[538] What's stopping Rockets

7 man rotations. That's what's stopping the Rockets and what prevented them from getting those late rebounds in game 5. Rockets actually won game 5.....they lost because MDA ran his 7 players to the ground.

Harden's horrible play in the end is a direct result of overusage leading to fatigue. When people are gassed, especially in sports, they are not sharp because......THEY ARE TIRED. And yes it is ok to be tired when your coach keeps riding you when there are at least some serviceable fresh legs on the bench.

 

This offseason, Morey has to find some adequate front court players that MDA is willing to play so he can extend that bench. (SF's, PF's, and C's) If Morey can pull that off, then the Rockets will be really hard to stop next season.

 

In Trez We Trust

 

Pretty much agree with this article. People looking at Harden's overall numbers are missing the point. He's getting tired as the game goes on. Really like D'Antoni and his offense, but this is the part I just don't get at all. If you're going to have a style of play that requires the players to go at breakneck speed, wouldn't you want a longer rotation? Wouldn't you be more likely to wear out the other team when you're playing ten to twelve guys going all out? I understand the rotation gets shortened in the playoffs, but he could have gone deeper during the season, and now go deeper than 7 guys...you can maybe win a game with 7 guys, but two? Tall order. And what about the next two rounds??? you're never going to win 10 games total with 7 guys the whole way, so at some point you have to start playing more guys.

 

In some ways MDA's stubbornness to play 7 guys is worse than another "insert name" worse coach for the Rockets. MDA's style might keep the Rockets competitive for much of the game against anyone (because they're fresh), but will come up short in the end because of fatigue. That's inexcusable.

MDA has options on the bench for spot minutes here and there.....but he's too scared to use them for no good reason. If the Spurs go on the "possible" 7-0 or 8-0 run because of Trez or Dekker playing...SO BE IT. I don't think that will happen. If it does, I certainly will not blame it on 10 minutes of Dekker and Trez on the court. People on here need to get real here. Fatigue trumps talent.

 

I don't think he's "scared," I think he has had an almost unlimited confidence in his starters and the main guys off the bench. Those players have, to an extent, let him down, at least at crucial moments. I don't think he's too scared to use them, I think he hasn't felt it necessary up until now.

 

We need more Lou Williams in the 4th quarter. Outside of Harden...no one else can create. With Leonard resting in the fourth...Dantoni should have taken out Ariza and put in Lou.

I also notice during the end of the 3rd quarter and half way through the 4th quarter... Rockets we're executing great plays to get wide open 3 point shots, but no one was hitting. Literally, the first 6 or 7 shots we took in the 4th quarter were wide open threes. I believe Ariza hit one but the rest were missed.

Need more Lou in the 4th... I don't even mind if Hardens minutes are decreased. No one can really stay in front of Lou.

 

I get what you're saying brother, but respectfully it sounds like semantics. His unlimited confidence in his 7 guys is also a testament to his "not trusting" Dekker, Harrell and to the extent others on the bench.

By the way, I don't usually make excuses for players, but I have to say this. Players have "let him down" because they are fatigued. It's so easy for all of us fans to sit in our seats and not exert the energy these guys do.

By the way, I don't think the players let MDA down at all in game 5. They played well enough to win. Missed rebounds and Harden's egregiously dull play towards the end HAS to be because of fatigue. I could see it in their body languages. Yes, the Spurs were gassed as well...but the Spurs at least had the luxury of having more guys play in their rotation, which helps a lot.

Just one more fresh body in Dekker would have helped tremendously I would imagine.

 

Remember when Monstrez was beasting and then was benched because he's a second round pick on a rookie deal? Good times

 

MDA is the expert especially compared to me. I concede that easily. However, I'd be comfortable (and feel is the right decision) in playing Dekker and Harrell some minutes and "rolling the dice" on whether or not the Spurs go on that vaunted "8-0 run" that many here seem to guarantee with no basis.

So on this, I KNOW BETTER than MDA. I know fatigue matters...and I don't think MDA really knows that.

 

you're probably right, in terms of semantics. I do think Harden let MDA down in the OT, though. Whoever brings the ball up has to protect the ball--and when Harden gets careless/sloppy/lazy, he lets everybody down. If that weren't the case, we'd all be talking about Capela bringing the ball up, and I trust nobody wants to see that . . . although Clint has done some pretty decent ball-handling lately. But again, you're probably right. I'm not arguing against playing Dekker/Harrell or both, I'm all for it. "Dance with the ones that brung ya."

 

Should have signed Scola for this playoff run.....very poor planning by the FO not having an extra veteran big.

DD

 

well, one other point. I'm not sure I buy the fatigue argument totally. You play the 8th and 9th guys for what they bring to your game in the positive sense--not just the negative goal of keeping the more important first 7 guy from getting "tired." In the words of the great Kevin McHale, it's not like these guys are logging tall timber out there.

 

Play Lou on ball for small periods. Rotate Beverley and Gordon through as well . The person I am stunned that is not getting any minutes on Kawhi is Troy Williams. I think he can make Kawhi work.He is big and athletic enough to bother Leonard.

 

It's good that you recognize that we have no other playmakers. It's bad that you think Lou is a playmaker. He ain't.

 

Yep Harden's bad play was certainly magnified/amplified in the 4th and OT of game 5. I was frustrated with him as I'm sure most if not all were. Here's the thing, Harden really looked uncharacteristically (even for him) fatigued in the latter parts of the 4th when all those mistakes and sloppiness transpired.

I do believe extreme fatigue can affect something as "simple" as handling the ball. He got poke stripped from behind by Simmons twice I believe. I've NEVER seen that happen to Harden...I don't care who's guarding him..let alone twice. He didn't have the explosion or sharpness he did in the first half (when he was fresh and on a mission).

Could Harden have found a way to manage the rock better in spite of fatigue towards the end? possibly. But the reality is extreme fatigue has an increasingly adverse affect on any athlete's play on a big stage (high intensity). I believe Harden's heart and mind wanted to win VERY BADLY. But in those cases, the "mind over matter" doesn't really work with Fatigue being such a strong force. It's tough and I hope the Rockets have enough gas in the tank tonight to blow this out early so they won't have to play balls to the wall all game long.

 

You don't think a fresh Dekker and/or Montrezl in spot minutes would be more benefit on the court than negative? Some people on here act like having these guys in the game at all automatically spells "9-0 run" by the Spurs. That's ridiculous.

 

I should have been more clear: I think there's DEFINITELY a positive to playing these guys, and it has little or nothing to do simply with keeping the starters fresh. I love both of those guys and think their energy is the missing x-factor (totally honest here) in terms of giving us that emotional/energy "shot in the arm" that we need several times each game. Sorry that wasn't clear.