ClutchFans Game Thread: Pelicans @ Rockets 10/17/2018

I read this as a poem

 

That’s suppose to be our death lineup.

 

Melo isn't quick or young enough right now. While he is still a force on Offense, defensively he can only do so much.

Hope it gets better tho.

 

*** this game! i'm gonna be sad for the next two days....
capela's new hair still fcuking ugly..

 

Melo looked like it was his 1st game, all over the place. But he did compete

 

Lol. You are guys are incredible. There was a play late in the game where we were down, the ball was going out of bounds, and Harden just STOPPED running. There were also MULTIPLE possessions where he fell asleep on defense leading to layups. I'm 100% sure you barely watched the game & just looked at his boxscore statline

 

A night that will live in infamy.

 

Sure you could say that but when you have guys like him sitting out preseason games as if they don’t have things to work on together, well you get last night as a result

Rockets have a ton work on and that defense or whatever that was out there needs to be first All that talk by the players saying the transition was going to be easy bc of vets and what not backfired

 

Was at the game last night. What a horrible way to start the season. Ennis and Tucker can't start together. Need to insert Gordon or Carmelo. And please think about giving Hartenstein some minutes and please no more MCW

 

Nipped that in the bud. Just when things pointed to MCW for fan favorite.

Preseason is preseason.

 

I know it's first game but this team is taking steps back. We were horrible in some aspects. Slow-iso Harden ball might not work with this set of players as well as it worked last year, we should get back to under 7 seconds MDA offense

Damn. This performance have me worried. Last year we opened with GSW playing with chip on our shoulders from first moments. Yesterday we were nonchalant

 

Let’s go back to 2015-2016 “we just played with no heart”

 

1. We came into this game thinking all we had to do was beat GSW and it showed

2. Gordon needs to start over Ennis. Ennis plays like Brewer did for us.

3. We can't go small ball for extended runs with elite frontcourts.

 

That was embarrassing. Easily the most embarrassing first game out of all the probable playoff teams. Truly baffling. I felt this exact same way after game 1 of the 15-16 season against the Nuggets, and we all know how that season turned out. So many issues I won't even bother pointing them out, but just the defensive performance overall was very worrisome. Coaching staff looks lost on that end.

If we approach defense the rest of the season like we did tonight, it's gonna be a very disappointing season. Hopefully they get their **** together.

 

MDA should suit up, can't be a worse defender.

 

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sp...keaways-from-the-Rockets-loss-to-13316609.php

1. The Rockets' defense was awful, but the problem was not about ability. They were not good enough as a whole for defensive aptitude to factor in.

The Rockets were not torched because they could not stay in front of their man. They were not lit up because Davis was beginning his MVP campaign as if he was determined to take the MVP trophy the Rockets showed off before the game.

Those things were factors along the way, but the greatest issues were with mistakes. There were double teams when the Rockets had no business sending two defenders to challenge Davis. If someone freelances a double-team, the teammates that have to cover for him don't know it. That led to layups and wide-open 3s.

The Rockets broke down so badly that the Pelicans took 61 shots in the paint, scoring 75 points.

The Rockets were nearly as sloppy in transition, with the Pelicans easily getting to the rim on the break, making 8 of 10 fast-break points.

The Rockets never looked sharp offensively against a team that was lit up through the preseason. But they still put up 112 points. Last season, they went 43-5 when scoring at least 110.

The defense did not give them a chance.

Analysis will come that the offseason departures of two key defensive players led to the opening-night collapse. That was not it. Bill Russell could not have repaired the holes in the Rockets' defense.

In a way, however, that is the good news.

Mistakes can be corrected, assuming players are committed to that. The Rockets made enough of them to learn plenty from trial and error. And error. And error.

Eventually, the abilities of Rockets players to defend will be tested, but for now, they need to eliminate the screw ups that no amount of ability can overcome. There is a great deal of work to be done, but no mystery about where to start.

The Rockets' defense that last season became one of the league's best, ranking third in the second half of the season, was below average in the first two months. To play the way they do, with switching and occasional helping on mismatches, takes great cohesion and communication. That can be achieved, but the Pelicans' 131 points showed how far the Rockets have to go.

2. When D'Antoni said the Rockets got "tired" in a stretch of the first half, that no doubt raised eyebrows. That seems a safe bet considering it did when he said they got tired for a stretch of a season opener two years ago.

The Rockets lost to the Lakers that night when they hit a wall, misfired through the fourth quarter and lost, 120-114.

The Pelicans did not seem to have that problem, but if ever there was an example of the way emotions can impact energy and even fatigue, Wednesday's game was it.

It is far less draining to give than to take a punch. The Pelicans played fast because since the lineup change last season following DeMarcus Cousins' injury and the addition of Mirotic, they always do. They moved to wide-open shots and then got back defensively after bunches of 3s fell, which allowed them to play with no stress, no tension. They never trailed, never scored less than 30 in a quarter.

The Rockets played with the customary opening-night adrenaline, but when it was time to get a second wind, they were desperate to find some way to slow the Pelicans, making it all worse. The preseason was fairly easy for the Rockets, filled with four blowouts, including one against the Shanghai Sharks. They began at preseason speed and struggled when it was clear they had to pick up the energy.

Eventually on Wednesday, the Rockets picked up their intensity and urgency, but even then, that did not last. D'Antoni even broke out a version of the Vince Lombardi/George Patton line, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all."

D'Antoni also looked, as he always does, to the bright side. The Rockets eventually caught their breath. As with the previous opening-night loss, the issue is not likely to last.

3. Carmelo Anthony did not do much with his first career game coming off the bench, but it was not his place in the rotation that slowed him.

He headed toward the scorers' table less than four minutes into each half. He had to wait a few minutes for a dead ball in the first half, but he still played 27 minutes even with the benches cleared for the final two.

Anthony, however, made just 3 of 10 shots after sinking his first two. He made his first 3-pointer and then missed his other four.

This was not because he did not get in the game until a few minutes passed.

He will, however, have to make an adjustment. He will be playing off other players, with only infrequent iso possessions. Most of his 10 attempts were off catch-and-shoot opportunities. He can make those shots and he has throughout his career and did through the preseason. But if he will play with the starters, and nearly all of his minutes came with two or three starters on the floor with him, he will have to pick his spots and knock down the shots others generate.

That can work. Even that brief flurry when he first got on the floor seemed to show the value of adding his firepower to the mix. Even his defense did not seem to be any more of an issue than anyone else, though there were so many breakdowns, it was difficult to tell when rotations were slow or when they were made necessary by other mistakes.

Anthony said again that the change is "challenging mentally." He said he has "to prepare for the game differently." But he also said it was right for this team. Coming off the bench does not have to be a hurdle to overcome and it was not the issue on Wednesday.

He said it would be a challenge, but added a pledge.

"It's something," he said, "I'll get used to quick."​

 

Melo's defence against the Pelicans

 

Shannon: What I learned is they'll be in trouble defensively. They had the ability to switch every time last year. When you trade out Ariza/Mbah a Moute for Carmelo, Melo isn't playing defense. Harden isn't playing defense. Tucker is undersized. They had Tucker trying to guard Davis. They're really gonna need these threes to go in. They're defensively challenged. They were 7th last year. Instead of 7th, they'll probably be 17th or 27th. I don't want to put a whole lot in one game. They'll struggle on the defensive end. Carmelo is not catch & shoot. He's mid-range. Everything the Rockets want to be Carmelo isn't. Carmelo sees a guy drafted two spots ahead of him still the best player in the league, why can't that be me? Dwyane Wade accepted his role/fate a long time ago. Carmelo sees himself as the guy & he's not.

Skip: Everything you said is why I dropped Houston from 2 to 4. Another loss was Jeff Bzdelik. Lord knows the head coach isn't much into defense. Jeff Bzdelik said I had enough, I'm retiring. He worked for them last year. He made them focus on the other end of the floor. All the sudden, you take away their two best defenders, blood & guts guys and you add Melo, Pelicans took advantage of it. That's a bad sign. 131? Are you kidding me? I was amazed & impressed Carmelo agreed to come off the bench. Chris Paul loves him some Carmelo. I'm sure Chris went to bat for him. They started James Ennis. I don't love this team. I love the visiting team. They may not be ten deep but 1 through 6 firepower, they'll cause problems.

Shannon: They wiped the Rockets out on the board.

Skip: Three guys in double figures in rebounds, yeah, you'll win that game.

Shannon: I don't see how you think you got better by adding Carmelo. You'll see a lot of teams get low 60s on this team in a half.

Skip: You said a player is the last to see it. Sometimes his friends can be the last to see it. Last year, it was the OK3. No, you're living in the past. He's not Melo anymore. ... The whole look of their team felt different than a year ago.

Shannon: Seemed they threw a lot of pieces together. "We just add Carmelo, we good." No, you're not good.

 

Its black buttons up in the middle with red trim. Houston rockets on the back, rockets logo front.