Told myself to stay off social media and here we go...... First things first already giving the rockets a warning for a loss yet say nothing about the Bucks loss saying we got exposed
I wouldn't. He has a knack for not being to get a shot off or not being able to break free in time before a 5 second inbound violation under press defenses and tends to try to foul bait and fail as refs tend to hold the whistle on the last possession. He's been embarrassed before on last second attempts where he tried to foul bait instead of trying to actually score the bucket.
he's not Lebron or Kobe in that respect, but he gives you the most options in that scenario. What do you get with Russ? A strong drive, hesitation, mid range jumper, MAYBE he gets through. He isnt a threat from 3 in that situation even when he's shooting it better than James! James offers you a more complete arsenal to maximize the possession IMO. I've also seen him win some games for us, but it might not be convenient for me to bring those up. Wink.
What you get with Russ is the speed and jumping ability to have a higher chance to 1. Get open on an inbound pass when teams are pressing 2. Get a clean shot off that doesn't get swatted and not rely on ref baiting and hoping the ref blows the whistle. Russ got off a clean look because he was able to elevate very high on his jump shot. Clutch players like Jordan and Kobe can elevate really high on their jump shot and also can break free with their speed and quickness to get better looks.
that's where my issue lies. I believe James Harden is a better shooter than Russell Westbrook. Better range. More crafty in creating contact. He's just a harder player to stop. Russ is a beast athletically yes I agree, but it makes no difference if you can jump out of the gym and not make the most important shot of the game. While Russ also has a history as a finisher with OKC it was mainly due to lack of options and the ridiculous usage and load he was carrying there .. James led the league in 'total clutch scoring' just last year. If James would have gotten the same look Russ got last night (15 footer) do you think he makes it? I know I know you're saying James isn't athletic enough to get open or something like that (I disagree), but humor me - who makes more open 15 footers in a contest between James and Russ? Your use of flammable words as "ref baiting" and "hoping the whistle blows" rubs me the wrong way. Creating contact is a skill. Russ does the very same things in going to the rim yet he's a warrior. Interesting.
James Harden wouldn't have gotten that look in the first place. If you have watched enough Rocket games and enough situations where Harden has been in a clutch situation, you'll know that Harden struggles to get free on inbound passes when pressed and he struggles to get a clean shot off when pressed. Harden needs to get in a long dribbld ryhthm where he does his between theleagur dance thing to lul defenders in a trance or make a mistake reaching or getting off balance. When defenders start pressing it's harder to do that and when we are short on time he doesn't have the te to do that. In the 7 years Harden has been a Rocket I just remember two game winners: GS and the Suns both regular season. The GS game winner the one game winner where he really elevated for that three. That was probably his sickest game winner. Harden isn't like Kobe or Jordan where if a play gets dead where for example they lose their dribble, they can still find a way to do some crazy fadeaway with amazing lift to get a shot off. Instead when Harden's plan A breaks down, he either tries to ref bait, or gets swatted because he just doesn't have the lift sometimes. He needs that dribble rhythm and step back motion. I think Westbrook is beter suited to score on sporadic plays with a few seconds on the shot clock.
The lack of professionalism on display from the Rockets tonight was deplorable. Worked hard to get a nice win in Boston and now it means nothing. I was at the game and was shocked at the lack of effort on the boards all game, not sure if it was just the fact that I was watching it live but even for the Rockets, it was really bad. Also wtf was that last play? If WB can't get a head of steam like the original play was designed for him to do, that ball needs to go to Harden. That WB off balance jumper had no chance. How have they changed? A good win followed by a bad loss at the next opportunity has been happening all season, and it happened right after the Capela trade (win at Lakers, get blown out at Phoenix).
I have come to realize that no matter how the small ball matchup is working that MDA will refuse to insert Hartenstein or Chandler. I doubt the outcome would have been the same with someone in there to stop them from dominating us completely in the paint and on the boards. I guess it's small ball or nothing now, and roll the dice, don't adjust, and hope for the best. Ugh. I was so happy Sunday morning after the Celtics win. Today I feel the opposite after such a pathetic defensive display against one of the worst teams in the NBA. All I can hope for is a win Thursday to lift me up again.
Dallas is waiting at the 7th and OKC at the 6th......... while the Rox probably win, Dallas would outrebound us mostly and OKC will try to extend it to a 6 or 7 game series.
I deliberately stayed away from this place after the game. I assumed that there would be an unrelenting attack on Harden in one form or another. Not a false assumption.
He did actually well other than his '2 rebounds', I just didn't read the first 60 pages. I mean small ball will lead to being outrebounded eventually but by 31 boards, that is egregious. WBrook had a lesser game than in Boston but tried in the end. Props to New York and their new president, played well.
Yeah, we were absolutely killed on the boards. Considering how bad the difference was, it's a miracle we nearly pulled it out.
How have they changed? They are winning a lot more games than they were before. I don't believe that they would have come back against Boston before they made changes to their team. Their overall focus appears better. They are 10-3 since going small and two of the three loses have been by a combined 3 points. They have increased their average margin of victory since the trade to nearly 8 points a game, which is the second best in the league. So there are certainly differences. They are locked in better, but yes they still need even further focus.
