lol what ? ok it was a good defensive game from the Bucks, but we missed a lot of open threes and that is why we lost. If we had of hit at least half of the open threes, we would have won quite comfortably. Harden should of had a lot more assists if his team mates just hit the open shots he provided
Bucks game plan was the best I've ever seen. They forced Harden right taking away his stepback. The thing I didn't understand is us throwing the ball away, fumbling the ball & shooting airballs. We didn't seem ready to compete, which I don't understand given they did the same thing in Houston. The Buck's coach outclassed MDA last nite
Time for Chumpert to go to the end of the bench, maybe in another county, state, or country. I am sick of him. Terrible acquisition. However, he didn't lose the game. The Bucks won it. House may be the Rocket's only sharpshooter, think about that.
Not only was Bledsoe playing matador defense and baiting Harden to drive right... but Bledsoe completely PUNKED Harden, bullied him, and disrespected him... especially in the 1st half. 1st example: Bledsoe slaps the ball out of Hardens' hands during an inbounds, purposely getting called for a delay of game. Then he steps up into Harden face and flexes, basically calling Harden out and challenging him right there on the spot. What does Harden do?.... he looks over at the ref... then backs off from Bledsoe... GAME, SET, MATCH! Bledsoe then baited Harden to drive later on, practically playing behind him, then followed behind Harden and blocked his shot out of bounds... then Bledsoe flexed his arms at the crowd, further insulting Harden. Bledsoe continued with this type of stuff on Harden while he was also dropping 3's and driving for layups at will... with NO retaliation or resistance from Harden or the Rockets. Harden may have ended up with decent stats, but stats don't tell the story of the game. His lack of fight and determination led to the Bucks getting a sense of domination, and it led to the Rockets being less confident and less aggressive. It affected the overall psyche and demeanor of the team. That right there showed everyone, on national TV, what Harden is made of... and it proves what people have been questioning him about all of these years from his past meltdowns... that he is mentally weak, and that he doesn't handle pressure well... when it really matters and counts. Name any other "great", "superstar" players that would back down from a direct challenge like that. I guarantee Bledsoe would never dare do that to Jordan, Kobe, or Iverson. Hell, even regular all-star players would take that personal and fight back, trash talk back, raise their game, go into domination mode, or whatever. Most players in the NBA would not just lay down and take it... like Harden did. Call it whatever you like, I call it "lack of killer instinct". But the bottom line is that when push comes to shove, and when the real pressure is on... Harden does not show up the way that he should. Last nights game just reinforces that narrative, and what's worse... it showed all the other teams Hardens' Achilles heel... just bully him and pressure him... and he's likely to fold. (other teams and other players are watching, and taking notes) That was a very bad look for Harden. He's a 10 year veteran now, so expecting him to suddenly change into a "killer instinct" player isn't likely. I just hope he and the rest of the Rockets can find ways to overcome that deficiency.
This is true I was getting pissed that he didn't back down. Best way to counter them shading him right develop a post game
Gordon has been fantastic since the all-star break. He couldn't make a shot last night. It happens. Nothing more to it than that.
I think context is key here - CP3 had a bad game. It's clear that the Bucks saw this as the NBA finals and the Rockets didn't. Also on their home floor. The Rockets looked taken aback by the aggressive defense and time and time again coughed the ball up. They also hadn't adjusted to what the Bucks were doing. It's a regular season game.
Yeah. The loss wasn’t on Harden. He played as well as Giannis. But I ultimately have to agree with you here. Harden did not go into MJ/Kobe mode. He wilted under the pressure. He passed the ball to role players who obviously couldn’t hit a wide open shot. He got frustrated and shut down. I was hoping for a different reaction. I was hoping for him to go full ball hog mode and take every shot. They took away his 3 and layup but left him wide open from midrange. Take it. It’s better than another Tucker airball. He did the right thing through 3 quarters by finding wide open teammates. But 4th quarter should have been ball hog time. That’s what Kobe, MJ, and Dream did. They demanded the ball in those situations. That’s what a GOAT does in big games like this. That’s what Harden has to do in big games and the playoffs if he wants to be one of the GOATs. Giannis was winning so he didn’t have to resort to that. Harden needed to. His teammates couldn’t say **** if he went ball hog in the 4th after their terrible performances.
They definitely took us out of rhythm. When we see this type of defense we need to make adjustments. While we did get plenty of open looks, they were not in the same rhythm in which we usually get them from our offense.
Conundrum Do you get less free throws because they are better defenders without fouling or because they are not being called for fouls . . .does that make them better defenders? There are silly turnovers then their are foul induced turnovers that are not called Same with missed shots 5 foul induced turnovers can easily equal 10 points so the final score is not indicative of the level of play . . .can be indicative of the level of REFFING but I am moving on We may see them in the finals. . . then we will see what happens Rocket River
Honestly , the bucks scheme led to WAY too many great looks from us .... The outcome may have been good . But I don't think this was a case of brilliant tactics . Had we been able to knock down a 3 ; or had CP3 had a good game then I think the outcome is different . CP3 really looked shaky with his handle last night . I dunno who to credit (if anyone) for that ... but it made a huge inpact
What's disappointing is this team shrinking in a big game like this. We all know this was a statement game for Harden and Giannis...but guys withered...Harden shrunk like he does in the playoffs time and time again. I'm hoping this is the year that Harden picks his game up in the playoffs compared to the regular season for the first time...but after seeing this crap, I doubt he'll ever be able to. Hell, if he could just play the SAME it would be a significant.
Right at 50 percent since he came back. Even including the one or two clunker games he's had. On not quite 7 attempts a game. Might want to increase those.
If you hit a hard dick with a ruler . . .over time it shrinks Uncalled fouls will affect one's ability to score and how one plays the game Rocket River unconcerned
I wasn't hoping that he would go into "full hog mode", but what I was hoping for... was that he would go into "full domination mode". Domination mode is what Jordan would've gone into. He would've looked right back at Bledsoe, and said to his face, "okay, you asked for this". Then Jordan would have turned his intensity level sky high, and he would've done anything and everything required to WIN. Jordan would have taken it to another level and got more steals, more assists, more rebounds, more deflections, more blocks, more points,... whatever it took. And probably most of all, Jordan would've started D'ing up on Bledsoe like crazy, and tried to totally shut him down. Jordan would have made it his mission to dominate Bledsoe, and make him regret challenging him. But most importantly... Jordans' primary goal would've been to WIN THE GAME... his dessert would've been destroying Bledsoe in the process. That's the quality that Harden has been missing, and that's where all of the questions about his toughness and character come from.
