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

Lots of mutual respect between these 2 teams, love it.

 

Ego took one for the team. Someone get this man a muffin basket tomorrow.

 

not sure if posted

 

@Carl Herrera disagrees

 

The Celtics held us to only 42% shooting...but we held them to 39%, and that's after their relatively hot start. Seems a lot of people forget that the Celtics are one of the best and hottest teams in the league right now, their record is better than any team in the West not named the Lakers. Also, they really wanted this game to tie with Toronto in the standings.

We keep playing defense like this and the sky is the limit, I really believe that.

edit: and we also held Tatum to 30% shooting. He had to work for those points tonight.

 

While I don’t think we should be too harsh on Harden, and he definitely has the right to feel confident about those shots, if we have more than a 1 possession lead then driving is just the logical thing to do. So much can happen from
a) getting an easy drive to the bucket,
b) finding a wide open shooter due to a double team
c) drawing a foul
d) or he misses it or messes it up but at least their defense will have had to collapse in the paint
When he does his step back just like that, first off chances of the offensive board are slim because all his teammates are spread out and also he’s probably the first defender back and Harden’s transition D is the worst part of his defense.

 

Russ, Covington and Tucker were on another level tonight. They are the Rockets' Triple Threat, the Bringing the Heat Hustlers, the flying for every play on the court, with heart and soul men, and "Fly" off the court GQ studs. They won this game for us tonight for sure!

 

Not surprising. In most possessions Harden drove to the basket, they did have 2 or 3 on him quickly to take away his lane.

This is what people don't understand about Harden. Even if he doesn't get you big points, the other team will still try to stop him the most. It's why Westbrook has been so dominate in the past 3 months. Harden literally gives Westbrook the time and space to do anything he wants. And other teams can't do anything about it. If you double team Westbrook, you leave Harden wide open, which is way more dangerous. If you double team Harden, it frees up Westbrook enough time and space to attack the paint to either go up with it or pass it to a wide open guy. I've always said if Harden has decent/good supporting around him, we won't lose. He just hasn't really had that in his time with the Rockets.

 

I know...it sucks.

 

Covington just put up a Capela stat line lol.

15/15/3

I was wrong small ball kicks ass. Serve up the crow.

 

They were petrified that James would get it going. Every time he drove it they had Tatum or brown rotate immediately

 

Choking IS a mental lapse. I didnt say he choked the game away I said he just choked which objectively is what happened.

 

And, when needed, Harden cut off Tatum's drive and got the game-saving steal and layup for go-ahead FTs, after Tucker let Smart outrebound him.

from @zeeshan2 post above

 

Every Boston player and coach admitted they were too focused on Harden, it is great that others went above and beyond to take advantage of this.

But everyone on the team were locked in defensively.

 

i never said dont play him.. play him behind austin or bmac

 

Ask Boris Durke if he now considers us as contenders.

Keeps barking how our defense has to be ranked at least 15h in the league when it actually was and now is one of the best on the league.

lulz