ClutchFans Game Thread: Pacers @ Rockets 10/4/2018 (Preseason)

its a niche on the market there were talks on cf last year for some of the members to provide it via internet

 

Chriss bites on every pump fake lol. I've heard people mention it before but holy **** this guy goes for EVERYTHING.

 

The ball is touching his hands... less than a foot from the basket. Hell he is jumping at the basket so he knows it’s coming. It’s not the system or B.B.IQ both he is in the right place at the right time.

 

Rockets had big trouble in defense for past 2 games.

I start to miss Ariza and Luc.

 

They didn't suck. Again you're over thinking because you just didn't like the additions. Season hasn't started yet and you're saying the defense looks suspect. Man every team I watched so far are having some defensive issues. That's very common when you have new key rotational players. I never would have thought if a team put up 130+ in a game somebody would say it was boring. That completely doesn't make any freaking sense whatsoever. But hey we're all wired different. Last night had its exciting moments too.

 

Lol, the Warrios lost to the Wolves few days ago, they let the T-Pups score 114 points, it's preseason.

 

Funny, you could've said the SAME things about Capela when he looked clueless his 1st few games.

 

Capela wasn't fat tho, and didn't have 2 years experience in the NBA.

 

I see that as more of a Bizdelick problem. Ariza was vastly overrated last year in the regular season on the defensive end. He was great in the postseason though.

There's just a real lack of discipline being shown right now. Still switching everything in the same scheme, but just alot of confusion on switches, and sort of lazy switches.

Oddly enough, Carmelo has been one of the better looking players on the defensive end, and on the glass.

 

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sp...aways-from-the-Rockets-preseason-13283388.php

1. By far the most interesting stretch of the game was the 5 ½ minutes Carmelo Anthony was about as much of a center as the Rockets had on the floor. It could even provide something Mike D'Antoni will keep in mind as more than a glass to break in case of emergency.

Anthony did not consider his center duties as anything that special, though he found it amusing that D'Antoni called it out during the game. Mostly, Anthony said, he just played the way he always has as a small forward, other than when he picked up Myles Turner on the other end.

D'Antoni, however, often goes to small lineups when the Rockets struggle. They space the floor with shooters and typically get to the rim. Since the Rockets switch nearly everything, anyway, guards will have to defend big men. It was not going to change much to have Anthony start the possessions that way.

He and the Rockets around him defended well in that stretch. The Pacers had made 7 of 9 shots to begin the third quarter. They made just 2 of 12 shots in that stretch after Michael Carter-Williams checked in for center Marquese Chriss and D'Antoni told Anthony he was the center.

Anthony made a 3, his second of the quarter, in that stretch and scored on a pick-and-roll cut to the rim. The Rockets went from a 14-point deficit when they changed the lineup to a five-point lead. They had come across a lineup they could use again, but more than that, they offered a reminder of a way they can get Anthony additional minutes without starting him.

He has started the past two games with P.J. Tucker out with a sore back. Assuming Tucker keeps his starting spot at power forward, and after his important role in the Rockets' defensive turnaround last season on the way to 65 wins that seems likely, Anthony would come off the bench as a backup power forward. D'Antoni has long thought that would suit Anthony well and Eric Gordon and James Ennis III have gotten the work at the small forward spot this month.

By using the small lineups, with Tucker sliding over to center, Anthony can get more playing time as a backup power forward than if he was just in a timeshare of the position.

The way he helped key the Rockets' best run of the night on Thursday, and the way he has so quickly seemed at home in the Rockets' offense, D'Antoni could want to get him extra time. That third quarter of smallball offered a sign of how he can do it.

2. The Rockets would love to have their greatest concern be the play of James Harden. That is to say, they will not lose sleep over his play in the preseason. But in two games this week, he has shown only glimpses, generally as a playmaker, of his MVP form.

After a slow start on Tuesday, he got a few shots to go and finished 5 of 12. But he never really looked sharp. He had more turnovers (eight) than field goals and was a step slow defensively.

On Thursday, he was better defensively, but again had more turnovers (six) than field goals. He made 5 of 14 shots in his 30 ½ minutes.

None of that indicates much about what will happen on Oct. 17 when the games begin to count. It does mean he will want to sharpen things before then.

Harden might need the games to become meaningful to be his best. He could be testing new teammates with passes he would not be trying, or not send their way, when there is something at stake. But he will need to get up to speed before the Pelicans are in town. He has three more preseason games to get there.

3. The Rockets' backup center position would seem, as D'Antoni put it, "up for grabs." What that job will be remains unclear. Nene might be saved for special occasions, when his defense and muscle are most valuable. When D'Antoni sits Clint Capela, he could go straight to the small lineups, rather than waiting for matchups that call for that style.

He will, however, also need a center besides his starter. He has wanted to have the vertical spacing Capela provides with the second unit. On Thursday, Isaiah Hartenstein might have made that an interesting competition.

Hartenstein did not play at all against Memphis on Tuesday and with Capela out on Thursday, Chriss got the start, seeming to indicate a lead in that competition. Chriss has skills that the Rockets will likely try to develop, with his adjustment to the center spot in their scheme needing time. But Hartenstein had an immediate impact off the bench on Thursday.

He got after loose balls, drew a charge, impressively grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds. He began his stint by latching on to a Harden pass inside and scoring through a foul, seeming to know where and when that pass would come. Hartenstein had nine points in 10 first-half minutes with the high-energy plays particularly eye-catching.

When he returned to the floor, Chriss blocked four shots in the second quarter, offering a reminder of some of his abilities.

Neither did much in the second half. Chriss struggled before the Rockets switched to a small lineup. Hartenstein played just 90 seconds before turning his ankle and leaving the floor.

Hartenstein had missed time after a strong start to training camp because of a sprained ankle. If he is out again, the competition for playing time as a backup center could be on hold again. But a team with so many regulars back and several new faces (Anthony and Carter-Williams especially) playing well, there really are not many position battles to fill this preseason.

At least on Thursday, backup center seemed to have one going and worth watching.​

 

They won 3 champions in past 4 years, and we did not. They have 5 star players and we do not.

 

Capela and Thicc didn't play last night. Of course the defense was off. And you're playing different lineups and players and such.

Lakers haven't won all their pre-season games. I don't think their fan base is freaked out. (Of course, I'll stop there; I don't want anyone to think I'm defending Lakers fans in any way.)

 

This was the only bad vibe I got from him..... he’s just like dmo in that regard where he’s not looking to dunk and that scares me against nba athletes.....

But maybe he just ends up having that knack like zbo.........

 

Bro I’m right there with you...

 

I don’t think the Warriors, Celtics, Jazz, Blazers, Pelicans, Sixers and Rockets have anything to prove in the preseason.

 

the defense worries me, also all the moving screen offensive fouls, we need to really teach these bigs how to set proper screens, u have to set your feet, that's basketball basics man....... we have too many turnovers man...

 

Tucker and Cap have yet to play... those two guys are 30 percent of our defense...

Oh and who gives a crap.... it’s preseason

 

Anyone else think people are mistaking Clark for Ennis.

Guys, Clark wears #6.
Ennis wears #8.

Ennis is *not* sucking out there. I think you mean, Clark. Clark isn't horrible, but was getting lost sometimes.

 

He turned his ankle at camp last week, too.

hmmmm

 

So after two games and limited minutes, after being traded from a terrible team to a contending team, and coming from a duo of Tyler Ulis and Devin Booker to Chris Paul and James Harden, you can definitively say Chriss sucks?

Really glad you're not a talent evaluator for the Rockets. Maybe interview for SA - we'll win the division every year because of your incompetence.

(Or wait...maybe I'm judging you too early for your hot takes, like you're doing with Chriss?)