I know we are all pissed from the Spurs game, but keep in mind: -This is our developmental year -We just kept up with arguably the best team in the NBA atm -2-3 years down the Spurs won't be relevant anymore (Duncan and Ginobili retires, maybe Pop wil too) -2-3 years down we will be very, very relevant. Our bench blows, our PFs are laughable, our coach is a dumbass - we're far from a complete team. Yet we're still the 6th seed in a very strong Western Conference
Yea even though we lost, i feel good about this team. Who would have thunk they're able to compete with the Spurs AT SAN ANTONIO and were right there toe to toe with them. You can clearly see that if we have a couple more pieces, we would took over the game. Guys like Adrich and Osik are not good offensively...horrible at catching and finishing at the rim. I think that's a huge problem and i am not sure what the Rockets is going to do in the off season. Of course, you can't replace Osik because he is the foundation of the defense, but his offensive skills in term of catching the ball and finishing it off quickly is very lacking.
Wouldn't count on the Spurs not being relevant. Great depth, great front office, and Parker is only 30. If I were them I'd trade Parker as soon as Duncan retires and go for a fast rebuild like the Rockets did. They should be able to accomplish it.
You upgrade PF with an offensive-minded player so we can stop having these stinker performances at the 4 constantly.
What I mean by relevant is being a title contender. Without HoFer Duncan and possibly Ginobili, there is no way they would still be a contender.
It really depends on who is coming out. They will just tank that year like they did for Duncan, once he retires. Their franchise has always been good and has always had some type of franchise player.
I've thought all along that we likely lose against the Spurs, because they are basically us except with more talent. That is, they play the same style and same efficient manner, but do so with better players. OKC is the same way. They can play the Rockets game and beat us at our own game. These are by far the two worst matchups for the Rockets style wise. Once the Rockets go back to playing teams that can't punish us from 3pt land and transition, we're going to have the upper hand again in matchups.
Spurs exposed our weaknesses 1. Youth & Inexperience 2. Lack of interior post presence 3. Weak defense Nothing you can do about 1. And 2. - just have to find that player who can prevent SA from throwing 4 guys at lin & harden. They were trapping at times, playing physical one on one. Giving the drive then brining charge takers in. giving the drive than boxing players in. they just threw all sorts of stuff at us and basically unnerved harden a good deal and forced both lin and harden to make poor passes at times. with a stronger interior post player, they wouldn't be able to leave that guy one-on-one and thus it would keep the perimeter a bit more open. Spurs pulled the rug out from underneath the Rockets there - in the 4th, and limited them to 10-23 shooting and had 7 steals. Incredible attacking defense. 3. the weak defense was a joke. McHale really needs to find a solution to this. what's the point of shooting 52% when you let the other team shoot 57%? It was too easy for the Spurs to score in the half-court. Got to put a lot more pressure on their perimeter players....execpt they have Tim Duncan. I think the Spurs are the perfect model for us to emulate. THey have two amazing penetrating perimeter players in Parker/Genobli, and of course Tim Duncan. Of course we can't find a TD, but we can get someone who will make it harder to let the defense basically run a 3-2 zone.
We really need to pair Asik up with a great PF, one who has the outside shot and the post move. Wait, why didn't we try DMo at the 4 tonight?
How many 4s in the league have legitimate post moves AND an outside shot? Is your opinion that DMo possesses these qualities?
Spurs will alway be relevant for as long as Popovich is their HC. They play in a "system." Every play has a specific assignment and if all players perform accordingly, they will win. I mean why McHale keeps doing the same thing and expect a different result? Beat the system! McHale needs to watch more films from last season WC Game 3-6 to see how Thunder trapped Parker. If we trap Parker effectively before the screens, Spurs system will become less potent. Parker is the head of the chicken; chop it off next time!
System or not, when you lose a player that is your defensive anchor as well as one of the best post players of all time, as well as one of the best 6th man players ever, you're not going to continue winning at nearly the same rate as when you still have them.
I would be disappointed if we lose to ATL. I would be impressed if we win against OKC. But I still keep in mind that this season, Rockets are supposed to be a lottery team.
bright side... 1-2 yrs ahead of schedule under the cap and can still spend on max player struck gold with harden and have him for next 5 yrs in his prime and the other players are not too shabby
It's amazing how quickly expectations shift. From people thinking this is a 35 win team, to play off bubble team, and now folks are hypercritical because we lost a closely contested game with the Spurs. Some of the analysts are now putting us as a 49 win team. Think about that... 13 new players, average age 24, 1.9 years average experience, chock full of rookies, sophomores, and minimal NBA experienced players... and we're suddenly a 45-50 win team? That. Is. Mind boggling. Hard to take anything but good out of this season so far... and the team is STILL gelling and the young players are STILL improving. This team will be a first round nightmare if we make the play offs...