ClutchFans Game Thread: Blazers @ Rockets 1/15/2020

I just watched the full interview.
https://www.nba.com/rockets/video

Yeah, he opens with saying some players are worried about their own concerns. But he listed focus on coming back from nagging injuries (PJ, Ego, Capela) "taking you away from the collective spirit", "but that's just an excuse", not like actual selfish mindsets Melo/Dwight-style.

You're right; it wasn't rye-humor about losing your man. But I'd feel disingenuous as a reporter to turn that interview into saying Rockets are selfish and chemistry is breaking up.

 

just watch the interviews at NBA.com. Post-game articles are rarely anything else.

https://www.nba.com/rockets/video

 

oh lord u dont get it. bro im a seqson ticket holder. i watch every single game. of course i see them do that.


so why is harden taking the ball uo the cpurt then is they just gonna double him.


i repeat u have another hof gaurd mvp guy on ur teqm with him. let russ take it up the court...i repeat guy can give u 30 triple dub a game. they making it harder on themselves just cause harden cant do anything if. they wont double hardem if he dont have the ball bro. stop being dumb. that stuff only work cause there offense is predectqble. harden brings it up almsot everytime. no reason for that with russell westbrooke on the team.

u making excuses n im not letting u get away with the nonsense like thats the only way they can play. bs. its alot of talent on this team. u can run plays. but know they caught im this best iso player in jistory thing. which means jack. that aint winning a title.

 

no it isnt bro...come on u being q rookie. thsts on the players. a players only after just 2 loses is healthy to me. i like this. russ is the leader we all knew he was. i ratger it happen now before the season lost

 

It feels like last year when they were on a bad slump. They need to right the ship

we need some trades badly.

 

This is not a good team -- it is what it is. The coach isn't good at his job. Outside of the top 2-3 guys, the players on the roster are not particularly talented overall and do not excel at the skills most necessary to fit in this system. The owner has hamstrung the GM such that there are very few, if any, realistic avenues to cure the talent deficit. Harden covers a multitude of sins when he is playing like himself, which is a gift and a curse. It's amazing to watch him play when he has it going and can't be stopped, but you're forced to see the team for what it really is when he's off -- and it's not good.

With most teams, whether good or bad, you can look at the schedule and make reasonable predictions about matchups where you should be favored and those that probably won't be optimal for you. You can't even do that with this team anymore. I'm not sure there's such a thing as a "team they should beat" at this point. They can and will lose to ABSOLUTELY ANYBODY, and that level of inconsistency and volatility does not bode well for the steadiness required over the course of a seven-game series.

I'm tired of the "it's one game" excuses, or the "they just play down to their competition" defense. This is an ongoing, seemingly chronic issue and there are so many holes that plugging one just exacerbates another. If they manage to pull a win out of their asses against the Lakers, my opinion will remain the same. The inconsistency is maddening and it isn't fun to watch a team that renders you incapable of feeling confident about any matchup on any given night. I mean, I'll keep watching because I'm a masochist, but yeah.

 

Trades won't fix the coaching and the effort level

 

This is the truth.

 

No lies here.

 

Makes sense. Because that was a BIG issue last night. Perimeter defense was atrocious. I don't bag on Harden much because he does so much, but his defense was awful last night.

 

Go away then.

 

Harden's defense was as bad last night as his first year with us. Absolutely no effort given. Lillard and McCollum didn't even have to use any moves to get by him, just straight drives, leading to open corner threes to which harden yells at our help defenders to stay at home for (giving up the easy 2 for Whiteside). 3-4 consecutive scenarios just like this when we cut the game to 6. Maybe harden should sit some games if he's going to give that kind of effort.

 

I'll still be mad if they manage to beat the Lakers. I'd gladly trade them taking care of business the last two games vs a Lakers win.

 

Everything you listed after the first sentence probably explains the first sentence.

 

Either Harden plays ungodly and we win or he doesn't and we lose.

Roster is basically garbage outside Harden / Capela and occasionally Gordon.

 

didn't harden say the team talked about everything. yet wb apparently was the only one who actually talked reportedly

 

Im gonna ask honestly, no judgement. What do you guys think a "good" coach could do with this roster? I wanna know? Like who on this roster do you wanna run more plays for specifically? What do you want except Hartenstein getting more playing time?

 

Russ has been carrying this team for the last month. We’ve actually been better with James off the court. Smh

 

nothing really, I trust MDA, just continue to coast until the playoffs then just increase intensity on defense

 

media conspiracy