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If D'Antoni isn't panicking, neither should YOU

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Os Trigonum, Apr 22, 2018.

  1. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    I don't fully agree with this, but at least it was funny.
     
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  2. topfive

    topfive CF OG

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    For a guy with the irrationally optimistic moniker of SF3isBack, you sure are pessimistic about this year's 65-win team.
     
  3. OTMax

    OTMax Member

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    Pretty much, but isn’t it ironic and sad that the “p*****s” need to go to these extremes to make sure the ostriches at least come out of the sand for a minutes before they stick their head back in there?! Haha
     
  4. hakeem94

    hakeem94 Member

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    he is saving the best for wcf and finals this was just a meaningless game in the first round
     
  5. FTW Rockets FTW

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    Looks like the village idiot DerpWah made an appearance

    @tinman @vlaurelio who let this fool out of his grandma's basement
     
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  6. juanm34

    juanm34 Member

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  7. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    Mike isn't panicking that his team (in his words) hasn't played well in a couple of months? That's cool. ;):rolleyes:

    If you didn't want to rest guys, well then, why did you rest guys?! :eek: Tilman & his mob hold a gun to your head?



    "I'd say [the last] couple months we haven't played really well," D'Antoni said before Sunday's practice, a day after a 121-105 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that trimmed the Rockets' series lead to 2-1. "That's why I was worried the whole time about resting guys, doing this, getting out of rhythm. [People say], 'It doesn't really mean a whole lot.' Ehhhh, it does.

    "Anyway, we are where we are. We'll be fine. We'll be OK."

    The Rockets scored 112.2 points per 100 possessions during the regular season, an offensive efficiency that was a tenth of a point behind the Golden State Warriors for the best in the league. That number plummeted to 102.3 points per 100 possessions in the seven regular-season games after Houston clinched the top overall seed, a statistic skewed by occasionally resting key players down the stretch.

    D'Antoni expressed his concern about losing rhythm by resting regulars after the Rockets' 11-game winning streak ended with a blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Easter Sunday. But Houston erred on the side of caution with players nursing minor injuries and rested the entire rotation for the regular-season finale -- a loss to the Sacramento Kings on the second night of a back-to-back.

    Houston hasn't been able to flip the switch during the playoffs. The Rockets are averaging 106 points per 100 possessions during the first-round series, a mediocre number.

    "It's been a long time," Rockets superstar James Harden said of the team being in a good rhythm. "It's been a long time, but tomorrow is the perfect opportunity for it."

    Harden and co-star Chris Paul both emphasized that the primary reason for the Rockets' Game 3 loss was an uncharacteristically poor defensive performance.

    The Rockets had not allowed that many points since a 124-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 4. The Timberwolves shot 50 percent from the floor in Game 3, including 15-of-27 from 3-point range, with Paul describing many of Minnesota's long-range shots as being "butt-naked" open.

    "I guess everything is cool until you lose," Paul said. "All in all, we've just got to come out tomorrow ready to play and be us. ... It starts on the defensive end. That's when we can get out in transition."

    Harden shifted the focus to defense when asked how the Rockets can regain their offensive rhythm in the middle of a playoff series.

    "It's pretty simple: play hard the entire game," Harden said. "Shots are going to be made, shots are going to be missed, but I think defensively as long as our focus level is there every possession, it doesn't matter about the offense. Defensively, we'll be good enough."

    The Rockets went 44-5 when Harden and Paul both played during the regular season. However, the future Hall of Fame playmakers have yet to both perform well in the same playoff game.

    Harden carried the Rockets in Game 1 with a 44-point, eight-assist performance while Paul had an off game, scoring 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting and matching his career playoff high with six turnovers. Harden had a horrible shooting performance in Game 2 (2-of-18 from the floor), but Paul starred with 27 points and eight assists. Harden had 29 points and seven assists in Game 3, when Paul fouled out after only 30 minutes, finishing with 17 points and six assists.

    "We've kind of like traded off, right?" Harden said. "We've just got to get a rhythm. It's not necessarily just me and Chris. We're good enough to get enough to get our shot going and get our rhythm going at any point in any game.

    "We've just got to make sure we're rallying everybody else around us and making sure that they're in good spirits and always confident in their shot. ... So we're good. We're real good."​
     
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  8. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Member
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    In D'Antoni we trust :p
     
  9. J Sizzle

    J Sizzle Member

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    Harden talking about effort and defensive intensity after last night is pretty funny I must say
     
  10. Bobbythegreat

    Bobbythegreat Member
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    No one should panic, but they should be very annoyed.
     
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  11. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    I don't blame Dantoni, yet, but I definitely don't buy his story that "rest" causes a 10 point drop in offensive rating. Its clearly an effort problem, and a bricking wide open shots problem. Rest shouldn't hurt those things.
     
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  12. kjayp

    kjayp Member

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    I cant believe MDA is still spewing this crap about rest causing the team to 'lose its rhythm...' - what a copout excuse to try to create a narrative to justify past stupidity... lol

    We didn't go hogwild on resting guys... 1 guy here, another guy there... other than guys who were nursing actual injuries, did anybody get more than 1 or 2 games off before the finale?

    Sure, we rested everybody for the last game of the season - but by everyones account, we've been 'out of rhythm' for the last couple months... We weren't 'resting guys' when we started to slip and get lackadaisical about things...

    If the sparsely doled 'rest' of 1 day here and 1 game game there is the cause of the downturn that MDA is talking about... then how crappy a straw house did he construct? lol
     
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  13. darksoul35

    darksoul35 Member

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    Didn't they just set a franchise record for 3 pointers? If not it has to be up there. We are not losing to Minn. in this series. That was by far the best they have played and we still had a chance to pull it out . I'm not sure if we have enough to beat the Warriors but we will be in the WCF.
     
  14. Bobbythegreat

    Bobbythegreat Member
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    That's really the biggest problem the Rocket face, they could use a "heart" transplant. The Rudy T line about "the heart of a champion" simply wouldn't apply to this year's Rockets. They have the talent, but very little heart.
     
  15. Fantasma Negro

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    Minnesota played with a lot of emotion and the rox had one of those games when everyone but James sucked. Its funny how many ppl on here said rox in 5 but then a livid over a loss they accounted for in their prognostication. The rockets still haven't played a complete game and at this point that can have multiple meanings but mainly it means they will probably end this series in the next two games.
     
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  16. Surfguy

    Surfguy Member

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    I don't get this team. I don't get it.
     
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  17. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    Fair points. It's just that the Rockets haven't won the games in the fashion that people expected, so now that they lost - 3 games is a trend.
     
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  18. tinman

    tinman 999999999
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    He's a fake Rockets fan
     
  19. fchowd0311

    fchowd0311 Member

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    That is horrible logic. D'antoni has never won a ring.

    And why would an NBA coach EVER panic in front the media? Only horrible coaches would do that. Even if their is genuine concern, NBA level coaches hardly ever express that to ****ing reporters.
     
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  20. vlaurelio

    vlaurelio Member

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    LOL its the p*****s that are panicking

    keep calm *****
     
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