Greetings Batman Jones, May I ask your opinion on a related topic? I've been debating with a couple people regarding things somewhat akin to what you're saying... The main point being involvement on the offensive end and how it correlates to guys playing harder on both offense and defense... My thought is that constant isos, lack of ball movement and infrequent ball handling opportunities for some of our guys has a detrimental affects. Constant isos get guys accustomed to standing around and ball watching. Not being involved on offense for numerous possessions cause guys to become less engaged and not work as hard on offense... I'm not saying that its a conscience decision or that they're upset about not being involved - but rather they're not as pumped as they would be if they were more involved on the offensive end... like if GG gets a couple shots he's positively bouncing around and obviously amped... The counter argument is that this isn't some kids league where everybody gets to participate... and that these guys are professionals and dont need to be involved in the offense to maintain peak defensive focus... just wondering your thoughts... as you mentioned guys needing 'purpose' and equated Green and House excelling to the fact that they no longer are deferring to EGo in the second unit... and that guys are 'playing harder' now... anyway just figured i'd ask your thoughts... Thanks!
If you're looking for an expert's opinion on basketball, that's not me. There are so many smarter basketball minds on this board. I will answer your question though by saying I agree and I've posted the same thing about needing to involve people on offense if we want them to play hard on either end of the floor. I think the iso and the standing around waiting for Harden or Paul to make a move late in the clock has been demoralizing. I work in theatre where emotions are our stock in trade so I approach the game that way. I look for how/why players seem to be playing well or poorly on an emotional level. And at coaches that way too. I feel at least a little bit qualified to talk about that since my career has been about emotional life. An example from a couple years ago: when Ty Lawson came here and struggled so badly I pinned it all on the fact that he'd quit drinking and was having a hard time adjusting to that. Before he did, he and Harden were drinking buddies and they really wanted to play together but then the drinking buddy thing must have necessarily stopped. I can identify with that because I also had to quit drinking (for so many reasons). It had the same effect on me. It made it very difficult for me to socialize easily or to really 'drop in' and do anything with abandon, since alcohol had always been the key to that for me. I don't have any inside info on that (or anything--I don't want inside info from Morey) but I still feel like that's why Lawson didn't work out. Basketball is a lot about strategies that I can't understand on the level that our best posters do here but it's also a lot about mood and motivation. My feeling about our early shooting woes this year and the bad losses was slightly that the "freedom of movement" rule got in our players heads and much more that that or just the failures beat them down and made them tighten up and when you're tight you can't make your shots in rhythm because when you're tight from frustration you can't do anything in rhythm. In acting, I talk a lot about remembering to breathe. When an actor doesn't take the time to breathe, he/she/they can't truly drop in and play with abandon. I think the same is true of basketball or any sport. So yeah I agree with you but again I'm not a smart basketball mind. I'm just a super-fan.
I also think that's what Gordon meant by "not fun" and "sacrifice." And I think that interview had a surprisingly good effect on our offense.
I get frustrated sometimes with his rigidity too, though I have to defer to him because I think he's one of the most creative offensive coaches in NBA history. And, to his credit, he made a huge adjustment to our offense when he started Gordon when it wasn't necessitated by injury to another starter and started changing up our rotations more quickly than I've seen him do before. It woke our team and we've been on a winning streak ever since. So props to him for knowing when to let go of his rigidity. I have ultimate faith in D'Antoni and Morey and in our players too. I've said this a lot of times on this board but, while I tend to be too cynical and pessimistic about most things, I'm an eternal optimist when it comes to our team. Every year in the season prediction thread I predict 82-0. If we lose our first game I say that's okay, I'll adjust my prediction to 81-1. That's just the kind of fan I am. I've become doubly optimistic since Morey came here, then doubly again when Harden did, then doubly again when D'Antoni did. Until the game is mathematically out of reach I always believe there's a way for us to win. I only give up when coach gives up and empties the bench. I learned a terrible lesson that way when I was at a bar in Pittsburgh during four years of wandering the country directing plays in various cities to gain new perspective. My buddies and I were all into playing shuffleboard at this one bar and one night we were up next and a Rockets-Spurs game was on the TV there (very rare for Pittsburgh where all sports fans seem to hate the NBA) was winding down and felt completely out of reach. My friends kept saying, "we're up next, we've been waiting an hour to play, the game's over." I resisted until about the last 30 seconds and I finally succumbed to the pressure and wound up missing out on one of the most unbelievable comebacks in NBA history. You know the one. McGrady's finest moment in Houston. Games like that one are why I watch every single game if it's at all possible and why I watch until the buzzer goes off, no matter what. That was the one time I made an exception to that rule and I missed out on seeing one of the most exciting moments in Rockets history. That shuffleboard game wasn't worth that! I can't even remember if we won. Of course I watched the end of the game later but there was no substitute for seeing it as it happened.
Not sure about that reach, chief. Gordon was starting with Harden throughout that losing streak, and yet the bench sucked...
Just saw your comment. Rockets vs Grizzlies 1st Half, Rockets attempted only 14 three point attempts...led by 21 points at halftime. 2nd Half, Rockets attempted 23 three point attempts...we all witnessed the collapse. We damn near lost the game by chucking too many long bricks. Again, it is just my theory... Rockets + more two pointers = Win Rockets + more three pointers = Loss Maybe???
Thanks for your insights! Much like yourself working with people on an emotional level in theater, I've spent most of my career managing people in retail settings and having to be cognizant of the emotions of my staff to ensure proper focus and motivation. I think in this era of analytics such factors are often glossed over as people try to crunch everything into a mathematical equation. lol It seems that if a player isnt complaining then he is viewed as happy - which can not be the case at all. It's a world of difference between merely accepting your role and working at it vs being happy, content and motivated in your role... and obviously those differences can easily impact performance.
you may be onto something, percentages aside 3pts shot is a greater volatility shot and it has a MENTAL double edged EFFECT, 2pters eventhough lesser shots they keep the scoreboard moving..when we are cold from 3 we lose confidence, panic, harden goes turnover mode and opponents get easy transition points, MOMENTUM and CONFIDENCE studies of 'efficiency shots' never take in account MOMENTUM and CONFIDENCE even though we may have the better players in reality there is not much difference in NBA between top 10 players and average players 15 points blowout victory is in fact 5 possessions game, harden is not that much better than an average player if hes not giving max effort, lack focus, is tired or his shot is off CONFIDENT lesser player will often win vs not confident top 10 player whose shot is off on a particular night 80% of the game is mental
Harden and CP3 are instructed to take what the offense is giving them. I’m of the belief teams are trying to overplay/Guard our 3-point shooters while trying not to foul Harden/CP3/Gordon/Capela near the rim. In essence we mainly get just 2-point baskets because the Rockets live off of points from 3’s/FT’s and near the rim. Thus you probably have more opponents fouling our 3-point shooters than in the past. I don’t have the stats to back that up though. As @BigMaloe mentioned earlier: our two point baskets will eventually set up our 3’s again.....if Harden keeps burning them for 50 points and Capela gets near 25 points a game. Watch out if CP3 gets 25 or more mostly off that mid-range shot that has been like a layup in the past. As I said in an earlier post: Harden and CP3 were trying hard to get everyone involved so the new guys can get acclimated to the system......which brought about bad passes. Now it’s about the new guys being set free to find their footing and kick it up a notch and contribute. Green got open in the fourth quarter vs Memphis as the Grizz we’re trying to stop Harden from getting 60 points. It’s still a pick your poison Offense, you either key on the drive and open up 3’s or you key on the 3’s and open yourself for drives. Teams were doing a good job of mixing up but mostly keying on the 3’s IMO, but Harden and CP3 are doing a better job of recognizing the defense now.
buddy can you pls comment on harden's floater I think it is a key shot for the situations when the opponents are taking away 3s and a big is hanging around the rim 1 do you think this is a shot in which harden is proficient? 2 in lakers game he killed them with it in the 3rd quarter 3 why dont harden use it more often?
Oh no doubt. That is a given. Harden and CP3 have free reigns to shot mid range. Whether it be pull up or floaters. Some basketball expert twitted on the Rockets and Houston Bleacher Report posted it yesterday. The gentleman said after watching video of the Rockets past 6 games....the Rockets were running the same sets on this 3 game win streak as they were during their 3 game losing streak prior. Only difference is Rockets are getting into their pentration or sets sooner.
Many on this board have pointed out the need to get into the offense sooner. It really is the key. You can't have one guy dribbling down the clock while everyone else is lulled to sleep.
Not that I've checked, but I'd be shocked if our FG% in general isn't also markedly different during the last 2 wins. Doesn't matter which shot, just make it. 3>2 yes. 2>0 yes.
Just take the shots the defence gives you. Also players like Gerald Green are passing up open threes to drive in and take two's
I agree with you that the bench sucked when Gordon was starting due to injuries. I think starting him as a choice helped the bench behind him to know it was on them to perform. The only way I'd push back is with regard to the effects of starting Gordon as a choice helped to motivate Gordon, Green, House, Nene, and Ennis for the couple minutes he got to play before the hamstring injury. The proof of the pudding is always in the eating, to use Brecht's rearrangement of that famous maxim, and so far it's had very good results. Granted, it's a small sample size. It also caused D'Antoni to radically change up the rotation and offense and I think that's helped most of all. Of course I still think we need more guys, particularly wrt defense and shooting.
Also when Gordon was starting in place of Paul, the bench didn't have Paul to help them out. Though Paul's shooting has been poor his assists have been great and he's been great out there with our second unit that way. So I don't think there's as much to be learned about the bench without Paul playing too. Again, that obviously goes to the fact that we don't have enough guys to withstand injuries. I feel very confident Morey's on top of that.
Great post. I'd add that I know from conversations I've had with him that, while Morey uses analytics heavily, the idea that he doesn't think about the players as human beings with emotions is wildly inaccurate. He totally does.
