We need to stop playing small ball as teams have figured it out - it failed under Nelly, it is failing here. If only, we fans KNEW it would suck...oh wait, we did! DD
Well sure... I mean past failure is the best indicator of future success... ...or something like that,,,
We're on a 4 game loosing streak since the great win in Boston. In those 4 games, we shot 29.1% from beyond the arc. You're not gonna win many games shooting 29.1%! And in the last 2 games we had 18 & 20 TO's. We're not taking care of the ball & not hitting shots. Harden may have tired legs also.
And Harden - the problem is Harden can't hide on D anymore - he is getting worn out and his legs are tired, causing him to play like crap on offense too. It will NEVER consistently work, it is a gimmick. DD
He were able to win . . . beyond rebounding woes because we were not turning the ball over now Hesitency on shots .. . . means we start over passing and forcing **** Then we get turned over. . . . boom advantage gone Rocket River
We just need to get our legs under us and knock down a few shots. Everything is fine. Nothing to see here.
Green needs to be in the Capela roll. Pnr and spot on 3s when Harden wants to go in. Harden could lob it for Green too. But no everyone is on the 3. Harden is playing in slow motion. We need to stop playing House as a starter. And maybe Tucker too. None of them gives us any points on offense. Their defense is on par with the other guys. We get crushed on the boards too. Starting line up should be Russ, Harden, Green, Ben and Eric
Toronto is actually the 7th most in 3 point fga at 36.9 per game. Houston is first at 44.5 per game. The difference of 7.3 attempts per game between the Rockets 1st and the Raptors 7th is wide enough to span the 7th Raptors to the 27th team OKC Thunders at 29.4 attempts per game.
I would like to take credit as being the first on the board to let everyone know that smallball sucks. Each and every time I posted, I got blasted by kool aid drinking fans. I now can blast back because I was100% correct and you all should have listened!!! That being said, we will beat Minny on Tuesday and everyone in Houston will be back to acting like we are a shoe in for the Finals. Big picture is this is a disaster that only gets fixed with the release of Morey and MDA. We not only lost Capela, but our first round pick. They have ruined what should have been a promising year!!!!!!
You do see that I said 6th in 3s/FGA. That's % of shots that are 3s. Regardless that we are #1, OP compared Toronto to Nuggets and Pacers in the context of not using our game of "fk-ing Math." Look at the difference between Raptors, Nuggets and Pacers ... that's 6th vs 30th and 27th. Raptors, just like the Rockets are at a very high % of shots as 3s, so the Raptors (at 42% 3pt rate) "need to shoot the three even when they miss."
We don't even attempt mid range shots anymore because of this 'analytics' BS. Yes 3s are better than 2s but 2s are better than 0s considering how poorly we've shot the ball as of late.
Here's a thought: go watch those other teams if you hate Houston basketball so much. Why are you even here if you're championing other teams?
As much as I've criticized MDA and the three-heavy system in the past, I'm actually more sympathetic to him recently. He's exactly right here. Even while they were still winning with small ball, we were starting to see all these guys pass up open shots, take ill-advised extra dribbles to open up more space instead of catching and shooting, and/or choose to drive when they lost their long-range confidence. You just can't do that. The team is all-in now on a specific system, and you have to perform the role you were given. You can't just go start making your own personal decisions that go counter to the plan, because that causes the whole thing to collapse. I'm sure there are countless military analogies that could be made here. If you don't want to fulfill your role, you ought to sit in favor of someone that will.
Solution is to add better 3 point shooters than House, Rivers, Thabo. Sign some of these guys now. Tyler Johnson Ryan Broekhoff Jonah Bolden Justin Anderson And start Green, play DMC more than House and just play Bruno, period. Harty, Tyson and Clemons are complete waste of roster spots.
While MDA is right, he might need to look at tired legs and the way we get our threes. No reason to put it all on the players...
Why are we all in on this 3 ball philosophy when all our players shoot at best, league average from 3?