ClutchFans Game Thread: Blazers @ Rockets 1/20/2014

Thanks for the reply. See your point.Sometimes it is appealing to play with a couple of other superstars, so hopefully there is not a permanent "X" on his door.

 

Did anyone even notice how close CP25 came to a triple double tonight?

31 points
10 rebounds
7 assists

 

I thought LMA was going to eat Casspi alive in the post, but surprisingly he held his ground and made LMA miss a few. Kudos!

 

We better win this Wednesday game. We would be a laughing stock of the entire nba if we lose this one. I have a feeling we blow them out this time.

 

Also, Thomas Robinson sucks. Glad we traded that guy away.

 

Yes, I did - was on ESPN checking out the stats, and he is the top performer and saw the 7 assists .....was like....wow !

CParsons is the talented glue guy....we must pay the man.

DD

 

Chandler Parsons and Terrence Jones man Rockets are G's

 

That was realistic. Dwight was a disgruntled free agent and the Rockets had cap space and a good young team. If that same scenario played out with Aldridge, then of course getting Aldridge would be possible.

But why would #2 seed Portland trade their best player to Houston?

 

absolutely great win! now thats the way the Rockets Play!

 

Dmo was fantastic. I love the fact that he actually hedges hard. Skilled as fk

 

I think it's a question of HOW those threes come about. Our whole offensive strategy is predicated around points in the paint and threes - everybody knows that (except for half the TNT crew?), but not all of those threes are equal. When we struggle offensively it appears at first glance that we're simply not knocking down that three ball, which has the side effect of clogging the lane and preventing those easy points in the paint, which really causes a bit of a death spiral for us at times.

However, if you watch the games and pay attention it's fairly clear that when those threes come from within the offense (either playing inside-out, quickly swinging the ball, or driving and dishing) then they fall more readily, we shoot a higher percentage, and the lane opens up for more points in the paint and more threes. When we just dribble around a bit and heave up a contested three...well, things go south in a hurry. The lane closes down, we're forced to shoot more contested threes, and the vicious cycle continues as we clang three after three due to contested shots, no rhythm, and decreased confidence.

The only way to fix that is to ensure that the ball is constantly moving, people are truly reading and reacting, and the offense doesn't become stale and stagnant. When we're clicking it's a thing of beauty and the points just come in waves - you look up and all of a sudden we've got 40 in the 1st or 70+ at the half. The sooner the whole team buys into that and accepts it the better off we'll be since it not only opens up the three ball, but it really puts a ton of pressure on the defense as whole.

Hopefully we can get injury free for a bit and the guys finally come together as a unit and we really put on a show in the second half of the season.

 

The Rockets were without Parsons and Beverley in the last meeting. I am looking forward to some pay back.

 

This. Its something Dwight and Jones hardly ever do.

 

He's is one of those guys that do so many things that make the offense work smooth that does not really show up in the stats sheet like moving with out the ball and making the extra pass. It's especially nice to see him have a big stats night. He really is a special player.

 

had to google what hedging is, and you are right, D'Mo can do it well (although he still can't stop fouling)

 

not only does he hedge Hard, tonight since he was already out there, he started to trap the ball handler!! He did it 2 or 3 times that caused a couple TOs.

 

Eric is making $14M this season. Will make $15 M 2014-15 and nearly $16M 2015-6. The last year is a player option. When Eric's right, he's dangerous. Also, Pelicans GM Dell Demps said yesterday that he is very happy with Eric and not looking to move him. Also said the team is not looking to add another guard. I assume you were thinking Lin to the Pelicans as part of a trade? Anyway Eric is a shooting guard, not a true point guard. What ever you think of Lin's talent or his future with the Rockets, he seems a lot happier and more effective as a true point guard and he won't play that role in New Orleans. If you think Harden shoots too much (even though I think he should shoot as often as possible when his shot is falling or closing out tight games), wait til you get a load of Eric's chunking. There will be some very good nights balanced by some very bad ones as well. Plus, he is healthy now but has a long history of injuries and missed games.

 

To someone that just looked at the stats they might think DMo was just a foul machine with out realizing the really big effect he had on the game. It was nice to see the Rockets trust him with the 1st shot of the game and even nicer that he rewarded them with a bucket.

DMo fought for rebounds, was active on defense and when the Rockets went to him on offense he was effective. Nice observation.

 

"The Gorgeous" with a gorgeous stat line.

 

Amen and his percentages are some of the best in the league the guy is an amazingly good finisher.

DD