Ariza had 11 rebounds and was a plus 8 tonight. I hope he shoots better in the next round just like everyone else, but no one should be hating on Trevor. Even if he isn't scoring he always finds a way to contribute.
He does contribute in other ways. But 20% isn't going to cut it. That's just pathetic shooting especially when the looks are wide open.
the best sf in this series wasnt chandler or ariza, it was AMINU! aminu averages 11/7/1.6blk/2stl/55fg%/63 3pt%/79ft%/1to...wow, look at those numbers! you'd be stupid not to re-sign that mug to your team. he only shot 10 threes but still 63% in the playoffs. ariza averages 8/6/3/1spg/29fg%/22 3pt%/83ft%...wow, look at those numbers! who the **** is this guy on my team? he did a 20/20 in the playoffs! unbelievable. should try smith at the 3 next series for 5-10 minutes a game. his 3pt% is at 39% this series on 4.6 attempts. btw smith's averages 17/6/4 51fg% .8stl and blk in 25min. definitely stay for the minumum after that buyout
Half the team should spend the next couple of days doing nothing but practicing 3 pointers, while the other half does nothing but practice free throws
Ariza has not been great the last 2 games, not the defensive stalwart we know and love. Gotta believe he will be geared up to stop Kahwi, right?
You can tell he's hesitating shooting the three. On a number of occasions he's pump faked and drove to the basket, with mixed results. A bit more frustrating is the long 2, or step back 3 he takes occasionally. But I have full faith in him coming back strong in the second round. One thing about McHale/Rockets players is they'll keep faith in a guy to come back strong. T Jones and Josh Smith are good examples of guys that just need some support and they'll produce. Ariza just needs some confidence, hopefully the Clippers can take this to 7 and give everyone some rest.
He had a hard time guarding Monta, but guarding Monta is a hard task. He's so much quicker than Ariza and when he's running off screens all the time... eh, Ariza could have done worse. Against the Spurs I actually like him as a matchup against Kawhi. I know Kawhi is really good, but I think Ariza matches up better against him than against Monta (who, of course, have it all).
Agreed. Putting a 6'8" guy with average lateral quickness against a 6'3" player with elite quickness is asking a lot. We missed Beverley and will even more in this next series.
Even though Ariza has been seemingly underwhelming, we're still winning with him playing a major role on our team. That's something that couldn't be said about Parsons in last years playoff series. Our team as a whole has looked much better then last years, even with all the injuries, and even though most of that should be credited to Harden, Brewer and Smith, Ariza is still a vital part of the improvement from last years team. I don't care how he's shooting as long as we are winning, it's obvious that his defense, rebounding and hustle plays are going a long way for us. If we start loosing then we can start pointing fingers.
I guess we can apply that logic to other rockets players as well. The problem is these misses will get magnified as the competition gets better. We can't have someone playing 35+ mins/game shooting 20% on open threes. We will be toast. There is only so much Howard/Harden can cover.
Agreed, but he's saving it for the Warriors. He's going to shoot 60% series and 35% for the playoffs.
Ariza I agree 110% - his slump has been going on for what seems forever, and all those open shots he takes you can count as misses. He is definitely the weakest link in the team - I do not understand why Bullard is always talking good about him. 20% on his shots, amazing - you might as well count his shots as turnovers. And yes, the competition is only getting tougher. I would like for the Rockets to look for someone else next year for his spot. So much was expected from him after the trade.
The month of play before the playoffs started he was shooting the ball very well. I was expecting him to continue in the playoffs. Hopefully he picks it up next series but he is not the weakest link by any means. His defense is simply fantastic. Monta, who is shorter and quicker, and a lot of his game is playing constantly off screens, was a hard matchup. He did fine. We need him to do better, but I think he will show that his defense is way too good to complain about his offense (although we could definitely use his shot falling)
To be fair, if you are talking about the regular season, Ariza definitely gets a LOT of credit for our success (definitely enough to be mentioned in the same breath as Brewer or Smith) due to the defense he played and the tone that set for our team. Guy was never killer on the offense this regular season but often brought it on the defensive end. Why do you think McHale played him that often? Guarding the toughest player on the other team night in and night out is TIRING and HARD. Best surgeons have the worst success rates, know what I mean? If you are talking about the regular season, then Dwight has to be mentioned. Playoff Dwight is another beast. I don't think we win Round 1 without Playoff Dwight. For Round 1, in just 32 minutes, Dwight is averaging 16.6 pts on 58.2% FG%, 3 blocks, a career playoff low 2.4 TOs, 1.6 Steals! and 13.8 rebounds!! And he sat out most of Game 1 due to foul trouble lol.
