ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Pacers 1/18/2013

My comment. The coaching staff has a system and wants its players to conform to the system, regardless of whether the player fits the system (or system fits the players), or whether the system is good or not.

We want to run PnRs with one of the worst PnR centers in the league (despite being one of the best defensively), we want the PFs to hit corner 3s when they're more consistent spotting up mid-range (Patterson definitely, Morris you can look at his game in college), we want the PG and SF to focus on being all-round players and defend (to cover for a SG that doesn't), and we want our SG to create for himself and others acknowledging the SG is a very good passer (but ignoring that he's both the focus on the opposition's defense and that while he is a good passer he is very poor at running the team's offense and his play book consists of iso, drive and dish or drive and finish/get fouled at the rim). The whole offense stutters when Harden is the 'primary' playmaker.

Because I'm criticizing the coaching staff, does that make me a LOF?

 

uh, with this short rotation list and long playing time, we are in a long losing streak already......

Just don't understand, before the season, McHale already talked that he will have to go with at least 9 people rotation, since they are running a fast pace. yet he is still keep running such short rotation list even in back to back games.

Before the game today, mcHale was talking about D-Mo is super during practice, and he is still got only 1 min, yet all guards are out rebounding our PFs combined.

 

The team is down by double figures and Harden has been stinking it up, and we've got 5 games in 6 days... better play him for 41 minutes!

 

Most of Lin fans will always show the react in the game thread views.
I don't like this game. Why? The answer is always the same. What was the winning pattern in the past games?
P. Patterson=>1-8(12.5%),
M. Morris=>0-5(0%),
J. Harden=>5-19(26.3%)
The FG%...not good.

 

I know McHale feels that he has a small margin of error, but the Clippers game especially bothered me. Harden, Lin, Asik and Parsons should have sat the last 18 minutes of that game. I would even argue the starters should have sat the 4th quarter of the Celtics... As a result we lose games to Dallas and Philadelphia that we had no business losing... Worse tomorrow against the Wolves had gone from a likely win to a toss up.

I try to not overly blame McHale, he has a virtually entirely new team. His best player had no training camp. He has a bad bench and terrible power forward play. They haven't even had time to work on defense like they want to. However, not running Harden, Lin, Asik and Oarsons into the ground is just common sense.

 

PFs and Making FT's - keys to game? (well of course team defense)

 

I am sure McHale would like a deeper rotation. Also I cannot say he is entirely adverse to change. He tried Aldrich and went away from him and now it looks like Beverly may have taken Douglas' minutes. All I can think is that DMo and Jones must not be ready.

 

Don't know enough about the Celtics to comment on that but it isn't fair to compare McHale to Coach Pop. The Spurs have a very deep AND disciplined bench, a luxury McHale doesn't have. Pop may have managed it slightly better, but with our roster, I wouldn't say "significant".

 

Great rebuttal.

 

sounds so familiar....a la MDA?

 

The lack of mid-range game bothers me a little as well. In addition to 2Pat & MM, Lin has a very decent mid-range jumper too. I get that 3p is a "high efficiency" shot, but I will take a 2 over a missed 3 any day.

 

Morey's love of high efficiency has trickled down by design to the coaching staff. This is the major reason for the current system which makes us very predictable and when our treys aren't falling, we tend to lose.

 

Totally agree.

 

Yes, I am blind.

And there are a lot more LOF's to point the finger to, LOH's are rare. Yes, they are just as bad, and they are even more trollish, but they are rare.

 

So much LOF talk in here...

Anyways, ugly game for sure, but why is no one talking about our PFs, my god 2pat was invisible.

That one play where he wouldn't take that open three and kept swinging the ball multiple times in the same play was hard to watch. I really think the rookies Dmo or Jones need to get some burn soon. Maybe 7-10 minutes, I'd like to see if we could get more spark and energy into this team.

Two bright sparks to talk away:

- Patrick Beverley still looks good, maybe not 107 PER good, but good none the less. You can tell he's hungry, and he providing great energy off the bench. Poor TD though, this was his redemption season.

- Chandler Bang has been consistently good the last couple of games, maybe his defence could use some fine-tuning, but with the inconsistency of this team, he's really showing how valuable he is.

I really hope we get a win soon, Harden seems to be pressing a bit too much lately. I assume he thinks it's his responsibility to carry the team (which it is), but he needs to play a bit more wiser, I think this will come in time, hopefully.

 

Harden needs to learn to defer to Lin when he's off and Lin is shooting well.

 

thanks for mini keys to the game Split.
How does dmo looks in recent garbage games?

 

True. The Pacers lead the league in rebounding. They are also great at transition defense.

In the games against the Clippers and Mavs, some of our fast breaks were stolen at the onset.

 

Exactly.