y’all act like we weren’t a few plays away from being up 3-2 against a 61 win Spurs team with game 6 at home Harden did not have CP3 last year, and Harden was not as good as he is this year
Iso ball is easy to defend. All it takes is one defender to be really good at stopping Harden and the Rockets offense becomes really bad. That's why the warriors have Iggy, Durant, and Klay. All 3 of those guys can take turns making Harden exert extra energy to break them down every time and Harden will wear down as the series progresses. I'm not sold on Paul being the difference either considering he will have to chase Curry around screens.
Yes, it took a superhuman effort from the greatest player of our generation LeBron James alongside a supremely clutch series from Kyrie who was making extremely difficult shots all series long in order to barely beat a Warriors team that 1. Did not have a 100% Curry 2. Did not have Draymond for 1 game due to suspension 3. Did not have Kevin Durant With context, it makes the Rockets task this season against the Warriors much more daunting.
Iggy and Klay would take turns getting blown by and Durant can't afford to get in foul trouble. Also we would force a switch onto either Curry or Zaza/Javale for Harden anyways, unless the warriors refuse to switch in which case we lob/catch-and-shoot 3 them into submission. Only worry I have with GSW is their transition offense, 2nd in efficiency while 2nd in overall pace, we have to run back on defense, since we are 25th in transition D. Slowing the pace down is damn near a requirement to win that series, we may be #1 in fast-break efficiency, but the warriors may occasionally stop us on the break, vice versa does not apply.
I don't need context to know this sh*t isn't going to be simple even with more ball movement. If you want players like, Luc, EG, Tuck, Ryno passing more, taking the ball out of the hands of Harden and CP3, I don't know what to tell you.
Less ball movement, less turnovers. As long as we are getting good looks on switches, I am 100 percent happy.
You have that in mind, and you think a bit of pinch post here and zipper fist there is going to make that much of a difference? You don't beat superior teams by copying everything they do, how did the 60 win "spurs east" hawks teams do against the cavs of with all that precious ball movement? You beat them by playing asymmetrically, and by having better players. Nobody is saying we should be favorites against GSW, but our system combats them, not the other way around.
The Warriors don’t even win their first title without playing the Cavs without Kyrie or Love. The Warriors are an elite team but the 2018 Warriors are not the 2015 or 2017 Warriors.
the Rockets don’t need to move the ball multiple times on every possession in order to get a good shot...the majority of our ISO’s come off forcing a switch and sticking a weaker defender/big man onto Harden or CP3 this style of play got a team viewed as a 7th or 8th seed at best to 55 wins and the chance to go up 3-2 on the Spurs last season, and it has resulted in a historic offense and the best record in the league this year What exactly do u have in mind to generate more ball movement?
I'm just saying that great teams have multiple ways to win and diverse strategy. The better a team is, the more ways it can win. The Warriors can win with a motion offense or if it fails they can clear out for Durant or Curry. Better yet they alternate during the game. The Rockets on the otherhand, only know how to play one way so far and that is iso ball. In an isoball system, your 2 stars have to play extremely well in order to win and they have to do it consistently for at least 4 games. That's a huge load on Paul and Harden.
for those crying about all the ISO’s and dying for more ball movement, let me point u to the teams that have had the most success against GS in the playoffs since they became contenders... -the Cavs in the 2015 finals who slowed the pace down and ISO’d all game with a great playmaker in Lebron -the Thunder in the 2016 WCF who were last in passes per game that year and basically had 2 great players take turns running ISO’s and generating plays out of ISO situations -the Cavs in the 2016 finals who also had 2 great players take turns abusing mismatches in isolation
Iso ball works because we have the best ISO player in the game, and CP is a great iso player himself. It was a bit stagnant tonight b/c James missed a good amount of lay-ups/shots he normally hits. Regardless, they will be mixing it up in the postseason.
again, cp3 isnt the scoring threat kyrie is. kyrie might literally have the best offensive skillset in the history of the game, playing next to a top two player of all time. lebron and kyrie > harden and paul as a scoring duo. the rockets have a better supporting cast, but if harden or cp3 is dribbling the air out of the ball and jacking a shot that isnt going to get them involved, especially in playoffs. you guys keep pointing to regular season and saying everything is fine. thats because opposing teams don't have a chance to really break down film and figure out the best way to limit you like in the playoffs. no one is saying eliminate all ISO, but we have to do better. why are you guys against making the game EASIER ?
and Kyrie isn’t the passing or playmaking threat that CP3 is...CP3 and Harden also ISO and then use that opportunity to break down their man and create for someone else, it’s not all about getting a bucket for themselves A major benefit of this ISO ball against GS is that it can lead to lower turnover numbers and less transition opportunities for GS. We suck at transition defense. Kerr will really have to be cautious with what lineups he puts out there. Getting Curry, the likes of Swaggy P or a rookie like Bell, or GS’s bigs like Zaza on Harden or CP3 in ISO situations is a good strategy and will be a big problem for GS. So what exactly do u have in mind in order for us to do better or make the game easier? Is it just generic stuff like “move the ball more” and “play faster?”
they almost got beat in the 2015 finals by the Cavs and the 2016 WCF by the Thunder with the same strategy
Speaking of play faster...Must be a great life for Coach McFail to be paid for doing nothing while still feeling like a victim. A real and true old school blue collar player would have a good laugh at that instead of having an axe to grind. He could be pulling a Stevie here on his new iphoneX CLAP CLAP CLAP LESS ISOS! CLAP CLAP CLAP PASS HARDER!
While I get your point, those ISO possessions could've killed us. At times you have to get their defense moving, try to catch them off balance and go for the easy shot. We overdid it this game and anyone who fails to see that, is just angry that others still want to discuss some things that need to be improved upon.
That's just silly. You only do that when the clock isn't an advantage you can abuse. What differences are there if the Rockets win by 1, as opposed to winning by 50? The whole point of having a lead is so you can use it, not because it looks better on the scoreboard. Weigh the cost and benefit of ISO vs running a play ISO has: Clock management. Low turnover risk, low transition opportunity for opponent. Good defensive setup, players can quickly get back on D, forcing half court set for opponent as well. All at the cost of a lower scoring opportunity. Set play has: Poor clock management. Turnover risk, leading to transition opportunities for opponent. Worse case scenario you turn the ball over and the opponent gets a layup, and barely any time is used up. Weaker defensive setup, players aren't in position to run back on D, which will lead to transition basket or unfavorable defensive matchups. All of these risks and disadvantages, with the only benefit being a potentially better looking shot that may not even convert. It's not rocket science.
