Harden had 42 points on 30 shots (including 38% from 3). That doesn't look like it worked all that well to me. ... He did have quite a few turnovers, but I don't think that's the result of the left-side shading. Not really designed for that. Just the result of how good Milwaukee is at forcing turnovers and sloppy passing (as we saw last night again).
This wasn't Bud. This was Bledsoe. He was the one who came up with this extreme defence in the first game. Bud was suggesting a much more moderate approach. But he's also the only one who can play it well. None of the other Bucks guards can do it well. Bledsoe has been a top 5 guard defender all season long. Only Holiday and Smart are better than him. That's why there is no reason to worry about. Which other team have a strong and fast enough guard, a shotblocking 7 shooter and a roaming in the weakside 7 foot beast to cover for them? The Bucks system on purpose allows many many bad quality threes wide open. Whether is a gimmick or not time will tell but there are high level analytics behind this. They have been burned in some games by this, but obviously most times it has worked. That's why they are the number one defensive team in the league. I won't pretend to be some kind of analytics guru to say this is a long term working strategy or not. I just trust Seth Partnow the head of the analytics department who I have been a fan of from Nylon Calculus long before he was hired. I even mourned his hiring since we lost great articles available to the public.
He doesn't play many minutes and also gets often the special medicine for dummies. When he every so often does something idiotic he is immediately benched and gets a timeout to come back to his senses. This is working because he has noticeably improved his mental troubles. The coaching staff has focused on making him a defensive menace.
I think that the bucks length makes a hot night from role players a little less likely . But , there is a difference between giving up these "good/not-good" * looks during the regular season versus a prepared team in a playoff series . Plus , sometimes the best defense is a good offense as you know . Giannis is the most physical player in the NBA and it is TIRING to guard him .... otherwise he's going to blow by you for a dunk . AND he's getting favorable officiating . Other guys that are that physical are often refereed to their own disadvantage (like : shaq, Yao, lebron) The point is ... I don't think it's the scheme that's effective (due to the nature of shots given up) .... but due to other circumstances in their overall strategy it works . It's going to be a little difficult for us to counter this unless we can rise to the task athletically .... this is one of the main reasons why I think it's IMPERATIVE for the front office and coaching staff to do everything in their power to make sure guys are rested up and 100% for the playoff grind . The good news is that giannis DOES rely on his physical attributes over his skills . Through 3 theoretical playoff rounds he's bound to get worn down a bit as he is the main cog . He's never played this many games at this level and never made it deep in the playoffs . Sorry I've gone off on a tangent here
So Pop was right. He wanted the Spurs to actually cancel out all the role players and let Harden score but make it harder.
Like Jason Terry was saying, the Harden was giving them wide open looks but they were missing their shots... or worse airballing them multiple times in a row. I don't think the Bucks are that much better than the Rockets. It was honestly some fluky misses by the Rockets that hopefully won't happen 4 times in a series. But I do agree that there needs to be more midrange game. CP3 did his usual work there (and missed) and Harden had some too.
Yes . Pop is best coach in NBA Bud is looking like a good coach ; he had a good season in ATL and is winning the east again this year . There are a couple of strategies out there that we struggle against / haven't gotten used to yet. To beat those kinds of tactics , MDA will have to adjust and players will have to adjust their mindset ..... and hope their body can deliver .
I count coaching as part of the team, so I think the overall talent plus coaching is a tad more 'talented' but it's close because of the best offensive player on the Planet Harden alone and the glorified corpse of CP3. If the Alphabet can come close to shooting 32-34% from long range, then his team has the advantage.
It was a frustrating game to watch as the Bucks were clearly more ready for the game than the Rockets were. Giannis was not that impressive, I think the Rockets have something there. Bledsoe played hard and their shooters were hitting their shots. In a playoff series though, I don’t think they can hang with the Rockets.
In a playoff series, they will likely have the advantage as they have a wider margin of error. They are better overall on both ends of the floor and rockets would require 40+ from harden in every game to win.
The Rockets are better on offense. On defense, they have shown over the course of the regular season that they are elite. However, I think the Rockets can ramp it up, especially with the shorter rotation. Harden will have to be special obviously since this would be a finals series.
Yes, it was. And, thank God we got to see this during the regular season. I’m 100% positive D’Antoni, morey, Harden, CP3, bdzelick are all creating react schemes to counteract. It has been the only thing that has been able to stop our current scheme. So, If that shows up, we go to harden pnr or drive to basket. They’ll give him the tear drop all day long. Then we go HAM on defense. Deny Giannis the Ball.
The rockets are not better on offense, cos they are simply too one dimensional, while the bucks have the personnel and scheme to limit that dimension (if not take it away). The bucks on the other hand, when healthy, have a full compliment of offensive weapons and can attack you in many ways. Playoffs are about matchups and adjustments. Most quality defensive teams will take away your preferred weapons and make you beat them in another way (see 2007 Cavs against Spurs). Unfortunately, this rockets dont have the personnel to make needed adjustments. This team will go only as far as Harden can carry them
By what metric are the Bucks better than the Rockets on offense? Certainly not offensive rating, where the Rockets rank 2nd to the Warriors. You overrate and overvalue all the passing and plays that they have. The Rockets' philosophy is to spam the most effective play, which is the PnR with Harden or Paul as the ball handler, and isolation plays against switches. In the playoffs, this predictability becomes more effective, not less effective as you seem to be asserting. Like you say, the other team will have scouted the Rockets thoroughly and will force the offense to take its last option, which is usually the iso at the end of the clock. Harden and Paul can produce at or near 1 point per possession in these cases. Can Milwaukee produce similarly with its last option? The key is the defense. Can the Rockets effectively grind Milwaukee's or the Warriors' offense to a halt to force these teams into its last options on offense? Last year the answer was a resounding yes. This year is much more uncertain. If they cannot do it, then they will not win. But it won't be because Houston's offense was less effective than either team.
Give Gordon, Tucker, Rivers, cp3 , Dhouse credit for missing wide open 3’s first before giving the buckd credit.
