I'm glad we won.. Very glad.. But we got very lucky. Curry and Thompson make some rare mistakes while PJ Tucker deserves the game ball for digging out some tough tough offensive rebounds. We let them back in the game late in the fourth fourth because we reverted to bad habits. 1. Wasting too much time in the shot clock. 2. Zero motion by players without the ball. 3. Desperation drives counting on the refs to bail them out. 4. DUMB DUMB DUMB PLAYS! (indecisive plays allowing the D to tie up drivers, throwing the ball away in bail out passes) If you look at when we had the lead, and one reason why the Rockets seem to play smoother when Harden's not on the court, is that we were moving the ball. Making crisp passers to open shooters who are moving to get open. Hitting cutters driving to the basket again from people moving without the ball. This is all basic basketball yet late in games we go away from that to play hero ball. Harden is a great player, a phenomenal scoring machine who does have the heart and will to win. Against Warriors in a tight game with little time left we're always just one no call on him or an Igoudala blocked three from losing the game. For all of the greatness of Harden this team is very hampered against the Warriors if we can't adjust. Harden et al has to take that next step and make adjustments rather than just fall back on counting Harden to out talent the other team.
Lol harden single handedly won this game and we beat one of the most talented if not the most talented team ever. Seriously shut the *** up
I’m goning to enjoy this win until tip off Monday night. No point in posting anything negative right now. Let’s all enjoy this win and Stephanie’s failed dunk for a couple days.
All this stuff literally got us within a few games of the #1 overall seed this season, even after the horrible start to the season we had. Also, playing this way might have gotten the reigning MVP to repeat. We're also playing against the best team in the league, and the defending champs. Can we play smarter? Sure. Should we change up our entire offense? Hell no. Dance with the one who brought you here.
This is the point though. Yes the Rockets have talent but if we want a championship you need to make adjustments. Frankly getting a high seed in the playoffs shouldn't be our enough for this team or fan base. I don't want to make this seem like a bashing Harden thread. He is a great player, an MVP, but for all of that greatness the one thing missing from his resume is not just a championship but a Finals appearance. Great players know how to change, great teams make adjustments..
Maybe it's just the coach in me but I have a hard time just savoring a win when it shouldn't have even been close. Luck is always part of the game but every good player and coach knows you don't count on it.
Eh, you're not wrong on a lot of stuff, the Warrios have been lucky for years though, and they should be down 1-2 now.
He's been instrumental taking a team to the finals just not with the Rockets. I hear your frustrations at times he looks very championship like. Especially when he is late on defensive rotations or moving to guys without the ball. But he also had 41 points.
I totally agree with OP. The offense needs to be diversified by allowing Paul and Gordon to run some sets and Harden playing the two. Mark Jackson and Van Gundy both stated this during the game and it makes sense as the defense seemed confused when the other two were playmaking.
Best offense we have is when the big man sets the screen as soon as Harden or Paul cross half court. It opens up the offense so much. Another set I really like is when a guard sets the screen for Harden and then runs to the other side of the court while Capela screens Harden's man right after. That set confused the Warriors quite a few times and it led to an open Capela at the basket.
As an old timer now I'm going to tell a story from the last Rockets championship team. We won game one of the 1996 Finals partly due to luck. Nick Anderson, who had been a very reliable scorer, choked and bricked four free throws near the end of the game. The Rockets win a close game on a last second tip in. Rudy T celebrated the victory but almost immediately railed into the Rockets. He didn't allow them to relax but reminded them that that game could've easily gone the other way. What happened next was history..
There've been a few times that Houston teams have almost killed me. In fact it's a proud tradition of Rockets fans.
I just hope Paul, Harden, and Rivers are OK. That last scrum was brutal. If the refs had called anything like a fair game, we win going away. Assuming everyone is healthy, I’d like to see Paul play the point and control the game, with Harden moving without the ball and playing the classic 2. The offense flows much better when we do that. Gonna relax now and just chill.
This is such an insult to all the players who contributed to this win. In particular, Gordon and Paul were huge for us on offense, and Tucker was a beast. The OP was spot on. Anyone who watched he game can see the flaws in what Harden was doing out there. You can’t beat the Warriors in 4 out of 5 games with this bogged down, stagnant offense that inevitably results from Harden’s 15 second dribbling routine against the Warriors defense. They are too good for that.
I’m with you on this. I was literally shaking near the end. I had to tell myself “it’s just a game, it’s just a game”. That was a fun one.
Why this team gets so frustrating is that these are flaws that have been with this team and Harden for years. Again I don't want to turn this into a bash Harden thread. He can change. Remember how awful he used to look on D. There were jokes about his D. No one is making those jokes anymore. Great players are constantly improving. The Akeem that came into the league in 1984 was very different from Hakeem that hosted two championship trophies. I believe that Harden and this team can adjust. If we want to get past GSW and hoist another banner this team needs to.
Also it's not just Harden. We saw Paul get caught up playing Hero ball at the end and almost costing us the game. Let's not forget Gerald Green too.
