Is Carlisle going to make an adjustment with the lobs? Have the guy guarding the 3 point corner shooter step up and sit in Howards lap and make defenders scramble? That is what I would have done right there. Can we please do this every time down the court. I cant wait to see the next lob.
I really don't think we need to do much to adjust. If we play decently we will win these games. Just the superior team here.
He will make adjustments, but I also see us changing it up as well. With Rondo out I expect to see a lot more Harden action. If they adjust to stop the bigs, they are going to have a whole other issue with Harden. Just having Rondo off of him should be a good sign that a big game is coming for him.
On the spectrum of Player's Coach to Dictactor, Pops is a my-way or the highway coach/dictator, too. He's not in the middle by any stretch of the imagination. If you don't do what he says, you don't play. Obviously, it is successful for him, but please don't say Pops this god that does both Rudy/McHale player mgmt and Bobby Knight iron-fisted dictatorships. I know many of you guys will get into semantics with me and try to explain how Pops really is the John Wooden of the NBA, but he isn't....
Coach Mac said it best.. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>McHale on ...: "We're going to have to adjust to their adjustments to the adjustment that we made to their adjustment that we adjusted.”</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/status/590987837232648192">April 22, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Ariza/TJ/Harden/Dwight/Smith/Brewer finally all have a good game together and blow them out by 40. DAMN IT DO IT!
Exactly- he just happens to have 3 stars who can handle that. Remember, he kicked Stephen Jackson off his 2nd go-round with the Spurs. I think Phil Jackson is an example of a coach who can do both. He was perfect in how he dealt with Rodman, and yet he could strategize very well (e.g. the game in the 1992 Finals against the Blazers where he left the reserves in for a ridiculously long time and they brought the Bulls all the way back- Bobby Hansen, anyone?).
I get what you're saying, but Pops has a way of making players see that his way is the BEST way, and that's what gets them to bend to his will. Carlisle is more the guy who just demands that they bend without showing them why it's important that they do. Had the Spurs acquired Rondo mid-season, do you think Pops would have entered the playoffs without him being completely on-board with everything? I can't imagine that happening.
I hope the Rockets don't blow a big opportunity in taking game 3 because of lack of focus or intensity. If the Rockets lose game 3 because the Mavericks just have too much of the Homecourt "energy and adrenaline"....well that wouldn't be as bad I suppose. I just fully expect the Rockets to maintain focus to finish off the Mavs.
Reason why we had all those dunks is because Mav's decided to stay home on our 3 pt shooters. They did not send them to help and hoped that Chandler can handle it. That was their game plan and did not work as well. They will have to pick their poison on Game 3.
Well Carlisle is the real Wizard, so he will figure out a way to make a completely outmatched team take everything away from us. Mark Cuban said so. We will not see a SINGLE lob to Dwight Howard in game 3, and they will give up nothing else to stop it. Guaranteed.
Barrea always plays the Rockets tough and with Rondo out we're going to see a lot more of him. It's clear that he too fast for Terry or Prigioni so I would like to see Nick Johnson brought in to defend him. I would only do this when the Rockets are protecting a lead as I'm not sure we can count on Johnson to really contribute on offense or as a reliable ball handler.
