Well, they have 2 bigs -gasol and Alridge that can prob outrebound our whole team. I wouldn't go as far as saying it'll be a blow out.. just hope for a win
Not a must win in terms of the standings(although Wednesday vs Utah is). But it's a good indicator of how competitive the Rockets would be against the Spurs in the playoffs. And if our goal is to keep them from the #1 seed, it would be nice to get this game.
A true test tonight. We will really see if this team is elite if we can beat the Spurs. I'm not too confident. Pop is a genius. He will capitalize on our weakness that is rebounding. Also, Harden has to be unfazed by Kawhi tonight. If we get an MVP performance from Harden, we will win. This is a tough one, and I don't feel too good about it. Think we lose 105-97
That's exactly how I feel. Being a Rockets fan in California means unless it's national game I don't get to watch it or unless they play one the LA teams. I was hoping this game would be national as well. Now I also have to count on the firestick.
@heypartner we tend to run the 1/4 pnr/pnp with Harden rhyno against the spurs correct? I think this is why Ryan tends to have big games against the spurs but I may be mistaken. Aldridge/gasol are good with interior defense together so I think the plan is to make them aware of Ryan early and open up the lane. Gasol and/or aldridge by themselves isn't nearly as capable defensively. A lot of green and Kawhi on Harden and they fight through screens to stay on Harden rather than switching iirc so we will have to rely heavy on smart passing and lots of PnR and PnP with capela and rhyno. Spurs are good at passing lanes and I expect Harden to have about 5-7 turnovers. We have to break down their defense more than they do ours. Rockets 111 Spurs 108
First two games Harden wasn't on target, we started Brewer, were without Bev and didn't have Lou so we should be able to win! Big test for us, really big. They better show these last 2 were not a fluke, put in the effort, make some adjustments and not just shoot threes.
You're right. Pops tries hard to guard the perimeter, and Aldridge is their weakness there. But Ryno had just one big game, correct? That play actually has a name. Fist Up Houston. Or Houston Fist Up. Fist Up is usually with a 5, which has nothing to do with a pop out to the arc. Rudy re-invented it for Horry and later used it with Bullard. Then MDA appropriated it into his system, giving Rudy full credit. He has mentioned it this year. It gets the 4 defender out of normal help position, and allows Harden to attack Gasol with Capela camping at the rim. He'll use that with SAS, but also (and maybe more so) he likes to run a 3-man game out high with Ryno (or Ariza), Capela and Harden. This gets Gasol out, too. It is a tweak on standard high PnR to incorporate a pick for Harden's picker. Often the first pick is waaay out high. We also will give Ryno a flare screen in the high 3-man game. Then another is the Dribble Double Drag where Harden gets two picks, and one "drags" to the rim with Harden while other fades to the arc where Harden dribbled from.
Nah bro, we come out and prove to the world that we belong in the big boys. We have enough fire power + defense to really lit it up tonight against the Spurs. We just have to stay disciplined.
Must win! Spoiler OK, maybe not but MVP voters might look at 1-3 (currently 1-2) H2H record, favoring Kawhi/Spurs. And get Mike D his 500th career win!
Dedmon is the starter now, and the better rim protector. Hopefully James/Lou can get him into some foul trouble early.
There's a log jam around where we are in DRtg. Each game there is a shuffle from about 8-15. We do need to drop it down though.
Dedmon is skinny like Clint, and Pau is old. LMA on Ryan is where the real mismatch is for rebounding. Bev vs. Jonathan Simmons will also be an interesting battle for rebounding.
