ClutchFans Game Thread: Thunder @ Rockets 1/16/2014

This is an interesting theory. The disparity is so big that maybe there is some difference between the two hoops.

 

Midrange shots are important. OKC was not hitting 3's either. In fact, they shot 3's even worse, but they were hitting their midrange shots and they had plays run to get them efficient midrange shots.

 

it went from run and gun to foul ft, foul ft, foul ft. The FT disparity between DH/JH and Durant was the game.

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but the difference in the game was not the FT disparity, it was the 19 points scored in the 2nd half. When Harden gets the superstar calls, the opponents fans are livid. KD is the bigger star, and will get the superstar calls over Harden. If KD and Lebron played in the same game, Lebron would be the one getting the calls. It's NBA officiating, it's Fantastic... ally bad.

 

Part of why you scored 19 points in the second half is because of the free throw differential....

 

I hope you weren't around children. I don't think I could re-watch without punching someone.

 

Part of the reason, sure. The big reason is still that glaring number.... 19. The Rockets average 104.9 pts per game, which is basically 52.5 points per half. They scored 33.5 less than their average in the 2nd half. Was it OKC's defense packing the paint and playing the 3 point line? Or did the Rockets just simply run out of gas? Without watching the game again (I'm not trying to watch that horrific half of basketball again, it's Friday, I'm not trying to ruin my weekend.), I think they just simply ran out of gas. Also poor coaching, but that's purely hindsight (Brooks had a great first half, but players tend to return to the mean, given enough minutes).

 

Talking about players tend to return to the mean, Jeremy Lin's 3PT% is now back at .33 his career average. That's awful considering all the work he put in this summer. He can contribute at times, but he's also a liability. He always have issues playing against pressure defense. The Rockets should really consider getting Rondo.

 

I know Lin was playing poorly. Still, I wish McHale would trust him more. Lin has shown he can wake up in the 4Q even after he has played poorly the rest of the game.

18 point swing from the time Lin was subbed out in 3rd to when he was put back in with only 4 minutes to go in the 4th Q.

I'll go further. I wish they would just decide on a game plan, and trust that game plan. They have so much talent. Sometimes, it feels like they are coming with a "let's see what works tonight" approach.

 

soooo, did anybody have as much fun as I did last night booing D-Fish every time he touched the ball??

we will never forget

Spoiler

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Definitely they were exhausted. When I saw this schedule and every other day games with a number of them on the road, I knew it was going to be rough. But when you build up a big halftime lead like that you should be able to muscle through 30 more minutes IMHO.

 

How does the schedule maker find a way to schedule two Rockets games against OKC as a fourth game in five nights? You all most have to wonder if it was done on purpose or maybe the person who made the schedule is an OKC fan.

 

Not only that but the Rockets have 5 more back to backs than the Thunder and Thunder have more 8 more games with at least 1 day rest. GS also has a way easier schedule than us.

 

Wow, our best two players in last nights game were TJones and DMo!!! Who would have guessed that before the game? Our two young PF/Centers were our best players!!!

I'm trying to find something positive in last nights game.

 

Rockets have three 4 games in 5 nights this season (Thunder have 1) and 2 of them ended in the the Rockets playing a rested Thunder team (the first one they 3 days rest)..incredible. They were set up to lose the season series from the get go. Especially considering Durant had almost as many FTs as the whole Rockets team..Dwight getting into foul trouble and getting clobbered with no calls.

 

That's a good way of looking at it. While they both are young and make mistakes, I think if you play both of them at pf/center with Howard, then the Rockets are in good shape as far as big men go. I like that Dmo and Jones have such different styles of play, I think that helps.

Since your looking at the positive side, I won't say anything about the coaching.

 

1000X Yes! More PnR in general, we ran so much last year and so little this year. Dwight screens a lot but doesn't often roll hard. I get that he's trying to improve his post game, and he has made improvements, but I don't see any downside to running more PnR. If anything it should open up his post game I would imagine. Plus it would open up things for Harden and Lin too, they're both PnR guys and this talent is being wasted.

 

That game pissed me off. How do you come back in the 2nd half and not score 20, after scoring 76 in the 1st? Talk about laying an egg.

 

Every single time TJones brings the ball up the court, I cringe. It shouldn't matter that that's supposedly in his skill set. He should pass it to Lin or Brooks immediately.

 

The fact that chandler parsons wasn't aware of how ineffective the offense was in the 2nd half points directly towards the coaching staff. The players should not only be held accountable for a stretch of bad play, rather they should be held accountable for each turnover or bad shot they take.