The numbers don't lie. Rockets APG: Harden - 6.9 Lawson - 3.9 Smith - 3.3 Bev - 2.5 Ariza - 1.9 Howard - 1.5 Brewer - 1.5 Spurs: Parker - 5.1 Manu - 3.4 Duncan - 3 Kawhi - 2.5 Aldridge - 2.5 Mills - 2.5 Green - 1.8 West - 1.7 The Spurs average more APG meaning they have better passING and a better system in place. They have smarter passing and players. But the Rockets have better passers in Harden, Smith, and Lawson (who isn't used much). The fact is our top 4 is better than their top 4.
LOL the numbers can lie absolutely. those assist numbers don't take into account the difference in basketball iq the spurs have and that's the major difference in the better overall passers the Spurs have over Houston. Then take into account how many TO's go with those. who cares about the top few. harden's apg is inflated bc of his role on this team in which he plays.
I take back some of what I said. I forgot Lawson and Harden only look good on paper. They are terrible defensively. It took the Nuggets scoring so many points to make up for Lawson's defense every night and even then they weren't that good. The Rockets problem is they have too many one-dimensional players. That mid range shot opens everything up, including the passing lanes and solves the turnover problem. I would rather have Jones taking an open 18 foot jumper or Beverley pulling up from 16-18 feet if it means the Rockets turn the ball over less, and get more offensive rebounds/tip-ins. The problem is when that happens our bigs are like WTF and they don't expect it so they don't get the offensive rebounds while the Spurs big men are right their to cover and the Spurs PG knows this as well. But we got J Smoov
Still, knowing what the Spurs want to do on offense is something you can teach your players. Getting those stops is how the Rockets beat teams in transition to win games.
Analytics has made coaching more valuable because it now allows the smart coaches the ability to integrate significantly more information. Pop/Spurs might be the shining example of that integration, with how their style has changed over time
The lack of a system to create easier shots compounds the defensive inconsistency. Defense requires energy, more so than offense. But with no system to help them on the offensive end, they either 1) expend too much energy manufacturing shots on their own; or 2) don't receive the benefits of getting re-energized by easy points, nor ever get into any state of flow.
