Udoka kept Green out of the lineup late because he is a defensive liability vs Brown. I wouldn't be surprised if Green is the first to be traded or Tari/Bari end up taking his spot in the starting lineup at some point. Not because Green is a bad player but because Ime prioritizes defense over everything.
Also Sengun is a critical piece to all this. Against the Cavs Goon was having his way and dictated our offense the majority of the game. He is still 22 years old. Right now Sengun is only inconsistent against really big guys like Giannis but I think if he develops a jumpshot from the center of the floor to beat the zone he will have an easier time.
BTW, one reason that Amen got so free on the final shot is Alpi's gravity. Alpi pulled 2 1/2 defenders towards the rim.
Ah, no. Brown was covering Amen from the get go. The reason you see Brown near Sengun is that Amen drove him there, then created space with the step back/euro step. Holiday showed he didn’t need help against Sengun.
I watched that play over and over. It was brilliantly designed. They used Sengun and Green as decoys because everybody would think one of them would get the ball for the winning shot. Dillon was so hot they had to keep a man close to him at the far side. Even Fred could be a threat getting the inbound pass back immediately. That left the middle wide open. Brown sagged off of Amen because he didn't respect Amen's outside shot. That's how Amen is so lethal even without a 3pt shot. You give him the space, he goes down hill at you. Brown had to turn halfway around (rather than the normal backpaddling) trying to get to the basket before Amen. At that point, he wasn't worried about Sengun but Amen going all the way for a layup. Sengun while not being double teamed did create the space for Amen. Notice Holiday wasn't even watching Amen with the ball as the play developed. He put his complete attention at preventing Sengun from getting the ball. Brown was on an island trying to keep up with Amen's drive. These guys complement each other so well. They force the opponent to pick their poison.
He played the pick and roll well down the stretch, deserves credit for that. His shot is abysmal, not at the level of 2025 all stars. People say Amen’s shot is subpar, Sengun’s is way worse. It’s Shaq’s shot without his touch around the rim or his strength and athleticism. The best thing that could happen to him is to NOT make the all star team, get hungrier, and work on that abomination of a shot all summer (in addition to a lot of plyometrics and strength training). Like hundreds of shots a day with a quick release until it becomes muscle memory.
I agree he needs to work on his shot, as the main priority all summer. I have a feeling the Rockets REALLY wanted him to work on his strength mainly this last summer, and that has somewhat worked, because he can bully quite a few other centers even though he is often a bit shorter. But perhaps that hasn't helped his touch. So I would agree with you. I think he can get A LOT better in that regard. Jump shots, free throws, 3-pointers.
Ah no, why write something astute and then something dumb just to even-steven it? And the reason Holiday is there is b/c Porzingis picked up fouls w/in seconds of Alpi bodying him in the post. Exactly like he did to All-NBA defenders Allen and Mobley the game before...and the game before that. Sengun generated free throws, foul calls, and multiple assists and wide open looks when guarded by Holiday b/c he would ultimately always command the double the second he got in the paint. I feel like Amen would make every shot anyway but multiple times w/ Goon putting Holiday under the basket Goon found Amen as his bailout and not one time was Amen's defender facing Amen. Every single time they were looking at and collapsing on Alpi and it gave Amen all he needed (which wasn't much my goodness how incredible) Why pretend like Sengun isn't getting entire front lines in to foul trouble and essentially dictating opposing lineups for long stretches at a time via induced foul-trouble. Amen IS HIM. He is KING. But dafuq kind of fans do we have that find a reason to hate (saying a PG can gaurd your C straight up in the post is MF'n hating) no matter what. Y'all don't deserve Amen. Sheesh.
The Amen and Goon blitz on Tatum was a joy to watch. Much more effective than when Dillon and Goon blitzed him.
