ClutchFans Game Thread: Blazers @ Rockets 4/23/2014 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 2)

LMA is hitting some difficult shots. Just tough luck for the Rockets.

 

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/609/year/2005/dirk-nowitzki

look at dirks first 2 games vs rockets. 5-19 and 8-21, then came back with a 9-16 shooting night. dirk was still developing as a player, so is harden.

rockets can still win this series, but its all on game 3. there is no comeback being down 0-3

 

The rockets lose more games on tnt than anyone. They have their worst games on tnt. Does anyone have count of them?

The next game is on espn, but it is also in portland. Either the rockets ruin my friday night or they give me false hope which will be taken away in game 4. Which one is it gonna be.

 

He had the same issue when he was at OKC, just disappeared during the playoff. Perhaps it is the way he plays, too predictable and teams play much tighter defense in playoff packing the paint to stop his iso penetration. Also the refs don't call foul as often during playoff with the physical nature of playoff games. You take away those 2 most important sources of points for Harden he just becomes an outside shooter and he is not that high% in field goal %. That makes in just an average player. Even Troy Daniel may have higher 3 pt % than him.

That is why perhaps for game 3, if nothing else works, perhaps Lin should be leading the attack & Harden gets some ball screen to help him score points. There will be more ball movements. Lin and Howard can dish out to Troy Daniel for some sure fire 3pt light show and that will upset Portland's defense scheme. I also think McHale should try DMO on LMA (perhaps add one more guy to double LMA if needed). We have nothing to lose but to try something different.

 

Game 4 is on tnt. Is it too perfect that the rockets/dwight haters will either get to see the houston get swept or go down 3-1 followed by barkely and shaq dogging houston and dwight?

 

fixed

 

Troy Daniels won't get any tp bc mcFAIL is too dumb to think of that

 

Honestly though LMA is playing out if his mind, is he really going to average 40 on us? And I feel like they are tough shots, so now we must deny him the ball if he touches the ball he should be double teamed for the rest of the series!

It would also be great if the guards weren't driving to the hoop with ease and making whoever is guarding LMA help... Uhh this is so frustrating!

 

Yep, that's how I look at it.

Its better to be swept so we can fix our problems like McHale, Harden and Parsons. We win 1 or 2 games and maybe we are stuck with these clowns and never challenge for a championship for 10 years.

 

Lol, we said the same thing last game.

I want to see what would happen i the rockets ran a pick and roll and set off ball screens for parsons every possession using dwight, asik and jones. My bet is if they let them play through it the officials would foul them out in the first quarter.

 

I know I don't mean this, but hopefully if we do get swepped , then there is no way McHale doesn't get fired...

 

Mchale is still just one problem. We still have a flawed team that cant create offense in the half court no matter the coach. And sure we wont face aldridge in the playoffs every year, but almost every team in the west has an elite pf and pg duo that will kill us running the pick and roll.

 

Of course that's part of the issues. If we go out with an embarrassment then don't just expect a coaching change,
Lin, asik, ect will be replaced

 

What made me upset is that their players sure look like they were smerking the whole game as if they knew they were getting away with calls.

 

i say screw it. just play it like the regular season. 9-10 man rotations. go back to dmo/jones sharing minutes. give the bench more time.

just treat it like a normal game.

 

Morey shopped lin and asik all season. I am sure asiks value has went up, but he is no longer a bargain contract for 1 year and instead a an expiring contract. Nobody will trade for lin with his salary...unless we are willing to get talks started off with first round picks, $ 3million, etc.

We have to wait until next off-season until we can make a major signing. I want lowry, but i dont see us getting him. Maybe they would be interested in taking asik for him in a sign and trade it is that or nothing.

 

Yeah. They knew what was at stake and once they knew the refs were calling everything for them they looked to make contact on every possession and started flopping on picks, etc.

 

troy's momma? is that you?

 

The wheels have come off the bus. So we have an empty bus sitting in the street without any tires, bereft of people, empty, a shell. In other words, my Houston Rockets.

 

Time for Harden to shave the beard in penitence. He can grow it back when he starts playing like a man.

*unless he's secretly injured