ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Celtics 2/29/2020

This isnt the 1st time he has choked what about the time Curry won MVP and Harden played like a wimp in their H2H? What about when Spurs lost Kawhi and Harden still shot like trash? What about last year when Rox needed to beat the Bucks for the 2nd seed and Harden got eaten alive by Giannis?

If you are gonna pretend Harden never choked a game in his life we cant have a conversation cuz you just lying to yourself.

Why does objectivity always go out the window when you love a player? MJ didnt win every buzzer beater just cuz he is clutch and Harden isnt complete trash just cuz he is mentally weak.

 

I think I'm in love with this team again

 

I know. I just don't get it. How can you not absolutely love watching this guy play with such intensity every night?? No way CP3 wins us this game with efficiency and smarts either. This game required flat out brute force.

 

Well, to be fair, WB was figuring ish out, the Clips game came early.

 

The word choke gets thrown around too easily for my taste. Despite Harden’s mistakes, it took a miracle three by Marcus Smart and a lucky bounce on Tatum’s missed free throw (regardless of Harden not boxing out as well as he should have) to send the game to overtime.

To his credit, Harden kept fighting in the extra session and made two winning plays in the final minute.

 

oh lord u not sure why a guy thats been in the system longer(more trust) let along gordon is a better player would get in before mac. who i like. but come on guy. thats not strange

 

The main reason i trust Westbrook in closing situations when defenses are full court pressing:

Westbrook finds seperation easily and can easily beat the press with his speed. Harden kinda just stands around and pushes people.

 

That was such a stressful game. Living in New England made this win so much sweeter though!

 

Harden's insecurity to control rebounds on the last play of the regular time and on the last play of the OT is something that worries me. A player like Harden cannot be so nervous in this kind of games.

 

Well it definitely wasn’t looking good at first so I understand the criticism back then. Our defense was crap. Russ was trying to act like a catch and shoot 3 point shooter which just isn’t his game.

Once he decided to attack non stop and quit shooting 3’s he’s been unstoppable and exactly what we needed.

 

he just got back from a knee injury.. best to ease him in especially on the road against a contender

 

Harden made some of mistakes in the late 4th and didn't shoot well at all, but even so his defensive intensity was there all night. That was one of the reasons we won at all. So while bashing him for ****ing up is understandable, because he did **** up, he also won the game for us in overtime and that's important to remember too.

Earlier in the season the Rockets would go on runs to cut into a big deficit, but would run out of gas. Now, being down 17 against one of the best teams in the world wasn't a problem for our guys to overcome. If Harden even had a regular shooting night, we would've probably won comfortably.

The second half defense was absolutely suffocating...we still have some kinks to work out in terms of communication (notably there was a play where Jeff Green and Russ where the switch was botched) but that just means that we haven't even reached our full power level yet and are already killing teams.

Offensively I wish Mclemore got a few more looks, but Roco, House, and Tucker were solid and Ego looked pretty good while playing great D. Pretty pleased with this win despite not being a perfect game. Great way to start a Sunday morning!!

 

nm

 

Although he played very few minutes tonigh, Jeff Green continues to make me eat my words. I am surprised by how well he is playing with this group. Long may this continues

 

Choked???

He won the game in the CLUTCH, open your eyes for God's sake.

 

The frustrating part with Harden is that he can get to the rim but just forgets about it for long stretches. I have no problem with him having no fear about missing threes but sometimes the smart play is the high percentage shot around the rim. It's a decision making issue he's got to recognize. That said if he makes them no one is b****ing but doesn't mean driving more is not the right call.

 

I jinx to live

I live to jinx

 

that 2017-18 team yall praise so much didn't win every high pressure game with harden and cp3 dominating.

that game 5 in the WCF, harden and cp3 were awful offensively and they gutted it out with championship level defense

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201805240HOU.html

these are the type of wins you're gonna need en route to a championship.

the fact that the rockets could clamp down like that in a high pressure away game against a good team is a good omen going forward.