What was Houston before the pause? Good question - you tell me. The Rockets have been like four different teams within a season and it's hard to judge which one is the real Rockets. Normally, you never want to judge a team off of only their recent play, but Houston had such a drastic identify shift once they shifted to playing P.J. Tucker at center full-time. So in the micro-ball era of Rockets' basketball, the team has a record of 12-6, roughly equivalent to a 54-win playoff team. Here are their advanced stats: Offensive RTG: 114.1 Defensive RTG: 110.8 Net RTG: +3.3 A 54-win team and +3.3 net rating is about what you'd consider on the lower end of title contenders, but respectfully still a contender. To put that into context, that's a higher win-percentage than Nuggets, Heat, Jazz, and Mavericks, but still lower than five other teams in the NBA. The net rating (the more important number) is still higher than the Jazz, Nuggets, Heat, and Thunder, but lower than six other teams including the Mavericks. https://houston.sportsmap.com/all-systems-go-for-russell-westbrook-and-the-rockets
Clips are losing key role players indirectly due to Covid-19. First Zubac then Trez and now Bev. Landry Shamet still positive too? Not sure they can remain contenders, those players too important for a team relying on their depth. https://www.insider.com/clippers-roster-future-on-the-clock-games-bubble-2020-7 https://www.latimes.com/sports/clip...t-clippers-practice-three-players-not-present Bring on the Clippers!!!
An older article but an important one describing how effective Rockets Switch Everything Defense can be when executed correctly. Some excerpts below. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...ring-teams-outmuscle-their-micro-ball-defense "We switch so much that they've got to target somebody," Harden recently told ESPN. "I play so many minutes that they feel like they can just exploit me. I mean, it hasn't worked." The reality: Harden holds up remarkably well when opposing offenses target him in isolations, which happens more often than with any other player in the league. "You can't try to play matchup basketball," a Western Conference head coach said. "That's what they want. You have to beat them with [ball] movement." Harden hopes teams take Antetokounmpo's advice and make picking on him the focal point of their game plan. "Come try it," Harden said, "and the s--- won't work." It seems that opponents ought to be able to beat up on Houston with a simple game plan. Just dump the ball to your big guys on the block and let them be bullies. The problem, as Celtics coach Brad Stevens put it: "It's hard to post linebackers." Like a middle linebacker, he's also the loudest voice on the defense, as Tucker's baritone is constantly barking instructions, communication that is critical in a switch-everything scheme. The 6-foot-7, 211-pound Covington is more volleyball player than linebacker, a term that Golden State coach Steve Kerr has also used to describe the Rockets. With a 7-foot-1 wingspan and 36-inch vertical leap, Covington is the closest thing to a rim protector in the Rockets' rotation, having averaged 2.5 blocks in his 10 games with Houston, almost all coming as a help defender. "It's kind of a unique team in that our little guys can guard big guys," Houston coach Mike D'Antoni said, citing a significant factor in the Rockets' decision to commit to small ball, a style that has unleashed Russell Westbrook to wreak havoc with the floor wide open because of shooting threats surrounding him. Opponents might be able to shoot over Tucker, Gordon or Harden, but it usually won't be from the spot they want, and they won't elevate with great balance as the shot is released. "Teams think they have a mismatch by going inside," a scout from an Eastern Conference team said, "and they don't." Harden allowed 0.68 points per possession on a league-leading 212 post-ups defended last season. That tied for second stingiest among the 50 highest-volume post defenders, behind only Gordon (0.55). His numbers were similarly impressive the season before. "He's strong as hell and smart as s---," a rival Western Conference assistant coach said of Harden. After Boston's second loss of the month to Houston, Stevens explained why the Celtics were so reliant on isolation play. He credited Houston's defensive execution, saying the switches forced Boston away from the rim while the Rockets thwarted slipping screeners. "Their physical presence is real," Stevens said. "I'm a competitor. I'm a beast," Harden said. "Whatever teams' schemes are, we switch everything, and they've got to find a way to attack us. It's not going to be perfect. Some guys are going to score on me. That's a part of the game, but more times than not, we're going to get a stop and they'll shy away from it." "A lot of this is having a firm belief in it, players believing in it and then imposing our will," D'Antoni said." Another good article: https://www.nba.com/article/2020/07/02/film-study-rockets-switching-happy-defense The primary goal of switching every screen is keeping the ball in front of the defender. When there's another defender to meet the ball-handler on the other side of a screen, it's more difficult for that ball-handler to get into the paint or create an advantage that leaves somebody open. A switch-everything scheme can still be beat over the top. The Rockets are 22-1 when their opponents have shot 32% or worse from 3-point range and with 18-23 when their opponents have shot better than 32%. A switch-everything scheme can also be beat with talent. Good offense beats good defense. But the Rockets have had some success against some of the league's best offenses. When they're locked in, they're switching is sharp, they keep the ball in front of them, and they make you take tough shots.
That means Rivers very well could be eligible for Houston’s bubble opener on July 31 against the Dallas Mavericks. If a player’s absence is approved — and it sounds like Rivers’ was — and in particular if it’s local — and it also sounds like Rivers’ family were in the local area — then he’ll have to quarantine for no more than four days. If he did have to leave the local area, things might be different, and I’m sure we’ll hear some concrete info this week, but being that he was away from the team for just a single day, it seems likely to be local. Which should mean we’ll see Rivers in the opener. He’ll be much-needed. When the Rockets went to their bench in last night’s scrimmage loss to the Toronto Raptors, they played Chris Clemons, who shot 0-6 in 10 minutes and was a -12. Once things start for real, those minutes will be going to Rivers and DeMarre Carroll, who was also absent with last night with a hamstring injury.
Liked the player grades . Only thing i thought should be changed was Ben should have gotten an F lol , i have never seen a player look that bad . It was so bad i know it cant be his true level. MDA can be stubborn but he has started house before , so im not worried about the goron thing ... if it continues to blow up in our face during regular season games im sure MDA will adjust. MDA has to figure out his other lineup more than he does Russ/james/PJ/Roco and gordon/house .... both of those lineups should work fine . One of the lineups that went on a good mini run was the Harden/ben/house/roco/PJ lineup . gordon could be subbed in there too .
