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[SI] Five-Man Freight Train: These Rockets Lineups Run the NBA Wild

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Shaq2Yao, Mar 7, 2018.

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  1. Shaq2Yao

    Shaq2Yao Member

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    https://www.si.com/nba/2018/03/07/rockets-lineups-james-harden-chris-paul-mike-dantoni

    The Houston Rockets are rolling. James Harden and his merry gang of three-point marksmen have won a whopping 16 games in a row, good enough to keep them just barely ahead of the Warriors for first place in the Western Conference. There are lots of reasons for Houston’s success so far this season. The offensive brilliance of Harden, a bona fide MVP favorite. The added superstar in Chris Paul, who keeps the team chugging along without its best player. The relentless barrage of threes. And my personal favorite, some truly 21st century lineup combinations.

    If you’ve ever religiously played any NBA video game, then it’s hard not to love the Rockets. Mike D’Antoni could not care less about convention this season, frequently leaving his opponents in the dust by playing some wacky lineups that are typically reserved for comeback attempts against your sibling in 2K. With much more wing depth this season—the additions of Luc Mbah a Moute, P.J. Tucker, and now Joe Johnson have been key—D’Antoni is seemingly simply unafraid to play any combo of shooters at once.

    The Rockets’ gonzo lineups are more than just oddities to break up the monotony of your 12th night in a row of watching League Pass. Houston certainly has set groups it will use in the playoffs, but in a potential showdown with the Warriors, the Rockets are clearly the team best equipped to give Golden State a variety of looks. Seven games may not be enough time for D’Antoni to play every combination and find what works, but he’ll have some sense of the different units that flashed potential this season. Will he play five out and try to outshoot Golden State? Will he load up on defensive wings and count on Harden and Paul? The spectrum of possibilities is long, and that’s what makes Houston so intriguing as the playoffs come into focus.

    Here now, let’s marvel at some of Houston’s most fun (and some of its most obscure) five-man units.

    1. HARDEN-PAUL-ERIC GORDON-MBAH A MOUTE-TUCKER

    The tallest player in this lineup is Mbah a Moute, and D’Antoni will gladly stick him on your seven-footer while his offense runs roughshod against your hapless switches. This group never plays for long stretches—they’ve appeared in 10 games together for only 22 minutes. In that brief time period this unit has a laughable 140.2 offensive rating. There is simply nowhere to hide. If you switch on Harden’s pick-and-roll, he’ll embarrass someone in isolation. If you give Harden or Paul any space, they’ll barrel into the paint. And the “worst” shooter of the group is Gordon, who is connecting at a 34% clip on high volume from three.

    2. HARDEN-PAUL-GORDON-TREVOR ARIZA-CLINT CAPELA

    I think this might be the Rockets’ most slept-on grouping, and one that could actually be important in the playoffs. This group is simply Houston’s best five players playing at once, and despite its size issues, it has the potential to be absolutely lethal. This lineup has played in five games together for a paltry 19 minutes. Its net rating is 69.8. That’s CLEARLY unsustainable. But also: Holy sh--! Capela has perfected his game as a roll man, Ariza is shooting nearly 40% from three, and Gordon stands far behind the three-point line, allowing Harden and Paul all the space in the world to toy with defenders. I would be surprised if D’Antoni didn’t turn to this group a little more often in the postseason.

    3. HARDEN-GORDON-ARIZA-MBAH A MOUTE-TUCKER

    Give Harden two shooters and two defenders and let him run wild. Tucker and Mbah a Moute (as well as Paul) have really made Houston so much more versatile this season. Their yeoman’s work on defense is a huge reason why the Rockets are in the top 10 in defensive efficiency. This is another group that has played only flashes together. In 15 minutes over five games, these five have a net rating of 40.3, with an All-Star Game-level offense and Bad Boys-level defense.

    4. HARDEN-PAUL-MBAH A MOUTE-ANDERSON-CAPELA

    What I love about this lineup is that it clearly shows how much Houston has improved its depth. This is last year’s starting lineup, with Paul and Mbah a Moute taking the place of Patrick Beverley and Trevor Ariza. This is basically last year’s Rockets on steroids, and in 59 minutes over nine games, this group has a net rating of 29.7. It helps that Mbah a Moute picked the best time of his career to become an accurate, high-volume three-point shooter. Mbah a Moute is shooting the second-most threes per game in his career, and he’s hitting on nearly 36% of them, which is much higher than his 33.2% career average. Then again, it helps when all your looks are being created by two of the best passers in the game, both of whom command the attention of a defense for every second of the shot clock.

    5. HARDEN-PAUL-ARIZA-MBAH A MOUTE-JOE JOHNSON

    This is the lineup that caught my eye and really made me realize how ridiculous the Rockets can be. This group has played in only one game together, a five-minute stretch against the Jazz, and it was remarkable. Houston blatantly disregarded the fact the Rudy Gobert was on the floor, instead playing five lethal shooters at once, and three players in Harden, Paul and Johnson who will abuse any big on a switch. I have no clue if this lineup will ever play together again. But this is exactly the type of lineup you would use in a video game and never expect to see in real life, let alone the fourth quarter of a tight game. This group is basically the “plastic bag floating through the wind“ of the NBA, and I hope we see it again soon.
     
    #1 Shaq2Yao, Mar 7, 2018
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  2. krosfyah

    krosfyah Member

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    Excellent article. Great analysis on why MDA is truly a basketball mastermind. That Jazz game was truly amazing.

    It's odd to hear posters here complain MDA's rotation is too limited. I think that narrative can be safely put to bed at this point. MDA plays who he thinks will help us win. Period.

    This win steak has been fun to watch as we've dealt with a number of injuries and it doesn't seem to matter. All we do is keep winning.
     
    #2 krosfyah, Mar 7, 2018
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  3. Deuce

    Deuce Context & Nuance

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    Fun article. And I expect the below lineup to be the team's finishing lineup. Sub out Capela for Tucker depending on certain scenarios.

     
    #3 Deuce, Mar 7, 2018
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  4. swyyyguy

    swyyyguy Member

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    Remember when no one on here wanted D’Antoni lol
     
    #4 swyyyguy, Mar 7, 2018
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  5. cebu

    cebu Member

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    I want to see all shooters lineup:

    Harden
    Paul
    Gordon
    Johnson
    Anderson
     
    #5 cebu, Mar 7, 2018
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  6. 1Deep

    1Deep Member

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    Replace Johnson with Green and you got it.
     
    #6 1Deep, Mar 7, 2018
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  7. tallanvor

    tallanvor Member

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    all of the line ups he picked have been used less than 60 minutes this season. thats some small data samples.
     
    #7 tallanvor, Mar 7, 2018
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  8. rocketsfan611

    rocketsfan611 Member

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    I was wrong. No shame in admitting that. I generally expected regular season success, but nothing like this. When the man is given the right pieces/talent and the green light to go all in on his system, it seems to work. He had a somewhat comparable team with the Suns who just kept running into the "well oiled machine with the razor sharp blade" that is the San Antonio Spurs. I don't consider his time there to be a failure.

    At the time we hired MDA, I felt like we had enough offensive TALENT and needed a more disciplined, defensive minded, accountability type coach...not a coach who goes out drinking with his players. Maybe someone like JVG, Thibs, Budenholzer, Hollins, etc. But I think the hiring of Bzdelik is a perfect compliment to MDA. Not only do we have the talent and the depth/versatility, we function like a machine. You'll see stretches where the Rockets will get three, four, sometimes five stops in a row during big moments in the game in terms of potential momentum. And all the while, the offense is efficiently bombarding the opponent without much fluctuation in terms of success. We are a legitimate title threat, if not the favorite...our coaches and the system they've implemented around players that metrics say best fit that system, THAT is what sets us apart. Much of that credit goes to Morey and the front office, and much of it goes to the man who I used to believe didn't coach nearly any defense. Mike D'Antoni's marriage with the Rockets has been a tremendous one to this point. He always seems professional, yet passionate. He never wavers from his vision of what an unstoppable NBA force the Rockets can be. And because of this, because of he and others, we are on the verge of something historic and potentially special.
     
    #8 rocketsfan611, Mar 7, 2018
  9. heypartner

    heypartner Member

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    Funny ... due to hackapela and Nene resting, we are going heavy with the following two lineups in the 4th today, but neither mentioned in article.

    Harden - Paul - Gordon - Ariza - Tucker
    Harden - Paul - Gordon - Mbah - Ariza
    ​
    Those are fun and fairly "obsure", too, which means the article is already out-of-date needs to be expanded.
     
    #9 heypartner, Mar 7, 2018
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2018
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  10. Vin2k2

    Vin2k2 Member

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    "I think any matchup we have, we're not going to worry about who we match up with. We're the Rockets. We don't match up with anybody." -MDA
     
    #10 Vin2k2, Mar 7, 2018
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  11. heypartner

    heypartner Member

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    #11 heypartner, Mar 7, 2018
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2018
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  12. macan

    macan Member

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    alright i want to see a cp, luc, eric, tucker/ryno, JJ lineup
     
    #12 macan, Mar 7, 2018
  13. steddinotayto

    steddinotayto Member

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    What a time to be alive.
     
    #13 steddinotayto, Mar 7, 2018
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  14. Space City

    Space City Member

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    Why is the #2 lineup not played more often? As it says that’s (arguably) our five best players and they’ve been excellent together. Is Coach saving that grouping for a rainy day?
     
    #14 Space City, Mar 7, 2018
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  15. FTW Rockets FTW

    FTW Rockets FTW Member

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    Stop making up stuff


    I wanted Mike Dan. I said anyone over mcFail and BJ would be an upgrade
     
    #15 FTW Rockets FTW, Mar 7, 2018
  16. Alvin Choo

    Alvin Choo Member

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    Have the 5 of Harden, CP3, Ariza, Tucker and Mbah been played this season?
     
    #16 Alvin Choo, Mar 8, 2018
  17. bugshardenspacejam

    bugshardenspacejam Member

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    Wondering what our net rating / offensive rating is with our five best true plus/minus players on the floor at once...

    Harden - Paul - Gordon - Mbah a Moute - Capela
     
    #17 bugshardenspacejam, Mar 8, 2018
  18. vlaurelio

    vlaurelio Member

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    LOL mavsprick jlof nhf

    MDA is not the common denominator of those lineups

    Hint: until now you still don't wanted him here and want jeremy lamb back
     
    #18 vlaurelio, Mar 8, 2018
  19. kjayp

    kjayp Member

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    MDA is an idiot who has been graced with an great roster to utilize.

    Look at the article again... if these are such great lineups that MDA has 'devised' - why have they only been run for 5, 15, 19 and 22 minutes - and the last for 59 minutes with Mbah with the starting lineup (prob due to Ariza injury)? These aren't lineups that MDA has calculated out and utilized repeatedly... they are random configurations which are not indicitive of the rotations that MDA has run the majority of the year...
    ALL of the configurations listed have amounted to right at 2 hours of actual game time... does that make him a genius?

    The recent 9 man rotation has been good (with the injuries)... but MDA has already said he'll probably cut it to 8 guys in the postseason... I'd push it up to 10 - health willing...

    We've gone from MDA's patented 7 second offense - to the slowest pace in the NBA with tenacious defense... if that's his design - kudos to him for making the adjustments... but I don't think its his plan... I think its CP3 running a more controlled game on offense that is allowing for the patience to get high % buckets...

    but hey, maybe I'm mistaken and this is all MDA's masterplan - but I doubt it...

    We're having a great season - and hopefully going to have a great post season... but I'd rather give the credit to Morey for assembling this roster - and to the guys for executing on a nightly basis - esp on defense.
     
    #19 kjayp, Mar 8, 2018
  20. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Member

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    Even if mda were an idiot, he's making the players work on defense and they look like they're playing happy.

    Pretty amazing to get 12 millionaires, without need or want of most luxuries, to do that for a whole season...
     
    #20 Invisible Fan, Mar 8, 2018
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