ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Cavaliers 3/29/2016

Good gravy.

 

The ball was popping in the 4th - beautiful basketball with every player making quick quick decisions. The stoppers were the players hesitating to shoot that mildly open 3.

Harden was getting into the pick and roll very early in the shot clock, right after he crossed the midcourt line, and everyone was playing off him and moving with quickness finally. When the Rockets aren't sluggish they are an excellent team.

The defense in the 4th was beautiful as well! We went back to the swarming defense that we saw plenty of last season and it paid off in spades. I think the key to last night's D was very mobile Centers and PFs. Dwight was slow even when he returned in the 4th. It took him a while to wake up and realize his teammates were playing hard tonight; when he realized it though he started to play like playoff Dwight and was moving much quicker around the court, actually challenging shots by the Cleveland guards.

The team has to play fast and keep the ball popping to keep our players engaged and interested in playing defense. Harden MUST set the tone for this. He can do it, he has to want to do it every night. He's shown urgency in the last month and a half or perhaps a bit more, and it is finally trickling down to our less motivated players. Ariza, Bev, Brewer, Donatas almost always wake up instantly and play that way when Harden does, but Dwight and others take longer.

I think the effort that the team showed tonight is significant and that they will use it as a platform to leap into the playoffs with effort.

Keep the on-court communication and chatter going in games like last night, and our defense will be good enough for the playoffs, fuelling a popping ball.

Great second half

 

<iframe width="800" height="448" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6AOQ9fyErr4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

It took JBB all season to do what so many of us on here have been calling for all year.

Now about Corey Brewer!

DD

 

Thats a technical foul if any other player did it . A non active player can stand next to coach during gameplay

 

What do you mean? That's Coach James coaching the team.


Agree.

 

Good win. By WHY OH WHY do we choose to get down double digits then start playing in the 4th quarter. You can literally see the laziness the 1st 3 quarters. I think it comes down to coaching

 

Still would like to see Goudelock get some of Terry's PT.

 

Harden/Kj/Ariza/Beasley/Dmo should always close games out

Though in 2k I love harden/Kj/Beasley/Dmo/Capella

I don't use Dwight in 2k lol

 

Dwight in 2K is a beast. Unguardable 1 on 1 in the post.

 

Anybody catch the crying fan in the Yellow Cavs jersey at the end?

https://youtu.be/9KEn4_00jkk?t=9m5s

 

a front line of KJ-Ariza-Capela can switch on everything.

 

c'mon. this is bs.

 

Harden is a regular "Slippin' Jimmy".

He feels his way through the game and turns on the jets at the end once he's identified all the weaknesses he can take advantage of.

Bravo, Harden! Bravo!

Best guard we ever had... .

 

Dang even when we win and harden is magic in the 4th you still find something to hate the guy for.

 

"still find something to hate the guy for"? what made you say that?

iirc, harden scored 17 of his 27 total pts in the 4th. while that's great and all, what do you think he was doing in the previous 3 qtrs?

do you honestly believe what he said, that the gameplan was to dig a 20pt hole in the first 3 qtrs and then try to come back? if you do, then more power to you. how brilliant. no wonder that's been the pattern of the rockets games this season, eh?

if this is not bs, what is?

i dont come to this board just to bash harden or any other player. i tell things the way i see them. it's many of the harden fans like you who have been laughable. such a fragile mentality. anything not good said about your idol, even to the slightest and often times unintended, your feelings get hurt. lol.

a piece of advice for some of you. if you watch and follow a sport just to idolize someone, please pick an individual sport. tennis will be an excellent choice.

 

It's not that much of a reach. He was uncharacteristically passing up shots all night until the 4th quarter. Could be his way of conserving energy so he still has enough to take over in the 4th like he did last night. He literally ran out of gas in our last game against the Pacers.

You're a weirdo though. When he plays selfish you have a problem, when he's unselfish you also have a problem. Make up your mind.

 

So the way you see it the first 3 quarters is a lot more important than the 4th quarter and the win column?

 

where did you get that from?

what's important is to play with CONSISTENT effort throughout the game. got it? digging a big hole and then spending much of the game trying to climb out of it is certainly not a good way to play bball games.

 

it's not about being selfish or otherwise. i have no idea where you got that from.

harden has played heavy minutes. that is a fact. but he's not the first and only player who has had to do that. countless players have done that b4. and he wont be the last either. why would he need to conserve energy until the team has dug a big hole?

his performance in the 4th was great. but he played below his own level in the previous 3 qtrs. to say that he's trying to conserve energy or observe the cavs' weaknesses is totally bogus.