He's slipping right in front of your eyes. Our best perimeter defense is Bev. Harden will need to step up on those guys you mentioned. Our best interior defense is Harden/Nene at the 4/5 defensively against power teams. Opponents try to post Harden up with mediocre results. You have the other smalls attack and chase guys off the three-point line. Then on the other end we got threes and layups running out our ears and our lack of great playmaking is mitigated as much as possible by having such quickness mismatches at all the spot-up positions with all the guys being able to catch-and-shoot or attack against bigger, slower defenders attempting to close out. Ariza will get his minutes. But when we're closing teams out in the playoffs, the lineup I gave you will have to be finishing the majority of games if we are going to win a ring this season.
There is no show Eric Gordon should be running. Lou has got to attack relentlessly at all times to be effective, which isn't really what this offense is always about. But good things happen when Lou Williams attacks, regardless of if he's making shots or not.
I love Bev's defense but he doesn't have the length to keep up with the Kawhi and Durant or even Hayward (potential playoff opponents)
Without Ariza, we'd be a run and gun team with no perimeter defense lol. As much as anyone wants to bash or not utilize Ariza within the main line up needs to be drug tested FR. Obviously, I ain't fogetting about Bev...
Ariza no longer has the speed/quickness to keep up with Kawhi/Durant/Hayward for extended minutes. He can stick them for a few minutes. But not 30+. This is another factoid we've watched play out all season. Go watch the video of those matchups.
You're delusional if you think Bev can guard those guys when he giving up about 9" in height and several in length.
Rockets are #4 in the league in perimeter defense of 3ptrs (Opponent 3P%), in large part because of Ariza and Bev....secondarily because this MDA offense takes the opponents out of their game plan and makes them uncharacteristically shoot more 3s to try to match our scoring...which they fail to do at a good %. The three teams ahead of us: GSW, BOS, SAS
the rockets have a ton a diff lineups that are very effective. It's all matchup based and game flow and a strength of the rockets team this year in their depth because they can throw out various lineups. That is nice on paper but is not the only lineup that is "best"
I don't ike that lineup either, but we need a forward to step in for Ariza and Anderson who is a good 3pt shooter.
Did I say that? Nope I didn't. We don't have anybody that can hold Kawhi just like they don't have anybody that can hold James.
Care to bet that won't be the only lineup finishing a game in the playoffs. I can pretty much guarantee ariza, ryno, and even capela will be in the game within the final minutes at some point. It's funny how people think their lineups are best based on nothing and that's how it has to go. That's not how it works. it's not fixed in stone. There's absolutely nothing on the bulletin that says those 5 guys will be finishing every playoff game.
you just said it will be in closing time of playoffs. clarify that first then if you're going to backtrack
Talking about who closes games is all fine and dandy, but many top-performing playoff teams in history win with bench play. The Bev/Gordon/Williams lineup (the subject of this thread) needs to run the opponents off the court. Not sure why we need to change the subject to who closes out the game. Just weird derailment of the thread, per usual.
The only consistent scorer in that lineup is Harden, and 3 guards can't cover as well as 2 forwards with the tall guys.
What I said was if we win a championship this season it will have to be with the lineup I gave you closing the majority of games. We cannot win a championship with Capela closing games.
no that's not what you said but once again clarify to begin with if your going to backtrack. You're all over the place, nobody can read your mind
