It's hard to think that the outcome of the Warriors/Rockets game could be affected by subtle adjustments, but I think we've all seen playoff series won and lost as teams make moves. Here's a rotation suggestion that the Rockets have to at least consider: starting Nene and getting his five minutes at the opening tip. Here's why I'm leaning this way: 1. Take advantage of early team-wide energy. While the Rockets never truly push the ball at GS and play with sufficient pace, early in the game, we do this more. 2. Draw early fouls and win the rebounding battle in the first five minutes. I think it would be wise to concentrate on keeping GS off the glass early. 3. Ask Tucker to move over to a shooter like Iguodala early. I think we have to focus on limiting his early contributions. 4. Bring Capela off the bench after the initial five-minute push. I think you could run 2 or 3 set plays initiated by Chris Paul to get him some early chances. It strikes me that Capela needs to do something different just to clear his mind so that he can contribute more. Thoughts?
Maybe this is finally the time to try out Capela/Faried/Tucker? Kill them on the boards and with energy. One thing for sure is we need to utilize our bench advantage at home. RIvers, Nene, Faried, House, Shumpert, Green should all get a chance to shine.
Not sure about adjustments but they better be ready because warriors will run more and use more off ball movement
i think last night is a good preview of what the old GS team without durant looked like, lots of screens and ball movement, klay and curry is gonna hit lots of 3s, we have to be prepared to battle man, this is not going to be easy, they are a champion before durant arrived, they were just chilling when durant was there on the floor, now they have sense of urgency, if we want to go further we have to earn it
Yup. One thing you could count on with Durant on the floor is the Warriors being more Iso heavy. With him off of it and going back to their pre-Durant offense, guys like Iggy, Livingston and Looney will get more involved in the offense. That's not including the fact that this works perfectly for Klay and Curry. Rockets definitely needs to get hot early next game and push on the gas if/when they get the lead
Curry is their only true playmaker. Guard him at all costs. No threes. Tucker now takes Klay. Shade off of Iggy and Green in the mid-range. They're looking for high post passes to back door cutters or corner threes, every single time. Dare them to shoot. BOX THE ********* OUT I'm still sick that we showed no desire last night when Durant went down. We have to take another one at Oracle now. I want to know what's in the team's heads this morning.
It's the Warriors motto but "Strength In Numbers" is a philosophy that we should be adopting. We have more playable, healthy bodies so MDA needs to be willing to press a bunch of buttons and find an effective rotation.
I hope that not being stretched out to guard Durant on the perimeter will help us rebound better. Either way that is a commitment the team needs to make regardless of who is playing for GS. The Rockets need to keep trying to switch coverage or pass to the guard that is being covered by Curry even more than they did before. It is true that Curry is now running away rather than stick with the switch. That is all the more reason to do it rather than stop. 1. If Curry doesn't run away, we can score or get him in foul trouble. 2. It will tire him out more playing defense which can help reduce his offensive output. 3. It exposes him for having poor defense, the media will discuss it a bit, and it could help in the psychological warfare department. 4. If Curry does continue to run away it will still tire him out. 5. Most importantly, it will show him to be an embarrassment. That may or may not actually affect his mindset. He will either have to start actually playing defense on the ball handler or be embarrassed by running away time and time again. Nobody can feel great about themselves when that happens. Most importantly the Rockets need to focus on boxing out and getting rebounds. Don't give the Warriors second chance points. I believe bringing the energy to that part of the game will carry that energy over to other parts of the game. Capela needs to go strong to the basket. He's trying to avoid the defender and make up and under moves, double clutch moves, and he's fading away from contact. He needs to take it strong. He has a better percentage when he dunks it than when he's trying to avoid all contact. It will also get more Warriors in foul trouble. He may get blocked, but that's worth the risk as long as he's taking it strong. Last night the Rockets were trying to set Clint up with lobs and passes. He was playing softly and scared. Clint needs to play with aggression. CP3 - He still makes some clutch plays. He can still drive on Curry and get him in trouble. His shot from the arc was short almost every single time. That tells me his legs are dead or were last night. He needs to adjust or find ways to rest. Tucker, Rivers, and EG have done a good job bringing the energy. They need to keep it up. The Rockets can not let down their game because Durant is out. They have to keep up their intensity and focus. Assuming they've already won simply because KD is out is my biggest fear.
Yep... if we lose thats exactly the nonsense thats gonna do it... Plus MDA doesnt realize when other teams adjust - we then need to adjust - the game is ever fluid... Last game: CC +8 w 14 boards in 26 mins... Nene +4 in 4 mins... small ball -17... Team that wins the rebounding battle has won every game this series... but we'll trot out that small ball lineup... Shump -14 will continue to get minutes... if we lose it will be due to MDA's stubborness... He doesnt understand that a series is constantly evolving - its not 'find the winning formula and continue to run with it'... thats why he's always been outcoached by guys like Pops...
If he is, it reminds me of last year. When it was 2-2, CP3 went down in game 5, we grinded that game for the lead and then lost two next games. Guess how it playd out this year. I'm quite confident in Rockets if no KD.
