ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Grizzlies 3/29/2013

There's a reason for having a starting five....so that they can build chemistry. Too much tinkering of the line-up will eventually kill the chemistry in the court. You need to let the starting five learn from their mistakes and not punish them.

 

being down 6 with about 6min to play you put the starters in that got you to this point to begin with... you dont bench starters when fighting for a playoff spot... never ever.. the playing memphis first round theory is a dumb excuse created here

 

Did you notice that Memphis put their starters back in when the lead was cut to nine?

 

Exactly...I've never seen this strategy employed by a team that's fighting for a playoff spot...usually it's done by a coach whose team is out of the playoff hunt, or at the high seed, usually locked into have home court in the first round.

 

The starters are more capable of defying that lead, but probably not worth it. My guess is that the Rockets is most likely going to be a 7th or pretty much guaranteed a 8th seed. Whether it's OKC or Spurs it is not going to matter so why not send the starters a message along with giving them some rest time.

 

Hmm, interesting theory...

 

bc thing is going odd especially at the "playoffs push" moment. right?

 

The Grizz won by 9 so the bench played their starters pretty much to standstill while the Roxs starters gave up a big lead?

 

Like Pop and the Spurs.

 

You not Kaitanuva or even deAleck level . . .

 

for the ball getting "sticky" icky.

 

Yes, and did you notice that the Griz starters did not expand the lead and the end differential was also nine?

Did you notice that when the Rox bench came in the deficit was 15-17?

 

True. I have not seen what McHale did tonight with a team fighthing for a playoff spot and I hope it turns things around for the team.

 

What I saw tonight was what I have been seeing the last couple of games....a team being outworked,out hustled. A team playing little defense and allowing 3 and 4 offensive rebounds to Memphis. A lazy, ambivalent team going through the motions. It is scary because we haven't clinched a playoff spot yet. I don't think we match up well with the cLips so I definitely don't feel good about beating them tomorrow night.

 

The rationale is that run was against the Memphis BENCH... ie, the 2nd tier, low salary players that generally aren't good enough to Start on a NBA Team.

You put the Houston Starters against 27 out of 30 Benches in the NBA and they'll run them off the floor. That's why coaches sub in Starters against Starters the vast majority of the time.

It's a completely different thing to score against a Bench player than it is against Zbo and Marc Gasol. Thinking that would translate is a gamble at best, ridiculously foolish at worst.

If your bench is the Spurs bench, or Clippers bench, or another top flight bench, sure... however, how many games has the Rockets bench taken over and delivered a win? With 70+ games under their belt?

ZBo and Gasol are two of the best forwards in the NBA. Conley is arguably a top 10 PG (under rated in my opinion). Tony Allen is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.

And you want our BENCH playing against them? Not unless they're hitting 80% of their shots.

You don't put your Bench in against a top tier play off team Starting Line up. It's that simple.

 

Yeah, after they cut it to 9, the grizz starters came in. Our bench isn't going to beat another teams starting unit.

 

That is the reason for the stat chart. The starter unit played like crap against the MEM starters and our 2nd unit had a +stat on the floor playing their 2nd unit. I don't see how this is hard to figure out.

 

The last 2 games? Wait a min..wasnt there a game vs a certain league leading team inbetween? Guess I'm wrong...

 

Sending a message to starters whatever, It's clear to me Mchale just gave up.
If he was trying to win the game, substitution would've been made. second unit got all gassed up.

 

if so, it's acceptable. harden is afraid of being alone at the bench. or he just hates to sit down