My main problem with being OK with double teaming LMA is that means you have confidence in our perimeter defense to rotate correctly. There's NO CHANCE that happens. Portland will get so many open 3's. Is that better than Aldridge right now? Honestly I don't know, pick your poison.
I'm now firmly in the don't-double-him camp. Haberstroh has a good take, I think: 1. Should the Houston Rockets double LaMarcus Aldridge? Considering Aldridge has looked like Wilt Chamberlain in this series, you might think this would be a reflexive, "yes." Aldridge has scored 89 points in his first two games and he's done it inside and outside and everywhere in between. But here's why you don't throw multiple bodies at him: that's exactly what the 3-point-slinging Blazers want you to do. They're built to take advantage of the Aldridge overplay, flanking him with elite 3-point shooters Wes Matthews (39.3 percent), Damian Lillard 39.4 percent) and Nicolas Batum (36.1 percent). The result is that the Blazers are the third-most efficient spot-up shooting team in the league, behind the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs. The Rockets haven't caved yet. According to ESPN Stats & Info video tracking, the Rockets sent a double team at Aldridge in the post just six times and the results were mixed. He shot 3-for-5, but was blocked twice and forced to dish out on the sixth instance. There's no easy answer here, but you have to trust that Aldridge isn't going to shoot 13-for-19 outside the paint like he did in Game 2. Seems crazy after watching him splash jumper after jumper on Sunday, but that's an unsustainable pace going forward. Play him straight up, stay close and stick with the process over the results. Soon the results will follow. Doubling him in the post only makes sense with elite weakside defenders that can rotate seamlessly, but James Harden complicates that. I say keep playing him straight up but give yourself the benefit of DMo and the 6 additional fouls that come with him.
Basically.... if I see TJones in the starting line-up tonight, I throw my arms in the air in disgust?
He's in a great rhythym and his confidence is probably sky high right now. I can see him sustaining this % and pace especially at Portland.
I think you have to assume he does. The bright spot I see is that we have had a chance to take both games, even with him going God mode. We still have a shot (even against video game LMA) if Harden shows up. Maybe a big "if" at this point, but I believe he will. I have to.
When people say double LMA they are not talking about every possession. Personally I thinks we have to employ the double team (not all the time) to give him a different look. Throwing Dmo in there will not stop this man from scoring. We had our two best defenders on this dude and they couldn't stop them. So what makes anybody in their right minds think DMO will be the answer. All he is going to do is pick up some quick fouls in which we all know he is accustomed to. Now Howard was able to get some stops so maybe giving him the most minutes on him might work. McHale might need to start the Twin Tower from this point on. Also Harden needs to come on with the come on. We will not stage a come back if Harden is not giving us his Superstar production. 25+/6+/6+ is what we need from him along with solid defense.
IF he's going to stay out side and shoot, then they need to body up on him and up in his face. Let him drive by you if he want but make sure to prepare another defender to meet him when he drive. And when that defender meet him, another defender need to prepare to rotate...that's how you play team defense. This team obviously doesn't even have a plan...that's the problem.
One thing I saw done in G3 that was quite effective, there were instances where Dwight and Asik chose to 'face-guard' Lamarcus Aldridge. I don't care who you are, how high your release is, if it can work at times on Bryant, it can work on Aldridge, who I don't believe (hope) can't sustain the level of play he has. Nobody likes shooting with the vision obscured, but it's just another option to give him different looks and change it up. I counted about 2 or 3 times where there was a deliberate attempt to 'faceguard' and they all resulted in missed shots. BRING IT HOME BATMAN
