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@  BrentYen : (02 February 2014 - 04:33 AM) So impressed by Harden who called that last play for Lin
@  Chai : (02 February 2014 - 03:24 AM) Take my last message back. Much better effort by Harden in the second half
@  thenit : (02 February 2014 - 03:23 AM) Like the way harden told Lin to get the ball, rewarding Lin for a good game getting him the triple double
@  Chai : (02 February 2014 - 02:34 AM) Watching Harden tonight is almost painful. The terrible D is expected.. but not much of a factor on offense either
@  thejohnnygold : (02 February 2014 - 01:26 AM) I think they've been practicing their floaters
@  Charles B : (02 February 2014 - 01:12 AM) Because you either love it or you will hate it. I use to believe you should never debate on 3 subject, religion, women, and politics. Now we should include JLin. No one can ever win on these subject. It is matter of preference.
@  Willk : (01 February 2014 - 11:55 PM) Brent - why is this? "I don get why Lin focused ppl can not make a good discussion, but for sure this discussion will not end (well) until Lin retires with either very good or very bad career numbers."
@  thejohnnygold : (01 February 2014 - 11:05 PM) I agree with BrentYen that our ability to play as a team will determine how far this team can go. Talent will take us far. 5 talents working as one will take us farther.
@  BrentYen : (01 February 2014 - 08:40 PM) I don get why Lin focused ppl can not make a good discussion, but for sure this discussion will not end (well) until Lin retires with either very good or very bad career numbers.
@  wintee : (01 February 2014 - 08:38 PM) what a dumb comment. another one of the guys that listen to sports center to much and believe what other says.
@  thenit : (01 February 2014 - 08:35 PM) wintee give it a break, people like you who are to lin focused just doesn't make a good discussion
@  wintee : (01 February 2014 - 08:34 PM) since86rocketsfan
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Posted 30 January 2014 - 06:03 PM
And people Harden is our best player. Without him, firstly we do not make the playoffs last year, and Howard does not sign with us.
@  BrentYen : (01 February 2014 - 08:33 PM) Well, they all need to learn to do things better TOGETHER for sure.
@  wintee : (01 February 2014 - 08:29 PM) You believe in what other people says..I bet almost everybody in here thinks the rocket WILL NOT MAKE IT TO THE PLAYOFF LAST YEAR. If the rockets want to be a Great team, the coach must let j-lin run "THE PG" with a green light. If Harden wouldn't be to COCKY with his big ego "it is my duty to carry the rockets b/c he is the franchise player" and play as a hole team than WE CAN ALMOST BEAT ANY TEAM.
@  wintee : (01 February 2014 - 08:19 PM) One of these days, the Rockets will return to full health and then more people will begin to realize and understand the importance of having Lin come off the bench.
@  feelingsuper... : (31 January 2014 - 03:34 PM) Via Rockets facebook page: We know you have questions for Dwight Howard and today is the day to ask the man himself. He'll be taking over our Twitter account today at approximately 2pm CST. Tweet your questions using ‪#‎AskDH‬ & follow @HoustonRockets to see his responses.
@  jorgeaam : (31 January 2014 - 03:06 AM) Also, Davis is a sophomore! Just showing how much of a beast he is
@  jorgeaam : (31 January 2014 - 03:06 AM) Well, yes, but it's incredible to think Nowitzki was selected and he wasn't, only cat. he's better is points, and not by much (1)
@  rocketrick : (31 January 2014 - 02:53 AM) Anthony Davis could still be on the All-Star team as a replacement for Kobe is yet to be determined
@  jorgeaam : (31 January 2014 - 01:54 AM) Anthony Davis not on the all-star team

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Houston Rockets @ Dallas Mavericks on 1/29/14


31 replies to this topic

#1 Red94

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    Posted 29 January 2014 - 04:00 PM

    New post: Houston Rockets @ Dallas Mavericks on 1/29/14
    By: Rob Dover

    Playing against Dallas is always a challenge. It often feels like a game the Rockets should be able to win, but season after season the Mavericks seem to get the better of the matchup (over the past five seasons the scoreline is 13-3 in favour of the Mavs). The vagaries of the scheduling gods mean that this could easily be chalked up as a schedule loss. But given that divisional record may end up proving important for playoff seeding purposes and the Rockets have recently dropped two games to Memphis, there still needs to be some urgency this evening.

    Form:

    Rockets: WWLLW

    The two losses against Memphis illustrated Houston's fundamental weakness against teams that can shut off the paint against the drive.  They are left to the vagaries of their three point shooting, which isn't going to reliably get them wins. On the flip side, they seem to have the Spurs' number this year, so that's something! Coming off a back-to-back playing an 8 man rotation means there will be some tired legs tonight. Especially since bad weather conditions have meant they didn't arrive in Dallas until this morning.

    Mavericks: LWLLW

    The Mavs caught the worst of the Trailblazers' wrath and ran into the hottest two teams in the Atlantic Division (!) in losses to Toronto and Brooklyn. But they still know how to put away bottom feeders with wins against Cleveland and Detroit. They haven't played since Sunday, so there's quite a big rest differential here.

    Injuries:

    Rockets: Harden (thumb), Garcia (knee), Smith (knee), Asik (knee), Brewer (calf)

    Harden missed the Spurs game, but might be back tonight. If he doesn't play, McHale may need to expand the 8-man rotation he used against San Antonio to counteract fatigue.

    Mavericks: Mekel (knee)

    With the return of Devin Harris, the Mavs don't really lose much with Mekel out. Dalembert and Nowitzki are a bit banged up, but otherwise they're basically at full strength.

    On Offence:

    • If Harden's out, feed Howard. Howard will play more minutes than Dalembert so he should have some time matched up against Dejuan Blair or Brendan Wright. In that time he must feast!
    • It's inevitable that the Mavericks will go to a zone at some point tonight. To beat it, the Rockets need to amp up their ball movement. This is generally something that improves slightly when Harden isn't playing - so it might work out OK.
    • Playing short handed makes getting points out of the bench even more difficult. Last night the second unit got great production out of Jones when he was playing with the bench unit in the second quarter. The team either needs the same again from him, or some hot shooting from Casspi and Brooks in order to remain afloat against the Dallas bench mob.

    On Defence:

    • Dirk Nowitzki makes defending the pick-and-roll nigh-on impossible, as Zach Lowe expertly explains. It'll be interesting to see if, as Lowe suggests, teams bring out a different defence against Dirk than they do against all the other teams in the league.
    • Monta Ellis especially benefits from the extra attention defences give to Dirk and gets to the rim a lot - help defence is going to be critical to keep him out of the paint.
    • If it comes down to crunch time and it's close, the Mavericks are the most comfortable team in the league at sticking with what works. If they've found a reliable scoring option they'll go to it over and over again and grind their opponent into submission. Last time around they figured out how to get Lin switched out onto Nowitzki, and carnage ensued.

     Rotation Spotlight:

    [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="230"] Brandan Wright (6'10" PF, North Carolina)[/caption]

    It's hard to believe this is Brandan Wright's 7th NBA campaign (he was drafted 8th overall by the Bobcats in 2007) because it still feels like he has a lot of breakout potential. With his long arms and great athleticism, he is an excellent shot-blocker and his per-36 numbers always look good. Unfortunately, his lack of body mass makes it difficult for him to defend traditional fours and his lack of range means he doesn't provide the benefits that a stretch four would, so he doesn't quite fit in today's NBA. Nevertheless, Carlisle has found a use for him in the rotation and plays him in the region of 10-20 minutes per night. Watch out for his weakside shot-blocking - it has caused problems for the Rockets in the past. Matching him up with Casspi should go some way to neutralising that effect as he is dragged out towards the three point line.


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    #2 Red94

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      Posted 30 January 2014 - 05:16 AM

      New post: Houston Rockets 117, Dallas Mavericks 115: Rockets win second in a row with Harden on the bench
      By: Eric Nielsen

      With 2:44 left in the game, the Rockets were leading 116 to 104. I blinked and the Rockets were winning by only 2, and the Mavs had the ball with 19 seconds left.  Their best three point shooter, Jose Calderon, had a good look at a 3 and missed.  He got his own rebound and took another 3 and missed as D Mo got the rebound and time expired.  The Rockets were lucky it wasn’t Nowitzki or Carter with the last shot.  Wow, no lead is safe with this team.

      The inability to hold leads late continues to haunt the Rockets and seemingly will all year.  Lin admitted it was a deep concern in the post game interview.  Late in the game, they looked like deer caught in the headlights.  With 22 seconds left and inbounding the ball, Parsons had to call the last time out.  After the time out he passed in the ball to Brooks, but it was tipped which led to a turnover.  Our youth and inexperience was very visible and nearly taken advantage of by the experienced and veteran Mavs team.

      This makes the Rockets 7 and 2 with Harden on the bench, and  was a really big win.  Smith, Asik and Garcia were also out due to injury and the rotation has shrunk to a tight 8 players.  It was an away game and the second half of a back to back against two good teams.  Everyone stepped up tonight and played some passionate ball.

      D Mo has been building his time in the rotation and had a breakthrough night.  He earned a career best 13 boards in 26 minutes and played some great defense on Nowitzki.  He’s getting so much more time due to the Rockets other injuries, that he’s starting to get comfortable on the court.  McHale as well is getting more comfortable playing D Mo in crunch time.

      The Mavs went to Hack-a-Howard with about 4:20 left in the game, and he shot 5 for 6 from the line in the next 30 seconds before they went away from that strategy.  Howard shot 9 of 11 from the line tonight!

      The Rockets shot an impressive 55% from the field and all the starters, plus D Mo and Brooks, ended up in double figures.  Houston shot 42% from behind the arc.  Brooks hit some big shots, Lin and Parsons played great games, T Jones continued his impressive offensive run and the Rockets played great team ball tonight.

      Nowitzki scored an impressive 38 points, had 17 boards and got every close call at home.  He was 11 for 11 from the line. Carter went for 22 and was called for a flagrant foul from an elbow to D Mo.  I haven’t seen a game in a while where there was so much jawing about the calls.  It was pretty rough, but the Rockets found a way to win a tough fight tonight.  This is the Rockets maturing into a winning physical team.  Even though they nearly lost a double digit lead late, they held on and got it done when it counted.

      Without Harden in the lineup at the end of the game, the whole team is more active and they share the ball.  That’s a formula that should be encouraged when Harden gets back.  Without Harden, the Rockets look more balanced and Lin looks more confident.  Hopefully the Rockets can integrate Harden into the style the Rockets played tonight.  A balanced attack offensively gives the Rockets more ways to win than waiting on Harden to bail them out time after time.  Of course with Harden in the lineup, and the Rockets clicking like they did tonight, they will win a lot of games.

       


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      #3 rocketrick

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        Posted 30 January 2014 - 10:17 AM

        Motiejunas is beginning to look more and more like a legitimate rotation player in the NBA. Not yet ready to start, but he is becoming more consistent on the court in the time allotted him. It doesn't hurt to have one of the greatest bigs to ever play the game as your Coach! It's apparent Motiejunas is listening and learning and putting in the necessary work to succeed in this league. In my opinion, it's beginning to become more and more difficult to see the Rockets move either Terrance Jones or D-Mo going forward as they continue to improve their games. Best of all, they are cap friendly players that are producing and making a real difference to the success of the Rockets this season!
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        #4 rocketrick

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          Posted 30 January 2014 - 11:28 AM

          Just to clarify, I do not mean to imply that TJones or D-Mo are untouchables when it comes to potential trades. Of course they are not at that level at this time.

          It is enjoyable to see both come as far as they have in a relatively short period of time. It seems evident to me that both still are working on their games and have the potential to become even better NBA players with time.

          This Rockets team is really starting to grow on me! Shorthanded for basically 90% of the regular season and yet the Rockets find ways to overcome and continue to win. Go Rockets!!!
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          #5 redfaithful

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          Posted 30 January 2014 - 11:43 AM

          Agreed rocketrick, now we need a fourth big man to complement Howard, TJones and D-Mo. Hopefully it's Asik or Greg Smith...


          Edited by redfaithful, 30 January 2014 - 11:43 AM.

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          #6 SDrake

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            Posted 30 January 2014 - 01:49 PM

            "Without Harden in the lineup at the end of the game, the whole team is more active and they share the ball. That’s a formula that should be encouraged when Harden gets back. Without Harden, the Rockets look more balanced and Lin looks more confident. Hopefully the Rockets can integrate Harden into the style the Rockets played tonight."

             

            Don't count on it.  Harden doesn't play "team ball."

             

            Strange stat of the night...  Lin had more rebounds than Howard.


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            #7 Richards

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              Posted 30 January 2014 - 02:53 PM

              Last two game, Lin was aggressive whenever he had the ball and produced good numbers.

              He also did cutting running defending well when he didn't had the ball. No hesitation to run up to corner when other PGs handling the ball.

              I hope Lin can play well with Harden the same way as Lin-Bev and Lin-AB backcourt.

               

              Please please don't start calling me a LOF and Beard Basher.

               

              Harden is much better player and more important than Lin. But Harden need to improve his LEADERSHIP. I said it before Harden must LEAD the team and I believe he can and he is doing it. A player can LEAD the team in play, points, rebound, etc but only good LEADERSHIP will make the others on the team better. Buckko rightly pointed out to me in other post that Dwight has better leadership skill that I totally agree.

               

              So I hope, when Harden come back, he not only LEAD the team but also use his LEADERSHIP to make others better.


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              #8 areteejay789

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                Posted 30 January 2014 - 03:16 PM



                Anyone else think it was strange that Dwight wasn't on the court for the final defensive possession? up 2, 19 seconds on the clock, and mavs ball. I know dwight had 5 fouls, and if he had fouled inside the arc he would have missed overtime, but is it really worth that risk? Granted it worked out this time, because they didn't go inside anyway, but I think I would have liked to see dwight out on the court and go for the win in regulation...


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                #9 John P

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                  Posted 30 January 2014 - 05:26 PM



                  the last play was totally wierd
                  ...first of all trusting DMo on Dirk was on thing, then not having Dwight in was another and then Dirk's defender switched with the pick to Lin and all he had to do was one of his usual fading jumpers from about 15 and the game would have been tied. But he instead passed back to Calderon who was shooting terrible......just wierd sequence


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                  #10 John P

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                    Posted 30 January 2014 - 05:29 PM



                    also, I totally agree with the Leadership issue.

                    Howard and Harden are great individual players, and Howard has shown that he knows what it means to share the ball, get teammates involved and just be plugged into the team. maybe it is personality driven but generally it seems like Harden is a little aloof of the team...or at least doesn't seem to be that great of a leader.

                    The biggest fault I see in this team is no experienced guy who controls the locker room. We need a Battier or someone who is older, respected, and can pull everyone together. Maybe Harden is just too young yet to do it but it is missing from this team. You can see it when the other teams make runs and then we totally collapse. Part of that is on McHale for not being able to keep the team together but that would also really help if there was less individualism on the team. I think that starts with Harden.

                    Great player ...freaking amazing player, but he has missing parts still


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                    #11 rocketrick

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                      Posted 30 January 2014 - 05:38 PM

                      Harden is still a work in progress. I don't mean to compare Harden with LeBron, but LeBron was older and more experienced in the NBA than Harden currently is before he started figuring it out in terms of the mental aspect of the game. That seems to pretty much always be the case. Even with MJ, it took him several seasons to figure out that individual play wasn't going to trump being a team player in the long run.

                      Patience!

                      In the meantime the Rockets have 2 gifted leaders in Coach McHale and D12.

                      More importantly, the Rockets have a talented player in D12 who is willing to fight for a chance for a ring. D12 is playing with a lot of passion these days and he has fit right in with this Rockets team in my opinion.

                      Edited by rocketrick, 30 January 2014 - 05:41 PM.

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                      #12 Richards

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                        Posted 30 January 2014 - 06:03 PM

                        Dwight has his own problems in the past but I see his improvements. I think he is a good leader.

                        For coach McHale, I don't think he is a good leader. He was a great player and great person. Leader must have a good communication skill and should be able to convey their message clearly and precisely. I have said this before, go and watch McHale and Beard interviews, they mumble a lot and show no interest in it. They may not like the press but media is a way to communicate with fans and followers. Great leaders treat fairly and respectfully to everyone including those they didn't like. 


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                        #13 rocketrick

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                          Posted 30 January 2014 - 06:21 PM

                          I've heard a number of McHale interviews and pregame/postgame press conferences and I don't ever recall a single time that McHale was mumbling his way through. I've always thought his responses were thoughtful and pretty much spot on.

                          I wholeheartedly disagree with your premise that McHale is not a good leader. More important, he has the respect of the players on his team.

                          The Rockets have the 6th/7th best record in the NBA this season consistently throughout this season and are only a couple of games away from moving up in the standings.

                          The Rockets have one of the youngest teams in the NBA, several roster changes to begin the season and multiple and continuous injuries throughout the entire season yet they have been more successful than 80% of the NBA teams this season thus far.

                          I just don't understand the apprehension of some on this board.

                          Edited by rocketrick, 30 January 2014 - 06:24 PM.

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                          #14 thejohnnygold

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                          Posted 30 January 2014 - 06:41 PM

                          Dwight has his own problems in the past but I see his improvements. I think he is a good leader.

                          For coach McHale, I don't think he is a good leader. He was a great player and great person. Leader must have a good communication skill and should be able to convey their message clearly and precisely. I have said this before, go and watch McHale and Beard interviews, they mumble a lot and show no interest in it. They may not like the press but media is a way to communicate with fans and followers. Great leaders treat fairly and respectfully to everyone including those they didn't like. 

                           

                          Ummm, ok.  So, where do Popovich and Belichick rank as leaders?  They are probably two of the most notoriously bad media communicators.  Must be terrible leaders. :blink:


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                          #15 Dayak

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                          Posted 30 January 2014 - 06:42 PM

                          Dwight is the leader of this team, not Harden...not yet.
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                          #16 Richards

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                            Posted 30 January 2014 - 06:48 PM

                            Ummm, ok.  So, where do Popovich and Belichick rank as leaders?  They are probably two of the most notoriously bad media communicators.  Must be terrible leaders. :blink:

                            Popovich interviews are must see TV. I don't think he is bad at all. He always give short and sweet answers. Everybody love (proud) to do interview with him.

                            Yes. I don't like BeliCHEAT. He is disgraceful toward others who he disagree with. There are always bad apple or black sheep in every business. you know.  :)


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                            #17 feelingsupersonic

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                            Posted 30 January 2014 - 06:57 PM

                            Right, that's a great way to judge a coaches leadership skills, listen to interviews. Wow, not sure I can even respond with anything that could bring it back to reality...


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                            #18 thejohnnygold

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                            Posted 30 January 2014 - 07:02 PM

                            I think I found why Vince Carter flipped out last night and tried to bust up poor D-Mo...he was mad at Dwight for this...

                             

                             

                            ...the dreaded titty twister...the purple nurple. :lol:


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                            #19 feelingsupersonic

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                            Posted 30 January 2014 - 07:04 PM

                            Motiejunas is beginning to look more and more like a legitimate rotation player in the NBA. Not yet ready to start, but he is becoming more consistent on the court in the time allotted him. It doesn't hurt to have one of the greatest bigs to ever play the game as your Coach! It's apparent Motiejunas is listening and learning and putting in the necessary work to succeed in this league. In my opinion, it's beginning to become more and more difficult to see the Rockets move either Terrance Jones or D-Mo going forward as they continue to improve their games. Best of all, they are cap friendly players that are producing and making a real difference to the success of the Rockets this season!

                             

                             

                            I agree that he was at least due to show flashes at this point but I wouldn't expect him to be a consistent rotation player till next year, he seems on schedule. This new Rockets roster has some growing up to do in this final stretch and playoffs. I foresee the Rockets paying their dues this postseason.


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                            #20 Richards

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                              Posted 30 January 2014 - 07:15 PM

                              Right, that's a great way to judge a coaches leadership skills, listen to interviews. Wow, not sure I can even respond with anything that could bring it back to reality...

                              I gave interview as an example that everybody and look it up easily. I am not trying to change anybody's opinion and neither can change mine. Like I said many many time before coach McHale was a great player and great person. That doesn't make anybody a good leader or a good coach.


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