ClutchFans Game Thread: Lakers @ Rockets 11/19/2014

serious question, do you look at the standings after the games or do you actually watch them? Do you even look at who they're playing?

 

Take your pick from last night's game: Dorsey, Black, Dmo all stunk it up on the floor for us. They were getting plays made on them, rather then being the one making the plays. On top of that, they commit ticky-tack fouls.

Now that i think of it, Dwight gets called on those ticky-tack fouls too. And all our big men suck at FT's.......who's training/practicing with these guys, seriously.

 

OKC is 3-10 and no one is freaking out. Why? They have been without their 2 best players and like just about any team don't have depth to overcome it.

Rockets are 9-3 and some choose not to freak out. Why? They have been without arguably their most important player in 2 of those Ls and have had multiple starters for multiple games. Like just about any team they don't have depth to overcome it.

I'm not gonna lie and say that I haven't seen anything troubling recently, but the amount of doom and gloom is out of control. It's early. Important players have missed time. Even talented teams can go through rough patches(CLE is 5-5). Roster likely isn't complete.

 

Dwight vs Kobe update:

 

Barely won vs. Philly at home.
Barely won vs. injured OKC
BLOWN OUT by Memphis.
Lose vs. Lakers at home.

Dwight weird late scratch to mystery illness and potential legal issues threatening a suspension.

Terrance Jones out indefinitely.

Absolutely ZERO front court depth.

Yeah, no need for concern at all.

 

I kind of feel sorry for the Rockets today. It feels like a funeral around here. I'm just not sure who I should be consoling.

 

And the Rockets NEED to dominate November... because the schedule in December is brutal.

They need to win as much as possible before December. They can't afford to be losing games while their schedule is soft.

 

That's the main issue right there!

We have 2 frontcourt guys. And both are out. We need to just bite the bullet, cut Black, and bring back Adrien. Just dooo eeeet.

 

Anyone else catch this last night? Kirby using all the vet moves.

 

People aren't freaking out in OKC because they've given up. It's pretty much already too late for that team to make the playoffs in the West unless they win 90% of their games when Westbrook and Durant get back.

Rockets are in trouble because their offense is ranked 22nd in the league, and that number's soft considering they've had the easiest schedule. Utah, Minnesota, Boston, Lakers twice, 76ers twice? We've been padding our stats against bad teams and still aren't a top 20 offense.

 

no its not. still way too early to tell on okc. 13 games in does not define whether they make the playoffs or not.

 

LOL

 

Fire Dwight, trade McHale, get Harden to sell!

 

Defensive rankings

GS - 2nd
SA - 3rd
MEM - 5th
OKC - 12th
MIA - 13th
PHI - 18th(2x)
BOS - 24th
UTA - 27th
MIN - 29th
LAL - 30th(2x)

Is that really an overly advantageous schedule so far? It's not strong, but it's not the pushover some are making it out to be.

 

http://espn.go.com/nba/stats/rpi/_/sort/SOS

 

The poster I replied to was concerned that our offensive output, while admittedly bad, was even more troublesome because we have played bad teams.

Teams with a bad record can be good at defense.

The winless 6ers are nearly a middle of the pack defense.

 

I don't think our offensive struggles strongly correlate to other teams' defensive prowess. I think they are legitimate and unavoidable. We started out the season shooting at what we knew was probably an unsustainable level. Now the 3s aren't falling like they were the first handful of games, we're stuck with a frontcourt duo that doesn't demand a lot of attention and lets guys sag off them to help on Harden, and we lack a secondary playmaker so that the offense grinds to a halt the second Harden sits. I think there is very good reason to be concerned.

 

This!

 

Kobe playing matchmaker for Harden and Garcia. What a sweet guy.

 

Yep, sadly.