When the Refs swallow their whistles . . .. . . James will be called for anything trying to get separation Defenders are allowed to hack, push and harrass for 94 feet What is the solution? Be mindful of who is on the floor Usually - at this point - Ariza, Anderson, Ego and either NeNe or Black Which one of those do you want to have the ball when HArden is doubled? This is something the Rockets will see for the rest of the year. Teams will absorb the early fouls knowing they will get the late ones. Rocket can be in the bonus with 10 minutes left and won't get another call until the last 3 minutes Rocket River
What i wanted to see him do this game is shoot more of picks or other peoples action. He drove the ball 7 times in the 4th and he got hacked on 6 of them and didnt get the call. So i think you need to draw more plays for him OFF the ball. CP3 playing would negate any of this because our whole offense functions better and there are real offensive threats at all times. Without him or capela its very predictable. I liked putting james in the post for a couple of plays but for some weird reason we went away from it even though it was successful.
You just described referee bias when you say the refs swallow their whistles; but then in turn call anything on James Harden trying to get separation. Answer is for the refs to call the game even. If team A gets to grab and hold.....then team B gets to grab and hold EQUALLY!!
We lack bullies NeNe was suppose to be goonish but he not Tucker is suppose to be strong andtough . . but he not Anderson . . .well . .come on Black isn't Ariza is probably the toughest person on the team Then CP3 Rocket River
Sign someone on the team to accidentally take out a ref's knees. We need a straight thug on this team. Like Vontaze Burfict in the NFL. We need opposing players and refs to legitimately be in fear for their careers and physical health playing against us. If he gets banned for life, that's fine. Publicly give him a fat paycheck and blast it on all PR channels.
when the refs control the outcome there's nothing harden, pringles or any rockets employee can do, other than complaining to the media. and fertitta's a rookie himself so nothing's gonna happen from his end.
Refs will just call more fouls on the Rockets The underlining issue is the referring. If you are saying the Rockets can’t match physicality to physicality......I disagree. Ariza/Tucker/Black/Nene/Gordon/Harden can all grab and push just as much as the next clan
Yeah LeBron and the Cavs were not complaining about Durant fouling LeBron at the end of their game on Christmas Day..........oh yeah that’s right, they were.
The easy answer is add more facilitators around Harden and Paul. If almost every rotation player can pass/handle ball then teams would pay for doubling Harden/Paul. Need more versatile positionless players on this team.
EGo is the guy that Harden always looks to give up ball to with Paul out, other team sees this tendency too and shade their D to his side. This is not different from when Harden played under McHale, the D always attacked passing lanes when Harden doubled.
I liked what I saw out of Green in his limited minutes to fill some of this role. He looked dexterous on his way to the basket
In the 1st half, the refs missed so many fouls on the Rockets it was a joke. Probably because there were only 2 refs. Rockets came out tough and determined while the Celts sleepwalked. At halftime, I bet Brad Stevens told his team to dial up the physicality and take advantage of the missing ref. I bet D'Antoni didn't say much of anything. So the 2nd half was a reverse of the 1st half. If you think the Rockets lack "bullies" or "goons" on the roster, the Celts are even worse off. Yet, they out-toughed the Rockets.
I like Harden's take on how to overcome bullyball (when the refs swallow their whistles to let defenders bully the team trying to bring the ball up the floor in a tight game) -- with a third referee, so that they will make better calls. the third ref can balance out the momentum of the other two. James Harden: “First of all, I want to know how do you only have two officials on a national TV game? That’s the first question... But... A lot of grabbing, a lot of holding. I mean what am I supposed to... how else am I supposed to get open? Guy has two arms wrapped around my whole body. ... We blew a lead. Turned the ball over a little bit too much. And that was that.”
How can you say Tucker isn't strong and tough? I don't get that at all. You're upset, Rocket River, you're just upset. PJ is strong and tough.
The Bully being Bullied. Harden was bullying players taking it to the rack. Physically speaking. With his craftiness and power. But he isn't getting in anyone's head.