ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Wizards 2/23/2013

I'm not sure what McHale's game plan was but what happened to the line-up of Lin/Beverely/Harden/Parsons/Asik down the stretch??? I thought Lin did well in that last crucial play against Wall when he was going for the game winning shot and in result turn over?? I think Beverely was missing shots before McHale had to sit him out cause he was puttin the team on his back. Has Okafor been a clutch player before??? This Houston native was eaten up Asik alive down the stretch.

If Lin wasn't distributing anything down the stretch, I'd say just sit him out for the rest of the game and why was Beverly all the way on the other side of the court in that crucial position?

 

I hope Lin bounce back on Black History Night at Toyota Center, I got good seats for this one, come on Rockets let's get this win!!!

 

Ric Bucher: Are John Wall and Bradley Beal a better backcourt on which to build than Jeremy Lin and James Harden?

A case certainly can be made. The Rockets, overall, have more assets and obviously are better positioned, cap-wise, to take another big step forward, and Harden has been so good that he makes the Rockets' pair the choice all by himself, but as far as two players fitting together the strengths and weaknesses of Wall and Beal are far more compatible. I'm fascinated by the Rockets now, simply because of how they can bullrush certain quality teams and yet be completely vulnerable to far less imposing ones. They remind me of the Warriors under Don Nelson, Reigns I and II, or the Knicks during the short stretch, pre-Carmelo, when Amare Stoudemire was king. Can they get the personnel to be effective at more than sucking opponents into their up-tempo bombs-away style and, if they do, can the current personnel adjust? Is the Kevin McHale-Daryl Morey tandem the one that gets them there? Of any team in the league right now, the Rockets strike me as the one most capable of rising or falling in dramatic fashion. Those are the kind of teams that make for good stories and if I have a rooting interest for anything or anyone, it's the story.

 

Even if Lin sat out this game, people would still find a way to blame him for a loss. That's just the kind of attention his name brings in, and how ridiculous people are right now. In this case, Rockets were up by 17, and there's no way y'all can fault one guy for losing it.

 

It's debatable, heck last night they sure as heck were better than our back-court.. Let's see how Wall/Beal do next season against our back-court at Toyota Center.. This is awesome though, we got more competition for the best back-court in the NBA!

 

2-1 without Ppat and Morris against OKC, Nets, and the red-hot Wizards is pretty good.

 

i have to root for the mavs today because the rockets lost this game DAMMIT

 

After all star break, so far we beat OKC and Nets then lose to Wizards. Isn't this ironic?

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This is a tough loss to swallow. At least the Jazz lost to the Clippers last night.

We desperately need more depth on the bench, playing the starters heavy minute will come back and bite us.

 

Lin was just trying to help a short handed team by trying to play even tho he may be less than 70%. Thats what you want from your players and let the coach decide how much he can contribute.

Knicks and SA Smith criticized Lin saying he's selfish for not playing against the heat in the playoffs after his surgery. Now you want to blame Lin because he tried to play when he's sick with a flu but should of sat out??? Lin will get bashed either way by LOHs. He owes it to the team and the fans there to at least give it a go if it doesnt risk his health anymore.

You are just being a Lin hater.. Stop blaming Lin for everything. If its anybody's fault, its the coach but then he is only fullfilling a need on a shorthanded team.

 

It's more than just ironic... In essence it's a waste of the OKC win, smh.

 

Sick or not, Lin still played a decent game with the exception of scoring. If he had hit one or two of those shots the could be a W for the Rockets...but hey he missed a few and they loss to a very winnable team. Just to make everyone feel better, the best guard in the league in CP3, had another crappy shooting night going 2 for 8 last night against Utah. Talk about Lin being consistent...yes he's a consistent 12+ points and 6+ points a game this year so far. The way this team shares the point, don't expect Lin to have a much higher stat then this on this team.

 

I had hoped for improving stats from Lin but I think his 12 and 6 is what it is for the rest of the year. He will have 25+ point games going forward bu he will also have these sub-10 point stinkers as well and it will all even out. Smh, just when I thought his shot was coming back to form.

 

And can Lin sit himself? What do we need a head coach for in the game?

 

Felt the same way about Lin two minutes into the first quarter, but as I saw him gasping and his face pale getting close to the end of the first quarter, I knew something's wrong with him and hoped that McHale would sit himself for the rest of the game.

I guess McHale just couldn't do that because we were so short handed after the trade.

 

Yeah...still some odd 20 plus games left but probably not enough for him to move those numbers much. If he keeps improving his shooting, along with better chemistry and the Robison factor, it's highly possible we might see is PPG and APG fo up a few points next year....16 and 8 is very possible with just improved shooting and better integration with Smith, DMo, Asik, and Robison. If he gets more shots...I can easily see 18-20 and 8....which is All-Stars numbers for a PG position. Of if Morey blows it up again....Lin might not even be with the Rockets....

 

Unfortunately the Mavs are just as close to us as the Lakers, in the loss column. "Games behind" doesn't matter. But the losses are written in stone. And we're only 2 losses up on LA AND Dallas.

 

This means that going forward every game counts, especially games against opoenents riding on your tail. If the Rockets can close up the month with Ws for the two upcoming games and nail Ws against Dallas, Dallas, and GS (two tries to push Dallas down and 1 try to climb up pass GS)....they will be in much better standing to tackle the remaing March games.

 

Thanks for the quotes from Lin. They say it all.

 

NEWS FLASH: The Houston Rockets aren't going to win every game. Harden, Lin, and Delfino all had below average games, and it's going to be hard to win games when that happens.

After the big trade, it almost feels like the beginning of the season with new rotations and new players getting minutes. I think D-Mo and Beverley played very well last night and this is very encouraging.

I think the rest of the season is going to be a bit of a struggle at times as the team learns how to play with new players in the rotation. Removing PPat, Morris, and Douglas from the rotation is a big shock to team chemistry and it's just going to take some time for new players to settle into their roles.

I hoping that Robinson at some point before the end of the season can make a contribution, and I'd like to see Ohlbrecht brought in to provide some depth at the center position.