some solid bench players. This was my question mark because some players have potential, but that doesn't mean they will live up to it. I'm happy with Kostas. I just hope his outside shot will fall at a better clip as the preseason drags on. D.Mo showed flashes of solid play like he always does. His problem has been consistency. If he can fix that part of his game, he will be an offensive beast as long as he leaves the outside shot alone. I love Jeff Adrien. He will be a key player off the bench. I have never been a fan of Ish Smith. I'm hoping Cannon can uproot him as the backup PG. Tarik Black is too aggressive. I see him going to the Vipers.

 

3. I did not see one PnR with Harden and Howard during their limited time. I am hoping that they will make that a main cog of the offense when they are on the court because it is nearly unstoppable. I know Dwight likes to work in the post, but that PnR is deadly. Dwight didn't seem comfortable in the paint, but that is probably because he was getting doubled, and beat up. So many fouls in that game.

 

4. The defense will be a work in progress. It is going to take sometime for everyone to figure things out. I did notice that everyone was working hard even Harden. I think I only noticed a couple of lazy moments and I didn't see him ball watching too much. I also noticed that they were fighting over screens instead of always going under.

 

Overall, I saw what I wanted to see, the bench and defensive effort. I like what the bench is capable of and the effort on D. The next step is to look for consistency over the next few preseason games and hope that the D comes to form by the All-Star break.

[thejohnnygold]

I'll add a few other thoughts.

 

Patrick Beverley looked good on both ends of the floor.  His 9 pts, 4 rebs, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 t/o's in 21 minutes equates to a per36 of 16, 7rebs, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 4 t/o's.  That's a high t/o rate and his efficiency could have been better (shot 3 of 7), but all in all I'd say our PG can produce and create for this team.  I know this was a point of concern for many, but I think he's going to have a great season.

 

Ariza.  Yes.  Plays within himself (which is a large area).  Doesn't make mistakes (often).  He is exactly what the doctor ordered.

 

I know last night's game was sloppy, but I feel like most of our 23 turnovers were unforced (i.e. bad play-making) while many of their 23 turnovers were due to our defensive pressure.  Maybe I'm being a homer...we'll see if it lasts.

 

I felt like Papa had some nerves and settled in once he made a shot (his first 3 was actually called off due to an off ball foul).  Still, the guy can ball.  He's got moves, passes, and shots galore.  I think he is going to get comfortable sooner than later and be another notch in Morey's GM bedpost (is that a weird metaphor?  )

 

I saw something I was hoping for from the second unit: that San Antonio-style which is actually Euro-style, ball movement that leads to easy buckets.  If memory serves, every Rocket touched the ball and it ended with some hot potato passes from Papa to D-Mo to Adrien for the dunk.  For all you "Sprockets" out there, take heart for we are getting closer to that goal.

 

I loved what I saw from D-Mo.  It was only one game.  If he keeps it up we will, once again, have the best back-up center in basketball  .  D-Mo was 0-0 from deep....let's keep it that way, Coach McHale.

 

Outside of Beverley, our guard play was spotty.  It looked like a lot of it was off season rust and the unfamiliarity that comes with playing a fast game with new guys.  Either way, Smith, Canaan, and Johnson all have work to do.

 

Getting back to turnovers, we also racked up quite a few due to offensive fouls (lots of bad screens, travels, etc.)  I thought I saw the beginning of a Dwight/Harden pick n roll that got whistled immediately for Dwight setting a moving screen.  I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that is what was coming.  It's in the playbook for sure--likely not as much as we want, but it's in there.

 

Yes, that was our 2nd unit playing with composure and cohesion to overcome a 12 point deficit, take the lead, and hold the lead down the stretch.  Yes, those were a bunch of rookies and 2nd year guys doing it.  Yes, they did do that against some solid vets like Charlie Villanueva, Richard Jefferson, Raymond Felton, and Devin Harris in addition to more experienced guys like Greg Smith, Brandan Wright, Ivan Johnson, and Jae Crowder.

 

For those who care, Parsons put up 14 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk, and 3 t/o's on 3/7 shooting and a very Harden-like 6-6 from the line in 24 minutes.

 

I'll casually mention that Trevor Ariza put up 12 pts, 4 rebs, 3 ast, and 2 t/o's on 5/7 shooting and a very Howard-like 0-2 from the line in 22 minutes.  Take from that what you will.

 

One last thought.  Even though it was a meaningless pre-season game that was sloppy from the coaching (there was very little of this) down to the refs (lots of phantom calls on both sides) it feels good to beat the Mavericks. 

[rockets best fan]

@JG

agreed it's good to beat the mavericks (with a little M ). I don't care if it's preseason...........SQUASH dallas. JG that was quite the analysis