This is the second game he said something like this. Last week he commented that the team played too often with a "everything will be fine" mindset. Basically that they are the dog in this picture... Harden then echoed the comments by saying the rebounding issues aren't about the size of the boat but about the motion of the ocean...errr...rather no about size, about heart.
He's right. Attitude reflects leadership though and in this case I'm talking about Harden. He is too careless with the ball. Too lackadaisical. He's got to zone in more m and the other guys will follow. Dantoni also shouldn't have mentioned the fans a while back which sounded like excuse making.
Finally, first time I'm seeing some criticism of the team from MDA. He has been acting non-chalant and too easy going whenever they would lose.
Good to hear a coach who's not scared to hold players accountable for something like effort and heart. Could be a spark. We looked bored and satisfied with jacking up 3's out there without playing D. You can trade 3's for 2's but if the 3's don't fall, you gotta stop the other teams 2's lol. Let's see how we respond
Nice to see Harden agrees and admits it for the team. I suppose MDA had already told them in the lockerroom before media comes in for these interviews of MDA and Harden. Coach says, then player repeats it.
Dantoni should question some of those ****ing lineups he put out there tonight . i get that Lou is new and we are still trying to figure out how best to use him . But playing him 3 guard with James and Eric is a bit ambitious until he's gained more chemistry . none of those guys move off ball that well with Eric probably being the best and Eric also having played like **** lately .
I just don't know what he's thinking playing those guys . Not to mention the guys he paired them up with in the front court . He never had Capela on the floor with them . If you're going to try that combo you might as well try Dekker and caplela at the 4 and 5 given they are the best athletes on our team . ( at those positions )
Yeah theyre a lot more athletic when your front court of choice is nene/Anderson or Ariza . Clint and Dekker should've played together more . They are our most athletic front court combo . They get boardz . Also ... Nvm I'm tired of ranting .
Well this game was a good wake up call. Let's see how they rebound from here (pun intended). The pacers defended well the 3 point line and the paint, and we didn't have any adjustments for that. Just kept throwing hard shots. It's a lot about heart and effort, especially from Harden where he seemed out of it when things didn't go our way. But it's also game planning and adding sophistication to our offense and attention to details on defense (like the 3 at the end when Harden forgot to cover his guy). As for our offense, I was really hoping we will see more picks from the elbow and some more complicated setups coming back from the All-star break. Now we have a hard stretch ahead of us, it can build character. Let's hope we come up on top.
Coach McHale... I mean, Coach D'Antoni is right. Playing harder is key. We cannot rely solely on sneaky athleticism.
Yes, they need to play harder but you also notice trends with this squad. Like, we always seem to "not play hard" on nights where we face teams that defend us really well. Teams such as Memphis, Atlanta, Miami, Indiana, Utah, etc. I agree with the whole "play harder" concept, but you also have to look at "trends". We simply do not matchup well against some of those teams I mentioned and in fact they account for 9 of our losses right now. It comes down to strategy, effort and execution. The Rockets have problems with all three of those things when they play teams that feature length on the perimeter, size in the middle and can force their style of play on us and make us pay the price for going small. Sure, we could do better in the effort category but the strategy and execution are things that will be tougher to solve, and MDA is partly responsible here.
D'Antoni needs blood stoppers, guys who are naturally hungry and ornery. Larry Sanders, Smoove, Lance Stephenson are needed to give this team an edge if not a complete heart transplant.
