ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Cavaliers 1/5/2013

i have no problem with TD now. he helped us in the game too. not lin-like who keep us on top while harden was on simmer mode for the 1st 3Q. i have confidence that as the season progressed and teams starts to tighten us, lin's ability will be called forth more - thus usage rate. past games lin is burning a lot of minutes with the season still under 50%. need to keep all players healthy. hope the anderson guy can help relieve harden some pt too in the regular season. we need him more in the playoffs.

 

Agreed. It would be fun to watch either Lin or Harden be the pick and then roll to the rim. as either one having the ball will draw double team and leave the other with more space to operate. If opposing team doesn't double team then the one has the ball will be open to shot, or pass to a open shooter.

 

Andrew Bynum recently said that Kobe had stunted his growth, and Kobe didn't deny that. More balanced distribution of ball and minutes not only help players show better stats but help the team grow together, which is the main objective of the Rockets right now.

As Harden is currently having a usage rate of 27.0 and Lin only has 19.4, about the same as Toney Douglas' 19.3, McHale needs to make sure Lin has more of the ball as the PG and floor general, either to score himself or pass for an assists.

Lin will never be an All-Star point guard if his usage rate is to be kept low.

 

Monta Ellis usg rate is 27.2,Brandon Jennings's 23.2. maybe it's a good balance...
anyway,the Rockets is playing better and better as long as they move and share the ball.no matter who passes. it's good for lin to learn to play off ball . it can help him improve his weaknesses.
Give this team time. i think they will figure it out.

 

I'll bet the Rockets will always outrun the Lakers, and Howard will be the last to get back most of the time. Well maybe before Pau if he is also on the court.

 

It's not McHale's fault Lin gets trapped and goes SOS, ie wasting clock and poor kicks out in distress. I think we've all seen enough now to know the Rockets are more democratic in terms of playmaking duties than poster's first suggested. Perhaps Sampsons' comments attributed to this and were taken out of context?

When Lin plays better consistently he will be more confident more often to take control of the ball and doing something positive with it. The only person stopping him from playing this way is himself.

 

I am cool.

 

One thing I really like is how strongly the Rockets usually close out games in 4Q. Byron Scott (Cav's coach) after the game:

"The one thing about (Houston) is that even though it’s the fourth quarter, they don’t slow down. They keep pushing. They keep attacking. Then towards the end, they just put the ball in James’ hands and let him make plays."

 

better defensive set up, teams with disciplined defenders can basically shut him completely down by taking away his right. The only time he can really go left without being stripped (he has terrible handles on his left hand) is if Harden is on his left because his man won't collapse on Lin.

 

Those percentages are appropriate. The team is winning and Lin has played better.

 

Highlight of the Game



This is the Cav player's nuts fouling Lin's foot.

 

Time will tell.

As the season go on, all teams would learn about him and he'll be totally shut down every game.

I highly don't think so, but let's wait.

 

Dragon kick lol

 

if he can hit his jumpers, they can't stand so far back off him, there are plenty of defenders that don't have the discipline to take away his right hand.

 

Also, I'm not saying Lin is bad, he just has exploitable weaknesses, he's an above average role player, if you compared that to say superstars is they generally have an answer for everything you throw at them, so even if they're having a bad day, they'll still put up 17-5 or something equivalent. What doesn't help Lin is he doesn't really make adjustments well, if he plays badly in the first half, he does in the 2nd half as well.

The suggestion that his weaknesses could be exploited to the point of him producing nothing every game is absurd, he's a 4th-6th man type player in a contender, maybe able to get that to 3rd, there's always going to be games he gets hot, or games where he produces solidly.

 

It's true that if Lin doesn't fix things by the half he tends to play poorly in the second as well. However, I thought Lin did a great job in this Cavs game adjusting his 3pt shot between the first and second quarters.

 

And Byron Scott, who knows more than a little about this stuff, gives us the definition of a superstar. And that's what James Harden is.

 

Harden talking about his shots...

“It felt weird because the regular shot I shoot feels good and doesn’t go in, but the shot I heave up and pray to go in goes in,” Harden said. “That’s how it works sometimes.

“Before the game, I was working on my shot and it felt good. Only taking seven shots at halftime, I was confident. I didn’t really shoot the ball. I just knew to go through my mechanics and shoot the ball.”


Lin's comment about the game....

“Absolutely I think early in the year when we went through rough stretches like this we might tend to go our separate ways or try to make plays one-on-five,” guard Jeremy Lin said. “We’re a little more mature in terms of our development so right now we understand late in the fourth, we really have to depend on each other a little more and trust each other even more.

“I think tonight and last night (in Milwaukee) were good examples.”


Ability in clutch
“Some players just have it,” said Lin, who made seven of 13 shots for 20 points. “They have that clutch gene. I think some teams develop it over time.

“That’s usually a sign of maturity, being able to put teams away and win the games they’re supposed to.”


http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2013/01/rockets-escape-cleveland-with-a-win/

 

Remember the games early in the season where harden would iso all game and come 4th he would be gassed out? I think the method we have now is so much better. However can superstars be just super at attack and not at D? Isn't that half a superstar?

 

Wow. This is Lin's first year as a starter.

You make it sound like all young players should dominate the nba.

How about giving the guy a chance to develop?