ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Clippers 3/15/2015

I do when Dwight makes Jordan his b**** on the boards. I can't wait

 

Blake handed us this game. Had Crawford played i have no doubt we'd lost. We gotta run something else besides that stupid harden iso at the top of the key. Horrible play

 

People going to spam my rep box for saying this after a win, but I didn't like how Harden played the last 2 minutes of this game... It seems whenever an opponent gets close to his body he does nothing to shake the defender.. nothing. Harden just stands there. Harden has to know there is no plan B, right. What does he expect to happen if he doesn't get the ball?

Rockets almost gave up the game because Harden didn't aggressively go and take the ball from his teammates at the top of the key.

 

You are 100% right.

 

Yup, he wasn't even trying to shake lose from CP3 though if Harden held CP3 like that, no way he would've gotten away with it.

It's a consistent problem though under McHale, if not for Harden, we would be the worst team at the end of games in the NBA.

 

Hope we don't sleep on any of these upcoming games. We dropped a game to the Magic earlier in the year when we didn't come to play. Hoping the Rockets take care of business like they should.

 

1000% right, tbh.


I get flashbacks sometimes of how passive he was in much of the Blazers series. I don't ever want to go back there.

 

It's honestly true, but the coaches need to design plays that get him the ball in those situations too.

I can't hate on Harden much, though. He single-handedly brought us back in the 2nd quarter to make it a game for us.

 

Doc is a stand up guy.

Keeping Hamilton regardless of today's injury.

 

Paul deserved a tech for taunting Harden by standing on top of Harden.

 

Great win. I hate the clippers. I hate all of their players. Heck, if we could rebound, hit FTs and 3 ptrs in the first half we would have been up by 25 at t he half.

 

It's very encouraging that nobody really played well, and we beat the clippers in LA.

It wont show up in the stat book, but Ariza and D-mo were the MVP's today. They both did spectacular jobs keeping the Clippers from doing what they like to do. If D-mo can fight on the interior like he did today we will be golden. He has been allowing teams to control the interior.

 

Disgusting game.
Very little basketball, loads of rule abuse.

 

The most encouraging thing is Harden finally showed he isn't incapable of playing LAC.

 

Mchale has that one play that gets Harden the ball: Harden starts off at the low block and he waits to come off a couple screen to get the ball. We've seen it many times. CP3 obviously knows this play because he dodged every pick.

Here's the thing, when CP3 successfully sniffs out the play and prevents Harden from getting the ball, HARDEN STOPS when he doesn't get the pass and just walks back to the corner. He doesn't keep going to get the ball. If the play to get him the ball didn't work he just shrugs and does nothing.

It's the weirdest thing, It makes you question if wants it bad enough. and I HATE saying that because like you said Harden has been carrying the Rockets.

 

I will admit . . . Cliff Paul had him in a bearhug

I have not seen a bear hug like that since Karla hugged Drexler on the Stockton game winning 3

Rocket River

 

Eh, I think that might be taking it too far. We've seen Harden time and time again make clutch buckets down the stretch of games. I don't think it's an issue of how badly he wants it. I just think sometimes the plays break down so badly (largely because of our pedestrian schemes) that he doesn't force the situation with something he knows isn't there to begin with.

 

Ariza saved the game with that defense on Paul at the end.

UPDATE: Video: Trevor Ariza defends Chris Paul in final seconds

 

Josh Smith is a cancer!
Donn't play this guy when D12 returns back.
I would rather give some time to Papa

 

hell yeah! If I was guarding someone as good as James Harden I would bear hug him too! Blake on the switch before he stole the pass thrown by Ariza was hugging Harden too.

Blake and CP3 where doing everything they could to get the ball, Harden should do the same. I want him dragging defenders to get the rock.