Why are we such a soft team in losses? Where is our JYD?

Lebron defends all positions (wherever the best player is), runs the offense, and is their best rebounder.

How is that not a win at all costs player ?

 

You really have no idea what having heart and toughness means do you. That's your definition of never underestimate the heart of a champion?? really?

Heart, toughness, leadership, determination, passion that all goes hand in hand they are the core mental aspects of the game. It's what you need to win in the playoffs, even teams who lack talent can have those values which is why we sometimes lose to those teams. We have the talent but we don't have the mental aspects down yet. Those things start with a really good Coach or on court leader. Jackson, Auerback, Adelman, these are all coaches that have led teams with the characteristics that I mentioned above.

 

Whatever you say friend.

 

Our team lacks shooters. We need consistent deadeye shooters from mid range. Our guys are streaky from 3, mostly crap from mid range, and decent driving to the basket. We could use more grit too.

 

Morey always likes to collect a bunch of soft players....

 

Then he needs a hard coach.

JVG report to the bench...STAT !

DD

 

The entire team is full of soft players apart from Beverley and maybe Dwight.

Players like Parsons, Lin and Harden are built for the playoffs, grind-it-out games or vociferous atmospheres at road games.

 

Last year the texans were 12-4. Fools gold.

 

Rondo currently does not have the talent that this team does. You seem like a fairly smart guy. Surely you can make that connection.

 

Interesting reasoning. I always thought Rudy T said that because a lot of people were counting us out. We prevailed by making big shots and played solid defense ( the Dream blocking Starks 3 pointer was huge). We also showed heart, passion, grit, toughness and etc etc etc...

 

The reason they use those terms is it's the polite way of dancing around the real issues.

On the televised games more often than not one team has a schedule loss. The Spurs play 4 in 5 on the 2nd B2B and play Miami after 3 days off IN Miami. The Rockets play 4 in 5 on the 2nd B2B and play against a rested OKC team in OKC.

Some days a team plays like crap and another team shoots lights out, but it's always "that team stepped up" or "the defense shut that team down" or a team is "tough" or "soft".

Analysts rarely care to admit that schedule losses are real as it makes poor television. Coaches always say "no excuses" because it's more polite than saying that another team is better, or played better, or that their team is fatigued, or that the other team got lucky and hit shots. Or that Durant gets superstar treatment and nobody can touch him?

It's the media dance to keep the fans away from the real causes and like a bunch of trolls people eat it up.

And for those saying the team should have kept playing hard, what is the logical value of that? If you know your team is dead tired and has virtually NO chance of winning because you're already deep in the hole against one of the best teams in the NBA and everyone is already exhausted, what is the value of going all out and risking injury? Really, there is none other than being able to say "they played hard". You don't get bonus seeding for losing by 15 vs 30.

Would folks feel better if Rockets players gave some hard fouls and got ejected? Or got some techs for jawing with the refs?

Nope, let's just pile on a team that's just pulled out multiple wins in late game situations despite being behind, exhausted from a brutal schedule and injury ridden and call them "soft".

However, if it makes folks feel better, keep venting...

 

I disagree if you Google the Rockets vs Thunder game you see nothing but headlines saying thunder rout tired rockets. Its even on nba.com and yahoo and some of the highlights they point out how many games we've played. If you look at this weeks power rankings it clearly says we were tired and we have an easier schedule coming up.

If you look on yahoo you will see OKC fans pissed because that makes it seem like that's the only reason OKC beat us. It's an excuse and we all know it. Losing by 10 or 15 you can say we lost because we were tired but 30 points? really? They were tired but they weren't really trying either.

 

Thunder Rout Tired Rockets

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/thunder-rout-tired-rockets-117-022809011--nba.html

 

Of course they were trying. I looked at the nba players pages and at Parsons, T Jones, Dwight, Harden and Lin's shot attempts and they just didn't fall. They had no legs, no oomph, no strength against a really active defense to hit their shots. But it wasn't lack of effort, the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. The smart thing to do is rather than get injured, throw in the white flag because it is a battle, not a war. I'm not even sure why Lin was playing in the 4th, maybe McHale wanted his stat line to look less pathetic.

 

Did you watch the game, because they were just standing there, one on one all game.

 

This is a great post. Those buzzwords of "toughness, heart, intangibles" etc are great media cliches. Coaches, analysts, commentators and even players toss them around all the time. See the Bull Durham reference. "We have to work on your cliches..."

Players and coaches rarely say what they really think, and when they do it's either bulletin board material for a future game or a fine from the NBA.

For fun we should create a cliche dictionary. Off the top of my head:

Physical Toughness = Fouling or playing physical without getting called for it.
Mental Toughness = Makes important plays or FTs, especially after sucking.
Heart = One team has better conditioning and/or stubborn players.
Energy = Didn't play the night before or a brutal schedule.
Soft = Getting pushed around and not getting the calls (see physical toughness).
No excuses = I won't name names but some players will be running stairs.
Sticky = 75% of Harden's possessions. :grin:

This list could get out of hand quickly.

 

Loooooool

 

Sure, they mention it after the game once they do a proper article. But during the game? Or half time analysis? Rarely more than a passing reference. And you won't certainly see it mentioned more than in passing on the televised analysis pre, during or post-game.

It's all coach speak post-game by the coaches, during the pre-game and during the game.

 

You'd be an idiot not to want Melo on this team bro

Bev Bev
Harden Harden
Melo > Parsons
Jones Jones
Howard Howard

 

The team has lost to contenders as well as bottom feeders. Coach needs to instill grit and stoke the fire as part of the team culture, PB cannot do it all by himself.