List of things "winning teams" do that the Rockets don't

Winning teams have chemistry by game #83. They don't bobble half of the passes they toss to each other. And they certainly don't fight each other for rebounds only to lose them out of bounds.

 

Sorry for quoting facts.

I'm not even sure what your point is other than you don't have anything to refute this.

Do you think that any team shoots a high percentage from midrange?

Do you think that any of those teams are shooting a high number of midrange shots?

If so then you'd be wrong as shown by actual facts. A statement was made that winning teams shoot well from midrange. I simply posted the actual numbers to show that isn't true.

I know it's much easier to make a blanket statement without having to have any facts to back up what you are saying but when did it become a bad thing to base your argument in reality?

 

Yes.

I've said this many times. Everybody knows in football that a passing play is much more efficient than a running play. But no team totally abandons the running game because you need that to make the defense honest thereby your passing game easier.

Besides, there are situations (e.g. short yardage) where a running play has a higher success probability than a passing play.

 

Who said to only shoot 3's?

We score 30% of our points off of 3s, does that sound like we are only shooting 3's?

You don't have to shoot a 3, but you also don't replace that shot with something that is highly inefficient.

I know it's popular on CC.NET to believe that the Rockets forbid players from taking midrange but that's simply not true. They don't want them taking inefficient shots regardless of where they take them from. The fact is that very few players are efficient from midrange.

Beasley takes midrange shots because he's efficient at it. If we signed Durant then he'd take midrange shots too because he'd efficient at it.

 

Try. Good teams actually try.

 

Championship teams have a leader. In the locker room. And on the court. Normally it's your star player. Rockets don't have that and never will with Harden.

How can your teammates bond with you and take you seriously if you won't even take the challenge and guard your own position (SG Clay)?

 

In football, you need balance to prevent the other team from loading up at the line to stop the run or from sending blitz after blitz to stop the pass.

The difference is that teams aren't loading up to top our 3 point shooting. Teams are (and have been) packing the paint against us to stop Harden from driving and to limit Dwight from getting easy chances.

We have balance but it's between at the hoop and 3s. We are near the league lead in open 3s per game. Yesterday we shot 2 contested 3s the entire game. So exactly how does shooting midrange shots "keep the defense honest"?

The defense is packing the paint and sending 2 extra guys when Harden drives. How do you prevent that? You spread the floor. If a team is packing the paint then shooting from closer in, on a shot that we shoot at 38.6% isn't going to "keep them honest". Especially when that shot counts 33% less than a shot from behind the arc if you make it.

If you're getting open 3s then what's the point of instead shooting a shot that you only shoot slightly better but counts one third less? You would choose to shoot a 2 point shot that we shoot at 38.6% over a 3 point shot that we shoot at 34.7%? Why?

If teams ever start to load up to prevent our 3 point shooting then Harden will have lanes to drive. That's how we "keep them honest". Unfortunately, right now you're offering a solution (midrange) to a problem (contested 3s) that we don't have.

 

Winning teams. CARE

 

Coach. Winning teams coach.

 

I missed your post first time through so I'm replying out of order.

As I just replied in another post, that argument would be valid if teams were focusing on taking away our 3 point shooting but they aren't. Instead, they are focusing on taking away the paint. They are packing the paint to prevent Harden from driving and to limit Dwight.

We are near the league lead in open 3 point shots. Yesterday we took 2 contested 3 point shots. Does that sound like teams are focusing on our 3 point shooting?

You're correct that you have to mix things up and have variety but you don't take inefficient shots just for the sake of variety. The Rockets try to achieve variety through shots at the rim, 3 point shots, fast breaks and free throws. All of those are very efficient shots. We shoot midrange shots at 38.6% and even the elite teams are under 44%.

Yesterday we took more contested midrange shots than we did contested 3s. GS was protecting the paint at all costs. The cost of packing the paint like that is that you give up open 3s (which GS did). Why wouldn't you take those shots?

Yesterday we missed open 3s and we shot a poor percentage from midrange. That doesn't bode well for us either way but taking the open 3s is by far the best option.

 

Thank you. People always looking for a way to discredit skilled midrange shooting teams yet the best teams have players that take and make a bunch of them

 

I wonder why we are only 19th in 3-point percentage then? Do the coaches not practice this enough with the players? Did we get the completely wrong players for our philosophy? Why did we ever let Steve Novak leave? Should we have tried to trade for Korver years ago? Too many questions...

 

Hi Morey, you make it sound like we actually have an offensive strategy

Quick question, when are you getting rid of Corey Brewer?

 

Opponents pack the paint because
1. The Rockets suck at the three point shot
2. The Rockets are very predictable and avoid the mid range shot.

When was the last time you saw a player curl around screens to catch and shoot a mid ranger on the Rockets offense? Isn't that what we wanted Harden to do more of? Then we realized Harden is literally one of the worst guards in the league in freeing himself from a defender without the ball in his hands because he is so damn slow and gives up quickly and resorts to his usual "Look my defender is holding me" routine where Ariza or Bev are wasting 15+ seconds off the shot clock waiting for an entry pass to Harden. This offense just sucks dick. The only reason the Rockets score a lot in the regular season is because of pace. Their half court offense is atrocious.

 

The fast breaking thing is just mind boggling. Only team in the history of basketball to take a 2 on 1, or greater fast break (the other half of the team just stays on the other end) and the possession turns into a bricked 3 pointer.

This team is comprised of low BBIQ players who have a high level of variance in both directions. Last year we saw them at their highest, and this year we see them at their lowest.

I really wished that we would not have made the playoffs honestly. This front office needs to realize that this isn't going to work. Making the playoffs was the worst thing that could have happened because it proved them as sorta right about their team. They are wrong and they need to blow it up.