J.B. is a failure of a coach. Playing Brewer in crucial moments has killed us over and over in close games.
Tough loss. James started off the game awful. The entire team did, but they definitely picked it up between quarters 2 and 3. They played great actually. Can't believe the run the Jazz went on when James went out. Disgusting. Our bench needs to be better. I know Booker, Lyles, and Favors can be intimidating, but our guys need to play big, but most importantly they need to play smart. Jazz players were making big shot after big shot. James was playing decently on defense, and of course he also did well when he went into attack mode. He didn't settle for too many jumpers in the second half I think. Lots of attacking which I liked. Dwight needs help. He can't be the only big out there. I know Capela is struggling but it can't hurt to add an extra big body out there in place of a guard. Tough game but it is a playoff team and an away game. Jazz home court shows that they still can be one of the best in the league when they can. No respect from me though. Got San Antonio and Portland up next. Brutal.
I actually thought J.B. had been doing an okay job, but he's losing me with his rotations. Lawson looks disinterested most of the time and Terrence is one of the more inconsistent players I've ever seen. Right now Lawson has a negative 9.4 point on-court/ off-court net rating, jones has a team worst -11.7 net rating, according to Basketball-Reference.com. I can understand to a certain extent sticking with Lawson, at least he has a proven track record of success with the Nuggets. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I think he still has a shot to turn things around if he plays with more pace and gets out in the open-court. Utilize his speed, start getting the transition game going. I actually thought he made an attempt to do that a little bit tonight. Giving default minutes to Jones baffles me though, he continues to get out-hustled by opposing 4's. He's not even hitting the three well anymore, he's all the way down to 31%. They are both very talented players, but none of that matters if they don't put forth enough effort most nights. Time to play the guys who are going to bust their ass when get a chance to play. Free Harrell and let's see what kind of defensive impact McDaniels might provide.
seems like a lot of people are excusing this team's poor performance as if we were 12 games into the season. it's the equivalent to nba stockholm syndrome.
But we lost this game in the first quarter a bit too. Last year I think we were op 3 in 1st quarter point differential and always came out hot. That's a lack of focus and effort that we continue to show and I knew it was going to happen after they felt good about the Suns game and practices.
Man, those three 3-pointers Burke hit in the 4th quarter were momentum changers. I also knew the made 3-pointer they took away from Harden (supposedly the refs said it came after Howard getting fouled) would end up coming back to haunt them. Of course the Rockets lose by three and that shot they didn't count ends up being the difference.
Why? They're a better team than the Rockets. So is Portland, BTW, who will be kicking our asses next.
We're 57 games in - and i still haven't seen anything from Lawson which shows that he's about to turn it on. If he hasn't gotten "it" yet, i dont expect the "light" to just switch on. If the team isnt winning with the current rotation, i dont understand why they keep playing players that arent producing. Just roll with a rotation of Bev, Terry, and Harden at the guard spot and Ariza, Smith, Harrell/KJ at forward. Only down side to this line up is inconsistent 3pt shooters. At this point, that strategy is broken with the current roster. Ty is a net negative, Jones is a net negative, Thornton is inconsistent, D-Mo, love the dude, but he's not 100%.
Watched highlights just now, do we ever practice PnR defense? No philosophy there whatsoever, killed us time and time again.
But I was told it's only preseason, Rockets will be OK Then I was told it's only opening night Then it's only the defending Champions Then it's only the 3rd best team in the Easter Conference it's only 57 games, lots of time left.
It's a good strategy for teams who don't have huge defensive holes. We may be better off leaving Harden on the opposing teams worst shooter at all times
wrong. you take a horrible 3 over a free drive any day especially when its contested as good as DH did. thats a bad shot regardless if it went in or not.
I'm talking strictly for the Rockets. They don't have the personnel, and they clearly have not employed a proper scheme for it. Teams like the Warriors and Celtics switch all the time. It can work if you do it the right way, which the Rockets don't.
yeah this is another bad strategy that needs to be fixed. The players need to understand when a switch should be done and not. Switching everything is not good defense especially when you don't have the right players to do it.
It works if you have the right personnel. The Rockets don't. They constantly wind up with Bev or some other guard on a taller player in the post. Or T-Jones or Dwight out on the perimeter. It's why we can never deny penetration or come up with defensive rebounds. You'd think 57 games in, they'd abandon this and try something else.
That's not a horrible shot for Hood, he consistantly makes those late game threes. The shot clock was down to 3 seconds or so before he took the shot, he most likely wouldn't have had time to get to the rim. Sure, if there was more time on the shot clock you take a contested three over giving up a drive. In this instance, I would have preferred Howard running him off the three point line, forcing him into a mid-range shot instead. I watch a lot of Jazz games so I can tell you hood absolutely makes a living on those dagger threes at the end of games. Also, I don't put much of any blame on Howard in that situation, he was obviously put in a tough position.
You'd think...but then you remember we gave the eternally stubborn JB Bickerstaff the whole season... We talk a lot about the Rockets lacking the 3 point shooters and the free throw shooters to fit what Morey wants to do offensively, but hell...we don't even have the personnel to do what we want to do defensively.
yes that's a horrible shot. you have your thoughts on how to play the game and I have mine. Hood just made a nice play in that situation. nothing you can do about that. last i checked they're still in the bottom of the pack just like houston.
