Lol, you wanna restart that series with Kawhi out and see who wins? We've had embarrassing loses, no denying that,wether thats because of Harden or Dantoni idk...but im getting sick of it real fast. But that doesnt mean I dont believe in them, I know they can get us that chip.
I mean we're talking the difference between rings and nice, fun, deep playoff runs that end in disappointment. It's a fine line. Do the little things better. Have a better regular seasons record. Close out playoff series better, etc. Again, TALENT ultimately reigns supreme. But doing all those little things well helps, too.
Very good points. I get frustrated with the misses but this is exactly the type of post to remind me that at the end of the day it is all about the DEFENSE getting to a higher level. Need to be top 10. Need to be defensively like the 17/18 season.
If Gordon is in good form, there is gonna be no stopping us . For me , our season boils down to 1. Did the defense improve 2. Can we limit PJ’s minutes . Gordon coming back also gives us the luxury of getting James’ minutes down and the option to tune Russ down if he’s having a bad game . Our garbage time lineup will consist of rivers maclemore and Clark , and now maybe Clemons(I don’t know if I see his role clearly yet) What would be greeaat is if we could start blowing some teams out . We need to up our mental focus and really try to lock in our defense. Gordon is an excellent defensive player and his defensive range compliments hardens because it allows harden to guard the other teams bigger players more . Think about it , you’d rather have james guard someone who’s 6’8” than 6’2 (Generally , I think) . The bigger player has a higher chance of wanting to put his back to James and James is great in the post . Gordon us quick enough to guard most 1’s and 2’s ... and I’d think he’d allow Russ to guard other 2’s which actually I think plays to russ’ strength and athleticism . Of course James , Russ , and Gordon can all switch reasonably well in between the guard and smaller wing range . While James and PJ can switch when guarding bigger wings and forwards . Both can also guard centers for short stretches , it do have liabilities vertically and if the big is cutting off ball , neither one could stay with a fully engaged Anthony Davis IMO. Clint is good and I like him a lot . I’m naturally anxious so I’m worried about his heel injury and MDA playing him through it . Big dude and foot injury should take utmost precaution IMO But Clint is relatively spry . He’s a bit bigger than 1-2 years ago and doesn’t look like he’s lost much athleticism, sometimes he plays gassed or weak , but in general his physicality can be pretty good. He can be very quick to the glass . But I wonder about true 7 footers over a series . We used to be able to use nene as a change up , but I don’t think he or Tyson has it anymore , Hartenstein is way too raw (unless he learns to shoot) . Is Clint now where nene was a few years ago ? Did he lose quickness and perimeter versatility? Weve got some decent pieces , we just need to cobble them together . Sometimes the best defense is a good offense , so that will help . I think Gordon coming back (at the top end when he’s playing well) is HUGE . Naturally , he won’t always be in his best form and the team as a whole will not always be consistent . Do you think we need another piece ?
Absolutely, there’s a reason all these superstars began to team up. But I digress, let’s go back to bashing Harden who’s been loyal to Houston.
I...what little things? You mean like...discipline? Like the reason we lost was cause of roster issues? Like the rebounding that killed us ALL of last year, killed us against GS. When Chris Paul went down....so did we. It was just...idk. Mike will be gone if we dont win this year anyway. Then we can all see what the "little" things mean.
Yea let's see if that happens, that is....if we still have our team together after this season ...ugh.
