Here's my two cents of game plan. If I were Sampson, I'd start TD over Lin but as a sg. Harden can be the pg and facilitate. Make TD defend Parker. Lin is a very good defender but he just couldn't stop Parker. He can come off the bench and do his thing. If Asik or Parsons can't stop Duncan, I'd give TJ a chance. But if that doesn't work, we'll just have to outscore Spurs. PP needs to step up and box out on rebounding and help defending under the rim. If he doesn't and have a cold night, sub Smith in for the rest of game.
If this is a drama then let the "we are set to go" hype begin. When Harden came, we were worry about other other positions not stepping up leaving Harden to be double, triple, quad teamed. So in comes Parsons to break out. Then we were worry about Ppat and Asik and their post up games. And then in comes both of them to break out. Then we were worry about our PG and his swagger. Then in comes Lin swagger to break out. Then we were worry if our starting 5 was having a bad day, we'd lose cause of our bench depth. Then guess what guys, IN COMES THE BENCH TO KILL REVERSE A BLOWOUT GAME. All the pieces are set, and the final boss, the most consistent elite team of the NBA Spurs are in front of our eyes. We have all the pieces necessary to win. Tomorrow will be the day to test our limits. LETS GO ROCKET!
"..............for now Lillard gets the edge over Dion Waiters and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Most Improved Player: The Houston Rockets Yeah, I’m cheating on this award. I’m making the executive decision to let four players divide the Most Improved Player Trophy in whatever four ways they want. It will be like the Immunity Idols on Survivor that break up in a bunch of different ways when there are more than two tribes. James Harden, the obvious choice, has made a significant statistical jump thanks to a largely expanded role. However, Harden isn’t the only player in Clutch City who has shown an obvious improvement this year. Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik and Patrick Patterson are all completely worthy of the Most Improved Player award. The former Florida Gator, Chandler Parsons, would be my pick if I had to give out the Individual Immunity Idol style Most Improved Player Trophy. I always thought he could be a decent player in the NBA, but he’s made a noticeable jump this year. Sixth Man: Carl Landry, Golden State Warriors Ray Allen, Jamal Crawford, and JR Smith are the runners-up for the Sixth Man of ...." http://savingtheskyhook.com/2012/12/04/the-season-of-giving-nba-awards/
I like TJ but there's no way he can stop Duncan. The Big Fundamental's footwork is amazing. The experience can definitely help with TJ's growth/development; just don't expect him to be effective against Duncan.
It sucks waiting so long between games, but given how much the team has to work on, they're a major blessing. Imagine if we had signed Harden 2 days before the season LAST year? We'd be totally and unequivocally screwed. Every time we get a few days in between games, it gives the team time to practice and add new plays, work on chemistry, or solidify foundations. If the team development keeps up, we could be a very respectable team by the All Star Break. Not bad for a young and rebuilding team.
