D'Antoni: Our defense is so good now that we're slacking on offense

They are getting bored with wins every night. I bet they couldn't wait for the playoffs to start!

 

Rockets are peaking at the right moment and they still haven't figured out everything.

 

They've been sloppier the last couple of games, but I'm thinking proper credit should be given to the length of OKC and Milwaukee. The passing lanes are much tighter and every exposed dribble is at risk. They definitely can tighten it up, but a lot of their offensive crispness depends on the opponent.

 

Turnover.

 

Harden, Ariza, moute, tucker, anderson

Switch everything on D, to the point you can’t tell if they’re just playing zone. 5 guys who can hit 3s.

 

Once Anderson comes back we wont have to worry about the burden of awesome defense.

We will just have to suffer through wins until then.

 

It makes a lot of sense. The Rockets best defensive games on this streak have come when te offense was stalled.


One of the only games they played great on both ends was against the Clippers. My GOD that first quarter was a dream

They got up for the Clippers and cut their throats open on both ends in insane fashion. Makes me excited for the postseason.

 

This is coming off a back to back road win.

What a time to be alive!

 

Me as a reporters: Coach, we're in the middle of a 17 game winning streak and you believe that we can play a lot better?

Coach: Yes.

Me: Can I have some time alone?

Coach: Why?

Me: I need to do a celebration dance and I'm gonna need a lot of space. I will most definitely be punching the air and I don't want others to become victims of my joy-display.

Coach: Really? The playoffs haven't even started.

 

MDA b****in cause he's all about his 'offensive efficiency'... he so wants to be revered as an 'offensive genius' that he's irked that defense is getting the focus it deserves... smh....

We've slowed down the pace - which being the 2nd oldest team in the league is probably a good idea... and getting better higher % buckets... and so MDA wants to "pick up the pace"... These comments are right up there with his desire to trim the rotation to 8 guys for the playoffs...

I LOVE the identity this team has found! Tenacious D, everybody involved at both ends of the court, playing to the 'hot hand', longer rotation so guys have energy throughout and more sparks off the bench... i really hope MDA doesnt screw it up...

 

So if they haven't figured out everything, technically we are still climbing and have not peaked! Hopefully when we do peak, we then plateau.

 

We need to play faster against the long, athletic squads. Transition gets us wider-open 3s. Sprint to those corners, fellas! Maybe slightly more frequent substitutions would help.

 

They looked cranky and tired out there against the Bucks. Harden was short fused and it looked like Luc and Green exchanged some words. I think at one point Green said drop it and play. I don't know how long the flight from OKC is to Millwuakee but they couldn't have gotten much sleep, if any at all. This is Something Silver needs to work on for next years scheduling. This is the second time I've watched the Rockets play a back to back flying from coast to coast. Tired bodies playing physical games against a team fighting for playoff spots is how injuries happen. This has got to be fixed.
Hard to go 100% both ends and be mentally sharp in these conditions.

 

They were pretty solid on offense in the first quarter at Denver too. I think the turnovers are a concern lately. A lot of them have been careless. Some of that may be boredom and a lack of focus. Even CP3 has had some uncharacteristic ones. The Warriors turn the ball over a lot too, and people have theorized that they're pretty bored with the regular season(or at least they were til the Rockets started to threaten them for the #1 seed).

But these are easily fixable problems. The Rockets have exhibited terrific offensive execution most of the season, especially when healthy. We know their defense is solid(again when healthy). And one other factor in the slower offensive starts is that they've got the league's best record and are in the midst of a lengthy winning streak. Which means from the opening tip(especially on the road), they're gonna get the opposing team's best effort. So naturally they're gonna have a tougher time scoring early on than they would've a few weeks ago when this streak was in its infancy.

 

We have a few more gears left in us

 

MDA didn't seem happy yesterday, he was yelling at the guys to pick up the pace a whole bunch of times.

But then again it's b2b against two great defensive teams. I think length bothers us a lot. Harden couldn't get a clean look with his step back three in the 4th

 

Was totally thinking this last night. The Rockets had a much tougher time against the Bucks length in the halfcourt. The Bucks seemed to recover so well When we did not push the pace. When the Rockets were pushing the pace, the Bucks had no chance whatsoever.

 

Yep. I'll take the problem of having less offense (due to slacking) because our defense can play at an elite level now. Especially in the regular season.

If it starts happening in the playoffs against the Warriors, Thunder, or Blazers(?) then I would get worried.