Not a complaint but an observation: Harden is still playing analytic ball aka MoreyBall

LOL thats not how it works

 

At the end of the regulation when we needed a bucket bad 2 or 3, it didn't matter, he then comes down a jacks a contested 3? Like why? But on the Final possession when he probably needed a step back 3 from him(best shooter) he drives and and throws it away. Once he starts making better decisions we'll be able to pull these type of games out.

I get he has played under MDA for 3-5 years I expect some mistakes though.

 

Analytics doesn't account for situational decisions.

 

This was not about analytics.

Defense was ****. Period.

 

Miscommunication of defense leads to that. They are not sticking to one particular scheme they are learning to defend based on situations.

 

No guard in the league is competing with Harden on FTs attempts and made.

You got the statline from CJ wrong.

McCollum shot 9-16 from 3. FTs (1-2)

As people pointed out, it's probably one of McCollum's season best.

For his standard, it was already super efficient, but I watched McCollum, I think this season will be one of his best seasons.

 

Good god, understand psychology bro!

 

and? thats harden's fault? then opponents should not foul him and let him score staight up then

fouls are fouls

keep up the fight against harden FTs

 

Lol the Lakers shot way more three than the Rockets in playoffs last year and won the title..

 

Yes Harden was cooking last night and was very efficient from the field. I don't think anyone here is going to argue against what you are saying in regards to how well Harden played last night. But more shot diversity and movement is needed in our offense if we want to win it all. Only threes and layups work well in the regular season but in the playoffs that style is very easy to defend. I think that's OP's point.

 

Who told you that a mid range shot is a bad one? Any wide open shot is a good one...

 

You don’t get into a close game situation deep in the playoffs without playing a style that maximizes your possessions. Outside of Harden, Houston’s roster has mostly been not very talented compared to other top tiered teams. The style combined with Harden’s insane efficiency allowed the team to exceed their ceiling.

The problem with Houston historically has not been about a lack of mid range shooting so much as Morey had long sought productive undervalued players who produced stats but had very limited skill sets - in other words, very one dimensional players. It’s much easier to run an offensive player off the 3pt line if that player has no ability to put the ball on the floor to drive or to read the bigs rotating to the rim and instead take an in rhythm long two. That is what made us easy to defend in critical positions. Westbrook is kind of the prime example of that - offensively he lacked versatility to be a threat from anywhere yet he was so good as a slasher that he had made himself a star. Even his assist weren’t clever reads so much as throwing to anyone as entire defenses closed in on him to stop his drives.

Thinking back to the last few years, Harden and Gordon and CP3 were the only guys on the roster with that versatility. That’s why I’m encouraged by the new roster - Wall may be less effective than Westbrook but if he is more versatile as a player that makes him more valuable in an offense where Harden is the first option. Boogie also brings a guy who can shoot from deep well enough to force people to guard him, is strong around the rim, and has great passing skills. The point is Houston can now sub in 5 guys into a late game situation who are all capable at making decent reads to pass out of, threats from deep, threats to hit an open mid range shot, and threats to finish at the rim. That hasn’t been a thing here in the entirety of Morey’s time in Houston.

 

Some of you guys are so freaking soft I swear. Did you ever play organised sports bro? You can go out and score 5 touchdowns, score 70 points, get 3 soccer goals (insert said sport here), and a good coach is still going to tell you how you could improve as a player. That's what critiquing is for, that's what a coach is for. None of the greats are ever satisfied at any sport, none of them. You will always feel like there is room for improvement if you want to get to the top and stay on top.

 

To some extent I agree, but then again Silas said he wasn’t going to depart from that approach entirely. He just wasn’t going to be militant about it. The biggest thing that stood out to me was having James involved in effective PNR actions with Wood (which looked lightyears better than what he had with Capela). To me that’s been sorely missing and adding that component back makes Harden and the offense as a whole way more diverse. IMO, that’s what’s been missing. And this was just game one.

 

I understand that three points is worth more than two points, that's basic math. But a lot of the shots that the Rockets took last year in the playoffs and years prior were contested threes. Those are not good shots. I would rather take a wide open mid range shot than to take a contested three point shot. There are a lot of players that take the elbow jumper and are quite good at it. Kawhi, LeBron, KD, AD, PG13, Tatum, and many others utilize the mid range and the post. The elbow jumper sets up the drive. Which just makes you a better triple threat option.

 

In soccer it is now 5 goals.

6 goals differential onward they are somewhat content.

 

Houston has had talent around Harden. I really don't understand where this notion comes from that Harden has been undermanned. It has not just been Harden out there by himself and just a bunch of G Leaguers. When one player has the ball in his hand over 50% of the time the offense is going to be stagnant. Houston's problem has been that they are forcing guys to play one style of basketball. Rivers is a guy that is a lot better than a lot of you guys here on CF think. Austin has a nice dribble pull up game. But Houston forced him to sit at the three point line and wait for Harden to pass him the ball. That's not his game. The same can be said for Melo, Westbrook, CP3, Ariza, etc; these are players that shoot the mid range pretty well. But were told here in Houston not to shoot the mid range, which unlocks more of their offensive game. All these guys are playing better for their new teams now than they were playing for us. Is that a coincidence? I honestly don't think so. There is no cookie cutter way to play the game. You have to find a way to use a players strengths not force him to become Klay Thompson or Duncan Robinson. I'm not saying that Houston should abandon the three pointer, I actually think it should be the primary shot you look for. But if the mid range is there and wide open why not take it? You have to utilize the entire floor to be the most effective in this league.

 

if motion offense has pj tucker in the dunker's spot clogging the lane instead of camping out at the 3 point line then that's an offense i don't want to see. or bush PJ and have a player in that position who can actually do something with the ball at the dunker's spot.

 

I agree, that last play should have been a total clear out for Harden with complete floor spacing. I'm not sure why Tucker was in the lane. But also Harden had the three ball, the mid range pull up, or floater all there for him on that possession as well. Mistakes were made by both guys.

 

I stand corrected lol, 5 goals!