22 replies to this topic

[Red94]

New post: Los Angeles Clippers 124, Houston Rockets 99: Beaten by Austin Rivers
By: Paul McGuire

I respect the Los Angeles Clippers. I respect them a lot more than most people.

 

I think Chris Paul is an all-time great, and a top 30 player in the history of the NBA . I think the Clippers a well-constructed team (well, their starters are). I think that Blake Griffin is a great, well-rounded power forward and anyone who calls him just a dunker is a moron. I think that J.J. Redick is a lethal piece, and an off-ball shooter of the sort which is becoming more important in this league and which Houston desperately needs. And while I do think that Golden State is going to steamroll everyone at this point, the Clippers are the one team that could make things tough for them.

 

So, I can tolerate losing to the Los Angeles Clippers.

 

I cannot tolerate losing to Austin Rivers. And Austin Rivers, Austin freaking Rivers, led the Clippers on a 23-0 run which ended this game by the start of the fourth quarter.

 

I’m just going to close this out with two simple thoughts, which I am sure I have noted at some point in the past.

 

First, I don’t think Josh Smith’s biggest problem is his three-point shooting. Josh Smith’s biggest problem is that he’s not as good finishing in the paint as you would expect from an athletic power forward with his skills. Part of that is because just like with his three-point shooting, Smith goes for teardrops and fancier layups over just bulldozing his way into the paint. Sometimes those shots works. But a lot of the time, as we have seen throughout this series, they don’t.

 

Even if Smith stopped shooting the threes that we know are just part of his game, I don’t think he would be an effective scorer even then.

 

Second, Trevor Ariza has been a fantastic perimeter defender in this series. But Trevor Ariza cannot guard three players at the same time. And while Houston really has only one perimeter threat, everyone on the Clippers is dangerous. Paul is the point god, Redick can shoot, Crawford hits the stupidest shots ever taken, and so on.

 

Harden’s defense has slipped over these past three games and I suspect that will be in the headlines after this game. This is especially so because he did get lazy on an Austin Rivers breakaway score and everyone knows you can judge how well someone did by their highlights. But that problem is exacerbated by having to play Harden alongside Jason Terry for so long. Redick went off in the first quarter and scored 11 of Los Angeles’s first 22 points because Terry was stuck guarding him.

 

And yet the Rockets need Terry because no one else can hit a three pointer. It’s a problem that I don’t think will be solved in this series, and it will be a major reason for Los Angeles’s likely victory in this series.

 

And that is all I have to say for now. Forrest Walker and I will be getting together tomorrow to discuss this game on the Red94 podcast. Check in for a more detailed analysis, or rather an analysis when heads have cooled down after this travesty.

[Lucas Daniel Uribe]

Yeah, this game was such a dumpster fire. From the beginning, going underneath the screen while guarding CP3? I mean he can't drive to the bucket, but he can shoot a jump shot with NO ONE NEAR HIM! Basketball is team game and guys who can shoot off the dribble, these Rockets squad cannot do that other than James Harden. How has Drayl Morey designed a scheme of 3 pt. shots, Free throws, & layups or dunks? When no one on the Rockets roster is skilled enough, or heck even average at shooting the 3 ball at an effecive clip. & about those free throws? Rockets were in the bottom in FT %!! This team is getting out coached by an NBA Finals Coach. #Rockets #PursuitisOver

[Mario Peña]

I don't think the coaching staff is the problem here. Let's just be realistic, this Rockets team is a patched together group that overachieved during the regular season. Let's also give credit where it's due. This is one of the first years I remember in this era that Harden and company took care of lesser opponents, that is a noteworthy step. This year Bickerstaff, Finch, and McHale have squeezed all the juice they could out of this roster and at this point roster construction weaknesses send teams to clean out lockers and NBA families on vacation.

The Rockets needed Harden to be otherworldly but that just hasn't happened. He has been okay by his standards but Dwight needed more from him especially considering the Rockets style of play. I think it's evident Morey needs one more star player/go to guy/high usage player because Smith is not it though it has been a very good move to bring him in because I can only imagine this team without him. On the other end Ariza is also getting overwhelmed and I can't blame him considering he is guarding Griffin, Reddick and Paul. No one misses Beverley more than Ariza, Harden and JB.

Let's be realistic one more time even though it's not what fans want to think about. This Clippers team, constructed around Grffin, Jordan and Paul, is making their 4th post season appearance while Harden and Howard are in their 2nd and that is a very different stage of a teams culture and development. If the Rockets lose this series I will be disappointed but I will understand the reality.

[thejohnnygold]

I don't think the coaching staff is the problem here. Let's just be realistic, this Rockets team is a patched together group that overachieved during the regular season. Let's also give credit where it's due. This is one of the first years I remember in this era that Harden and company took care of lesser opponents, that is a noteworthy step. This year Bickerstaff, Finch, and McHale have squeezed all the juice they could out of this roster and at this point roster construction weaknesses send teams to clean out lockers and NBA families on vacation.

The Rockets needed Harden to be otherworldly but that just hasn't happened. He has been okay by his standards but Dwight needed more from him especially considering the Rockets style of play. I think it's evident Morey needs one more star player/go to guy/high usage player because Smith is not it though it has been a very good move to bring him in because I can only imagine this team without him. On the other end Ariza is also getting overwhelmed and I can't blame him considering he is guarding Griffin, Reddick and Paul. No one misses Beverley more than Ariza, Harden and JB.

Let's be realistic one more time even though it's not what fans want to think about. This Clippers team, constructed around Grffin, Jordan and Paul, is making their 4th post season appearance while Harden and Howard are in their 2nd and that is a very different stage of a teams culture and development. If the Rockets lose this series I will be disappointed but I will understand the reality.

 

Have to agree with you on all points.

 

The Rockets' role players have wilted under the playoff spotlight--whether that is just bad timing and they all hit a shooting slump (not likely), the Clips' defense (more likely), or just not being prepared for the moment and being overwhelmed.  Shots that would normally fall just aren't falling in.

 

We definitely miss Beverley and Motie.  It's largely been an afterthought in the media and the mind of many fans, but their absence has been huge.

 

I'd also like to remind people that DeAndre Jordan is a very good defender.  People can say and think what they like, but his presence on the court is immense on both sides of the ball.  Ignore the 10 offensive rebounds he gathered up last night.  On defense, he causes everyone who goes near the rim to rush their shot, adjust, get blocked, or make them generally uncomfortable enough that they miss.  That's why the bunnies aren't going in.  That and Blake Griffin isn't exactly chopped liver down low either.

 

It's against teams like this that having a solid mid-range game is worthwhile.  If we could stop and pull up from 12-15 feet and make a decent percentage we'd be doing so much better....but we either can't or don't...not sure which it is, but the mid-range shots just aren't happening and they should be.  According to ESPN's shot chart, we took 9 mid-range shots last night and sank 4 of them.

 

Against Dallas, we were smart enough to attack their weaknesses.  For some reason, the same is not true in this series.  Their main weakness is the bench, but forcing their bench onto the court is easier said than done.  We need to start taking advantage of the mid-range...from there, we'll see what opens up.

[majik19]

I'm really disappointed in our role players in this series. Our biggest advantage was supposed to be our bench, but the Clippers bench has thoroughly outplayed them.

 

But even moreso, I'm disappointed in Harden. In the second half, he looked disinterested. I know the Clippers are tilting their defense towards him, but great players find a way. Maybe this is just a really bad matchup for him, or maybe he's just not as great as we thought. He needs to attack, attack, attack, and even if he misses the layup, maybe he can get Jordan in foul trouble.

[Mario Peña]

I think Jordan and Griffin are just too much athletically for Harden to overcome with just Dwight. If Harden had another stud that could hit mid range jumpers/3 pointers but was also able go off the dribble Harden would have a little more room and a little less pressure at which point you would see Harden go from these 20 and 8 type games to 35 and 10 type performances even when defenses zero in on him. I believe a star caliber player at the 1 or 4 with creating versatile scoring skills together with a solid defender at the opposite position (think Beverley/Aldridge or Dragic/Motiejunas or Beverley/Millsap) would be huge for Harden and the style of game he plays. Fit is important with the third guy but so is continuity so Jones, Capela must continue to develop and some glue guys need to be retained.

[Willk]

I'm really disappointed in our role players in this series. Our biggest advantage was supposed to be our bench, but the Clippers bench has thoroughly outplayed them.

But even moreso, I'm disappointed in Harden. In the second half, he looked disinterested. I know the Clippers are tilting their defense towards him, but great players find a way. Maybe this is just a really bad matchup for him, or maybe he's just not as great as we thought. He needs to attack, attack, attack, and even if he misses the layup, maybe he can get Jordan in foul trouble.

Sorry, I cannot agree with what you are saying about Harden. The guy is averaging 26PPG, shooting 46%, 44% from 3, 96% from the line, and 10 assists per game. Even if he was averaging 30ppg the rockets would be still down 2-1. It is amazing he is putting up those numbers with how bad the rox are shooting. The next best 3 point % is Pablo at 37%. The Jet is at 35%. Ariza, Smith, and Brewer are shooting 16%. I guess that We should blame Harden for that too. Finding open shooters is bad I guess. It is amazing that he is averaging 10 assists with how badly his teammates are shooting. Outside of harden the rox are shooting 52% at the line. I guess we should blame that on him as well. Our problems are definitely not defense because routinely giving up 110 points is good and not hustling for more than 5 minutes a game is also good. It is all Harden. Just like when MJ scored 67 in a loss to the Celtics, he obviously did not do enough.

[Mario Peña]

Some of Harden's statistics are coming after the games have been decided in this series in my opinion. He has good but his load is wearing on him it would appear and I can't blame him. The irrational fan in me had hoped he would take over whole games this series and it could still happen but I think it's roster construction so the ball is in Morey's hands this offseason.

[Cooper]

Harden looked like he thought it was october instead a 2nd round playoff series that with our 76year old point guards combines for a pourous perimeter. Jones and smith aren't making hustle plays and theres just no excuse for that. More shots will fall since for the most part they are getting solid looks. And while the games have been ugly its still just 2-1 not panic time just yet.

[Willk]

Some of Harden's statistics are coming after the games have been decided in this series in my opinion. He has good but his load is wearing on him it would appear and I can't blame him. The irrational fan in me had hoped he would take over whole games this series and it could still happen but I think it's roster construction so the ball is in Morey's hands this offseason.

[Willk]

Some of Harden's statistics are coming after the games have been decided in this series in my opinion. He has good but his load is wearing on him it would appear and I can't blame him. The irrational fan in me had hoped he would take over whole games this series and it could still happen but I think it's roster construction so the ball is in Morey's hands this offseason.

[/quote]
If Morey wants an offense built around lay ups, 3 point shooting, and FTs, then he probably should have good 3 point shooters, and players who can make FTs. This team does not.
Also, this is year 1 of Harden, Howard, Jones, Brewer, and Smith learning what it takes to advance deep in the playoffs together. It is a process. As you have previously called it "heartbreak". I'm just hoping for better effort the rest of the series.

[SadLakerFan]

CP gets the ball to Redick, Blake and Barnes in their spots and in rhythm, which is key to getting them going early. The starters, especially Jet and Harden need to be better on defense, or Game 4 will be a struggle. I think the focus needs to be on preventing the Clips starters from getting in a groove, as I can't imagine Rivers will have another game like this.

Edited by SadLakerFan, 09 May 2015 - 05:49 PM.

[Mario Peña]

I understand the point of "if Morey wants a 3 and rim offense he needs the right personnel" but to me it's more nuanced. I think they want efficiency and Morey works to shore up weak spots without sacrificing flexibility (of course maybe his approach is about to change with the cap going up). Last year the offense was there after acquiring franchise players but the defense was lacking. This season we see better defense but lack of weapons to make counters in a playoff series so I believe Morey will get the medium to big type star player that can create/attack to relieve Harden and Howard plus retain players for continuity. Of course the end of the bench he has wiggle room to make minor acquisitions.

Specifically to the point with one more offensive weapon your 4 through 8 guys get easier looks and make more shots. For example you want Ariza as your 4th or 5th option since he has his hands full defensively already not your third option or co-third with Smith. Terry as your 8th or 9th guy is much better than him starting and exerting himself for too long defensively. Harden gets a legitimate number 3 and the ripple effects down the roster are certainly positive in a big way, especially a seven game series.

[thenit]

Offensively we can't do much more except for hitting the threes. It's defensively where harden lacks to win a championship this year. He has improved on that side and hopefully we can build on that. You need to be more than a one way player.
We let Dallas and clips score so many points and it's hard to out score these teams every game. When you let Austin rivers best you it's not skill or luck it's the effort to halt that 22-0run. I wish we had DMo and a Bev because jet and jones can't defend their opposition and DMo at least can create his own shot to give harden a rest.

[majik19]

Sorry, I cannot agree with what you are saying about Harden. The guy is averaging 26PPG, shooting 46%, 44% from 3, 96% from the line, and 10 assists per game. Even if he was averaging 30ppg the rockets would be still down 2-1. It is amazing he is putting up those numbers with how bad the rox are shooting. The next best 3 point % is Pablo at 37%. The Jet is at 35%. Ariza, Smith, and Brewer are shooting 16%. I guess that We should blame Harden for that too. Finding open shooters is bad I guess. It is amazing that he is averaging 10 assists with how badly his teammates are shooting. Outside of harden the rox are shooting 52% at the line. I guess we should blame that on him as well. Our problems are definitely not defense because routinely giving up 110 points is good and not hustling for more than 5 minutes a game is also good. It is all Harden. Just like when MJ scored 67 in a loss to the Celtics, he obviously did not do enough.

 

Harden only had 16 points through 3 quarters last night. I agree that he's not getting any help, but he's not being very aggressive. Think of the 4th quarter in game 2 - he took charge. He didn't last night. 

 

Just hitting our 3s would change our fortunes greatly. They couldn't miss and we couldn't hit. That's how you end up with a 30 point blowout. (Not to mention we totally lost our composure during the 23-0 run, with dumb turnovers, pressed shots, etc.) 

[Willk]

I understand the point of "if Morey wants a 3 and rim offense he needs the right personnel" but to me it's more nuanced. I think they want efficiency and Morey works to shore up weak spots without sacrificing flexibility (of course maybe his approach is about to change with the cap going up). Last year the offense was there after acquiring franchise players but the defense was lacking. This season we see better defense but lack of weapons to make counters in a playoff series so I believe Morey will get the medium to big type star player that can create/attack to relieve Harden and Howard plus retain players for continuity. Of course the end of the bench he has wiggle room to make minor acquisitions.

Specifically to the point with one more offensive weapon your 4 through 8 guys get easier looks and make more shots. For example you want Ariza as your 4th or 5th option since he has his hands full defensively already not your third option or co-third with Smith. Terry as your 8th or 9th guy is much better than him starting and exerting himself for too long defensively. Harden gets a legitimate number 3 and the ripple effects down the roster are certainly positive in a big way, especially a seven game series.

I do not disagree with anything you wrote here

[Willk]

Harden only had 16 points through 3 quarters last night. I agree that he's not getting any help, but he's not being very aggressive. Think of the 4th quarter in game 2 - he took charge. He didn't last night.

Just hitting our 3s would change our fortunes greatly. They couldn't miss and we couldn't hit. That's how you end up with a 30 point blowout. (Not to mention we totally lost our composure during the 23-0 run, with dumb turnovers, pressed shots, etc.)

My main point is that in the 2 losses to the Clips, the Clips are averaging 120 points. I think that is the problem that should be focused on. If the rox were giving up 100 PPG, then we could complain about 1 person's offensive output.

[cointurtlemoose]

I agree that defense was/is our main problem, both last night and in the series. We are flat out just not running back in transition D. There's really no excuse for that. And they're going right at Pablo and Terry with those Redick curl, catch-and-shoots. Redick was hot last night, and those guys aren't quick enough anymore to get around those screens in time. Lastly, there were just a lot of miscommunications last night on D. I don't remember a lot of that during our hot stretch earlier this Spring, so I think we're more than capable of playing united, good defense.

 

Harden's numbers measure up for sure. But it's his leadership, IMO, that could still grow. Now don't get me wrong, this isn't a hot-take, saying that he's not a leader. But during the playoffs, the greatest players find ways to manhandle their teams back into intensity and competition. That's the next tier for Harden. I think he's capable, just haven't seen it yet. And that goes for offense and defense. This is FAR from a critique. I'm just identifying room to grow, which for Harden, is really the final level of dominance. Not many people get there.

 

And I've been wanting him to find more opportunities to post up; those elbow-type of post ups that either generate a mid-range shot, or a quick drive where the bigs don't have enough time to react to take a charge or to offer a full challenge. Anyone have any thoughts on why we haven't really seen that many of these looks for Harden?

Edited by cointurtlemoose, 09 May 2015 - 08:45 PM.

[cointurtlemoose]

Also, I agree with Majik, some of it is just the simple fact that they hit a lot of looks last night, and we didn't. The quality of their looks and our looks weren't ALL that different, IMO.

[NorEastern]

Just two words. Bev and D-Mo. Out with injuries. For Christ's sake Capela is getting minutes. Jones and Smith cannot seem to find Blake on the court. And there is no way that Terry and Prig are going to slow down Paul. They cannot even keep up with Rivers.