ClutchFans Game Thread: Mavericks @ Rockets 11/24/2019

more appropriate? he continues his westbrick campaign again tonight. and this time he added point blank layup that he smoked that killed the momentum

 

That’s what I thought

 

Yikes

 

I was actually gonna place a bet on the Rockets when I go to Vegas next week, but man, if MDA refuses to play Hartenstein and Clemons more and doesn't pick up another forward I just can't see us winning any Championship.

Give the young guys a chance to develop man! I want to see Clemons hit some 3's and Hartenstein block some shots. Use Hartenstein as a forward and let him shoot.

 

I've been watching for 27yrs and ever since the CP3 injury, for the first time I've been able to turn games off when they're going so bad, not watch for a few games, etc. Its just too maddening. Honestly, I may need to just about avoid Rockets this next week to keep my sanity. The inconsistency of our team drives me crazy, and if Harden isn't scoring 40 then we lose, which is fcked up.

 

I put this in the Bench thread but I think it could use some burn here.


Our bench needs real work right now without Gordon.

Per stats we're the lowest in the league in ppg from the bench, I'm not a huge stats expert but I did find numbers.

Bench PPG league rankings (Houston last right now)
https://stats.nba.com/teams/traditional/?StarterBench=Bench&SeasonType=Regular Season&sort=PTS&dir=-1

But we're 11th in +/- before this game, which is good.
https://stats.nba.com/teams/traditional/?StarterBench=Bench&SeasonType=Regular Season&sort=PLUS_MINUS&dir=-1

Our bench is second to last in regular FG%
https://stats.nba.com/teams/traditional/?StarterBench=Bench&SeasonType=Regular Season&sort=FG_PCT&dir=-1

And 21st in three point%
https://stats.nba.com/teams/traditional/?StarterBench=Bench&SeasonType=Regular Season&sort=FG3_PCT&dir=-1

Long story short, if teams keep hitting us with the hard double to Harden every play we need the bench to step up and be consistent to make other teams respect thier offense.

 

Apparently, our championship hopes rely on young benchwarmers and an unnamed forward.

 

He bricked one of those spectacularly in the Clip game too, going for some reincarnation of Dr J's finger roll instead of just putting the f#$%ing ball in the f%$#ing basket.

My point is, the team can live with 40%FG Russ. They may not like it, but they can live with it. (They'd better; he's here for four more years, and I doubt he's going to improve over that stretch.) They can't live with 30-35 percent FG Russ, like in the Clipper-Pacer-Blazer stretch of games. Though they did win all of those... He's averaging 8-19 to 20 per game on the year from the field. https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3468/russell-westbrook

This is what you should expect from Russell Westbrook as a shooter from now on. So why be mad about it?

 

lol imagine this. now the rockets hopes are about playing clemons and IHart. my how things have changed

 

MDA simply doesn't trust young guys. Thats been his thing his entire coaching career.

He will only play clemons, harty, or clark when hes forced to due to injuries.

Asking MDA to change his stripes is like asking Russ to be a good 3 point shooter.

 

nah they won't live. why be mad about it? bc he shouldn't be shooting this many jumpshots. its common sense.

ben simmons hasn't had a jumpshot in this league and he has no problem limiting it. neither does mvp giannis. yet they still impact the game in a number of ways

 

Russ just did fine as well as the other starters. It's the bench Sherlock that killed us in this particular game.

Your obsession with Westbrook is sick. Seek help, man.

 

russ did just fine lmao. you're delusional. a -23 is just fine.

I'm not the one starting threads 3 games in. that's you

 

McLemore truly should not be playing anymore. He is a disaster.

Let Clark play

 

Their championship hopes rest on not burning out the legs of their studs during the regular season. We know that's starting to happen now with MDA going on about the team's dead legs for this game. At home. Not on a back to back.

To not burn them out, someone needs to play their minutes. There is no Gordon, and an intermittent House . (Thank God Capela didn't get his face broken by that cheap shot foul from Green, the other game.) So, someone needs to play. And do something besides bricklaying, like Rivers and Mac did today.

Hence the sentiment to play the youngins.

 

Russ has been fine. When they feel like playing defense, they win. When they dont, they lose.

Harden trying to dribble in between defenders in crunch time leading to a turnover which seals the game. Hes gotta stop this.

 

I want WB to drive the pace, use his fantastic energy in transition to put the defense on its heels, and slash to the hoop. If his way is blocked, kick it out to Tucker, House, any of our other shooters, or James, if James has made it to the backcourt by then. I don't want him shooting anything outside 15 feet, preferably not outside 10. He usually can't make them anymore.

I would love to see MDA try a version of six seconds or less with Russ. I think that might work with his strengths. I'm not sure what the Rockets are doing instead.

I agree with you: enough with the midrange jump shots already. I count 1-4 from ESPNs shot chart for him.

 

I'm getting there and have been a fan since I was 10 in 1976 and saw Moses Malone play. Thgis team just isn't good enough AGAIN its really that simple, was not a fan of the trade for Russ but not much can be done about it now, yeah we may not have been any better than we are now with CP3 maybe worse, but we wouldn't have wasted all the picks on a dude who just can't carry a team as a number 2 option when Harden isn't on the floor. I feel bad for Harden but t the same time he does some maddening sh** sometimes 2-15 on 3's when he was getting to the hoop at will makes no sense but thats who he is every couple of games as I would love him if he had hit 7-15. Just frustrating to get stomped at home by the Mavs ugh ! carries more on his shoulders than anny other player out there year in and year out but that's on him and Morey and Dantoni . Dantoni, ugh don't know what to even say about him anymore he's a huge reason this team jsut doesn't seem to have a direction a lot of the time, the defense we thought was so good was putrid tonight fro 3 qtrs, ... This team just isnt good enough AGAIN.

 

I don't think we can call them hopes, but it is about just being able to put who we believe would be a better shooter. Replacing Mac for Clemons in the rotation may do a lot for our bench that isn't giving us anything.

I would of thrown Isiah in tonight since Chandler wasn't looking good. Not saviors but just good adjustments for a long season. Hell they may turn out to be good rotation players who may help us a lot later in the season. Certainly that isn't unreasonable. We have the capability to win in the playoffs.

 

Praised the Rockets against Portland for having such a nice streak and then they lose 3 in a row....team identity disorder in full effect