ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Hornets 1/9/2013

These are the type of games where you need a legit post player.

 

This lost reminds me the last time we played in Toronto.

Vasquez = a taller Calderon

 

Are you expecting Lin to play consistently like J.Harden in his first full season??

 

The Rockets live & die by their outside shooting, especially when the defense collapses in the paint, and they usually shoot a good %. But tonight was just not your usual night.

Game like this happens in NBA. It's an ugly loss, one of those games that you just let it go, and look forward for the next one.

 

I think he's just expecting consistency on blame or praise when it comes to wins/losses.

 

Well, to focus more in the midrange game, getting pass the defender at the 3-point line and jump shooting instead of going to the rim. If it's executed well, the opposing center is forced to take a step out to cover, and then our guards can choose to penetrate and go for the layup. Once the defending guards realize that the offense is taking the midrange jumpers, they will step back, and that will also help the 3-point shooting to be back.

Also, other solution is as stated above by Da_Spark: Post play. Since they were all over the perimeter, a post player would have space to work on moves down low one-on-one. For instance, Asik made 1 play at the post, and had plenty of room to move and do an approach.

Of course, other line of action would be moving the ball faster and with more fluid movement on halfcourt offense with sinchronized screens. However, that would need a camp and some time.

 

No, but so what? Its not like I'm calling for him to benched because of the game he had tonight. We need him to play better.

Lin wasn't the only one to have a bad game, but we rely a lot on Harden and him to create good shots for the rest of the guys. So when the offense goes south because we're not getting quality possessions (as opposed to missing open shots which doesn't bother me as much), I think its totally fair to scrutinize them more.

 

PS: Harden, Parsons and PPat all have a midrange game with good jumpers. So it would be easy to implement. Our players only have to realize when the paint is locked down and the perimeter defense is on, and just fake/cross pass the defender, using or not picks, as we already do for driving to the rim. But instead, stop and shoot.

 

Yes, Hornets for some reason have been hard for the Rockets to handle.

People may have said this already (I missed the fourth quarter), but remember they beat the Spurs earlier this week. And the Spurs look more like the Rockets than most teams out there. The Hornets held the Spurs to 41 points in the first half, 88 total, which is pretty remarkable for the Spurs. And the Spurs started out playing well.

I watched part of that game again today, and noticed how the Hornets defense just got to the Spurs; they were very energetic, they have length, and they just disrupt really well. They don't score huge amounts, but for some reason, for teams like the Rockets and the Spurs, they can be a problem. Remember they also beat the Clippers at Staples Center earlier this year. It's a match up thing.

 

I saw that play by Asik too. I was like, WOW! I like his footwork. He could really thrive in this team if he can make this kind of play consistently.

But I feel somehow he does not have a strong upperbody or something. He goes towards the basket, but his upperbody always tries to stay away from it...

 

To the Lin fans:

Aside from the trolls and haters, when most of us complain about his play it means that we respect and acknowledge him as the 2nd best player on the team.

This is the reason most of us don't bash Parsons or Delfino or Patterson that much even they also played poorly today.

It's because we know their limits, whereas we believe Lin has a huge upside and potential.

So please don't see our complaints against Lin as a bad thing, rather it's part of the respect we give him as our team's 2nd best player.

(Of course if there are posters who don't acknowledge that, and they still bash him but disregard the other bad performances today, then they're most likely trolls).

 

You hit the nail on the head. I think the biggest issue offensively is the lack of the mid-range shots. Hornets were dominating the paint in terms of rebounds and blocks and the refs just weren't calling the contact - that took away a lot of the guard plays.

I disagree that Lin has been playing bad D on Vasquez. Almost always when Vasquez is handling the ball from the top of the arc, Lin defends it perfectly. The problem is when Vasquez rolls to the corner and Lin follows him, Hornets were able to find open shots with Smith/Mason, etc. That's not on Lin. Not all of Vasquez's points are on Lin either. I noticed a few times Lin had rotated to someone else on a Hornet pick and the other Rocket just didn't pick up Vasquez.

I think Lin's game is limited offensively when he can't drive, but the turnover issue is overblown on this board (as the other posted had broken it down). He played great defense the whole night though.

 

I agree.

 

I think I should write that I don't very much care for Lin moreso than any other Rocket in my signature so that when I present rational counter arguments, I don't get branded as a LOF or LOH on this board.

Every one had a bad night in this game, Harden included (7 TO, 2 in the 4th). Though Harden was the best of the worst tonight, Lin was far from the worst of the worst, but given the attention Lin gets, it would seem that he is.

I don't think Lin should get any more or any less blame for a win or loss than he deserves. He is 1 of an apparent 8 man rotation. And he is at most 1 of 5 Rockets player on the floor at a given time. That is the problem that people seem to have here, magnifying everything that Lin does, the good and the bad. What did Lin himself do to deserve that?

 

Wow what a ****ing awful game. I thought for sure we had that one won, but to put up only 10 points in the fourth quarter, with four of those coming in the last minute or so? Wow what a collapse, and to a ****ty team no less. Yeah, they played good defense, but we still should have easily won.

Pretty much everyone on the team played like crap today except for Harden. Harden (who had a hilarious flop, lol, might get a warning form the league) was the sole reason why we had a lead going into the fourth. Whenever we needed a bucket he got it. But when he went out, it was downhill from there. He seemed really tired at the end of the game, but still somehow managed to get 25 points. Where was the rest of the team?

Lin, Parsons, Asik, Douglas, Delfino, Patterson all played awful. Morris didn't play great, but his numbers weren't far off from what he usually does. I'm just shocked, I thought we were better than this. Now for a tough game against Boston, who has been winning in the last couple of weeks.

 

What happened to Lin's mid-range jumpshot? He consistently knocked those down last year, and has knocked them down this season too (in the few occasions where he attempted).

Was this lack of mid-range game part of the team's offensive strategy? I understand the logic behind it, but when other high-efficiency shots aren't falling, one would think a made-2 is better than a missed-3.

 

I saw LIN drove close to the paint and then stopped close to the time line. He used to make a jump shot after this and was actually good at it. Today he just tried to pass it out to the 3 pt line. I do not think it is a good decision he made.

 

I also think this game showed just how BADLY this team is hurting for a good PF.
For those that didn't watch Linsanity, Jeremy's bread and butter was the pick and roll with Tyson Chandler.
Good thing based on the rumors, Morey seems to be on top of that.
Because as much as I love our defensive anchor Asik, he's such a liability on offense So many passes he gets that he should be dunking are just carelessly throws in the air hoping they go in. Thats holding Jeremy's back from contributing at a much higher level like he did in NY.
Once Morey gets us that PF it will open things up much more because Jeremy will be able to attack with more confidence.

IMO.

 

He was not taking it in this game. Not sure why. I think that showed he still has a lot to learn.

Rockets are definitely trying to avoid mid-range game.

 

I believe Asik will get better once he grows some muscles.