Face it, folks, the Clippers are just better at NBA than the Rockets are

Breh.

 

Don't underestimate a wounded animal. There's plenty of precedence in professional sports generally speaking where a team that loses a significant star or 2 collectively "ups their play" for the short term.

The 2nd Round is only 2 games in. Clippers will continue to fight, but that collective intensity of "picking up the slack" is unsustainable. I would be shocked if CP3 doesn't play in game 3. I expect him to play because game 3 has become the next pivotal game in this series.

Rockets have been dealing with injuries all season long. The Clips got force-fed the CP3 injury situation in an emotionally willed game 7 victory against a Championship Spurs squad. It's not surprising (albeit VERY disappointing) for the Clips to not only split the first 2 games, but also played at a pretty high level due to Paul's absence.

 

I don't disagree with you, but I have to be honest that I have been saying the same thing every game since game 3 of the Mavs series.

Jason Terry is the one I have the MOST faith in as far as getting out of his funk. He built his career as a killer on the big stage. Shots just haven't been falling for him, but I still hold out a tremendous amount of optimism that Jason Terry will start to hit his 3-point layups at a good clip much sooner than later.

Game 3 is VERY ripe for Ariza and especially Terry to have normal shooting percentages...

 

Clippers missing CP3 hurts them way more. And we can still barely beat them. We shouldn't be making excuses or moral victories for our poor effort on the court.

I've been critical of our Rockets and saying they have flaws they need to fix. These flaws are still there. Rockets played 1.5 quarters last night and barely won. They should come out playing like those 1.5 quarters for the whole game, but they're too immature to give that effort for a whole 48 minutes.

The fact that it took the Rockets 2 nights + 30 gametime minutes to finally wake up is concerning. Clippers had a real chance to steal two away games without Chris Paul. That doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in our team for the fans, and it definitely should not be a pat on the back for the Rockets.

The team has to realize they need that same effort and intensity to win this series, and to win a championship. I'm not satisfied until they play a complete game. If they lose that way, then you tip your hat to your opponent like the Spurs did. At least they gave it their all and can say your opponent bested you.

 

This is the problem with Moreyball - relying on 3s and drives to the hoops. When you're up against a disciplined team like Clippers and Spurs, that's not going to fly. Teams will lock in on your best shooters. 3s that used to fall during the regular season will not fall as frequently. Open lanes will not be so open. You solid bigs to protect the paint. You got disciplined defenders to challenge every shot.

You need to have players that can create. Which is why Warriors and Clippers are slotted to go all the way.

 

Let me tackle the last part first: Moreyball doesn't say you should have more guys who can create offense. In fact, Morey and McHale have ROUTINELY said they want more creators on offense. They just haven't been able to get one.

Now, to the rest of your post, your instincts are just wrong. The Clippers didn't cover up the open 3s last night, the Rockets were just missing them. They were bricking wide open 3s. Harden shot 3s that were CRAZY open, twice where he had time to dribble, take a breath, line up the basket and shoot...and he still missed.

 

For as unlucky as the Rockets were with injuries in the regular season, they've been almost equally as lucky in the playoffs. Getting a first round draw with a dysfunctional Mavs team without Rondo/Parsons and now getting 6 man Clippers team that just came off a grueling 7 game series missing their best player for potentially the entire series.

All the cards are playing right for us. CP3 didn't play games 1 and 2 and we still almost lost both games with favorable reffing. He won't play game 3 and will likely be at less than 50% for the rest of the series if he does play. We need to take advantage of these clearly favorable situations and win this series

 

The Clippers are not disciplined, in fact a lack of discipline and focus has haunted them.

The Clippers did not really guard the three point line well, the Rockets just missed them.

It is impossible for the Clippers and Warriors to go all the way... but congrats on this being the best part of your post.

 

& then we ended up winning. What a Terrible post.

 

i disagree with the op.

as poorly as the rockets have played, this will be an evenly matched series.

their lack of depth, being tired for having played the spurs, chris paul's hamstring, etc. all play in our favor.

but we need to play w/ greater intensity and discipline. defense needs to be up a notch, too.

 

this is going to be a very long series. prepare for more blow ups

 

you do understand chris paul, their best player is not playing right? Take Dwight, or Harden out and play again, we will be 0-2 for sure.. this series is over from my oberservation for the first two games, we are just not focused and not ready for this kind of competition, turnover is a problem and defense is another, no excuses. Say all you want to say, Clippers are just a better team, period

 

LOL gotta love fans that have meltdowns 1.5 games into a series. Rockets are just as talented.

Game 1 we came out hitting everything, play good defense BUT turning the ball over like it was covered in whale snot. We should have been up by 20 after the 1st quarter. Clippers hung around and got confidence while Harden was giving the game away. We pulled with in 3 with the bench, 89-86, Harden reenters the game and played like crap and so we lost.

Game 2 almost the exact same story but this time when Harden came back in with 4 fouls he decided it was time to just let it all hang out and he played like Harden can play where he shouldn't be stopped by Matt Barns or Austin Rivers or double teams.

So if Harden has found his mojo we can win this dogfight.

 

say what you want to say but as of right now the only thing that matters is its 1-1, period

 

Carl,

This thread can't end well for you. (Or me, haha) (Even if you believe what you wrote, the flames will come out for you.) I'm still with you about PatPat. A nice midrange jumper would be nice, homie.

I don't think the Clippers are better than us. I think they've gotten the best of us, and they've used our inexperience as a cohesive team, and our shaky coaching decisions, to their advantage. We are more athletic than they are (see: Fat..err Big Baby, Chris Paul's injury, Hedo Drugaloo ) We gave them game 1, but not because of a difference of talent. We lost because of a difference in focus and a clear vision of this series and its meaning to the franchise.

We missed shots, turned the ball over and played without passion. There's no denying that. But, I will always maintain that there is a reason that coaches are paid well for winning, and there are reasons that certain coaches are adored by players from different teams.

They want to play for coaches that help MAKE their players better and are known to be the strongest of leaders, in the most desperate of times. Why do you think players want to play for Pop? He's had a bunch of "old men" (by NBA standards) destroying the competition for a decade. How? There's no definitive answer, but even his players will credit Pop for facilitating their path to glory because of his undeniable passion and balance of control on and off the court.

But, I'm beating a dead horse. So, this is my last Kevin rant for awhile, for the sanity of my players, my coworkers/boss, girlfriend, WhiteJSmooth, the "Little Brother" to whom I am a "Big Brother" to (check out bbbs.org to become a mentor!) Clutch,and my favorite ROCKET fans in the WORLD: ALL OF YOU.

Anyway,

Some poster mentioned discipline as a main reason that the Clippers have more control than us. I would agree.

Discipline, intensity, "buying in," and chemistry start from the top and trickles down to your 16th man in the rotation, and even your injured players who are healing.

I can quickly point to one example in DeAndre. Doc has given that guy a new life. Before Doc came in to LA, DJ was going to be another "Big" who never reached his potential. He could have been the next Kelvin Cato, but it looks like he's going to be a Marcus Camby-rebounder with a Dwight Howard dunking game. Doc MOLDED DJ into an arguably DPOY through his leadership, and if you read interviews, his accountability. He would tell DJ when he flat out played like Big Baby. He MOTIVATED DJ to WANT to be the BEST.

Kevin is, quite simply, not there yet. He is not equipped with those coaching skills. That's partly my opinion, but also from plenty of coaches (assistants, too)/ players/ staff who know Kevin on professional and personal levels.

Obviously, they don't show everything Kevin says on TV, but his timeouts are not always his own. They are really controlled by James/Dwight/Josh/Jet. You may argue that this is a great, transparent coach-to-player relationship, but I'd argue that the coaches who are the VOICE and HEART of those timeouts have teams with DISCIPLINE and the control and intensity that we lack. It's not just this series. It's been since Kevin has been here. Morey signed a "player's coach" and he got just that.

In my opinion (which I know is no better than any other fan's opinion), because this is a message board of opinions, a "player's coach" doesn't lend itself well to games when everything is on the line. Players need a coach who they BELIEVE has calculated all of the scenarios for those crucial moments. When you allow 5 guys in the huddle to all speak, your PLAN is no longer cohesive, and you end up having 5 guys thinking that they have to be the "hero" to win. Case in point: Doc Rivers called a timeout (You can watch it on YouTube) (calmly) and set DJ up for the beautiful backdoor alley oop.

Doc KNEW that we were more concerned with Blake or Jamal, and he probably (I'm not a psychic) knew that poor ol' Kevin didn't have the ability to ANTICIPATE the scenario of having a decoy. That play was ran to perfection. Dwight was 25 feet away from tge rim, and Doc planned that whole sequence during a 20 second time out. That, my friends, is coaching at its finest: Adjusting, in the game, but more importantly, having every damn guy on your roster BUYING IN to your words because they know their COACH has been on them through URGENCY (both praising and through constructive criticism) for 48 MINUTES.

Maybe Kevin just doesn't have the personality to lead by example, in terms of urgency, and quite frankly, TRUST.

Our "coach" (I can't write that at the moment without grimacing and a certain defensive powerhouse laughing at my frustration this morning) has allowed James, along with everyone else, to play a style of ball without accountability. It's not within Kevin's nature to be that "intense," "I'm with you, fighting the same game" coach. His demeanor is much more subdued, and in coaching circles, he looks outmatched. Well, not "looks" outmatched. He is.

We beat Dallas, but Carlisle is a hell of a coach, with a championship and big wins in different tenures. He was even COTY and I think coached the all-star team. Anyway, every coach that Kevin will go up against, with the exception of someone like Jason Kidd, has a stronger record as a coach, both on paper and in terms of respect and the belief that a championship is tangible. Moreover, in coaching circles, and in baller circles, the sentiment still exists in relation to coaches who have paid their dues (as coaches; Kevin was a Top 50 player) and have made it, and the coaches that are still figuring it out. Kevin, unfortunately for us as fans, is still trying to figure this one out.

The problem for him is that it's too late this season. It's too, too late for Kevin to be a focal point in the locker room, in the huddle or in the final two minutes because his style of coaching relies so heavily on "let them play."

It's like those students, or kids, who are so intelligent, but they misbehave because of a lack of structure. The reality is that these kids CRAVE structure and discipline.

If you listen to Dwight in his post-game interviews, he continually speaks about playing TOGETHER. Dwight and, I'd assume, plenty of our other guys want Kevin to give this team some STRUCTURE. We've seen what happens when our guys forget about one another and play YMCA ball. See:Game 1.

They NEED Kevin to give them a dose of Doc/Pop/Thibs (shoot, even Sampson) and bring them together. We're not going to win this series unless we're a united front.

That's on Kevin first and foremost. Then, it's on James and Dwight to extend that unity on the court. After all of that, it falls back on Kevin to follow through with support.

No, clapping your hands, standing up during a 12-0 run or belittling the refs isn't going to do it. It has to start from the jump and it has to continue until the clock hits 0:00. Win or lose, Kevin needs to show some ride or die for his team, much like Doc did last night.

And you know what? I'm not the biggest Doc fan, but I APPRECIATE a coach who is so passionate about his team and keeps them accountable, or upbeat, TO THEIR FACES, instead of using the media platform to critique their performance.

Again, these are all clues that Kevin is still learning, but James and Dwight don't have all the time in the world for Kevin to hone his skills as a coach.

I'm excited for our guys to go to war in LaLa land. Matt Barnes may want to recant his vulgarity to James' mother.

I'm sorry for my frustration towards "this" topic, but at least you all know it's coming from a place of loyal Rockets fandom. We are all Rockets fanatics, like it or not.

Love ya'll, the best fans in the world.

Peace and Luck for Friday.

-Codman

 

Other than the error for using "and" rather than "or", please explain how the Clippers beat the Spurs in a 7 game series that went down the well. The way we shoot so many 3s, we don't miss this many by being left wide open. Just having a hand in your face is still called guarding the three. My point is that in the regular season you'll often see a spot up shooter from the corner getting the ball on a pass-out (see Smith, Brewer, Ariza, Terry) and then the defense scrambling to run back out and recover. We don't see a lot of that in this series so far. Clippers are not leaving any of our spot up shooters wide open because they have Jordan in the paint being a badass.

Do you even watch any of the playoff games?? We had 1.5 quarters of solid play last night. Otherwise, we have been owned on both ends so far.

 

responding to this thread is like letting your daughter go on her first date. You don't want to, but you have to.

I don't even know where to begin. If you think Blake is better than Harden, i can't help you. Very few people who know NBA basketball would agree with you.

What's most frustrating is the way you are constantly bashing the team...in most cases unfairly. I'm all for free speech and being critical, but you just go out of your way to exaggerate the negative; like you have some sort of nefarious agenda.

You are wrong of course. The Clips may have more talented starting 5, but i don't think they are a more talented team, when you factor in our bench. And even if they were, the reason we lost game one was not because LA is more talented ...it's because we played like crap; and sometimes that happens. Now...if you want to say that the Clips are better coached ...no argument there.

I've had my doubts that we were contenders going back to the off-season, but this team keeps proving me wrong and i struggle to understand why a so-called fan would willfully try and write the obituary of his team in a 1-1 series that is completely up in the air.

Way to go Carl. Keep trolling!

 

Rockets in 6

 

Carl H… you are literally the worst poster on this board.