[ClutchFans] Game 2 Podcast: Are you only the legend or are you the truth?

3 quick thoughts:

Mc Hale is not a champ coach: no system, no defense
Harden: really hard to understand what's happening to him
Midrange game is actually as important as 3s and layups

Firing McHale is the first step
Getting a "system first" coach and defensive minded
Getting a 3rd star

 

Complacency kills, and this team has it in spades.

 

Next two games will tell us who deserve to be here next year, egardless of win or losses. It is gut check time.

 

Harden just generally hasn't looked right to me for the last month or so. In the last 10 games of the season he shot at 50 % or above, only twice. He most often shot about 40% in those games, and he also had 11% and 25% games.

Then he walks into the playoffs and has Portland try to run him ragged on defense. And so he's trying to play better defense and still at the same time be the primary playmaker and the primary scorer for the team.

Harden doesn't get a pass, but I also don't think the coaching staff put him in a good position to succeed.

 

I agree with this. In a way, I think the Rockets would have been better off drawing the warriors, or even the spurs in the first round.

 

It doesn't matter who we drew. Rockets aren't beating any team in a series playing like this.

 

great post.

 

It has only been 2 games, let's see what happens... This kind of reminds me of when we were up 2-0 on Dallas.

 

Or when we were 2-0 on Utah.

 

MK Bower is a weirdo.

 

Yeah, we could use his lock-down D.

 

Harden needs to get in better shape. Forget all this being played too many minutes & being run ragged on defense excuses. Get in shape & commit yourself to being a two-way player!!!!! Also, attack the basket relentlessly....

 

Have you ever seen a game of basketball before?

 

Man, these podcasts are the best - you and MK have a good Rappaport, and you don't always agree, but you do it with intelligence and a healthy respect, and that makes for good listening.

I don't know how you are going to get to Portland for game 3, but I can't wait to hear it.



DD

 

This is on McHale- The Rockets have talent- they just aren't well coached.

 

On the flip side, statistically, it's either lose first round or win the championships for the red nation.

 

Now i feel like its better if we lose this series so mchale can get fired. its a majority his fault. he continues to let harden iso even when he is ice cold and continues to have stagnant and basically no offense. the defense is even worse allowing lazy defense by harden and lack of effort when players get blown by and slow if any rotations on defense.
harden is cold, so run plays to his strength but mchale just continues to uses the dwight-go-screen-the- ball-handler offense

 

+ even when we struggle from 3 we don't play Troy Daniels. Even though it was a small sample size he seems to have rare 3 point shooting ability. When nothing is working, I don't understand why we wouldn't try to mix it up.

 

I agree, win or lose, it is how they respond and how hard and smart they play. Critical. These are the times that test the "character" of players AND coaches, a dress rehearsal for next season.