We didn't lose because he missed a bunch of threes. We take a bunch of threes and it's assumed we're going to have our ups and downs. And do we really have PURE SHOOTERS outside EG, Paul and Harden? Everyone else is a streak shooter. None of them would win a 3 point shooting contest.
C'mon guys, this is the same Barkley who swore up and down that the Rockets would lose to the Warriors in 4 or 5 games last year, because "he didn't see anything different from the Rockets that would extend the series". I don't give a crap what he says, he never gives Houston any credit.
There is a difference between making adjustments and completely changing how you play the game. The Rockets make adjustments in game all the time. They get Harden the ball in different areas. They go from Harden to CP3 orchestrating and sometimes taking mid range shots. Harden switches between attacking the basket or shooting 3s more depending on how he is being guarded. They switch between spamming the PnR and running Harden off screens to get him the ball, etc. But the thing the Rockets don't do is completely abandon role players shooting 3s because that's the game plan. Mid range shots don't spontaneously become more efficient and Rockets players don't suddenly become better at making them. Even if they are missing it's still the best shot to take if they are getting good looks.
You also could be Rockets coach if you know one thing: "Tell your player not to stop shooting threes." If Rockets lose the game, its player's fault. They are bricking. Rockets fans also have no problem on coach. Look, to be Rockets coach easier than you think.
The Rockets roster is constructed to be successful playing a particular way. You don't throw that out the window in the middle of the playoffs. Some small tactical adjustments are of course warranted, and we'll look at film and figure out things we can do (within our offense) that have a better chance of being successful.
True Not a change to a system but an adjustment or even a timeout Or getting a healthy person in for the dude with two infections I don’t think he calls those
We’ll see a game where He doesn’t call one timeout Doesn’t make one substitution And we don’t shoot one two point shot
I recently made an adjustment in how I watch Inside the NBA. Ernie and Kenny Smith take their jobs seriously, but Barkley and Shaq don't. It has become an entertainment show for people with low standards in entertainment. When they run the highlights, Shaq and Kenny just jaw and giggle and talk about whatever they want to talk about instead of explaining what's going on. They're not even paying attention. It's contemptuous of the viewer's time. So now, the only thing I watch on that show is the highlights. And I watch them with the sound off. Hey, TNT: When you're ready to replace Shaq and Barkley and turn that show back into a sports show, let me know. Till then, I'm out.
Not a fan of Barkley at all, but he's right. Our adjustments were non-existent last night and we lost a game we should have won. I am not as bullish on this team as I was on our chances last year.
I too think the Rockets can be a bit stubborn, particularly MDA. Like even last night, how many posts talk about the lack of bench depth, the thing we're supposed to be a lot better at this year, but the reality is that MDA has a tight leash and a stubborn plan on how to win. Most of our starters will average 35+ min and the highest bench player's minutes is house with 20 ... Our bench players need at least some lvl of constancy to get their hands warm and ready to contribute. They're capable if given. It's useless trying to convince Rockets fan to diversify our offense because we're so used to seeing it work against almost every team in the league. But in the playoffs, your weaknesses and tendencies are obviously exposed and if you can't counter what the defense is giving you ... then you live with the results, which is probably losses. When we play the warriors next round, this whole argument will become that much bigger when the warriors continue to run us off the line and bait us into contested threes when we're in cold stretches. It's not like we have to abandon our ENTIRE offense or anything, but once we mention taking different available shots, everyone goes crazy.
Yeah. People are loyal to this system to a fault. You don’t change who you are in the middle of a playoff run. We all get that. But you do mix in different looks to keep the opponent guessing. You do leave the hot guy in longer than usual or sub out the cold guy faster. You do change things up when they double, trap, or switch on defense. Why wouldn’t you modify things when they defend you from behind with one guy and camp a center in the paint? Yeah, that’s also one of those times to adjust. 0-12 from 3 is another time to adjust. Center playing in altitude with 2 viruses is a time to adjust. I don’t see why people get so butt hurt about saying it. You can point out areas to improve AND still like the team. Being a blind follower of 3>2, and we have the best offense anyone ever thought of and there’s no room to criticize it even though it hasn’t even taken us to the finals yet doesn’t make a better fan.
I’m looking forward to watching the team adjust from losing to winning tomorrow night to close out this series.
While all that is true, we have a tendency to become predictable. I mean, I can usually tell what’s coming from my couch. I’m sure opposing coaches and players know just as well. It may be hard to stop, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know it’s coming. Eventually that fizzles out, and when other teams adjust, we never seem to counter promptly.
On that note, people talk about 3’s as effective because ON AVERAGE you get x points per possession (let’s say 1.1), but what they don’t consider is the VARIANCE. If you have a strategy with high variance, you’ll have some lights out quarters and you’ll have some huge droughts. When the game is on the line and it’s close - you don’t want to stick to a high variance strategy if you can reliably win with a lower ceiling/higher floor strategy. We NEVER switch gears which is why we so often blow leads when our shot stops falling
Notice what Utah did. They slowed the pace, burned clock, and went to high percentage 2 point shots. We often try to ram 3’s down the opponent’s throats in that situation and then get into trouble. This is what separates Pop from D’Antoni. He understands the ebb and flow of the game. D’Antoni too often let’s the game get out of his hands. He is a very good coach but he never took that last step towards true greatness
