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James, Take a Deep Breath: You Got This and You Are Not Alone

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by vator, Apr 26, 2014.

  1. vator

    vator Contributing Member

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    It is time for James to take a deep breath and regroup. Considering how bad he has been shooting, we may actually be in a good spot if he can find his stroke. He is just too good to shoot like this for an extended period of time and he needs to know and believe that.

    We have been in position to win every game so far with the Blazers two stars killing us and he has yet to even crack 40% in a game. He played with better pace last game so he just needs to take that up one more notch. The start to this series has been rough. **** happens. Defenses are loaded up to stop him, the pressure was white hot at first, LMA was using an aimbot, Hack-a-Dwight spooked everybody, not getting the same respect from the officials, lots of missed shots that he'd normally make, etc. That said, he isn't the only one.

    James shouldn't doubt himself, he is the best in the NBA at his position and all he needs to do is take a quick glance around the NBA to see that so many other "star players" are presently falling short of their regular season averages and/or expectations. It happens, but it is what you do from here that people will remember most. I'm typing this fully aware that any of them (including Harden) can and maybe even will go absolutely nuts in the next game and at the end of the day, everybody will overlook how bad things have been up to this point as long as they win their respective series. I'm not defending Harden's bad shooting altogether because he is dribbling too much at times and taking way too many 3 pointers, but what he is going through isn't as unique to him as one would believe by reading the internet the past few days. He isn't the only one struggling to produce at the same efficiency so if he is being exposed, so are a lot of other guys.

    It would help if guys like Kevin McHale and Scott Brooks knew how to actually get their guys easier shots instead of isoing them on the perimeter the whole game and forcing them to expend so much energy breaking down their man one on one and beating whatever help defenders are sent at them. That works in the regular season, but the playoffs is so much more physical and every possession magnified. Get your guys some easy buckets to help get them going for goodness sakes!

    Nowitzki
    16 points on 7-19 = .368
    11 points on 4-14 = .286

    27 points on 33 shots for an average of 13.5 points per game on 16.5 shots

    Harden
    37 points on 13-35 = .371
    18 points on 6-19 = .326
    27 points on 8-28 = .286

    82 points on 82 shots for an average of 27.3 points per game on 27.3 shots.

    Westbrook
    30 points on 9-26 = .346
    29 points on 11-28 = .393
    23 points on 8-19 = .421

    82 points on 73 shots for an average of 27.3 points per game on 24.3 shots.

    Durant

    30 points on 10-27 = .370
    36 points on 12-28 = .429
    30 points on 13-25 = .520 (good game)

    96 points on 80 shots (not bad for an average player, but he is the MVP and has underperformed by his standards)
    For an average of 33 points per game on 26.7 shots.

    There are several other All Star players that I think aren't playing up to their name and have had multiple sub par games like Chris Paul, Paul George, DeMar DeRozen, and Roy Hibbert to name a few and I haven't even gotten into the next tier of guys like Monte Ellis for example. Guys like Steph Curry have just been kind of bad to average with his stat padding from a game 2 blowout loss propping him up a little bit. The playoffs must be exposing half the players that actually made the playoffs if we want to just focus on 2 or 3 game sample sizes. The point is, James and the team as whole can still turn this around. If they win at least one of the next two games anything can happen. If they win the next game, I love their chances. Go out there and defend, have fun, and play basketball. This is what you love to do and the moment you've been preparing your whole life for.

    Obligatory Video
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    #1 vator, Apr 26, 2014
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2014
    1 person likes this.
  2. chenjy9

    chenjy9 Numbers Don't Lie
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    One positive way of looking at this is despite Harden trying to build entire apartment complexes, the games have actually been really close. This is including LMA going totally bunkers with those impossible to block rainbow arching balls that almost seem to drop vertically into the bucket.
     
  3. tmacfor35

    tmacfor35 Contributing Member

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    Great Post.

    Let's hope that Harden's shooting percentage keeps rising game by game.

    He tore Portland up during the regular season. I expect that James Harden to come up big in game 4!

    It is your move James.
     
    1 person likes this.
  4. tmacfor35

    tmacfor35 Contributing Member

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    I have always been a law of averages guy.

    He is due a few dominant games. If he can make that happen in game 4, I would be pleased. Howard will do what Howard does, and that is completely dominate the interior. It is up to Harden and Parsons to step up. Parsons should just come out and relinquish the best SF talk back to Batum.
     
  5. sutton

    sutton Member

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    Why bother calculate this, without free throw data?

    Just use stats from nba.com with TS%, or Point per possession.
     
  6. RollsRoyce

    RollsRoyce Member

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    I believe in Harden. He's an elite scorer that has not learned how to adjust to Playoff bball yet. The refs are not giving him that contact move in the lane like he's getting in the regular season. He needs to go away from this shot and play more high pnr with Dwight, dribble handoff and look to open the floor with hitting his open teammates. Once he gets his assists totals up a little, that will open the floor for him to work during some of his late game iso's.
     
  7. vator

    vator Contributing Member

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    Calculate what? I was showing that they are shooting below average over the games they've played. If you want more extensive data, you obviously know where to find it, but TS% and points per possession are not necessary to show that they are all shooting poorly. Feel free to post that information if you like though. We've all been so focused on Harden's struggles, for obvious reasons, but I wanted to show that he was not the only star player having a rough start to the playoffs.
     
    #7 vator, Apr 26, 2014
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2014
  8. ksny15

    ksny15 Member

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    Good post!

    All the hate he's getting is a bit ridiculous. He only lead us to the Platt. Not his fault the team looks for him to do everything rather than tun plays on offense. Every other star in the league has is easier due to philosophy and coaching
     
    1 person likes this.
  9. strifed169

    strifed169 Member

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    Actually it is his fault since he has hte most pull on the team and can control what the team does at any time in the game, usually results in his selfish ISOs, and good thread, tell this prick he's not alone and he actually has team mates.
     
  10. Karolik

    Karolik Member

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    The biggest issue is that while Harden is struggling, LMA and Lillard have been balling. If they were struggling too it would've been okay.
     
  11. ksny15

    ksny15 Member

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    :rolleyes:
     
  12. cheke64

    cheke64 Member

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    Stop shooting 3s. Fans don't know any better. They say It's efficient and it's cool to watch. Not for me, it's puss ball. Parsons is like 1/10 last game. Smh
     
  13. ksny15

    ksny15 Member

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    That's our stupid philosophy. Moreyball won't win you championship
     
  14. thedude077

    thedude077 Member

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    Harden, stop hanging out in strip clubs too much and stop partying hard. And start focusing in the playoffs. Nothing is more important than basketball right now.
     
  15. pmac

    pmac Contributing Member

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    It's actually pretty simple.

    The refs aren't calling any fouls on the arms, in the paint, in the playoffs. All of those guys are getting slapped on the arms on drives and not getting calls they get every time in the regular season.

    It has absolutely nothing to do with great defense or "playoff intensity". The bigs are helping and hacking on drives with no repercussions. All of these guys set up the jumpshot with the drive and normally you can't play them so closely for fear of being blown by, leaving your big man to help. But, if you can just hack them on the arms, it doesn't matter.
     
  16. cheke64

    cheke64 Member

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    We aren't driving. The only person playing ball Dwight Howard
     
  17. saleem

    saleem Contributing Member

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    I always hated the over reliance on shooting 3's. Driving and dishing makes a big difference even if you turn over the ball to some extent.
     
  18. bullman0036

    bullman0036 Member

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    Troy Daniels' last 3 definitely helped. Harden is more likely to share the ball down the stretch. I think we will have a good offensive game in game 4
     
  19. howardsucks

    howardsucks Member

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    then now its aldridge's turn to get cold and start missing his shots. he already ran out of awesomeness and he's already showed all his cards,

    while Howard discovered his super human advantage over everyone else being the best center.. thanks to yoda hakeem who woke up the true power of dwight and told dwight to play like the best center in the game because he is.

    then now its harden getting back his confidence thanks to KDurants text about him being the best shooting guard in the league.

    this could be a complete turn around of awoken powers that Trey Daniels unlocked. now everyone gets their confidence back because if a d league dude can hit the big shots and go for the win, so can all of them. im excited. i hope the team realize these also.
     

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