ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Spurs 12/28/2012

Wrong game bro, we're playing the Spurs tonight

 

This post on the NYK board pretty much sums up the two ways the SAS game (or any HOU game, for that matter) is going to go. Believe it or not, HOU's fortune revolves not around Harden or Lin, but around ASIK:

Okay, Omer, we are counting on you tonight.

 

Excellent post with the Knicks fans comment.

 

Yep. Gotta take care of the Spurs first and worry about OKC later. :grin:

Tough B2B games though.

 

If we can pull out at least 1, that would be an achievement in my books.

 

Omer Asik will register his first 30pt, 30 reb game of the season.
Rockets win by 15.
120-105

 

I hate facing the Spurs. They're always tough, even when playing their scrubs.

 

I don't really know, but the bench depth is my biggest concern right now (no offense intended). The starters will be exhausted by the 8-men rotation someday. There has to be someone off the bench stepping up & get the starters some rest.

 

The Spurs are healthy again with all their players back. as much as I loved Harden's 4Q heroics last game it was against a poor defensive team and Cunningham was their rim protector instead of Pek who was sick on the bench.

I think this will be a game where Patterson's value on the floor will be obvious for all.

 

Will Mook Morris contain another All-Star Power Forward? If Morris somehow contains the best Power Forward in the game, I'm all for making him a permanent fixture in the starting line up.

 

Well I'll try to start unravelling the inane commentary of this quoted NYK fan. First of all, as I said in a previous post last year, we have NEVER run an iso play. We don't have an iso play call, and if you know basketball, you'd know that having a guy dribble around with 8 seconds on the clock just means the set or action they were running either was imploded by good D or bad O, and it is not a set play call.

Running an iso play looks like this: You space the weak side with top of the key, slot, deep corner, and run a big in the mid-to-high post (on the weak side). You will see this exact play run by Boston, Miami, and the Lakers. The other way to "iso" a player in the NBA is to flatten out along the baseline and let him go to work up top. This is usually what teams do at the end of quarters/the game.

When your action runs its course, some individual players (on our team: Harden, Marcus Morris, and TD mostly) turn the play in to a isolation play. The play was NEVER called for an iso, it's what the action flowed in to because they got the ball near the end of the set. I literally have never seen the coaches call an isolation play this year. In fact, the antithesis is true. I've seen players holding the ball while 2 coaches are standing up giving the wheel sign like "get off the ball and move!!" many times.

People who don't understand what actions there are in the NBA, have absolutely zero business talking about coaching schemes. And since that cat is from NYK, we can guarantee he doesn't know WTF he is talking about. But wait, he did watch 20 of our 28 games on LP, right?

 

This is going to be a very tough 2 days.

Days 3 and 4 in a back to back against SAS and OKC right after a Chicago and Minnesota back to back? Someone must have REALLY ticked off the league to get THIS schedule.

SAS is going to be very tough. Best ball movement in the league, arguably one of the best PF's in history (Duncan), one of the best PG's in the NBA (Parker), a future HOF coach... and oh yah, they're crazy deep.

The SAS bench alone could beat up on half the starting units in the NBA.

We do have a chance... they're significantly older than the Rockets, but they are still a fast paced team (3rd highest in the NBA). Their defense is good but not great. Unfortunately, their ability to score is ridiculous.

Spurs are 3rd in PPG (104.9), 3rd in average scoring margin, 5th in offensive efficiency, 11th in fast break points, and 13th in fast break scoring efficiency, and 2nd in shooting percentage (48.0%).

The Spurs get a lot of their points in the paint and the 3 point line.

The Spurs are 4th in 3 points scored and 4th in points in the paint. Containing Duncan at the block, Parker on PnR off screens and still closing on 3 point shooters will take a herculean effort.

In other words, I don't expect us to be able to slow down their scoring a lot unless they're having an off game. No single player stops Parker except Parker. We'll need great help defense and fast close outs on the perimeter.

On the bright side, we're younger than they are and our offense can play into some of their "weaknesses".

The Spurs are 28th in Offensive Rebounding, so we should get most of our own rebounds. They are 3rd in Defensive rebounding, so it will take some serious effort to get 2nd chance points. They're 14th in turnovers per possession, so if we can pressure the passing lanes and get some steals it should lead into our transition game, which is where we want it.

The Spurs are 15th in opponent points scored (average), 9th in allowing opponent points in the paint, 4th in allowing 3 pointers, but 19th in allowing fast break points and 10th in opponent fast break efficiency.

If we can get on the run, crash their glass and get some offensive rebounds, and pressure their passing for some steals we got a decent shot at this. In other words, we need to make this a fast paced game and turn this into an old fashioned shoot out.

Make them out score us and hope our buckets fall.

Very tough game. The odds are against us given this is the 3rd game in 4 nights IN San Antonio (they're 11-2 at home).

I'd be VERY happy if we took 1 win out of Spurs/OKC. I wouldn't be shocked if we lost both. If we won both... well, I think I'd have a heart attack. :grin:

 

His complaint may not be technically accurate in so far as what the Rockets are doing when they make adjustments to go away from setting picks for Lin, but his observation on the two Rockets modes was dead on.

HOU's fortune has been directly proportional to how many/few pick they were committed to setting for Lin in a game. When HOU is committed to it, they have looked unstoppable, when McHale or Sampson made adjustments to shy away from setting those picks, HOU has looked pretty average/bad.

The funniest part about that post though was the observation on how "The Hard Way" mode is triggered: Two fumbled passes by Asik in PnR early triggers "The Hard Way." I remember that from the TOR game, but thinking back on the MEM game, that was the exact trigger as well.

Was just laughing so hard when I read that.

 

I don't really see us winning this game, I think we've won in San Antonio like once in the last 5 years, something crazy like that. Hoping for the best.

 

Ditto.

A couple of bad passes to Asik early in the game triggers the panic button and we go to plan B.

 

Rockets spread for this game is a +8.. Can we they do it? Or will they get blown out again just like the last time we were in SA?

 

OKC was hurting after the Christmas loss to the Heat, plus OKC was very sloppy until the overtime plays KD & Westbrook made against Dallas yesterday. Hopefully, Westbrook continues to shoot the ball and Houston will have a good chance to win tomorrow. Focusing on Spurs tonight may be too exhausting for them to be ready for OKC on Saturday?

 

I meant the MIN game, not the MEM game, obviously.

 

1st off _ you can't continuously run pics for JLin because his outside shooting is horrific. So since Lin's outside shot is suspect, the opposing team doesn't have to fight through the pic _ they can just sag back and give him the outside shot and defend against the drive. Which is why a majority of JLin's outside shots are uncontested. And they can't run the offense through Lin on a consistent basis because he can be a turnover machine as well. During his magical 26 game run last season (25 of which he started) he averaged 7.6 assist and 4.3 turnovers ---> THAT'S HORRIBLE for a point guard. But people forget that this guy is still pretty much a rookie and still developing and learning.

2nd _ the Rockets HAVE to run isolation plays...!!! They have no consistent back to the basket low post player. But they do have two guards (Harden and Lin) who can get to the basket.

So its not ROCKET science why McHale runs the plays that he does.