Western Conference Semifinals: (1) San Antonio vs. (5) Portland

Yes, you are right, the Parker isolation can also result in a pass to the big man if there is double coming. They run the play with a purpose with a high percentage shot, and the rocket isolation likely results in a shot (low or high % depending on the hot hand) or a bad pass when a player can not take a shot.

 

Parker has about 5 options on his iso to kick the ball out, most notably to timmy at the corner for the bank shot he is money on.

 

It's about the team's reputation. The Rockets are widely known as a weak defensive team, especially on the perimeter. So the refs aren't going to give us the kind of latitude the Spurs get. And I hate to say it, but a lot of the fouls called on Dwight on the defensive end were legit. The disparity was on the other end where the Blazers were hammering him and not getting whistled very often.

 

Exactly, look at the way this team played and beat a better blazers squad than the one we played. The ass whooping was worse than yesterday too.

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That Rockets team would've gone all the way had Yao(and Deke) not gone down in the playoffs. Look at what they did even without T-Mac for God's sake! Can anyone imagine McHale holding this team together if Harden or Parsons was lost for the season?

 

You're forgetting that that team had heart.

 

I don't think that's fair. Howard, Daniels, Lin, Asik, and especially Bev all showed heart in this series. Harden and Parsons....no comment.

But they also looked lost at times out there. If you watch those 2009 highlights(especially the Clutchfans compilation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYpBi1WxhtY), it's clear that one team knew exactly what they were supposed to do, and the other was just winging it.

 

Maybe they were well Coached?

 

Surely it cant be that easy, otherwise we'd be setting lots of screens too, no?

So, why arent/dont we setting more screens?

 

hope the blazers get destroyed again tonight

 

the spurs put a rattlesnake in thomas robinson's locker?

 

They need to investigate that. How the hell does that get past security

 

Bill and Jalen saying we suck at defense. What's new?

 

Rockets fans themselves think the team sucks at defense.

 

Ball goes out of bounds off Lillard, not Duncan, but Lillard and Stotts cry then the refs change the right call to the wrong call to appease the whining...

Here come the refs...

 

LMA with the push off...again no call.

 

Did anyone catch that graphic they showed earlier? ~72% of Portlands shots were contested in Game 1 against the Spurs, compared to at most ~52% against Houston. In case anyone is still wondering why our team isn't playing tonight.

 

Lillard pushes Patty Mills off on that drive...no call. Patty smiles.

 

Amazing how different Portland is without the Refs in their corner

 

This is exactly what I was thinking. Rockets may suck at defense but weren't that bad if the Refs called a fair game. Spurs getting away with stuff the Rockets were doing but getting called for touch fouls..

I personally think the the media is taking every opportunity to rake the Rockets over the coals and they love it.