ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Warriors 4/18/2016 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 2)

I think effort is definitely an issue, but coaching is the more glaring flaw for me. It's impossible to watch the Rockets and think that the team actually has a clue what they're supposed to be doing, both defensively and offensively.

 

Just rewatched Game 2. Still can't figure out what was so bad about Harden's defense that the whole media went crazy about. He was guarding Greene or Barnes the whole time and they shot combined 5/22 from the floor. Yes, Harden had his patented two or three bad defensive moments, but he also showed good defensive judgement here and there to cancel those out. Overall, I actually thought Harden's defense was better than what I saw during the regular season, in terms of effort level on that side of the ball.

In 1st half, we got burned by Iguodala, who Josh Smith and Jason Terry was defending. They couldn't fight through the screens properly, which lead to barrage of 3s from the sixth man. And that set the tone early in the game, killing whatever momentum we we're going after.

Not only that, Klay easily blew by Ariza time after time and made him look like a bad defender, while Dwight was slow to close out on the perimeter shooters and just refused to contest shots at the rim. Beasely once again proved that whatever value he brings on offense, he totally blows it on the defensive side.

As usual, the whole team's defense was a mess and most of it had nothing to do with Harden. We don't rotate and switch well while playing defense, and it kills us every time.

It's getting fashionable these days to bash Harden's defense whenever our team loses. It's like they don't even consider the possibility that Harden can play average defense in the games we lose, and then defend poorly when we win. The media just assumes there is always direct linear relationship between our team performance and Harden's defense, when the situation is much more complicated than that.

The sad thing is, even many people who call themselves Rockets fans have bought into this narrative without closely examining what's really going on. That's the power of the media I guess.

 

Some of those comments from the media seem to suggest that firing McHale contributed to this mess. Guess they didn't notice that this team was just as bad if not worse to start the season before he was fired?

 

Lack of coaching equals JB, but lack of leadership.. that's Harden. While I feel we are at the stage of a mini rebuild with this team. One of the key additions needs to be a floor leader that can put Harden in his place on and off the basketball court. In all honestly by talent this would be a guy like Chris Paul, but realistically with what's available its hard to say. Goran very good shooter can play off of Harden, but not sure if he is a floor leader as a point guard. Rondo more of a floor leader, but not a great shooter. The best available in my opinion may be Jeff Teague. With the age of this team we needs someone who can help now and is capable enough to run the offense but a good enough scorer to keep everyone honest. I also question his leadership skills not in general but for this team.

The media mentions quite a bit that we need a power forward. If I am Houston despite his recent slow down, I strongly consider signing Beasley to a multi-year deal. He has been more reliable than the likes of Josh Smith and even D-Mo. Would go after Pau as either a power forward or a replacement for Howard. Houston really wants Durant, but this line up is more likely IMO than Durant coming here. Last year we had a shot but we look horrible this year. James Harden and the Rock better be cookin something real nice for KD to event make the visit.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">MRI on Steph Curry's right ankle, I'm told, revealed &quot;nothing of concern.&quot; Remains listed as questionable for Thursday's Game 3</p>&mdash; Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/722538153341427712">April 19, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

If he were smart, then Curry would sit out the rest of the series and be golden for the next series if any doubt whatsoever. Rockets have no chance either way.

 

Shaq has a clear agenda when it comes to Harden, I would take anything he says with a grain of salt. He has the delusional belief that Dwight is still capable of being a dominant post-scorer, if only the guards would pass him the ball. Dwight just recently signed to the same agent as Shaq, there is an obvious conflict of interest in this situation. From what I've observed lately, Shaq has gone out of his way to place most of the blame for the Rockets' struggles on Harden. Constantly mocking his lack of defense, calling him selfish, saying he over-dribbles and never passes the ball. I believe he's trying to deflect blame away from Howard, helping him in securing a big contract in free-agency next year.

The entire TNT crew have put all of Harden's flaws under the microscope, never acknowledging any of his positive contributions on the floor. They actually look upset when Harden plays well and the Rockets win, which they then push back to a later segment in the show, to spend as little time talking about as they can. Of course, when the Rockets fail, they seem to relish the opportunity to once again bash Morey and Harden, essentially kicking the organization (and fanbase) while they're down. The team obviously deserves their fair share of criticism for playing poorly this year , but this level of getting trashed has gone way beyond what a supposedly objective media should be partaking in.

 

Maybe so, but with Curry out, they were basically fighting with one
hand behind their back. We were just flailing away with no real effect.
Still sums up our whole game 2 effort

 

It's laughable that they spent so much time trashing on Harden's defense when that wasn't even the main reason we lost the game last night. Iguodala went off on J-Smoobe and Terry early in the game, which killed our momentum from the get-go. Where was any criticism of that? How about some comment on Dwight's lethargic and apathetic performance?

I'm starting to realize that these so called experts or panelists don't even watch the whole damn game. They are no different from the average fans who only watch edited clips on youtube and then think they know everything about a specific player.

 

For all his faults and weaknesses, Harden is the only threat that the Rockets have. No one else can do jack****. It's no wonder the Warriors triple team him because even if he passes the ball, they know it's still a better option than if Harden goes off. For all the crap that people gave Kobe back in the mid 2000's, this is exactly the situation that Harden finds himself in.

 

Exactly. Kobe's team record wasn't that good either when he was averaging like 35 points per game. And no, it wasn't because he was being selfish or couldn't defend. It all had to do with not having quality players as teammates, and as soon as Gasol joined the Lakers and helped the team to win two championships, Kobe was heralded as a true leader. What a joke.

 

Combination of confirmation bias and the "Inside the NBA" crew having an agenda. Barkley still has a grudge against the Rockets from the past, as well as anger over the firing of a TNT colleague in McHale. Shaq is helping to fuel the narrative that Harden is responsible for Dwight's struggles this year. Now that they share an agent, I believe Shaq is doing his part to deflect blame away from Howard, helping his chances for bigger money in free-agency.

Also, why wasn't there any criticism for the coach in choosing to stay with Beverley/Terry guarding Livingston. He was killing them in the post all night with his height advantage. Why not use KJ at that point, he has the length to bother Livingston, plus he would be better-suited in the switching style defense the Rockets used.

 

To your point about KJ , James already has to carry enough of an offensive load . Bev is far superior to KJ on that end and in actually being able to create some .

 

So nobody of Rockets organization give a F about how we play currently?

They just bury their head in sand and keep quiet?

 

The coach is idiot and doesn't know any scheme...

What do you expect them to play???

 

For those bringing in the Kobe, Kobe plays with heart. Enough said. Call him whatever you want, at least he gives it his all on the court. Harden looks like he doesn't enjoy basketball sometimes

 

What are they supposed to do? Publicly respond to TNT and ABC and disagree with them? Kinda hard to given the results of not only this series, but the entire season. If the Rockets organization wants to show it gives a F, clean house after the Warriors are done sweeping the Rockets. Stop settling for mediocrity and for the love of God, quit trying to swing for the fences every offseason with free agent signings or trades. It's rebuilding time. If Les can't handle that reality, sell the team to someone who can.

 

We're getting kicked when we are down . It's clear this team has some flaws . But even if we play perfectly , GS is 73-9 you can't expect to beat them on their home floor . Sure how we lost is discouraging . Let's play the home games before we judge just how pathetic we are .

 

GS without Curry is easily a 50+ win team. Even Jordan-less-Chicago managed to pull off 55 wins in a season. Compare to the 90's Bulls, GS is much more structured and team-oriented in the way they play the game, so even with Curry's absence they are still very good team. Probably slightly better defensively. Plus, it was their home court.

As much as I wanted the Rockets to win, the odds were simply stacked against them. People, especially those in the media, need to stop acting like Houston blew the game they were supposed to win.

 

The bench actually wasn't that bad last game, even if JBB can better utilize players

The STARTERS are ABYSMAL. Starting with Harden and Howard on down.

And its for all the reasons that the pundits are mentioning: no leadership, no chemistry from the players. From there, there's no binding structure from the organization to keep anything cohesive.