We would have won that Utah Series under Van Gundy, if someone could have rebounded though....... Shoot.
Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll are two nice depth additions, but the biggest differences are the pieces actually fit together on the court now, and Robert Covington gives the Rockets an elite wing defender they have lacked since Trevor Ariza left for more money.
The second three-peat Jordan Bulls were so tough to beat because they were going after both rebounds + turnovers. They went with agile big and mobile defenders of Ron Harper + Pippen + Jordan + Rodman to not only force deflection and turnovers, but also win the rebounding battle. Other than the center position they were bigger than the opposition at each spot. Also stronger and better defenders. They would disrupt the opposition offense by attacking the point of attack and perimeter (eg. Pippen on Stockton). Their big guards and forwards were all good and tough one on one defenders and were also excellent at closing down the passing lanes. And if the shot went up, they were excellent re-bounders. They could have been even more dominant if they added another agile SF/PF instead of scrubs like Longley and Williams.
Love it, pretty surprising that a team with Russ and Harden is starting to limit turnovers so well. Harden and Russ still combine for 10-11 a game but at least there are not as many turnovers from the supporting cast especially with better ball movement and spacing and getting up shots at a more efficient clip. Also, getting out on the break will be a good thing going forward to hopefully continue limiting turnovers.
The reason we were only outrebounded by 5 was because we were hitting our shots at an insane clip. On those nights when they're not falling, we're going to have to be more active rebounders to make sure things don't get out of hand.
It was actually 23-16. Official TOs includes 24-sec violations. And it was 19 to 7, at end of 3rd, up 32 points.
Other stats at end of 3rd, up 32 2nd Chance Pts - Hou 10 GSW 7 FB Pts — Hou 18 GSW 16 Pts off TOs — Hou 29 GSW 6
I like the fact that our team realizes it needs to box out in order to rebound effectively. Boxing out had become a lost art!
I believe in a lot of what the Rockets have been doing over the years. And the rest of the NBA has followed in their foot steps. But forfeiting rebounds (especially defensive rebounds) is just not one of the things I believe in. *although I'm fine with the Covington trade in a vacuum. The Rockets actually won a title with poor overall rebounding (while avoiding Seattle) but Hakeem could grab the big ones when the game was tight. We don't have that with this team. You CAN forfeit just about ANY stat category when you have TALENT. If this team ALSO had someone like Paul George on it. Sure... talent trumps all. But as-is. Without rebounding. I'm not buying in. We'll see.
Rebounding doesn’t score points Shots on Goal scores points We are either even or winning the Shots on Goal stat, so far. And that balance is tied directly to us putting more skill players on the court, forgoing lane-clogging height, and baiting opponent into playing outside their wheelhouse.
GSW is a horrible team this year. The Rockets shot 25-49 from three. While the premise might be right ultimately, this game tells us almost nothing. Other than the obvious... make 20+ threes on 50% shooting, you're likely to win big. Heck, make 20+ threes on 40%+ shooting consistently and this squad probably wins a ring. Right now they're making just over 15 threes a game (fist in the league) at 35% (20th in the league).
a further irony is the Rockets, as a team, have perhaps the richest history of great centers in the league: Akeem, Moses, Elvin, Yao, Ralph, Dikembe...
At the very least we are a way more exciting team than when we had Capela. I’d love to believe this will work all the way to a championship but I just don’t see it. Everyone on here knows all the hand checking we are doing and pushing in the paint will be fouls as soon as the playoffs begin.
depends tbh, I saw that Celtics game and it made me kind of think about how it would look in a slowed down game. Celtics were also pretty gritty good on ball defenders but if harden and Westbrook play well they can still pull wins. Utah have been played twice one W and an L on a buzzer beater in what looked like a slower gm. It’s gimmicky but considering there is no Hakeem or embiid in the west, (I think Jokic could hurt them along with AD) it was a very reasonable gamble.
The elimination of zone defenses coupled with defensive 3 seconds as well as the amount of contact allowed on the perimeter (they still allow hand checking though) has changed the game to favor guards vs big man. The Rockets are just a reflection of the rules - or rather the exploitation of the rule changes.