McHale post-game interview for Game 4: Reasons for the Loss

McHale's job is on the line and he probably just lost it and he knows it. Comparing to the loved Doc Rivers is obviously not going to work.

 

It is very clear the players do not respect McHale, if they did wouldn't they run the play that is called. All season long McHale preached BALL MOVEMENT BALL MOVEMENT BALL MOVEMENT. But yet again when it matters the most, there is no ball movement in the 4th qtr. It seems like they panic once the Blazers make their usual 4th quarter run.

Therefore get a coach in here that these players would respect and follow his game plan. Portland followed their coach game plan in the 4th to the tee. That is why they are winning this series 3-1.

WE all know that we have the better team but they are too stubborn to listen to their coach as well as each other.

 

ball movement only happens if there's player movement, preaching ball movement when the team is static is somewhat counter intuitive.

 

Fans can react emotionally and point fingers all they want. But a coach's job is to 1) objectively assess what really went wrong and what went right and 2) find ways to get the team to play better.

McHale is correct to point to the mistakes made by the team during the course of the entire game, not just one dramatic play that may stick to a fan's mind because of the player involved and because it happened near the end of regulation (or overtime). If the team didn't make some of the silly plays in the 3rd quarter or even the first, maybe they are up 7 points instead of 2 points in the last minute and a turnover then isn't as costly.

Morey has said many times that great teams, the kind that win titles, avoid close games more than they win them in dramatic fashion. Now you do need last minute execution even if you are a great team (like that Miami-SAS game 6) but the point remains that all 48 minutes of a game counts toward the final result. The Rockets problem isn't primarily that they made a few mistakes at the end of the game, it's that they made the same kind of mistakes all game-- and as a result, they are in close games vs. the Blazers all 4 games where one mistake or blown call by a ref or a missed FT could decide the outcome. A title winning team should be holding convincing leads at the end of most games during their first round matchup.

This team needs to be a whole order of magnitude better in order to be a true contender.

 

So, you're dismissing the coach's significance in a playoff series... all the while pointing to the very things that a coach is suppose to address with a young team as the reason for our failures...?

Yeah... okay...

It's simple, Carl... You either trade the pieces, or find a better coach... Which has less chance of improving... the young roster, or the old, historically terrible head coach...?

That's why we're focusing on the coach... No young roster "automatically gets it" with the passing of time, especially when it's such an enabling, complacent environment like there is with this combination roster and management...

Lastly, there's been no championship winning team that hasn't given a great deal of credit to their success to their coach... Even the Pistons who had a contentious relationship with Larry Brown...

Even the great tandems of MJ/Pippen... Shaq/Kobe... give HEAPS of the credit to their success to their coach...

You could be the #1 seed Indiana Pacers, or have the regular season league MVP "David Robinson" on your squad.... it doesn't amount to squat if you fail in the playoffs to superiorly determined, unified, and organized team with a stronger team identity... Look at the old Spurs still in the fight after all these years of being minimized as a team on the decline... They almost beat the stacked Miami Heat last year... Coaching has a lot to do with their success, as well as their failure...

Minimize their impact on regular season records all you want... but, there's no denying, they have a great deal of influence over the outcome of post-season games...

 

If the Pacers take out the Heat,
If the Grizz beat OKC,
If the Clippers implode,
If Dallas beats SAS,

... then I'd say God has opened a pathway to a Rockets championship this year, in which the Rockets start out each series as the favorite (or at least non-underdog).

 

I blame Lin and then McHale...

 

Don't know where you read I dismissed a coach's significance. I am saying that people over-emphasize the significance of the dramatic last minute situations over the team's performance over the entire game.

Given that coaches work all 48 minutes and overtime-- in fact, they also work hours and hours before each game on strategies and practices, player training and develoment, I do not see where I said coaches are not signficant just because I said last minute drama is over-emphasized.

 

coach is the main problem!!!

 

And Harden as well

 

NEVER EVER post something written by that guy. Please. For the love of intelligence of dicsussion LOF/LOH/LOL/ROFLMAO

Please don't.

 

That's a regular season quote, in the playoffs, you're generally coming to 2 or 3 games that are all about late game execution, and if you don't, you lose.

 

how many times has the ball got sticky or players aren't moving off the ball happened? since last year.

he's definitely done a great job of assessing the problems but what has he done to improve upon them? not much considering they have continued to happen in the rocket half court offense.

 

Every time we blew up a double digit lead in 4th quarter because every one knows how we are gonna play. I don't see it's on anyone else other than the coach. You really believe this team can win a title with this coach?

 

those 4 straight empty possessions in the third when we were up 11 killed us. 3 of em were in transition too.

 

But what was the play you are referring too. The play were Lin hustles to get the rebound and in a split second decides to dribble out of a crowded situation with Dwight in his way and 2 players converging on him.

Yeah he could have called timeout but there were no guarantees that the refs would have got it in time. I'm talking a split second before Mo converges and slaps at the ball knocking it out of his hands. There is no guarantee he gets that time out.

So he dribbles out and every Rocket fan is jumping up and down thinking we are going to win. Obviously McHale thinks it's the right move or he would have been screaming for a timeout. And then Mo Williams makes a miracle play. It was a great play for Mo more than it was a bad play for Lin.

I get it hurts but Lin secured the rebound which gave us that moment to be elated and then he took it away by a great defensive play. But Lin left his heart on the floor. So did Howard. Maybe everyone else was exhausted and had nothing left. But it's hard to blame Lin for trying so hard. He almost came up with the rebound again and probably was fouled.

 

I wish he would work on how to scream for a timeout when he thinks the player is not following his plan. Think about it Lin has 2 gys closing in on him pinned against the baseline with Howard in his way and McHale is standing over on the sideline doing nothing. Call a freaking timeout! Jump up and down and scream it out to the top of your lungs. Run on the floor and force the issue. If he has a plan and he really believes in it then execute it. Dumb, dumb, dumb...

 

Great, balanced post.

Like everyone else, I hated Lin for that turnover when it happened.

The next day, I watched Q4 and OT on replay with a calmer eye and saw many sloppy plays which could have won the game for us.

The fact of the matter is, if we don't fix these fundamental errors (planning/adjustments and preparation for closing out games), there is no way we make it through Round 2, even if we somehow luck our way pass Round 1.

There are much harder opponents than Portland ahead of us.

 

Yeah but the thing is he doesn't have a mentor to tell him that. No one to show him how to coach and what to do because he's the head coach... This mistake will happen again. I sadly guaranteed it. But maybe who knows, talent will triumph bad coaching. Game 7 victory is on us baby!

 

WOW! Just watched it and he looks like he's about to cry.

THIS IS NOT WHAT I WANT FROM MY COACH!

If he cant get them ready... its a reflection of his bad coaching.

GOODBYE MCHALE!