ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Raptors 12/16/2012

It has been going on for a long time in H-Town. Rockets get going and they find a way or something gets them back down below .500 or they end up barely above .500 and don't make the playoffs in the end.

 

League Pass or Firstrow

 

On behalf of my country, I apologize...

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I'm at work, can't get that on my comp

 

Must be jet jag....it was easy to tell that the game was out of reach a few minutes into the 1st quarter...Rockets played with very little energy. Had a few terrible TOs.Tough stretch ahead.....

 

Chandler's stat line looks decent, but I don't think he played that well today.

When I saw him tweeting at almost mid-night Toronto time last night, I was thinking "why is he still up"?

Professional players need to be self-disciplined. No late nights before game day, eat properly, rest properly. Kids can't be kids.

 

I was at the game. I jut got home now here are my observations:

1. Slow start lots of turnovers, very obvious lazy passes

2. Lin doesn't get the ball much in spurts, and when he does he passes it off. Not sure if this is by coach design or him. Liked his aggressiveness at one point

3. Where are the screens for Lin? Calderon got screen after screen and was lighting Lin up. I saw no screens for Lin at all. Seriously I don't understand that.

4. A lot of turnovers on inside passes by players not named Lin

5. Just terrible defence overall. How many times did they let an open man dunk?

Meow

 

what's with the dolphin in that pic? what reference did i miss?

 

Delfino dolphin dived to try and foul on that play, refs gave it to him.

 

Torronto high picks & spacing were very nice. Their screens made a lot of good things happen for them, and their cutters did a great job. Anderson & Ross got 33 points and outplayed our bench. Toronto had 13 blocks. There is no confusion who is their team's floor general and go-to guy. They allow Calderon to play to his potential.

The dribble-pass-dribble-pass at the 3-line just doesn't work well when you have two guys in Harden & Lin that play good on lane penetration off picks. So what you end up with is Harden, the 80mm go-to guy, playing ISOs, and Lin, a very good combo guard, relegated to passing. Then you have Asik who cannot finish deep in the paint, and no one else for a post-up game. The defense is horrible – it's not a coincidence you have two good guards who play great off high picks and screens down low, getting triple-doubles, and blaming it on just Lin would be ignoring what's lacking on this team.

I feel bad for Lin. If I had to bend backwards to do something I don't excel at, I would be lost too. I am glad they played him and Smith together late. Overall, for a team with a bad record, I thought Toronto played a much better-coached game than Houston.

 

I agree, I think the screener kind of kept following Lin and sort of holidng him back, was it just me, or did you see that too???

 

lol there was a basketball game today that started at noon??.. smh whose bright idea was it to compete with the NFL..

 

No. I'm not blaming him. I'm saying that is pathetic. HOw do you miss 5/6 shots in the paint? Everyone played bad except the beard and the twin.

 

Agreement. I was hoping the 2nd half would be better...guess nothing changed. Hardin had a usual good night with only 2 TOs. Too many players just standing around.

 

I couldn't believe how bad the d was today. Calderon would be dribbling 10 feet above the top of the arc and Toronto would run a simple set and the first option was open way too much which led to a lay up, dunk or curl and pop from a simple entry pass.

 

Delfino has too many shots missed.

The team don't move the ball.

 

What was hardens stats for the game? 0 for 3 from 3 point land right? He shot what 35 percent from the field.

Looking at the stats looks like no one played well....

So it must be lins fault....how about they all sucked. Thi team doesn't have a big guy that can finish.....they have 2 guards again who can't seem to play together

The rocks should trade Lin for a big guy who can catch the ball because soil can't

Poor shooting day from everyone

 

More like the players didn't move at alll....like a bunch of Zombies out there.:grin:

 

I find that the team doesn't set downscreens to open up a shooter. It's usually:

Harden: Ok we need some quick baskets, give me the ball.

Team drops the ball off to Harden for ISO play after ISO

While this strategy actually is effective for Harden to get points for the team, it doesn't bring much to the team. Need to share the ball more and make more plays to get the team energy up.

 

Trading Lin for a non-PG would be . You want Douglas to start and Machado as backup?