Thankfully there aren't back-to-back games in the playoffs.

I wonder if there's a correlation of high paced teams performing poorly on second game of back-to-backs.

 

They still should've beaten Phoenix. Didn't most of the starters sit down early against the Kings?

 

You can't really tell what 5-11 in B2B games means unless you compare it to the league average, or playoff team averages. Heck, the % could be a 20% win percentage on the 2nd game of B2Bs and 5-11 would look really good.

 

Amen to that.

It is very strange to me how bad the Rockets have been on back to backs, especially considering their youth. However, while they are young, all of these young players have really had their playing time ratcheted up several levels in comparison to previous years. Perhaps they just weren't physically ready to be able to play that many more minutes in an NBA game two nights in a row.

Most players get to gradually acclimate to the physical toll that such repetitive playing time has on the body -- and those that are thrown into are rookies who are notorious known to hit the "rookie wall".

I think the Rockets may be hitting the "MIP" wall on back to backs.

 

alot of NBA players don't hit their physical peak till age 26-28..when they've been in the league for a few years.

not necessarily by their vertical jump, but more so with how their muscles are trained for the rigorous schedule...think about it, these players don't ever have b2b or 4 in 5 days in their live.s

 

History has shown that there are back to back playoff games. Look back to 05/18/2012 and 05/19/2012 where the Lakers and Thunder played. Or the 19th and 20th when the Spurs and Clippers played.

They certainly aren't as prevalent, and generally don't involve travel, but they do occur.

 

isnt that because last yr was a lockout yr...thus a packed sched?

 

It's just a sign of their youth. I expect them to be a lot better in B2B's next year, especially against crappy road teams they should beat.

 

I think Dragic put extra effort in each of those games, Scola also. The Rockets should have been aware of that. It's more like a mind game.

 

I remember them prior to last year as well. They have tended to be games 3-4 in the first round. With the numerous TV stations they can use now, there will probably not be any.

 

It's probably about traveling too. It's just a lot of moving about that can wear on anyone.

 

All I know is our already terrible defense goes into the gutter. 132 pts against Denver and now 110+ against the horrid Suns.

 

Some of you suggest the Rockets are not physically ready thus the poor back-to-back record. Here is an alternative. The Rockets have been overachieving because they are constantly playing 110%. Even in a seemingly easy first game against the Kings, the Rockets are already playing at 90% such that they couldn't recuperate fast enough to give out that 110% we are familiar with in the Suns game.

 

Such a fast paced offense that relies on driving + threes is bound to suffer on a back to back.

Much more susceptible to not moving their feet on defense or hustling for an extra rebound.

Having a good post player to slow the game down and get some easy buckets would do wonders for this team.

 

there really shouldn't be that many back to backs in the regular season either. no excuse for more teams to play on Thur$day nights. i remember reading some time ago that if the 2nd game of the back to back is at home,they'll win at the same percentage as their normal home games. when the back to back is on the road, that's when crap and turnovers hit the fan.

the only b2b in the playoffs i remember was when we won our 2nd championship. we played phoenix back to back.

 

usually arent B2B's in the playoffs - at least there werent any from 2000-2011. Last year definitely an exception. I do think it plays a factor for us - Asik especially tires out, which impacts our def, rebounding, and ability to run.

 

I think they'll improve on back-to-backs as they mature. It's not just about youth and being able to run all day but a lot of it has to do with being mentally tough. We're not mentally tough yet and last night was a prime example. That was a game we absolutely needed to win and clearly should have won but we had a lot of mental breakdowns. It wasn't from being tired or fatigued although that's an easy excuse to make.

 

Some of the players just looked fatigued to me. Its the end of the season, and I am sure they are tired. Doesn't excuse the lack of enthusiasm or the poor play, these guys are getting paid millions to play a GAME. I think they just need to get their bodies adjusted to playing so many minutes in a full season as starters. Parsons was really the only player that looked like he was ready to go, of course he was a starter last year who played the whole year at regular starter minutes. I agree that Harden, and Asik may be hitting a wall, terrible time to do so but what can you do, just gotta play through it. I suspect the back to back games don't help either. Thankfully there are no back to backs in the playoffs. I think after a day of rest they will be good to go Wednesday night.

 

If that's the case we should discount our wins against teams on a b2b as well.

It's just a fact of the NBA. Take our losses and move on.