This probably one of the most damning things against MDA - sure Westbrook is out and so you just take more 3s instead? You have guys in Gordon and Rivers that can drive to the basket with fairly good efficiency and Green and House have shown to be capable as well getting to the rim and yet you havent seem them really do that too often except Gordon this series. Gordon though completely stopped when he hit a few 3s in game 4. He was mainly driving to the hoop because he lost confidence completely in his shot. Westbrook cant be the only relentless rim attacker and if his injury is truly serious you cant expect him to do it all game long either. Other guys need to attack the rim a lot more, get to the line and help slow the game more at the free throw line since you will get the added benefit of rest during the free throws AND being able to better set up your defense.
I'm not one of these guys to jump on the fire so and so bandwagon but yesterday I was really thinking that the D'Antoni / Morey strategy won't win us a championship. Watching the game and how the Rockets just went into chuck mode not just taking long threes but also passing up good drives to the hoop to kick it out for a three just seemed like the definition of insanity. It went back to game 7 of the WCF where clearly the Rockets were out of sorts but just refused to do anything different. I think this is good team with good players that can contend with anyone in the league but at this level adjustments make a big difference. We saw that in game 1 where the Rox switched to a fast transition game that got a lot of easy buckets. That was all triggered by D. In the last two games they are still playing good D but instead of getting out into the fast transition game they are slowing it down or as yesterday kicking the ball back out rather than taking it in the hoop. Now obviously 3 > 2 but 0 < 2 and with a team that can't offensive rebound and is inconsistent shooting from outside we're wasting possessions. Yesterday's commentator was absolutely right. Sometimes you just have to see the ball go in the bucket even if that means generating a shot with an elbow bankshot. The analytics aren't bunk and over an 82 game season the strategy pays off because of so many shots taken and you play the averages. The problem though is in 7 game close series. There a half of cold shooting like we've seen can end the series.
His lack of in game adjustments are baffling to me. Also knowing that CP3 is going to have the ball in his hands with 5 minutes left and not making an adjustment to get the ball out of his hands by doubling him or forcing him to shoot over a better defender than James.
Westbrook is also the only guy on the team that consistently pushes the pace and loves to make a move before the defense is set. Without him this team just hates running except maybe House. I feel lie we aren't utilizing Green's and House's athleticism as much as we should. This team used to be lob city. Those two guys are prime lob threats. Also more PnRs with Green please. He probably is the best roll man on this team and we should use him more in PnRs.
His mid-range is unstoppable. He posted Dork up in the 3rd and I got excited thinking MDA was going to throw a wrinkle at the Thunder. I was wrong.
this is the difference in the series as much as anything. there were about 1k times last game where Harden would be bumped on a drive like normal and no call. Fine. No problem. But it is a problem when Thunder drive and get calls on defenders that are doing the same. harden is close to Shaq treatment at this point. Haters would say “but he leads the league in free throws!!!” Yeah and Shaq did and/or was up there too. But... “Harden is initiating contact!!” Yeah... and so was Shaq and he was still fouled every play. He also got called for lots of offensive fouls. harden is the guard version of this. Russ being gone plays into. All the threes play into it. But Harden and Gordon are top 10 in drives per game in the playoffs. They drove over and over last game too. They also shot threes. But plenty of drives. Schroeder had two less free throws then them combined last game. yes MDA sucks. Yes he needs to expand the rotation. Yes they can’t keep jacking threes if they’re missing. Yes you have to defend better down the stretch. Yes it’d help if they had actual plays that they could run successfully. Even inbound plays. Yes I have no clue what Congington does. but if FTs were called evenly this series would be over already.
This 1000% The refs are letting this dork I mean dort kid do whatever he wants defensively they are treating him like he’s kawhi or something it’s ridiculous.
yep. Haters want to talk about how Harden dishes it out too. sure ... if the refs are going to let Dort lean hard into Hardens body and even use his head (which I saw him do multiple times in game 4) to help try and push Harden off the block... Hardens going to bump back. But whatever. EGo is the more obvious one. He drives in like a bowling ball over and over and gets ZERO calls. He b****es a lot... but for reason.
Yep and all the while lebron is tripping over his own teammates and getting fouls called on Portland.
I say it again, if this team is eliminated in the first round several things should change for the next season. Coaches, Managers and Players. There are no essential pieces in a team that continues to win absolutely nothing.
The petition of this thread failed eventually since Mike D'Antoni's contract would be expired after this season whatsoever. What a shame!
If Harden plays for the Spurs, his mid range shots would become his deadly weapons, just like Kawahi Leonard.
