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@  thejohnnygold : (17 April 2017 - 12:47 PM) The defense was there too. All in all, a good win.
@  Mario Peña : (17 April 2017 - 04:08 AM) I like that effort on the boards tonight and second chance points tonight. I hope they can finish OKC in 5 or less.
@  DenverRocket : (05 April 2017 - 07:15 PM) Give me a shout and if I'm around, I'll be happy to honor my commitment!
@  slick shoes : (05 April 2017 - 06:34 PM) I'll be in Denver Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend ;)
@  DenverRocket : (05 April 2017 - 04:52 PM) Oh and congrats to @SlickShoes on winning the bracket challenge handily :) If I ever meet you, I'll buy you a beer!
@  DenverRocket : (04 April 2017 - 06:23 PM) Worth a read, Who's The Best Bargain in the NBA: http://www.espn.com/...nd-best-bargain
@  thejohnnygold : (31 March 2017 - 04:19 PM) Probably...mine's toast.
@  slick shoes : (31 March 2017 - 02:12 PM) Is it safe to assume I have taken the bracket challenge??
@  thejohnnygold : (15 March 2017 - 12:58 PM) I'm in!
@  DenverRocket : (15 March 2017 - 02:12 AM) You can join my not knowing anything club! :-)
@  slick shoes : (15 March 2017 - 01:34 AM) I filled one out. I don't know anything about college ball so everything was gut feel. wish me luck!
@  DenverRocket : (15 March 2017 - 12:06 AM) If anyone is interested in joining a Red94 bracket challenge, I've set one up here: http://games.espn.co...groupID=1517203
@  slick shoes : (14 March 2017 - 02:48 PM) As much fun as it is to watch the Warriors lose, I'm gonna need them to go ahead and take 1st place again so that we can potentially avoid them until the WCF.
@  SadLakerFan : (13 March 2017 - 02:24 PM) My Lakers coming into town. Hope Bev can cover our SG of the future David Nwaba. He's lighting it up.
@  thejohnnygold : (08 March 2017 - 11:24 PM) I'm not really finding much info on it. We'll see if it persists or was just one of those things that happens in competition sometimes.
@  slick shoes : (07 March 2017 - 06:00 PM) Interesting to see that Dwight is having some of the same issues in Atlanta that he had here.
@  thejohnnygold : (27 February 2017 - 05:43 AM) I don't think this is all or nothing. We've still got some defensive issues to deal with, but this team can give anyone a run for their money.
@  slick shoes : (26 February 2017 - 11:38 PM) i just hope to legitimately compete for the title. winning is only a bonus.
@  rocketrick : (26 February 2017 - 06:19 PM) All the moaning and groaning will suddenly appear should the Rockets fail to win the Title this season. It is What It Is........
@  thejohnnygold : (26 February 2017 - 03:25 PM) Anybody else watching the new and improved Rockets? Looking good so far...

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Defending the Houston Rockets - Part 1


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#1 Red94

Red94

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    Posted 08 March 2017 - 01:46 PM

    New post: Defending the Houston Rockets - Part 1
    By: Rahat Huq

    https://gfycat.com/RemarkableCostlyAmurstarfish

     

    I grabbed the above clip from the ringer.com as for some reason, NBA.com did not have this play in its game archive last night.  While the block by Kawhi Leonard at the end drew all the headlines, I thought this  possession was just as important primarily due to its long-term consequences.  The Rockets and Spurs are currently on a collision course to meet in the second round of the postseason where both coaches will have important decisions to make.  (As I tried to tweet this morning--impeded by the 140 character limit--games like that one are where you wake up the morning after feeling the most consolation that your coach is a legendary genius capable of recognizing adjustments.  It's a new feeling in the Harden era).

     

    As we saw, the Spurs started the game out by having their big men drop back in pick and roll coverage, leading Harden to attack the rim and resulting in nearly uncontested lobs for Clint Capela.  They tried switching LaMarcus Aldridge or Dewayne Dedmon onto Harden, and that ended very poorly as well for the Spurs.

     

    The Spurs' best option was when Leonard covered Harden and fought over screens.  He's fast enough to fight over, and obviously gives them the best chance against Harden in the event of an isolation.  Above, after fighting over, Leonard breaks up the play by deflecting the pass to the roll man, a set that was resulting in easy baskets all night when Kawhi was not involved.  Leonard had started the game on Ryan Anderson, with the intent of discouraging Anderson-Harden pick and rolls.

     

    If the Spurs commit Leonard to Harden for the entirety of the game, they run the risk of wearing him out over the course of the series; they are still extremely reliant upon his offensive production.  But if they plant him on someone else like Anderson, the Rockets can take him out of the play entirely.  This is also where having Eric Gordon and Lou Williams will be essential.  If Harden is bottled up by Leonard, Houston will need its secondary playmakers to pick up the slack.  On Monday night, neither of those guys showed up.


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