I know we aren't healthy and it's been a struggle lately. This loss was embarrassing, worse than the clippers one. But it's a long season hopefully we can learn and get better from this one. This could be the game that wakes us up.
Mike D'Antoni mentioned before the season started that this team is gonna struggle at some point eventually and that he wanted to see how they would respond when that time inevitably came. Well. It's not looking good.
Objectively speaking...no, we didn't need it. We're in a bad slump, but still comfortably a Top 3 seed. But having said that...yea, mentally, this is a backbreaker. Shows that we haven't learned anything, and still cannot close out games. How many times have we seen this kind of loss in the 4th quarter? This is one of the first times that I'm really questioning Harden and D'Antoni in their ability to lead/coach the team down the stretch. Nobody is a bigger Harden stan than I am, but these are games we saw during the McHale era, which clearly shows that the problem lies mostly with him. Pretty much all we can hope for is that Chris Paul is genuinely the missing piece to give Harden breaks, leadership, variance, etc. down the stretch of games. Because if that's not the case, then yeah, I'm probably going to alter my expectations to another 2nd round exit against a team like Golden State, San Antonio, or even Oklahoma City potentially, because these kinds of games happen far too often and they're not getting fixed.
This loss will make us learn and grow as a team to get stronger. I truly believe this is a wake up call for us.
It won't wake us up. They will stay sleep. Harden will continue to play through the refs and his own bs. CP3 is our only hope.
(1) capela, our only rim protector, (2) CP3, our point-god, and (3) luc, defensive work horse, comes off the bench.
Not really... The #1 seed was always a hope and a dream. We are still comfy in the #2 spot, we just need to get healthy.
He can’t be a pg especially late in games. He’s a great scorer that needs a great pg like Paul to reel him in. When he doesn’t have to make key game decisions he’s a great weapon. Hence why I have been CRUCIFIED on here by so many folk for suggesting long ago he’s not a head banana. He is an excellent 2nd/3rd banana however
I think he can be your top guy offensively, but yes, in late game situations, he definitely needs Chris Paul or another 1A/1B type of player. And we knew that, we knew we needed somebody like Chris Paul. This is why you got him. Mostly I'm disappointed that D'Antoni hasn't changed anything.
um, harden is head banana. even if CP3 is floor general, as the floor general he generals the team knowing full well he is the general who generals the head banana. he generals the head banana by saying, "ok, head banana, we need you, the head banana, to be here, and i, the floor general, will get it to you, the head banana, since you are head banana." i'm pretty sure the in game mic will reveal this is how the discussion goes. i mean, without the floor general, the head banana goes to get the ball and the smart flopper slips on the peal that the floor general wouldn't have left on the floor, or at least would have kicked the smart flopper in the nuts while smart flopper flopped all over the parkay.
