[Coach Daniel] How The Rockets Undersized Defense Has Shut Down OKC

It's the best defense I've seen since the regular season 2018 when the team (especially Moute) was healthy. Ariza/Tucker/Moute made me realize, a pattern is developing where teams who have 3 great wing defenders are routinely outplaying their expectations/projections.

I've been begging for the Rockets to go back to that formula, but we didn't have the personnel since they were wasting time with the Ennis' and the MCW's of the world. With Covington/Tucker/House/Gordon/Rivers (and frankly for some types of players HARDEN is the best defender) I feel like there's no type of player we can't throw multiple good defenders at, and the only players we can't guard (tall and skilled) are exactly the type of player our offense is designed to annihilate on the other end of the floor.

Also, just on a team chemistry note, there's no denying something special in the chemistry of this team. No bickering (again so different than Howard/Paul except 2018). Everyone is on the same page. Everyone is willing to sacrifice. The team made a huge gesture to start the series by not allowing the offensive load to fall on Harden, and you can see that it really affected Harden because his motivation isn't diminishing based on a bad shooting night. I can see all that chemistry in the defense.

It's championship chemistry, I have no doubt. May the Whistle Gods be with us.

 

Clamp City

 

It's very hard to judge a scheme's impact and a strategy when it relies so heavily on effort, communication and sharpness of our players. What I am very amazed by is the way we switch and hold positions, but more so how it it definitely seems like they have the scheme down pat as I see not just PJ & Covington being in the right places, but others as well. Harden's commitment has been very clear and you cannot tell me he was this committed to defense first and scheme as he has been this year. I think with Westbrook he's more comfortable and then seeing another PJ like defender in RoCo means 2 guys who give it their all, who probably communicate very well to the point where Harden and others are constantly reminded where to be, when to switch etc. I haven't seen a Harden team be this together on defense since probably ever. Not even the 17-18 Rockets were like this.

 

Nwaba is who we hoped Shumpert would be.