[CSN] McHale after Rockets' tough loss to Mavericks

Where this team goes without our starting pg?

 

Harden hasn't looked 100% since bumping knees in the MIL game. His drives to the basket doesn't have the same zip and this allowed Marion to slow him down last night. Also was worse than he's been recently on the defensive end. Mayo still had to hit those big shots, but I don't think Harden checked Mayo very well at all.

Have to credit him for fighting through the injury, though. Just frustrating to watch when you know he can be better if healthy.

 

You should be traded out of Rockets Forum too..

 

Are we the only team in the league that allows their back up point guard to play in crunch time. I mean it was freakin Mike James.

 

Reported.

Help Clutch clean up the place by reporting obvious trolls.

 

It's going to be an ugly playoff series if he doesn't return to form.

 

McHale looked like he just wanted to smack the reports and go home. And I don't blame him. I can imagine the worst part of a coach's job is having to answer the media after a bad loss.

But he needs to man up and say something of substance. "I thought Patrick and Thomas gave us some energy." Well that implies that the guys sitting on the bench would not have given energy if they played. That's just a non-answer. Can you imagine DMo, Lin, and a well rested Asik don't play with energy?

At least give us some tactical reasons so that we can give you the benefit of the doubt, coach.

 

i'm not sure about that. harden struggled with mr. bankrobber ariza guarding him. Long lanky brothers give him trouble. Harden is the most blocked player in the nba, but that has a lot to do with him showing the ball to draw fouls.

On defense, I was disappointed with all of our guards. They all help too much and get caught looking inside and can't recover on rotation. Beverley did it as much as lin, lucky for them dallas pgs were bricking. Unfortunately for harden, mayo was swishing them. =/

 

I agree. That's why I wish he would relinquish the euro step/rake arms up move as the main move but acquire a reliable go to move with which he can utilize the euro-step as a counter punch. Jordan's post midrange shot or Hakeem's dreamshake are perfect examples. Multiple counters based off of one reliable go to move. Minimal energy expended with maximum results. Funny that these two are some of the best two ways players as well.

 

It's quite obvious that the coach tries to please Harden more than winning a game, and this makes him look bad a lot of times.

 

In many cases, it is because of Harden. Harden is the player I really don't like. He rarely tries hard on defense that really piss me off. He is eager to show everybody who is the best player on the court by doing this crazy iso play of one against five at the most crucial time. He looks never care if he turns ball over and compounds the mistake by not going back after that. He is one of the major reasons this team is bad in defense. This team will never go anywhere if he is the leader and the alpha dog of the team.

 

Coach McHeil is protecting Jeremy Lin from getting injured. Remember he is a "father figure" to Lin. Playing 24 minutes a game is not a bad strategy. People are mad bacause Beverley did not score in 23 minutes, that's because Brooks needs time to integrate into the team. Going forward Beverly and Brooks will likely share the other 23 minutes.

Lin fans, what if McHeil, under the pressure and tremendous criticisms, let Lin play 42 minutes next game against Warriors, and Lin suffers a bad injury? Then where will the team go? I remember when Derrick Rose had his terrible ACL tear injury during the playoff game against 76ers last season, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was blamed horribly by the local media and fans for playing Rose unnessarily during those minutes (it was the 4th quarter, with Bulls leading 7 or 8 points). This directly caused Bulls no. 1 in the east upset by the no. 8 76ers. But I have to say Tom Thibodeau is not a bad coach at all regardless.

Lin did not play clutch time because the team already has clutch player Harden and Parsons. And this season Lin had struggled so many times previously that no wonder Coaches do not have full faith in him yet.

"It is often hard to distinguish between the hard knocks in life and those of opportunity."

 

Man, you are now on the Harden stans hit list.

 

Ariza hobbled Harden in that game remember. That's the game where James really got hurt. Get him right in the knee.

 

serveral times lose at clutch time this season

 

I see. So McHale limits a healthy Lin to 25 minutes to protect him from injury, but plays Harden (who still hurting from the knee collision) 39 minutes. Perfect logic.

 

:grin:

 

Well, he did, sort of.

He said that they were trying to match Dallas' small lineup. You got Mike James, Mayo, Carter, Marion, and Dirk. McHale says he wanted Parsons on Dirk presumably because a big can't guard him on the perimeter, so that leaves all wing guys that presumably Asik can't guard properly.

I get it, but the point is that he played right into Carlisle's hands. He made McHale keep out the one guy who anchors the defense. Now we got players chasing guys out on the perimeter who don't really know the defensive schemes and rotations, and Dirk can operate, Mavs can grab rebounds. On the other end, you have no one to execute offense other than Harden isos. They had no interior defense and our starters would've exploited that.

I can't say that he's completely wrong in subbing by feel, but, IMO, he did not give the Rockets the best chance to win in the fourth quarter.

 

different backup PG, same mind-boggling 4th quarter decision by McHale. Old article written last month, but still holds true.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...quarter-minutes-continue-to-stunt-development

 

The only thing thats different on tuesday than monday in the nba is your **** blocking ass substituion paterns