LAST PLAY Harden missed Terrance Jones for the easy layup

dam...that was hard to watch

 

Literal millisecond window to see TJ, recognize the play and make the pass. Not to mention being willing to live with the consequences of giving up the ball in the most clutch situation

 

Hindsight--next time McHale will call a timeout.

 

I'm convinced that would have been a turnover...super tight window...high risk.

Safest play, all the way around, was call timeout once coach realized we didn't have numbers the other direction.

 

The window to find Jones was tiny with Thompson ready to pounce on anything other than a bounce pass that Jones usually drops, plus Green was lurking behind him and it was highly likely he was going to be allowed to pretty much tackle him rather than the official make a game changing whistle

The best play would have been the immediate long 2 or a TO, neither of which was what Harden had in mind when he started the break.

 

You have to keep in mind that the ball needs to be in the perfect position at the perfect time to pull off that pass. Small window and I think he just took a dribble.

 

Give credit to GS for great transition D

 

Green would have rotated easily, he even said after the game he had his eye on Jones big time.

 

Should have called a timeout. I understand not letting the defense adjust and get set but in a playoff series as tight as this one, every possession and play counts.

 

We should blame Ariza more, he drew Barnes in that corner and Harden didn't shoot because saw him coming from behind.

 

Once Dwight had the ball we should have called timeout plain and simple. Still had about 3s + on the clock to get a good look

 

Yeah that double team was a pretty good call. It just stings that Harden STILL was able to shake them and had the opportunity to take an open stepback

 

He stepped back and created space but elected not to shoot for some reason. Oh well, growing pains for a young team. Kobe actually airballed a game winner early in his career

 

I can't tell if you're kidding.

I don't think we should blame anyone. Obviously hindsight is 20/20. In the heat of the moment, McHale made the right call to let Harden run with the ball. The odds were in our favor that he would get a good look, a good assist, or draw a foul in that situation. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. I'm sure this haunts James already and he did not enjoy a fitful night.

And as someone already posted, credit G.S. for excellent desperation transition defense.

That being said, to hell with those ref-coddled a-holes. I want our boys to shove these next two games down theirs throats and go back to Oakland with sound and fury, signifying everything.

 

To be fair, he probably would've missed it.

 

Man that was PAINFUL to watch live and on replay over and over again. But the facts are there...James just made a very bad fast break play/decisions, after having an MVP type game.

First, everyone knows on starting a fast break, you want to try to keep the ball in the middle of the floor to allow your help to run and fill in the wings. James not only had the middle of the floor to take, but one fake move to the left like he went, and then a crossover back to the middle and he would have had Klay easily beaten all the way to the rim, or gotten a foul call.

Second, even after he chose to go left INTO the double team, after the initial step back, he did miss Jones for the easy lay up because maybe he wasn't aware of him running the floor with him. Nevertheless, while it was only briefly there, that was also a game winning pass that would have also giving him a TRIPLE DOUBLE for the WIN!

Third, when Dwight did catch the ball, he had a clear open path to the basket for either a dunk, foul, or alley opp to a teammate if the defender did pick him up. His decision to not drive, not call a timeout, but pass back to Harden who still had two defenders on him; was just as bad a decision as all the ones James made on that play, including asking for the ball back with two defenders still on you and not being aware of the clock ticking.

Finally, when James did get the ball back and realized he was being trapped, he should have called timeout, although it would have been only 1 or 2 seconds left, or just shot the ball, or drove much harder to the basket to create more contact because they were NOT likely to call a defensive or offensive foul in that situation. Instead of bullying his way through the double team, he tried to finesse his way through and got picked, albeit with minimal contact. So essentially he was not as aware of the clock there and wasn't as aggressive as he should have been.

All that being said, I'm not mad at James or Dwight. They showed up BIG and played their hearts out and put us in a position to win. That one play doesn't define how much they mean to this team..it was just a blown play. Sure, McHale could have called a timeout too, but his players were already in a position to win the game more than any time out play might have produced; but we just didn't execute properly.

We really should have won this game by 10 points or more, but any sane person watching this game knows that we played 5 against 8 the whole freaking game. These refs are a joke and it almost makes you want to give up watching the game, but they know they have you sucked in because you love your team. smh.

I think we win the next two at home by double digits each, and then win the series in 7 to go face Lebron and win the CHAMPIONSHIP!

 

I cant even imagine all of the things going through hardens head, he had that same look of desperation and confusion that curry did on that 8 second violation.

 

this.

sums it all up, for this play, minus the refs part maybe.