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@  redfaithful : (05 September 2015 - 10:48 PM) Llull line from today loss to Serbia: 30MIN 1-10PG, 0-5 3PG, 4-4FT 6AST, 1TO, 4REB, +/- -11
@  Losthief : (03 September 2015 - 02:27 AM) this dude's gun fired and all he got a misdemeanor at bush lol: http://abc13.com/new...ush-iah/815795/
@  Losthief : (03 September 2015 - 02:26 AM) theres more articles all over, but the jist is houston (and texas) doesn't really arrest for it, they just recommend you leave it in your car when they catch it. So seems dwight got lucky he was in texas and not cali or the NE.
@  Losthief : (03 September 2015 - 02:22 AM) honestly we should just be glad they caught it...
@  Losthief : (03 September 2015 - 02:21 AM) response: http://nymag.com/dai...n_airplane.html
@  Losthief : (03 September 2015 - 01:42 AM) one bullet left in the chamber is diff than fully loaded and ready to go. Still stupid...but not like he was prepared for a shooting spree.
@  jorgeaam : (02 September 2015 - 09:33 PM) http://www.tmz.com/2...t-get-arrested/
@  jorgeaam : (02 September 2015 - 09:33 PM) So according to TMZ (I know, I know) Dwight Howard had an incident last month in which he took a loaded gun into an airport, but he was allowed to give it to a friend to take it back and wasn't arrested.
@  jorgeaam : (31 August 2015 - 10:45 PM) The Los Angeles Rockets, lol
@  redfaithful : (31 August 2015 - 09:51 PM) Seems that Chuck is also on his way to the Clippers.
@  slick shoes : (24 August 2015 - 06:14 PM) ill just leave this here...
@  slick shoes : (24 August 2015 - 06:14 PM) http://www.timeandda...04&font=cursive
@  timetodienow... : (21 August 2015 - 07:20 PM) At least in my opinion.
@  timetodienow... : (21 August 2015 - 07:20 PM) I love having Terry. But the main factor was that New Orleans will NOT compete for a championship this year and the Rockets will.
@  jorgeaam : (21 August 2015 - 03:57 AM) Things that make me like the JET even more
@  jorgeaam : (21 August 2015 - 03:57 AM) Jason Terry said that he turned down a more lucrative deal from New Orleans in order to return to Houston.
@  clydesmoustache : (19 August 2015 - 08:32 AM) A year ago who would have thought I would be so happy to have Jason Terry on my team. Welcome back JET! Hurry up October!
@  cointurtlemoose : (19 August 2015 - 04:45 AM) Terry I love yooouuuuuuuuu
@  jorgeaam : (19 August 2015 - 02:38 AM) Yay Terry is back!
@  majik19 : (15 August 2015 - 09:33 PM) and i thought these shouts were limited to some number of characters!

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Golden State Warriors 104, Houston Rockets 90: On James Harden and Allen Iverson


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#1 Red94

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    Posted 28 May 2015 - 09:22 AM

    New post: Golden State Warriors 104, Houston Rockets 90: On James Harden and Allen Iverson
    By: Paul McGuire

    I'm going to start talking about this Rockets team by not talking about the Rockets.

     

    Instead, I'm going to start by talking about a team that existed 14 years ago and also won 56 games before making a deep playoff push. Specfically, the 2001 Philadelphia 76ers under Allen Iverson.

     

    There is a school of thought on that specific team which challenges the conventional wisdom that Iverson's heart and will carried that team. Iverson may have played an important role offensively, but the 76ers made the NBA Finals and won one game against an all-time great team on the strength of their defense and rebounding. Players like Eric Snow, Dikembe Mutombo, and Aaron McKie were good defensive players that were actually able to win games even when Iverson had bad shooting nights.

     

    Well, that may have been true for the 76ers and their one offensive superstar then. It was not true for the Rockets and their one offensive superstar in Game 5. Because while Terry, Brewer, Ariza, and Howard all contributed, James Harden had possibly the worst game I have ever seen from him. And all the defense, Terry three-pointers, and Brewer transition buckets are not going to beat one of the best teams in NBA history when Harden plays this badly.

     

    To be fair, I wouldn't pin this loss entirely on Harden. In fact, let us start by looking at Houston's two positional weaknesses - point guard and power forward.

     

    Stephen Curry went off against Jason Terry, but that's just part of being the (deserved) MVP. And against Chris Paul and Stephen Curry, Terry did far better than anyone expected of him before this series. Terry kept Houston in the game during the second half. He hit some timely three-pointers and even finished in the paint over Andrew Bogut, scoring12 points in the third quarter.

     

    It appears that Terry plans to be back next year. As much as every Rockets fan once hated Terry for turning into Michael Jordan whenever he played Houston, he has been a treat this season and I hope Morey resigns him.

     

    So, point guard was problematic, but that wasn't a total surprise. The problem is what happened at the power forward slot.

     

    As I noted earlier in the playoffs, Smith is a coin flip. The coin was good in Game 4 against the Warriors, and in Game 6 against the Clippers. It was bad tonight. Smith tried those pull-up three pointers very early in the game, and it didn't work. He couldn't finish at the rim, and he only had 4 rebounds. Smith played much better over this season than my ( very low) expectations of him. But due to cap shenanigans, Rockets fans should not expect him to be back next year.

     

    But while Smith was a coin that sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, Terrence Jones was a coin which flipped badly every single time. I've liked Jones throughout the regular season, but he was a disaster both tonight with 0 points and a +/ of -13 and over these playoffs. There may have been something against Dallas, but I cannot recall a single moment where he just went nuts like Smith sometimes did and we all know Motiejunas can do.

     

    If Smith leaves, and the Rockets start next season with the Jones/Motiejunas combo yet again, I think it is clear which one should be starting. Here's a hint: it's the one who has yet to play meaningful playoff minutes in his NBA career.

     

    Now to talk about Harden. I am going to go back to Iverson as a comparison. Iverson loved to shoot the ball - if you're reading this recap, you know this. He would accumulate 30+ FGA in multiple games, if not average it over an entire playoff series. Sometimes he would shoot the team out of the game, and sometimes he didn't.

     

    Harden didn't outshoot the Rockets out of Game 5. He just out-turnovered them. Expect to hear that he set a NBA playoff record for most turnovers in a game approximately 34984393 times over the next few weeks, but it was just a terrible display both through his passing and ball-handling. Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes picked Harden's pocket in a one-on-one situation multiple times like he was Jeremy Lin against the LeBron Heat, and then Harden threw too many passes which went nowhere.

     

    Harden has the ball a lot and is  a shooting guard, but he's not a player who looks to score for himself first and foremost. He won't hesitate to drop the ball off to someone else when he gets the double team. And it makes sense. As much as we love superstar narratives, the reality is that I prefer Trevor Ariza or even Corey Brewer taking an open jump shot over Harden taking some Kobe-style contested jumper.

     

    But tonight, he did it too much. There were a few moments in this game when Harden had open shots, including a three-pointer that could have given Houston back the lead during the third quarter. But he instead took it inside and tried to force things that just weren't there. As great as Harden can be, I know that there are times when we wish that he would just force the shot more than he did. Because while Harden's 2-11 shooting was terrible, the 12 turnovers were even worse.

     

    Am I suggesting Harden should play more like Iverson?

     

    No, and there is no word in the English language which could make that "No" emphatic enough. But while people talk so much about how modern these Rockets are, I actually think that this is the team that would be best suited for the 90s. The Rockets this season were a team built around a single offensive superstar, with a few players who could score from time to time and defend but not much else. And they depended far too much on one player to create every thing on offense.

     

    That player had a terrible game tonight, and despite good games from several other players, that one bad game overshadowed them out. Fixing Houston's offensive dependency on Harden will be one of Morey's main priorities over this offseason.


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    #2 Alituro

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      Posted 28 May 2015 - 01:15 PM

      It's easy to pin this on Harden because of his troubles. But this is the first game in the series Kerr had played Iggy on him heavily, and they also adjusted on Harden by playing him physically once he started dancing with the ball on the floor. Iggy is a great defender and it flustered Harden. This tactic is easily counter(able) by getting Harden involved more off-the-ball, off screens and in catch and shoot situations, but neither McHale nor Harden were prepared.

       

      In the end GSW shot 91 times compared to 74 shots from us. It's easy to lay it on Harden because of the immediate impact one would think 13 TOs from an individual would have. But, in the end our opponents only posted 4 less turnovers as a team. That, in itself isn't a game changing difference.

       

      If you want to look at the real problem with our squad and the real reasons we lost both game 3 and last night, it is 100% on our PF slot. 110% actually.

       

      Last night, the GS Warriors posted advantages of +16 points in the paint and +20 total rebounds (similar in game 3 too). This is the real reason they were able to take 17 more shots and also the reason we lost game 3. The most disturbing part about these differences is that, individually our post players physically outmatch each of their counterparts on the Warriors. This is abhorable and embarrassing, and as a Rocket fan I am ashamed at showing such ineptitude so deep in the playoffs.

       

      D-mo, we miss(ed) you.

       

      Smith was a fun addition this season and a fun experiment. We got some great games out of him and can chalk up at least a few wins to his efforts alone. But, for a team that has so many struggles with consistency, to keep him as a major part of our rotation would be foolish. Even if he was consistently half as good as he is at his best, he would be worth some consideration to keep on cheap. I think because of similar consistency problems, and because his market ceiling may probably be now, T Jones should be shopped in pursuit of a PG, and find an aging vet to pick up light minutes at PF behind D-mo. Bring in Capela full time to back up Howard and give him some opportunity to hopefully work with Hakeem. I think next season with Beverley, and another PG to bring their combined ages down about 20 years from our current PG rotation, we should be right back there next year.


      Edited by Alituro, 28 May 2015 - 01:16 PM.

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      #3 majik19

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        Posted 28 May 2015 - 04:28 PM

        We really need to take some pressure off of Harden - someone else who can actually handle the ball. Bev, Terry, Prig, Ariza are not those guys. If any of those guys drive into a defense, a turnover is probably lurking. (Ariza drives me nuts when he tries to drive. He either a) turns it over or B) misses a 2 point jumper.) 

         

        It would be nice to get Harden a set shot to get him in rhythm. The only time he gets to play off-ball is when we have an offensive rebound. D-mo post-ups would have definitely helped. 


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        #4 Alituro

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          Posted 28 May 2015 - 04:44 PM

          We really need to take some pressure off of Harden - someone else who can actually handle the ball. Bev, Terry, Prig, Ariza are not those guys. If any of those guys drive into a defense, a turnover is probably lurking. (Ariza drives me nuts when he tries to drive. He either a) turns it over or B) misses a 2 point jumper.) 

           

          It would be nice to get Harden a set shot to get him in rhythm. The only time he gets to play off-ball is when we have an offensive rebound. D-mo post-ups would have definitely helped. 

           

          Terry is primarily a 2-guard. Perfect bomber for a few minutes each game behind Harden. Beverley is an exceptional ball handler, protects it well. Prig is suitable too, but I suspect he was somewhat of a rental and he's a little too old to be driving through the trees. The development of Johnson will be something to watch this summer, hopefully he can fill the bill. Either way, PG needs some help. I wouldn't sacrifice Ariza due to ineptitude on drives, he brings so much else that it is forgivable, IMO. When that is the only option open to him, you can tell he's hesitant to take it though.

           

          D-mo wouldn't have helped much in the rebound department, but his presence would have resulted in fewer missed shots and fewer long rebounds, so in a way it would have. As well as posting him up getting some attention off Harden.


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          #5 thenit

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            Posted 28 May 2015 - 06:14 PM

            Terry is primarily a 2-guard. Perfect bomber for a few minutes each game behind Harden. Beverley is an exceptional ball handler, protects it well. Prig is suitable too, but I suspect he was somewhat of a rental and he's a little too old to be driving through the trees. The development of Johnson will be something to watch this summer, hopefully he can fill the bill. Either way, PG needs some help. I wouldn't sacrifice Ariza due to ineptitude on drives, he brings so much else that it is forgivable, IMO. When that is the only option open to him, you can tell he's hesitant to take it though.

             

            D-mo wouldn't have helped much in the rebound department, but his presence would have resulted in fewer missed shots and fewer long rebounds, so in a way it would have. As well as posting him up getting some attention off Harden.

             

            DMo would have alleviated some pressure and slowing down the game with a couple of postups in the game. Also he doesn't take bad shots in comparison to Smith. The biggest thing is that he is a great ball mover and his D is better than both Josh and Jones. Jones has proven once again that he can go off on bad Pfs and score 25+ and 10 but against blake and green he couldn't guard any of them. For someone that ripped he should be able to use his foundation better, maybe a summer with Chuck-Wagon would help. Dmo spaces the floor better with better 3 point accuracy. The biggest advantage that he had this season was that he was consistent with his 14 and 7 a game. Rarely dipping or excelling. For a team with a bunch of inconsistent role players we needed someone who could produce consistently. 

             

            The team did what they could and I'm ok with the end result. 


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            #6 timetodienow1234567

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            Posted 28 May 2015 - 06:32 PM

            I, for one, am proud of the Rockets. I did not think they had a shot at the title when after the trade deadline passed we didn't grab a creator. Who was the last team that won without a good secondary PG/SG/Ball handler...
            2014 - Parker/Manu/Mills/etc....
            2013 - James/Wade
            2012 - James/Wade
            2011 - Kidd/Barea
            2010 - Kobe...
            2009 - Kobe....
            2008 - Rondo/Pierce
            2007 - Parker/Ginobili

            With the exception of Kobe's Lakers all of these champions had a second creator/playmaker to spell the star.

            Does anyone understand Morey's thinking?

            Edited by timetodienow1234567, 28 May 2015 - 06:32 PM.

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            Why so Serious? :D


            #7 thejohnnygold

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            Posted 28 May 2015 - 07:50 PM

            I, for one, am proud of the Rockets. I did not think they had a shot at the title when after the trade deadline passed we didn't grab a creator. Who was the last team that won without a good secondary PG/SG/Ball handler...
            2014 - Parker/Manu/Mills/etc....
            2013 - James/Wade
            2012 - James/Wade
            2011 - Kidd/Barea
            2010 - Kobe...
            2009 - Kobe....
            2008 - Rondo/Pierce
            2007 - Parker/Ginobili

            With the exception of Kobe's Lakers all of these champions had a second creator/playmaker to spell the star.

            Does anyone understand Morey's thinking?

             

            I would give more credit to Gasol and Odom with Kobe.  Bynum also had a decent post game.


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            #8 rockets best fan

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              glad you're on board, but I been on this boat since it left

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            Posted 29 May 2015 - 02:49 AM

            reading this thread I would swear D-Mo was Tim Duncan and T-Jones was garbage. IMO PF is NOT our weakest position. PG is. we got some nice play from Josh and T-Jones. did they make mistakes? YES, but faired far better than most thought they would. every team has weaknesses. it's the team best able to hide them and play to their strengths who excels. I believe we can thrive with our current PF's -Josh if we have a good PG. we need another facilitator. that's our problem in a nut shell


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            you can only warn a man that the bridge is out.....if he keeps driving he's on his own B)


            #9 Alituro

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              Posted 29 May 2015 - 12:25 PM

               

              reading this thread I would swear D-Mo was Tim Duncan and T-Jones was garbage. IMO PF is NOT our weakest position. PG is. we got some nice play from Josh and T-Jones. did they make mistakes? YES, but faired far better than most thought they would. every team has weaknesses. it's the team best able to hide them and play to their strengths who excels. I believe we can thrive with our current PF's -Josh if we have a good PG. we need another facilitator. that's our problem in a nut shell

               

               

              Please give me an example in the last two series where Jones gave us some nice play, I'll be waiting, like was said he had good games in Dallas, but that was about it.. Meanwhile please excuse away the last game: Jones (1 rebound) and Smith (4 rebounds), while Green himself had 13? Not counting Ezeli (9) and Barnes (7)... How is that even remotely excusable?

               

              Yes, IMO, Smith and Jones make D-mo look like Duncan.. Great comparison, I agree..

               

              Not disagreeing about need for a PG though., I just think it's time we settle on our PF and he should be D-mo, find somebody to back him up 12 minutes per game (cagey vet) and move on from Smith and Jones.. 


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              #10 cointurtlemoose

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                Posted 29 May 2015 - 07:28 PM

                With Smith and Jones it doesn't seem like an ability thing, it seems more mental. Terry and Prigs are in it every game, their abilities are just limited to due age (though I must say, they weren't nearly the liabilities I thought they would be this postseason. Terry especially stepped up beyond my expectations).

                 

                I know it was only Jones' third season (and really a half of one, in light of the injury), but at what point should we expect consistency? And did his injury linger at all and cause some of that inconsistency?

                 

                HUGELY proud of our team though this season. Morey, McHale, and the players all faced adversity, and they all overcame that and exceeded 95% of people's expectations. That Clippers comeback will always be a great memory, and a big accomplishment, especially with DMo and Bev out. I look forward to seeing what Morey does this offseason, as I agree, a second offensive handler/creator is the biggest need.


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