ClutchFans Game Thread: Lakers @ Rockets 1/10/2021

Harden isn’t a decoy player - he’s not hitting his 3s at a high clip and struggling to get past a lot of players with ease. Majority of his turnover are right past free throw line or passing out to the corners (teams are playing passing lane on PJ side)

 

You need to watch some of the sets then.Harden runs alot of flex and curl cuts as a decoy .

 

Cousins needs to stop getting ejected

 

One thing I agree is he needs to shoot more mid range shots. Also Silas doesn’t run any post ups for him for some reason

 

Not excuses, facts. Warriors are still dangerous even without KD and even pose a different kind of threat because now the offense revolves around Steph and Klay. Games 5 and 6 were decided by a margin of of 5 points, I'd say that's pretty hard fought. By your logic the Blazers were dogging it because they got swept by those same Warriors and losing by bigger margins, even though this board were riding Lillard and the Blazers' nuts at the time. Ditto for Kawhi and the Raptors, who were 2-2 against Steph/Klay despite having the better star and team as compared to Harden and the Rockets.

 

Rockets played into their hands by not respecting their defense and doing our signature throw your hands up after losing the ball while not getting back on defense. Harden and Gordon were guilty of both and it was pathetic to watch. We need guys who can dribble and not drive into defenders. We played dumb for most of the game. On defense we swarmed Lebron yet threes we left wide open. Gotta pick your poison but at some point you have to force Lebron into a tougher pass and be a bit closer to guard their 3pt shooters. Our help defense is still bad and Cousins needs to stop with the dumb ****.

 

Is there a stat for demoralizing turnovers where Harden gives the ball up near the half-court, looks to the refs to save him instead of recovering, gives up two points and blames the rest of the team? Because there were several of those tonight. That's a habit he needs to break. Mistakes happen, James Harden. Just get back and try to make the best of it and stop demoralizing the effort for your teammates. Those add up to 4 point or more swings over and over and cause L's to pile up. It's not worth it. Change something.

 

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve read that sentence.....,,,

 

This fan is done with Harden. He looks like he's done with us, too. Please Mr. Stone, snag us some young talent and picks, and send Harden, Tucker, and Gordon on to fresh starts elsewhere.

That fiasco last night might have been more interesting had Boogie miraculously managed to stay in the game.

 

Hopefully we can adjust and win Game 2. Harden's ankle is worrisome.

 

He can get past anyone whenever he wants, this is such trite.

 

How about the ones where he got stripped and realised late he needed to try something to get a call, threw his hands up after trying to recover, stopped to look at the refs and then walked back? Yeah Silas is calling the man out on it!

 

Agreed, last night's game was surprisingly understandble. I am glad he covered for Tate after the cheap shot from Morris . Surprised he saw it and reacted so quick almost lock he was going to punk Morris no matter what and Morris randomly punked Tate so Cousins looked vindicated.

Anyways, the foul on Lebron wasn't malicious but had to be called a flagrant in today's NBA/rule book. It is a shame because I really think he can not only help us against the Lakers but against every team in the league. He has been fairly effective even though his scoring game is mostly MIA. He will find his shooting touch the more he plays and also be able to add some crafty post moves once he gets his feet under him and gets use to the speed and athleticism.

Boogie has got to control his emotions though. We can't have Wood as the lonely big guy especially against teams like LA, etc. I still really want to see Cousins and Wood on the court together especially against LA. It is a perfect match up to test Cousins and Wood although it would be trial by fire so maybe not the best time to "expirement" with it. Gasol = Cousins and Wood is trying to equal Davis although he has a long way to go.

Cousins can still rebound well, is a great passer, protects the rim fairly well due to his length and big body. He can take charges with the best of them and his toughness/competitiveness will add value to this team. He is exactly what we need assuming his offensive arsenal comes around especially for 20-25 minutes a night. Tonight showed he is a good teammate protecting the rookie but he needs to be able to control his actions and avoid getting tossed from games. He can't lead from the locker room.

I am resigned to the fact that Boogie is who he is so you take the good with the bad. Here's to Boogie reshaping his game to become one of the best backup bigs in the league. Needs to do it sooner rather than later.

 

It's hilarious how most of those turnovers were clean, yet we just give up layups on the other end due to the complaining

 

Everyone gets scored on, but this man plays no D. There is no effort & he was the one who said during the interview after the game that they didn’t get back on D after missed shots. He shot a 3 & just stood at the 3 lot line while AD ran down & got a wide open dunk.

 

Idk if this deserves it's own thread but being compared to the reigning champs was nightmarish. It's the first time I've looked at the big red button as a legitimate option. This roster is a mess. Tucker and Wood are not compatible players imo, they are both 4s. Cousins, the only 5, can't stay on the floor. The glut of undersized 3&D players isn't producing much around Wall and disinterested/decoy Harden. And Gordon. They desperately need to re-align positions and re-define roles. The recipe is too fancy and we are short on several spices to begin with.

 

Harden looking like T-Mac against Toronto.

 

Turned it off at halftime, can't remember the last time (or if I have ever) turned it off that early. Team just isn't good, no identity whatsoever. Best player is clearly coasting. Sad times.

 

We have D players, and one 3 player (BMac) but I’m not sure we have a single legit 3&D player. Yea it would have been nice to see a better showing last night, but the talent differential is very large.

The Rockets have looked most effective with players like Ariza, Moute, Paul, and Covington. There’s a lot of guys I like individually on our team right now, but overall yikes.

So far this squad reminds me of the plucky but non-contending post-yao, pre-harden squads. Which is amazing, given that Harden is actually on this squad.

 

That was the memory that came to my mind with last night's game. Sad end to Harden's tenure in Houston. We spent years comparing him to Hakeem and he is going to be remembered as slightly better than Tmac.

Godspeed, bring us good value and let's move on