ClutchFans Game Thread: Raptors @ Rockets 2/28/2012

Scola haters jump on the smallest things when given the opportunity. He was poorly in his last sub in but wasn't the defensive hole he was made out to be. Had Amir well guarded a few times but when a player has a left handed hook shot bounce in the guy it's a bit of lucky and feeling it.

 

Oh ok thanks...I'm just happy we won....winning ugly is better than losing pretty..mchale always talks about winning these types of games...

 

Which is kind of funny if you think about it, because that's the JVG philosophy.

 

Could not agree more. I like the Mchale hiring to begin with because of this reason. Anytime you have a coach that played in the best years of the NBA and has a mindset of play hard or ride the pine, will be successful if the team buys into it.

 

LOL at DD.

 

21-14 god every win just feels great !! as ugly as it was it was one of those games last year we wouldve lost but this year kyle is stepping up and kmart making some gd plays

 

- The raptors' commentators were in love with Lowry's game, and rightfully so.

- I wonder why McHale goes with Scola at the end. We really needed Dalembert's shot blocking and rebounding in end game situations.

- Parsons proves time and time again that he is the next Battier with his uncanny ability to be in the right place/time for big winning plays.

 

We also have Parsons who brings the extra clutch factor in the 4th quarter. Last year, it was all Lowry, all day.

 

Go Nets go.

 

Did you wife just give birth during a Rockets game?

 

Except I see Mchale not inclined to contemplate slitting his wrist at each and every defensive break-down, and more inclined to temper his criticisms with genuine compliments of what a player did right.

 

I wanted Dally subbing in for Patterson for his shotblocking but my guess is the offense had gotten cold and the Raps were starting to hit their shots. So he was looking for more offense?

 

No-one came into this year as a "Scola hater". Everyone admires his iron man work ethic and hustle and his crafty play. The problem is he's just been making too many mistakes. It's not for lack of trying, but whether it's because he's showing his age, cramped season, league has figured him out, or some combination of the three, he is turning the ball over a lot more, rebounding a lot less, and playing worse defense than he ever has in his time here.

It has gotten really frustrating and predictable to watch him try to post up and get the ball stripped, and watch any PF with the slightest modicum of athleticism blow by him for an easy bucket.

I think he can still be a useful player, maybe even a starter, on a team with a really good center to cover up for his weaknesses. He works good as a garbage man, hustle guy, and open-jumper-shooter. The problem is that he's turning into a liability on this team which already has a glaring deficiency at the 5.

 

This. JVG has his heart in the right place, but to me he lacked connectivity with the players, which is IMHO he always opted with bringing the Knicks players back just 'cause they know his style.

Mchale doesn't have as good an X and O, but those stuff can be learned in time. What I like about him is he seems to be just as invested in winning games as his players, and I think that's something players appreciate. Last year you always had players saying "I don't know what we're supposed to do" during interviews, now even if the offense has become so ugly you don't read players making these kinds of comments...except for T-will lol.

 

McHale: That was an ugly one but found a way to do it. Fantastic game by Kyle overall. We were not sharp offensively. Need to be much much better. We had breakdowns on D when we couldn't have them. We need to tighten those up. We didnt have flow on either side of the ball. A very difficult game to get a flow for us but we found a way to win. ... We laxed a little bit. ... We couldnt get a hold and a hoop and a hold a hoop to get something going. A very disjointed(or was it difficult? Ha) game.

 

4 back of SA in the loss column, wonder if we can catch them?

 

DaDakota Lost.

 

Rockets win (ugly) Mavs lose to a junk team..

happy days all round

 

This Rockets team is different. We've had plenty of teams in recent years that lost the ugly ones, or even worse lost ones where the other team played ugly and we did a lot of the right things but still lost.

This season it seems like half of our wins have come in the ugly style. I'll take all the wins we can get. I'm happy for every single win. Maybe it's a good sign that our team is getting the ugly wins for a change.