So yesterday in TNT pregame show Barkley was huffing and puffing as to how the rox vs pels should have been on TNT. It was obvious he wanted the big guys to dump on the rockets and rip us apart. In Charles puny that would have vindicated that the game still belongs to big men and there is no room for analytics.. When rox have shown time and time again, how analytics is changing the game.. The Rox dont have dominant shooters, like Curry, Thompson, Korver, Reddick.. instead they have good shooters and they play the percentage game, if you keep shooting enough and you hit your percentages you will more often then not win; if you completely eliminate mid range shots and ensure 90% of your two's are in the paint you will increase your field goal percentage and total free throws.. Yesterday was one game, but you could so tell that all the so called sportscasters (ex 90's ballers) had a rooting interest in putting down this new age philosophy that I don't think they fully understand or appreciate.
I think analytics have merit and have their place... but I think you run the risk of oversimplifying things... Taking uncontested 3s can be very beneficial... but if you don't have a presence down low and the defense can just stay outside on the shooters - yer screwed... It's like in football... you can a great passing game, but if the defense isn't worried about your running attack and the linebackers can just drop back into coverage...
Please explain what puts Curry and Thompson in a different shooting category than Gordon and Williams. I recall something happening last Saturday that was particularly interesting.
Rockets biggest WEAKNESS is interior D. So the 2 headed monster of Boogie & The Brow the biggest pairing of bigs in recent times was supposed to DEMOLISH the Rockets inside, and manhandle their way to newfound succes. EXCEPT, that DIDN'T happen....? And not only did it NOT happen, the Pelicans got CRUSHED, by the PUNIEST player to get traded, and by backcourt/perimeter play. In an odd way, the Rockets LACK of interior presense actually DRAWS in the other team to try to pound them inside. Which actually makes the other team play the INEFFECTIVE style of ball to Rockets FAVOR lol. ("We'll let you play slow 15 feet in / We'll beat you quick 20 feet OUT") Now Boogie & Brow DID do DAMAGE vs Rockets. 60 points 20+ rebounds, 15 blocks/assists/steals. Pelicans have NO dynamic guards & wings outside Holiday. And David shot a poor percentage to get his points. But that IS the point - You need good GUARD and WING play and shooters ALONG with bigs, and even bigs need to stretch the floor.
Yes, we demolished the Pelicans. We've had meltdowns against the Timberwolves, Hawks, Spurs, Raptors and Grizzlies multiple times - why? Size and rebounding. The Pelicans don't have the guards, spacing, or intelligence to make use of their big men. Thank goodness. Tomorrow's game will be a good medium-level test.
Gordon and Lou are great but come on. Steph is the best shooter in basketball history off the dribble and when Klay gets hot it's scary
While last night's win was exciting, let's not get ahead of ourselves. And yes, we do need to figure out exactly how we are going to incorporate Lou into our already existing scheme but New Orleans is undergoing a much bigger transition and will have a much harder time figuring out exactly how they will maximize Cousins and Davos together... And how they will manage with being so weak at the wings. Yes, we looked really good last night. I hope we can maintain that level of play and that level of shooting. But no, I don't think that the first game after the trade deadline proves anything at all- for us, for NOP or for analytics. Not yet. Let's see how we do over the remainder of the season, and for that game coming up against them again on March 11th after they have had more time to figure things out.
Hmm, the NBA should organize a contest where they can shoot three pointers to see who makes the most. As a bonus, they could give best-shooter-of-all-time Curry a bunch of chances to make half-court shots for charity (even though we all know he can usually do it in one shot.)
Gee maybe they should make them play an 82 game season against actual defense.. Gordon is an incredible shooter... steph and klay are the 2 best shooters we've probably ever seen. Gordon ever put up 37 in a quarter???
With Steph it's not just shooting percentages, but the threat of the shot up to 30ft away from the basket. Just opens up all kinds of things for the other players on the court. Without question the greatest shooter in NBA history.
Agree. Size and rebounding have exposed Rockets. Heat and Whiteside another example. But then those games DIDNT have Lou Williams either . I'm WITH you there actually. Finals teams have BALANCE of bigs AND wing play. Big 3 Heat, Spurs, Warriors, Cavs all have bigs that do really well in EITHER rebounding, defense, or shooting, or any of those combos. Rockets have great FINISHING bigs. But they lack in the rebounding, defense, shooting (besides Ryno 3's). Need a more stout big, even if its just 15/20 mins game.
The 'run and gun' style got a bad rap because 'Defense wins championships'. However, this new run and gun style is heavily geared towards the 3, something we haven't seen before. The Rockets might not have the personnel of the Warriors, but it's the type of style that is high variance and efficient enough to beat them. The problem with the more recent Rockets teams is the noticeable lack of shooters, and those teams still did reasonably well. This current unit is downright deadly in that department, which is more than enough to compensate for our below average paint protection.
