ClutchFans Game Thread: Blazers @ Rockets 4/20/2014 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 1)

I kind of want it to end in the first. Game 1 was over three hours and thirty minutes and it was a ft shootout between dwight and aldridge/lillard. Not very entertaining basketball. San antonio will only be worse. Duncan would take jones to school and they have a better team built around him.

This happens so much to houston teams. I would be used to it no matter how it happens.

 

Yeah, he can read and so can I. What you DIDN'T say was they were MUCH worse for the Rockets...say at least 2 or 3 to 1. Take that weak junk outta here.

 

No they're not. The Spurs are respected by the media, but look at how little press they get even when they go on a 19-game winning streak. Nobody gives a rat's ass about the Spurs. Yet they keep winning year after year. Do I think the NBA is rigged in favor of franchises like the Lakers or Heat(at least after LeBron got there)? Absolutely. But don't tell me a smaller market team can't win a title in this league.

 

first things before i let this one go

1 - refs were bad for both sides - but the major momentum/game changing type calls were in the Blazers favor
2- I am not sure how much poorer Harden could play - he had some wide WIDE open looks at the 3 in the first quarter and he missed them all - the one he hit to end the half was the most contested of the 6 he shot in the first half and he hit that one.
3 - Howard did not come out with proper energy at the start of the game which allowed the Blazers to set the tempo early and dictate the way the game would be called. To his credit once he re-entered the game in the 2nd quarter he was going after every rebound like he was Dennis Rodman. But that sort of effort needs to come early.
4 - Bogus fouls took Asik out quickly - I believe he'll have more of an impact the next game and in the series.
5 - Parsons amazing first half - couldnt tell if he even played in the second half - Its like he ran out of gas trying to keep in it early. He will need to be consistent in both halfs for the Rockets to advance deep.
6 - The Rockets needs to be less predictable with late game "plays" - i mean at the end Harden is getting the ball but seriously there was like a few plays at the end where the Rockets spent 15-17 seconds just trying to get Harden the ball and then he had 6 seconds to do something. This needs to stop - he cant properly create with such little time - this is where the team should have some more confidence to have another player (parsons or lin) to create for others when Harden is being denied the ball. Harden also should try much harder to free himself.

not that he could have stopped LA at all - but really surprised DMo didnt play at all with Howard and Asik in foul trouble. He at least had some length that could potentially have made it a different look for LA compared to the shorter players like Jones, Parsons, Garcia and Harden who guarded him late.


Game 1 is done - over move on and get game 2 -- The Rockets can win in Portland I have no doubt but they have to first win Wednesday.

Also if Bev is out then Lin and Canaan (if he can be put on hte roster) are really going to have to step it up. Hopefully Bev isnt out but it doesnt look good. If Bev is out I dont know if the Rockets can beat Portland without Parsons, Lin and especially Harden improving their perimeter defense

 

Frigging depressing.

I thought we were going to win going into OT.

Frigging depressing.

The key?
Free throws made 26-40.

Who is the FT coach?

Sack him/her.

 

We will bounce back. These blazers are pretty good. Good game. If I had to complain, 13 pts lead at home late in the 4th. I am sure harden will pick it up in the next one.

 

Harden with that court vision....

 

Well i think the nba got what they wanted if they wanted the main tnt game to go to ot, and the blazers to win a close game. It did come down to the last whistle. If you think that was basketball then hats off to portland.

 

Fts, have been and always be on the player shooting it. Its mental for howard

 

His thoughts stopped prematurely.

 

Derp.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Harden: &quot;At home, up 11 points with 5, 6 minutes to play… we have to be able to close that out.&quot;</p>&mdash; Jenny Dial Creech (@jennydialcreech) <a href="https://twitter.com/jennydialcreech/statuses/458125974064734208">April 21, 2014</a></blockquote>
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what the one open guy was behind him cross court and he would have had to make that pass across his body between two portand defenders.

That was just poor spacing at the end by the Rockets and good position of a double team by Houston. Jones did not cut to the open space under the basket where he should have been that was the pass Harden was looking to make for the layup thats why he stopped at first

 

You can shoot the ball poorly if the refs call every touch foul your way and you get away with murder. Doesn't hurt if either if you can grab the other teams best rebounder around the waist and hold him on the biggest play of the game. GMAB.

 

One more thing before I go... **** this notion of shrinking the bench D-MO needs to play. He does more good on the court than bad. He moves the ball well, I very good screen and role defender and he can disrupt things (sometimes) on the defensive end.

 

well look at past History.. Tell No Tales for all sport.. Pro/Minor/High School.. ect.

 

This is exactly the weakness of Howard. He just not very concerned or eagared to win it all. PB is 6'11 while Howard is 6'1 in willingness to win games.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Patrick Beverley gets MRI in morning, but there's a great deal of fear within Rockets on the extent of re-aggravation of knee injury.</p>&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/statuses/458126355712847872">April 21, 2014</a></blockquote>
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The irony is the Rockets built that lead with Harden on the bench in the 4th quarter. He didn't come in til around the halfway point.

 

Honestly the real fault is McHales. Zero rim protection, Lin + Harden PnR would have been perfect. Just really bonehead coaching decisions.

 

Rox’ OT loss in a nutshell:

Clutch: Lin 3-4, 7 pts in OT.
Un-Clutch: Harden 0-4
Un-Clutch: Parsons 0-3