ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Celtics 1/11/2013

if earl clark can lead the lakers into the playoffs then he deserves it, but gl with tbat.

 

I have seen 90% of the games this season and I think the same. He is at his best when he is neutral. Sadly, I think he started interfering, hence the return to the plays of losing streak era.

 

I think it comes down to there just aren't many "exceptional" coaches, so we'll just have to live with it.

I'm okay with McHale, just some of his rotations leave me mystified.

Like in NO when Asik was owning at the rim due to size mismatches... yet they still didn't play him much in the 4th. Left me a bit confused....

 

Yeah, you wonder what they're thinking.

 

Anyone else notice that Harden waves off a lot of screens? Some of them are bad screens but I get the feeling sometimes Harden would rather go ISO. I hope I am wrong but if that's the case then coaching needs to fix this.

 

I'm watching the warriors game now. Looks like Portland might lose. I hope so.

 

All these talks about McHale... am I the only one that think he should have benched Delfino after he turned the ball over in the second Q and NOT MAKING ANY EFFORT TO RECOVER? If only to send a message to the whole team... It's not like Delfino was hot, he's 1/7 tonight.

 

Who the hell is Earl Clark? Greg Smith is as close to the 2013 Lin as there is.

 

Do you think Mchale's decision on the court actually has much impacts on how the game runs? I suspect he does good coaching off the court but not on the court... He does seem to do very good job at half time though...

 

He's good for the first five minutes of the game, then he sucks big time. Collects like 8 boards within 5 minutes, then he's just kind of in the way most of the time thereafter.

 

We need a guy like k. Faried, I DO like his game a lot.

 

Screens are very important for the success of any guards because of their size. You can't just power through people, you have to squeeze by them. Rockets only have soft bigs...at this point. I really like Smith, but the guy needs to practice his charity throws.:grin:

 

As we have seen in the past couple of games, Harden getting his 25+ points is not enough - especially the Hornets game. Harden is good and the 1st option, therefore, he will get his points. We need a consistent 2nd scoring option getting his 20 points games; I think that has to be Lin. McHale needs to find a way to include Lin more in his offensive strategy (e.g., more screens, less spot up shooting and place him in a position that allows him to be more aggressive with his drives to the basket or let him take his pull up jump shots; less standing around doing nothing). Lin needs to get closer and take his pull up jump shots though, not long 2's that he often takes, lol. Mchale needs to let Defino and Chandler be the spot up shooters.

Also, someone needs to tell Lin to take more shots - 9 FGA is too low man, especially when sometimes he is on the floor close to 40 mins. A less efficient TD toke 7 shots in 18 mins is ridiculous.

I'm not saying all this because I'm a LOF, but I think the Rockets will definitely win more games if Lin step it up and be aggressive consistently, but it's hard to be aggressive standing in the corner waiting for the ball - do you see Steve Novak being aggressive.

 

Our bigs are too damn soft to set solid screens, only Asik sets decent ones
Literally the only time our guards penetrate are just by beating their defenders off the dribble. Must be exhausting.

It's silly for anyone to be outraged, I'm sure it's tough for a coach to choose riding with the lineup that's brought the spark or take advantage of that spark they brought and bring back in the only player that was playing well from the beginning.
I think it's stupid from both sides (one to put down Douglas, the other to put down Jeremy) to trash on players that weren't even the reason for this loss at all. Harden's TOs, everyone's free throws and bad shooting get all that glory
Personally I like that he kept Douglas in, just as quick as his lineup got it close they lost the lead by 10 again. So meh, didn't work this time, Im sure next time Coach McHale will do things differently.

 

I might be wrong but I attribute this to coaching.

 

Lin's play really depends on how our players run off the ball. He struggles when no one is running. I think the same can be said about Harden except he does not suffer as much as Lin.

I do not see it is an issue of balancing between Harden and Lin. I think it is the issue of players being idle on the offensive end. It does not hurt to set screen for your 3pt shooter when Harden is trying to drive to the basket! I hate to see Lin and another player standing still on the weak side!!!

 

Lin is probably worried that Mchale or Sampson bench him again. Let's face it,though I think Mchale and Sampson has kind of given the keys back to Lin to score and shoot the ball, but Lin is probably like thinking, fu** you guys, trying to find every excuse to bench me, trying to fault find me on little details, then fine, I'm going to pick and choose my shots carefully. That's what happens when you try to bench a player I guess.

 

That's Jeremy's problem I think...he tries too hard at times to get other guys going instead of taking on some of the responsibility of scoring.

Like in the NO game he kept trying to get Morris going even though he was just cold as ice. He also keeps pounding it to Asik as well, even passing up easy shots for himself in the process.

He really needs to figure out the balance of when he needs to take over as a scorer and when the team needs him to be a playmaker.

I think it will come with more experience.

 

Smith went to a division one school.....I'm afraid there is no more Lin type story:

1. Have to win a high school state championship? Best player as well.
2. Get no scholarship to a division 1 school.
3. Attend Harvard (or at least a Ivy League school) and break a few school records.
4. Don't get drafted, but eventually hops around from team to team.
5. Lands in the biggest market. Biggest star gets a groin injury.
6. 3 other guards ahead of you are suck or injured.
7. You explode for 7 straigh wins...beating out a team with one of the best player on the planet (Kobe).
8. Yes....you have to be brown aka Asian.:grin:

Wow....

 

Personally, I thought the turning point of the game was when the Roxs were down 2 in the 4th and the Celts called a time out. Up until that point, I felt that the Roxs would pull this one out like they did against the Cavs and the Wolves. Right after that, the Celts went on a 9-1 run.

Highsight is 20-20, but I just knew the moment that when Boston subbed in players and the Roxs didn't, I knew Roxs would lose. I thought Delfino and TD should of been sub out for Lin + one big (preferably Asik). The whole argument, "well those guys brought us back, I'm going to keep them in there" doesn't fly with me because I thought Delfino and TD looked fatigued.

Delfino wasn't hitting his shots(hasn't been for the past couple of games) and TD was playing full-court D the whole time he was in there including the minutes he played at the end of the 3rd quarter. Nobody plays full-court D in long spurts in the NBA. Besides the opposing guards in the NBA are extremely quick, it's just extremely tiring.

In general McHale takes too long to notice when his players are off or tired. That's one of his biggest flaws, but overall I think he's a competent coach.