ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Thunder 4/24/2013 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 2)

Our guard rotation got (sadly) cut one man short and the tired legs were definitely showing on the shots. The effort and hustle was there 110% though. Too bad effort and hustle can't help tired legs get the ball in the bucket.

 

So, no player can stop someone from putting up a shot on every possession. Those miss shots were probably the result of Bev getting into Westbrooks head.

 

They both seemed off today. It was Ibaka who f***** raped us.

 

Beverly bothered Westbrook, reminded me of Dragic doing the same last year, Westbrook does not like guys that are as quick as him in his face.

Tough luck Westy, Bev is going to steal your gum between chews next game.

DD

 

We need a low post scorer and we become automatic contenders. Put Aldridge on this team on the low block with great passers like Harden who can feed him off the dribble penetration and we become the elite team in the west with OKC.

 

Oops. Sorry replied to wrong post.

 

Nah.. KD's cool, but Wb on the other hand...

 

It's mostly from the poor shooting combined with the turnovers.

We took 6 more shot attempts as a team but made 1 basket less.

Free throws were dead even at 20 made, they had 1 more made 3, the difference in the game.

 

Actually, you'll be surprised. In April, Lin's 3p% of 36.4% was 4th on the team, just behind Parsons, Garcia, and Anderson. Yes, that's right - in April Lin shot better than Harden, Delfino, and Beverley from trey.

I agree he needs to improve his shooting in the off season, but no, he's not the worst.

 

Just need any athletic big that can finish at the rim and catch alley-oops.

Lin to Chandler was money last season in NY, I can't even remember the last time Lin even made an alley oop to anyone, maybe Parsons.

 

I'm getting sick of watching Asik get blocked off the pick&rolls. Someone like Aldridge who is a deadly mid-range and interior scorer and can creat his own shot is a must.

 

Wrong place, I know, but that bad posts thread that clutch just put up is hilarious...lets hope it settles things down for next game and forces those posters to think more before making those kind of posts

 

Remember he's brought in for defense and expected to NO offense at all. So far, he's been exceeding all expectations in BOTH departments.

 

lol crazy

@Jonathan_Feigen

After all the power forwards Rox tried, collected over past 3 years, went w/ none of the above -- and outrebounded OKC, 57-40. #smallball

 

Cant wait to see a WIN at home~

 

Bev = Bledsoe.

 

Tough loss. Hard to blame it on such a great game executed by the team. I thought we got some real bad ends of some calls, and non-calls that really hurt us in terms of wrong timing.

- Harden can't be expected to make all almost 20 FT's so I don't blame him if anyone is saying FTs lost the game I wouldn't say that was it although that Tech that Garcia missed was as big as the latter FT James missed (which didn't really matter we were out of Timeouts) So I can't blame FT's, but I will blame the lack of a few FTs that we didn't get the chance to take!

-PB wow what a game. This kid reminds me of a kid rising up on a NCAA team during March Madness. Maybe it's the young Rockets team that makes me feel that way, or maybe just because he's that underdog pit-bull player we all love here! PB is a great player, and other than a few plays where he got stuck, I thought that he played great penetrating to the basket and looking for the open shooter, or taking the shot. He pulled down rebounds, and pressured WB hard. **If anyone rewatches the game I think it was when Westbrook went to the line the second time early on, and well he already looked frustrated. So really happy PB is getting into his head. WB took way too many shots, but he made a lot of killer mid range jumpers. I'll take that though. GREAT JOB Patrick Beverly!

-Harden shot horrible, but didn't get many calls even though he got to the line as much as he did! Hard to say that, but I really believe that. I don't think I'm being a homer here, but there were I think 5 plays that started the 3rd qtr. that were just 5 consecutive calls that should have been made.
So many in sequential order that I forgot all of them, but one was the Asik "block", and the Chandler Parsons block on KD during that time. I say this because of the way the game was being called "on the other side."

- I don't know maybe some others saw those 5 consecutive plays that the refs just missed bad during that early run the Thunder started up with in the 3rd because I really don't think I'm being a homer on some of these missed calls.

Tough loss, but we almost stole it in OKC. Another note, if it was McHale on the call of going with PB for the starting line up then CONGRATS TO HIM. What a great strategy for a coach that has been called out for his way of coaching, and his rotations this year. He stepped up to the plate of game 2, and took the pressure off of Lin, unfortunately Lin got injured, and I was hoping Brooks would play well, but he didn't.
Brooks had two great plays where he penetrated to the hoop, and made great passes, but both went for turnovers, and after that he just looked bad. I would have to say that was a big turning point, but McHale recognized that, and he pulled him just in time.

-All in all great strategy, and thought the Defense was a lot better at times this game, but we lost. Put up a good fight, and a couple shots here, or there change the game. We will live and die by the open shooter so I'll live with the loss. Tough loss though after such a great comeback.

Kudos to the coaching staff tonight especially McHale with his ideas to beat OKC. We almost stole one. This young team is exciting that is for sure!

 

Beverley was our best rebounded

#variance

 

True. He needs a SOLID MMID-RANGE shooting big 4 like Aldrige nex to him whom can stretch the floor and that will help Asik on offense as well.

 

You'd be surprised by how soft LMA actually is.