ClutchFans Game Thread: Mavericks @ Rockets 1/4/2021

imho where luka and harden differ most is Luka is a lot more patient on offense and wont lose his composure even into 20 something seconds of the clock.. while harden is bailing himself out with the stepback 3 as soon as he sees theres no easy lob or drive opportunity

 

THIS

 

Dallas is much better defensively than I gave them credit for. Active hands, made the right switches, and it just seemed like they had 6 defenders on the floor the whole game.

Combined with a dud from the offense, it was a bad mix last night. Team still needs time to jell, IMO. It'll get better.

 

Luka will also try something different. Like start posting up or run a basic curl actions and try to get an easy catch and shoot opportunity to get back a rhythm.

 

Seems like a theme versus Houston. Still wondering how the heck CJ Mcollum made 9 threes against us.

 

Well, losing while playing on a sprained ankle is probably not much fun, so.....

 

Not gonna blame harden when the team plays like that but his disinterest without the ball is wearing thinner than seeing Westbrook’s face on the homepage.

 

Something along the lines of "the ball has been moving since Harden has been on the bench let's see if Houston can keep up the ball movement". It's not verbatim what Bill said but it's pretty damn close. And I only can find the complete Dallas Mavericks broadcast of last night game not Houston's broadcast. But I have the full game available if anyone wants to view it again lol (I'm sure I won't have any takers but PM for the link if you're interested).

 

Luka's build specification is a lot like Lebron or a prime Metta World. He bullies his way into a good offense. Harden has bit less size and strength.

 

Ya, that's pretty much what I remember also.

 

Um? Harden is known for his strength. It's one of his most elite features as a guard.

Luka is taller and has more reach but I wouldn't say Luka is stronger than Harden.

 

Harden gets called for an offensive foul when he does exert himself like that on offense in the playoffs but many nba fans argue he gets to the line undeservingly which BS.

 

Unless playing LeBron

 

This seem to be the key for me, we just weren't hitting shots at key moments of the games. I guess we can sit here and analyze the lack of movement from Harden's part, how John Wall isn't an All Star anymore (after 3 games) or whatever other overanalyzed concept we pursue since we are bored before the next game lol.

There is no doubt in my mind that I do see issues with the defense. Zero question on that. It's no coincidence that when we go small ball and switch every, we appear way more effective, unfortunately, Tate and Nwaba (when they are in there) are not the shooters that we really need to stay effective on the offensive end. There are definitely trade offs with that bench unit. I'm not necessary liking the drop coverage for the big honestly, but I'm willing to give it a little more time. I rather run some zone coverages to try and hide Cousins when he is in the game, but other than that, Wood should be quick enough to be able to cover his man.

Movement would be nice, I did see the offense stagnate a bit, but overall we are getting quality shots, we just weren't hitting them yesterday. Harden had an off game and of course, when Harden has bad games, it tends to look real bad because he gets lazy and only does step back threes and doesn't attempt to attack the basket as much. I would love a little bit more movement out of him, but you know, I really don't expect Harden to move much when he hasn't done so for years. Wishful thinking, but whatever. Team looks good anyways, and if Harden stays, I stick with my prediction that they are a 4-6 seed in this crowded West.

 

This was a game lost due to cold shooting and quite frankly a legacy left behind by MDA as well as some defensive mistakes, bad help defense due to position and not reading the offense. The refereeing was terrible though, Cousins is a weird guy but that 2nd tech was unnecessary. I dislike our offense for the most part, it seems that guys are not instructed to cut and pass the ball.

 

Man "the problem with Harden" blah blah blah Yall werent saying this crap when he was bailing this team out against the Kings or when he had 44 and 17 against the Blazers, I really dont want to hear this crap about one game where he was bad from 3. If he shoots his stepback three at a reasonable rate this convo is not existent.

 

Russ is the better player but his flaws are worse than any superstar ever.

 

The team passed the ball 225 times last night lol. For reference, the Magic are dead last in passes per game at 255.1