What gives? It's been a consistent pattern in all of our playoff games. We go up 10+ by the end of the first or into the 2nd, then lose it and even trail by halftime. Several games have been won by incredible moments (for example Brewer hits 3s in game 1 last series, the alley-oop fest in game 2, etc) but nothing is sustainable. I get that in basketball everything waxes and wanes, but the Rockets take that to the extreme. This team needs to develop a killer instinct. Take all the life away from the opponent and never check out. Winning every quarter should be the goal, along with better timeouts to manage any momentum lost or gained by the other team. Carlisle and Pop are excellent at getting their teams up to this very task. I see McHale take way too long to call a good timeout or make a good sub.
It's actually been a problem the entire season and for several seasons (and probably as far back as you can look; they ARE a Houston sports team, after all). I know there have been a few, but the only real blowout I can think of from this season was the very last game against the Jazz. The team needs to constantly play as if it's behind and trying to mount a comeback. Even if they're ahead by 30. They never fail to lapse into comfort mode whenever they build a lead. I know it would be experimental, but I'd get them off the court and send them all to acting classes. I'm not an actor myself, but I've met a lot of them. I used to be a total skeptic about the usefulness of acting, but I've learned that it's actually a pretty-difficult learned skill to commit fully to the fictional character you're portraying and generate a realistic performance. The character that the Rockets need to commit to is the basketball player that's always urgent to stop the other team, is scared of losing the ball, and feels compelled to throw as many points as a team on the scoreboard as possible just to be safe. The demanding situation may or may not be real, but the performance can be still be real. The cold reality is the Rockets always get complacent when they're up, so maybe it wouldn't hurt for them to create a little fictional pressure for themselves, since they don't seem to do it in reality.
1) The offensive system leads to long stalls 2) Rockets defensive intensity has gone to hell the last month or so. Used to be what they hung their hat on.
Going 9-10 possessions without a single FG multiple times clearly tells you we have an unreliable offensive system that is if we do have a system at all. I highly doubt we have any structure because no team with an offensive system and strutcture to their play should go 9-10 possessions multiple times empty handed. What we do is chuck up hail Mary contested 3's when teams have a shot blocker and apck the paint. What this does is lead to long rebounds for the other team and easy transition fast break points and whoop a 13 point lead is gone, our momentum is gone, energy sapped out fo the building, players get anzxious, coach has zero clue what to do.
I agree 100 percent. losing Beverly has a lot to do with how good the defense was but Clippers without Paul at home?
It all comes down to whether or not the Rockets are hitting 3's. When they are hitting, they can build a nice lead. But when they start missing, other teams can come back quickly. That's what happened last night at the end of the 3rd and through the 4th quarter. The Rockets were either turning the ball over or missing 3's. And the Clippers got hit and were hitting their shots when they'd get the ball. It was that simple.
