Sometimes you just have to tip your hat off to a guy playing like a MVP / HOFer. LMA may not be a household superstar but he's making shots like he's Kevin Durant or prime Dirk. This series is exposing a big part of the Rockets. We rely heavily on transition points, and when we don't get stops, our offense suffers. Our halfcourt offense is a complete joke. Harden tries to create something almost every time down, even when the play isn't designed for him. When Harden can't create or make a bucket, there's no way to win. I don't fault McHale because I believe Harden is the one who WANTS to control the offense. McHale can only support Harden since the NBA is a players league. Right now our offense is terrible, but whether that's because we can't get stops is only part of the issue. Good offense beats good defense, and it definitely beats mediocre defense every time.
It's the battle of the unstoppable force and the immovable object! Does good offense beat good defense every time? OR Does defense win championships? Dun dun dun!
Would love to test this theory, but the Rockets haven't played anything close to remotely resembling good defense with any consistency at all in this series.
Have you heard something like "defense wins a championship"? I would say a good defense beats a good offense every time.
From what I see, Asik defense LMA pretty well. He makes him take tough fadeaway J's, but they are still going in. Like McHale said it's hard to double a guy in the high post who can make quick moves.
We don't have good defense. Yes, we have defensive players that execute to the best of their ability individually, but good team defense will trump good offense. Look at the Spurs, Bulls, Pacers, even the Heat who all rank 10th or below in points. Both Asik and Dwight actually played as good 1-1 defense on LMa as you can possibly play. However, we don't really have a defensive system. We just scramble to the open man and make it seem like we have decent defense with our athleticism. Having a defensive hole like Harden is a big liability in the playoffs. But because of his offensive scoring, I can let it pass as he is a decent on-ball defender. However, when you have last night where he doesn't even produce offensively, you're gonna have a bad time.
You have to fault a coach that can't control his players...wtf is the point of the coach? Why not just go out there and play street ball then?
Basketball is player one both ends. It is not simplified. Do you not see how much energy we spent to defend, and yet cannot stop those guys? Combine that with stagnant ISO on offense. It is the reciepie of failed Game 2. That is on coaching.
