ClutchFans Game Thread: Grizzlies @ Rockets 10/25/2024

Something tells me we will be closely battling Memphis for playoff/play in positioning at the end of the season. Good win to bank.

 

Phenomenal game of growth. The Grizllies thought they were just going to punk us in the 2nd quarter and challenged us to play physical... and we out muscled them the rest of the game. Wow. I don't remember the last time seeing a Rockets team doing that before.

Jalen was fantastic defensively tonight and got hot when we needed it most. Ime should have helped him a bit by taking him out of the game the last 4 minutes or so because he was blatantly just chucking for points, lowering his FG%.

Awesome team win. Everyone chipped in.

 

I just want the rockets to have a shooter like Buddy Hield I mean damn the warriors look ridiculous. Hopefully whenever we play them they are in a shooting slump

 

The big difference between Memphis and Charlotte was Dillon/Fred going 10/21 instead of 5/24.

 

Rockets played a very physical brand of basketball in the 3rd quarter. Honestly, it caught the Grizzly players by surprise. To nobody's surprise, Thompson and Eason led the effort. Huge contributions from Jabari as well.

This team will have to play like that if they want to win consistently.

 

Rebounds were beastly, assists were not. Both need to be there to take us to the next level.

 

I was at the game last night and had an incredible time. My observations:

1. Zach Edey is really really huge and he's a legit NBA player. I think he's going to be a starter for a very long time. He isn't quick, but he's so big and he's significantly quicker than a guy like Boban. I don't think I've seen a guy that big play that many minutes since Yao. And weirdly, while an inch shorter than Yao, he feels bigger. I'm assuming that's wingspan and bulk.
2. Amen Thompson is just special. He only took 4 shots. He had 8 turnovers, and yet I still felt like his fingerprints were all over the game and he was one of our best players. Once they put him on Ja it was over for Ja. He couldn't do anything. I see many All-NBA defensive teams in his future. I'll also add that he and Tari are just way too good to be coming off the bench and a trade has to be coming at some point to address that.
3. Speaking of Tari, having Amen and Tari on the court together is nuts. And when Cam was out there too, the Grizzlies were just so obviously bothered by all of that length, athleticism and quickness. Tari is also a complete defensive monster and his arms are everywhere all at once.
4. I don't know if the advanced numbers will back me up on this, but Cam looked really good defensively to me. It's still pretty much a given that if he touches the ball he's going to shoot it, but he had something like 11 points in 13 minutes on a pretty healthy shooting percentage so I don't think anybody was mad at him for that tonight. The progress on the defensive side is impressive, and it'll be a shame if he's relegated to 15 minutes a game because we have so much depth.
5. I am still so pleasantly surprised by how much trust Ime seems to be putting in Reed. I really didn't think he would get this many minutes so early in the season, and it's wild how under control he looks out there considering it's his second game in the NBA. He does not seem rattled or intimidated by the NBA. He didn't make a huge impact, but he's very active defensively and he just seems to always make the right decision. Watching him shoot in warm ups was incredible. He can't miss. It's going to be fun to watch him get more catch and shoot opportunities in the years to come.
6. I know a lot of people here are down on Tate and have been for some time, but it was kind of wild to me to see him only get minutes in garbage time. I personally feel he's better than that and I hope a trade opportunity presents itself where he can go somewhere and get more minutes. He definitely isn't good enough to get more minutes on this team though, especially when they're just going to need to find more minutes for Amen, Tari, Cam and Reed as time goes on.
7. Jalen was really really good last night. He played within the flow of the game like 95% of the time and mostly made the right decisions. I hope he keeps it up. I've been a lot closer to being Bobbythegreat than I have been to being a member of the Jalen fan club for most of his career now, but if he continues to play like he did last night we will regret not giving him a 5 year deal.

I know all of this stuff is something you can see on television too, but man, it hits so different when you're there in person. I've got to go to more games this year. It's just way too fun to see these guys play. I don't think we've ever had a more athletic team in all of my time as a Rockets fan.

 

I enjoyed reading your breakdown if everything. I see us improving and developing even more as the season goes on. We are dangerous!

 

Contenders shoot lights out against us. You saw what Exum did against us. Klay found the fountain of youth everytime he played us last season

 

Great analysis. Jalen played great. Jabari showed that when he is aggressive he is a plus starter. Amen had an off game offensively, but when he is on the court the defense takes a huge step up. Him, Tari, Jabari, and Jalen make it hell on perimeter offenses. I want to see that unit in the game a whole lot.

If Cam can have that intensity on defense, he will earn back his minutes. Dillon would be a great guy to have coming off the bench if we had the minutes, but we don’t, so he should be traded asap. Sheppard being aggressive in taking his open shots, which is a great sign. This game showed we can win with defensive intensity and hitting the boards even when our perimeter offense isn’t clicking.

Amen and Tari need more and more minutes and their offensive mistakes will lessen. Jabari needs to have this attitude every game.

 

Tough to keep it straight when not hard. Just say'n

 

And controlling Ja on offense, instead of the **** defense we played on Lamelo.

 

You seem preoccupied with penises, bit strange that.

 

I don't remember saying anything about that, but good to know where your head's at

 

Yeah it doesn't really work when you basically just say "no, that's you." Do better next time.

 

You sound like you didn't watch the games or you weren't paying attention.... Jalen played very good defense in game 1 and he didn't play bad... outside the 4 straight 3pters he jacked up in the last 3 minutes to end the first half... he had a solid performance.... FVV shoulders the largest responsibility for that loss... Jalen was actually our most efficient scorer in game 1.

In game 2 he was great defensively.... And outside the first qtr... He played really good offensively the rest of the game... Being aggressive... Making good decisions... And sparked the run that stopped the game from getting away from us when everyone was playing lackadaisical. Jalen was our best overall player in game 2.

Very strange narrative you created on the first two games.

Yeah that was MAJOR cap.

 

The team does well when everyone gets the ball. Who would've known that?

 

Already better, thank you for asking and appreciate your concern.

And it sounds like you're pushing through some personal issues at home, so I'll let you have your time back. Every thing will eventually work out, we're all here for you when it's time.

 

I should have mentioned Jabari. He also made a great impact with defense, boards and was more aggressive offensively. I loved what I saw from him.

 

Ha! My birthday is the 29th of the October! I've been on this board since 2001 and I assure you my posts wouldn't have been too insightful when I was 6.

I'm turning 48!