Not really. Rockets are top 5 in steals and top 5 in fast break points. The possessions have slowed down but I think that's because Ariza and our PGs are set shooters.
At full strength, this is our starting lineup, all heights without shoes Pat Beverley - Height 6'0.25, Wingspan 6'6.5 James Harden - Height 6'4, Wingspan 6'10.75 Trevor Ariza - Height 6'7, Wingspan 7'2 Terrence Jones - Height 6'8.25, Wingspan 7'2.25 Dwight Howard - Height 6'9, Wingspan 7'4.5 We are a phenomenally long team, the aggressive defense we're playing is so incredible to deal with because of just how much of the passing lanes our guys can reach into, and even Canaan, Black, etc, are long, the only t rex we really have is Dmo.
I've been really impressed with the speed of our defensive rotations, causing the other team to make the 2nd and 3rd extra pass and leading to multiple 24-second shot-clock violations or last-second heaves. Great rotations are a combination of 1) wanting it bad enough and 2) good coaching. I'm really impressed .
When I was listening to McHale on Red Nation Rewind, I heard one of them mention that we were double teaming the wings and forcing teams to put and pass the ball in places they would not prefer. That mention instantly brought up many plays I've seen this year in my head. It works and it only works because of the speed you're talking about. We really do react almost instantly. These guys know the formula by heart and there isn't a whole lot of thought happening. Hence the quickness.
Slower pace could just mean that your own offense is slower. It might have nothing to do with your defense. People keep forgetting that pace is contributed on both sides, not just on the defensive side. A good example is the Utah Jazz. They are the second worst defense in the league. And they also have the third slowest pace. If you really want to know how much your defense slows down the opponent, you need to look at the average time of possession of your opponent.
One of the stats that jumps out at me? Defending the 3 point shot. We are easily the best in the league at defending the 3. We allow .278% from Downtown. Next closest? OKC and Porland at .298%! So while we are currently "only" hitting our 3's at the league average (.351% and tied with Memphis), the difference in 3's made accounts for a significant part of our success, in my opinion. When our 3 point shooting improves, and I certainly think it will, it'll create an even worse nightmare for the opposing coach. http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/espn/s...frameCached#53309|160|400|ca-espn-q-teams|nba right|null
The point differential did not seem to have changed drastically. 107.7-103 +4.7 98----93 +5 We are winning a couple more games with injuries
Pace is, in the end, about being able to take more shots than your opponent. So on the defensive end, you want to take your opponent as deep into the shot clock as possible on each possession. Defensive rebounding keeps the opponent from extending that opportunity. And on the offensive end, you want fast breaks and crisp cutting and passing in the half-court set to get your shots off as early as possible in the shot clock. Offensive rebounding extends that opportunity. To a man, the Rockets seem committed to playing defense. After the loss in Portland in the playoffs, Morey said "It's on me. We weren't as good defensively as we needed to be." (paraphrased) On him? He isn't the coach. That could only mean he hadn't placed as much emphasis on selecting players that "cared" as much about defense. Now, he didn't quite plan on the roster we have. After all, had Bosh come here, we would have likely resigned Parsons, no Ariza, maybe no Papanikalou. Maybe Black doesn't make the team... and other dominoes that fell after the Bosh deal fell through. But as Plan B, which he most assuredly had, as well as Plan C, he put together a group that, as fans, maybe we couldn't quite see the potential. Player attitude starts at the top. Whether they "catch" the coach's mentality or not, depends on how much they care about the whole game -- not just offense. No one can say, that as a player, McHale wasn't a "get in your face" player on both ends of the court. (Charles Barkley has said the McHale was the toughest player he ever faced in his career.) He has been trying to get that across to his players since he's been here. It took the crushing loss in Portland, to, I think, get the players attention. Having a Beverly didn't hurt as a 'seed" for recommitting to defense this year. And Harden's experience in the World Cup helped propel him to the same commitment. Now, it seems to have spread to the whole team. Adding Ariza definitely helped the fire spread through example. Now, the culture on the team is such that a slacker on defense will stand out and know if he isn't pulling his weight in that regard. Peer pressure of the best kind. If they can keep their commitment to the type of defense they are playing, when the regular starters return, I don't see how any analyst would dismiss them as a serious factor in the playoffs. (Barkley's observations and predictions aren't always right; see Yao Ming.) When you've got everyone playing "Beverly" (or substitute McHale) defense, no matter what is happening on offense, you have a much better chance to be in every game. And when you've got James Harden, close games can be "pulled out" more consistently. As "underdogs" these guys are just fun to watch. And inspirational, too. (I sure hope the regular starters -- Harden excluded since he is still a starter -- are inspired by the guys who have played so well these last couple of games. Fans could be excused for feeling some apprehension that the performance might drop a bit when they return. Ironically, the bench players have now set a high bar for them in commitment and effort -- AND chemistry. Chemistry is trusting the system as much as learning your teammates playing style. Another trap might be that the players who are getting more minutes now, might care "less" unconsciously, as their minutes go down when the starters return. Hopefully, not. Hopefully it will be more like riding a bicycle; something you don't forget.)
Sorry, I should have been more clear. I was saying that if we lose 2 more games we'll drop to the 7th seed. Basically pointing to how crazy the West is. There appears to be a real cutoff between 7th and 8 seed. 8th seed is currently Phoenix with 8 losses, could be Phoenix, Scaramento, Pelicans or Thunder. But Warriors, Grizzlies, Blazers, Rockets, Spurs, Mavs, Clippers.... I think there's like 5k possible orders of finish if you assume those are the top 7 seeds... and frankly I wouldn't know which one to pick. All that with the Rockets playing incredible defense...
lol I have also noticed the huge team defensive effort being given and glad someone posted about this. Maybe the Memphis game was to me the best team defensive effort of the year to date. I have myself read here on the forum some whining that Black didn't score much or his offense but I have just watched him beasting defensively. Sure sometimes he didn't do much it seems but he has taken the ball out of someone hands that doesn't show in the stats. And it isn't just Black but every player that comes on the floor goes into defense mode. I am old enough to have watched Mchale play many times and his team was a great defensive team. Mchale was a great defensive player. As of now he deserves a lot of love for what he has achieved.
The defense is encouraging, but I am sure the front office and coaching staff is focused on the Rockets' issues on offense. The Rockets are very good despite being ranked 20th on offense, but advancing deep into the playoffs require that you maximize everything that you can maximize and there is plenty that the team can and needs to do better. The team does miss the dribble drive ability that Parsons and Lin bring on the offensive end. I suspect that Morey will trade for guys to address this, though. Might not be a premium guy like Dragic but someone who maybe bring 80-85% of what Dragic while on a reasonable contract. I wonder how the team would be if they kept Lin and/or Parsons along with adding the main new guys, installing a new scheme and having Harden committed to defense-- they could have done this cap wise, maybe other than signing Pap with the MLE. Could the team have both this year's defense with last year's more efficient offense?
