...you're upset that the Rockets shorthanded win on the back end of a back to back will hurt their point differential. It's tough being a Rockets fan these days
Holy cow, I had looked that up right after the game to see we had dropped below GS and below 11pts....lol.....the world is in a strange place when we are in agreement Sam. DD
Lord it's so hard, living this life A constant struggle each and every day Some wonder why I'd rather die Than to continue living this way Many are blind and cannot find The truth cause no one seems to really know But I won't accept that this is how it's gon' be Devil you gotta let me and my people go Cause I wanna be free, completely free Lord won't you please come and save me I wanna be free, totally free I'm not gon' let this world worry me Rocket River
Especially when you're best player is badly slowed down by injury to his calf and knee, you're starting C is out and possibly you're best perimeter defender is out as well...
I Understand the intent OPn, but in not mad at the point differential . I'm mad that harden played almost 40 minutes while nursing an injury and that Tarik Black didn't get any PT until late in the 4th . Black played great , but he made a few defensive miscues ... Wonder if any pt before that would have prevented those breakdowns from happening in the clutch . Mike's 7 man rotations have to stop . Wins and losses mean nothing at this point at the season unless they effect future games . Sure James probably likes being known as an ironman and wants to play ... And he played fairly well . But Mike should focus on what's more important for all of these guys ... And that's winning in the playoffs . If harden gets hurt because he's pushing too hard through a nagging injury ... That's a fireable offense . Mike also has the hardest of hard ons for playing Ryan at the 5 ... When Nene ( on a back to back ! ) was killing them in the paint . A big rolling threat makes our offense unstoppable and it lets us use our depth . Unless we are matching up against GS or desperately need to space the floor , we should be using our centers for 48 . Clint / nene / black is > Clint/ nene / Harrell .... And those guys were really productive for us last year .
Nah....saying we played only 7-men when we played more has to stop. We played 8 guys tonight, and both Luc and Capela were out.
You're not thinking like a coach. MDA said he started Anderson at center, so he wouldn't have to guard Giannis. Tucker guarded Giannis and Ryno guarded the inept Henson. I guess you are so scared of the term "Center" that you'd rather Tucker not defend Giannis, just so Ryno doesn't play the 5?
Kk . But 12 min is barely " in the rotation" The outcome may have been good , but that doesn't mean we shouldn't question the road . Especially , when there were common sense alternatives. Honest question ... Do you think Mike would've played black if Anderson hadn't been off from 3 ? .... And the answer "yes, in garbage time " doesn't count . When GS and SA have men out ... They don't shorten the rotation anywhere near as much as Dantoni does. Of course we are not those teams ... But the comparison is justified. I know from your post history that you like playing with 5 shooters and the spacing it creates . But I think some of the advantages that strategy gives you are negated significantly when Harden clearly isn't 100 percent. Cp3 also struggled to take advantage because of MIL's length . I'll give Mike credit for Adjusting and playing Black in the 4th .... But he should have seen how Tarick would be helpful and played him earlier .
Think... just think... if you win NOW, you don't have to worry about winning LATER. Tonight was a great gutsy victory. Quote the Chris Paulbearer, "Nevermore."
How do you get that I'm scared of the term center ? Tucker at the 5 , Ryan at the 5 ... I don't care. I'd rather not see it unless the other team is also going small . MIL did not . They had Henson or Maker in . I think you are underestimating how much we can take advantage in the PnR when we have a big in that can roll hard for dunks. Agreed somewhat . What's the goal though ? If we are good on wins its not like we are just going to give everyone a week off . If we do aren't you worried about losing rhythm ? I'm glad the players pulled it out and they showed a lot of grit . But there are downsides to the blue collar all the time approach. Other teams ( Spurs and GS mainly ) gain a lot of advantages by being able to go deep into their bench and maintain a decent level of play . We don't have that . Maybe it's due to talent , but maybe it's due to a lack of opportunity .
Well, Kerr does too, with his Death Lineup. And we have one, too, with Luc and Tucker. Do you not like that lineup? I've also said that wrt situational match-ups, or needing to launch a comeback like we did to Portland. And this was a situational lineup to start the game, because Henson doesn't really need to be guarded. Ryno is fine on him to start the game. That said, just like Coach, I'm a big advocate of Capela's PnR like everyone else...and Nene and Black, too, in their platoon roles. This is why I'm saying your are scared of the term Center. These guys don't necessarily need to be guarded by a center, since Capela was out. If Kidd changes his offense by thinking he has a mismatch with Henson or Maker, I am sooooo fine with that. No I'm not. I was more concerned with how we guard Giannis.
We have a better record than both the Spurs and Warriors. The more separation we gain now, the more we can coast later. They can be deep, but has their depth gotten them to the best record in the league? Nope. The Spurs aren't contenders. We have to sell out and try to beat the Warriors. We will and we'll be ready for them come playoff time.
Our best shot at winning the WC is getting home court advantage, so this is just going to be a thing that has to happen except in rare circumstances. However, I would like to see some of our stars not come in when we're up 25 in the 4Q and things like that.
I love the lineup . But I'm hesitant to use it when we don't have Clint or Luc becuase I think it puts too much of a minutes strain on the other guys . And I definitely don't like it on a b2b with a less than 100 percent harden. As for giannis ... I'm ok trying Anderson on him first . Ryan's defense is much improved and Giannis while very very good , still has some major weaknesses ... Mainly his shooting . Anderson can play him to drive and if he wants to try and take it to the rack on a "straight up and down" Ryan with a bigger 5 in the paint ( because Henson can't shoot) I'm all for it. Additionally , unless Giannis defends the 5 he's away from the rim. If they put him on black or nene then I like our matchup on the boards and in the PnR. I'm not saying that Anderson on Giannis would 100 percent work spectacularly ... But I think given the situation ( men down , b2b , James hurt ) it was worth it to try it because it would lighten the minutes load on some key players if it worked out ( which I think there was a good chance of )
