1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

Alperen Sengun is the Rockets' franchise player

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by AroundTheWorld, Jan 17, 2023.

  1. Hemingway

    Hemingway Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2016
    Messages:
    7,713
    Likes Received:
    10,158
    Miami could very well win. They have the best coach in the league and one of the most clutch players of all time. They are on a real roll and their defense is excellent. If their 3-pt shooting stays north of 40% they will be very hard to beat. This is a series I would never bet on. I see Denver as a very slight favorite.
     
  2. ApacheWarrior

    ApacheWarrior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2017
    Messages:
    9,832
    Likes Received:
    12,817
    Playoffs are a different animal than the regular season.

    Celtics torched everyone in the regular season as they were
    2nd in offense and 2nd in defense.

    Nuggets finished 15th in defense

    Jokic, Aaron Gordon, MPj have size, but they tend to loof back defensively
    and can't match the speed of Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson, Lowry,
    Butler, Max Strus, Herro, Highsmith. They are going to put pressure
    on the Nuggets to get back.

    Goes with smaller teams running the bigger teams off the court.
    3's vs 2's, in which the smaller team attacks the length of the court
    in order to get an open 3.

    Barkley asked Kenny Smith about open 3's in shoot-a-round and the game
    vs contested 3's. Kenny is correct, NBA players tend to shoot around 60% from
    3 if open.....Miami vs a quicker (than Nuggets) Boston Celtics team got
    those open 3's. I noted the 3-point % of the Heat players during that series.
    They will get those open 3's vs the Nuggets.

    I also noted how Jokic plays a Drop Coverage (during the Suns) and
    rarely rotated to contest the right corner 3. The Lakers with only
    Austin Reaves and Rui H as consistent shooters couldn't take
    advantage of it......But the Heat will. Better shooters.
    Basically the Heat will have an open 3 in the right corner every
    trip down the court when Jokic is playing. 3's > 2's rule.

    Ham is not a good coach.....Pat Riley and Spoelstra with take note
    of it and exploit it by having the Heat make the extra pass. If Jokic
    cheats over.....Jamal Murray will be left alone under the rim and
    Bam-Butler will abuse him. Getting Murray in foul trouble. There is
    just too much room to cover when you have 5 guys that can hit 3's
    and Jokic just wants to defend the rim and you have to send an
    extra defenders or two in the paint to help Jokic. If Nuggets don't
    send help for Jokic.....Jokic is too slow to defend the paint by himself.
    Will get in foul trouble himself.

    Yule see. MPj is the only real zone buster, Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown
    need to see the ball go thru the rim as layups to feel good enough to make their 3's.
    Heat will live with dribble penetration by Jokic-Murray mid range 2's all game.
    As long as they don't get the others involved (covered). Heat players are
    quicker and longer and more confident now than they were in the regular season.
    Lowry was moved to backup unit.
     
    #3682 ApacheWarrior, May 31, 2023
    Last edited: May 31, 2023
    peleincubus likes this.
  3. peleincubus

    peleincubus Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2002
    Messages:
    26,186
    Likes Received:
    14,264
    The biggest insight I got from this post is Lowry has speed.


    !!!!
     
    Drift Monkey likes this.
  4. Hemingway

    Hemingway Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2016
    Messages:
    7,713
    Likes Received:
    10,158
    As usual, I think your analysis is very good. Your prediction that Denver wouldn’t make it past the 2nd round was wrong and you made excuses about it. You also don’t take into account that Miami has been a much less effective 3 pt shooting team most of the season. You don’t entertain the idea that they might revert to norm and if they do they will probably lose the series. I’ll ask again, if Denver wins will you admit that you were wrong that a team with a slow unathletic center cannot win in the new NBA?
     
    Drift Monkey and cml750 like this.
  5. Verbal Christ

    Verbal Christ Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2009
    Messages:
    19,212
    Likes Received:
    30,013
    I like the Heat. Its cool to see a group of glue guys play great as a cohesive unit. Really good chemistry and like I said I LOVE Erik Spoelstra and can only wish that one day he'll coach up these Rockets in their prime. Denver has every bit the same sort of shooters. Murray, MPJ, KCP are all hitting 40% from deep for the entire playoffs. Jokic is hitting almost 50%! Nugs have only lost 3 playoff games so far and I dont see how MIA will contain Jokic - he's BETTER than both Tatum and Brown put together when you factor in what he does with the ball as a passer and his efficiency from 3 during the playoffs. If the Heat are going to have any chance at all it will be with Bam being more of a focal point and hopefully making Jokic work hard on defense and possibly get him into foul trouble.
     
    AroundTheWorld likes this.
  6. AroundTheWorld

    AroundTheWorld Insufferable 98er
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2000
    Messages:
    80,132
    Likes Received:
    58,297
    I'm really looking forward to watching this series. I live near Miami now, and I love Butler's tenacity and their role players' grit, and our own Kyle Lowry, so I would be happy with them winning it. But it will also be glorious to see Jokic shut up the "you cannot win with an unathletic center archetype" idiots. Of course, they are already starting to pivot to "Jokic is one of a kind" and "but but he is like 0.8516 inches taller than Sengun".
     
  7. Verbal Christ

    Verbal Christ Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2009
    Messages:
    19,212
    Likes Received:
    30,013
    In all fairness it's taken a little while for Denver to build the requisite team around Jokic. Up until this year it did hold true that a slow, unathletic center wasnt winning anything in the playoffs until you could properly hide him on defense and supply him with enough shooting - even during b2b MVP seasons. Its always cool to see ground breaking things happen and the player in question elevate his play to another level as it shows more than just a skilled player, but one who has that inner fire to be the best and show up when his team needs him most. It will be a cool story line to continue to watch because Himmy Butler is every bit the dog when it comes to winning time. Hoping for a fun Finals.
     
    Drift Monkey and AroundTheWorld like this.
  8. Hemingway

    Hemingway Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2016
    Messages:
    7,713
    Likes Received:
    10,158
    I do disagree with the slow centers can’t win concept, but it is a valid viewpoint and those that hold it are plainly not “idiots”.
     
  9. AroundTheWorld

    AroundTheWorld Insufferable 98er
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2000
    Messages:
    80,132
    Likes Received:
    58,297
    Not all of them, but some of them are lol.
     
  10. OremLK

    OremLK Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2010
    Messages:
    17,036
    Likes Received:
    12,043
    I still remember him zooming around the court in a Rockets uniform... those were the days.

    He's definitely lost a step or three since then at age 37.
     
  11. AroundTheWorld

    AroundTheWorld Insufferable 98er
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2000
    Messages:
    80,132
    Likes Received:
    58,297
    I love Lowry. We should have never let him go.
     
  12. astrosrule

    astrosrule Member

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2002
    Messages:
    6,170
    Likes Received:
    6,107
    Lol what? That pick was a big part of getting harden
     
  13. AroundTheWorld

    AroundTheWorld Insufferable 98er
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2000
    Messages:
    80,132
    Likes Received:
    58,297
    Lowry has a ring...elevates his play in the playoffs...Harden is the better player, but Lowry is more of a dawg.
     
  14. astrosrule

    astrosrule Member

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2002
    Messages:
    6,170
    Likes Received:
    6,107
    LOL
     
  15. harold bingo

    harold bingo Efficiency Only Fan

    Joined:
    May 16, 2017
    Messages:
    3,926
    Likes Received:
    11,471
    The nuggets are literally the best team in the nba against the zone this year
     
    jordnnnn likes this.
  16. jordnnnn

    jordnnnn Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2010
    Messages:
    11,152
    Likes Received:
    12,168
    A quick glance and it’s pretty clear that none of Lowrys numbers are better in the playoffs than the regular season. Scoring, rebounding, assists, efficiency, impact stats. All down in the postseason compared to the regular season.
     
  17. AroundTheWorld

    AroundTheWorld Insufferable 98er
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2000
    Messages:
    80,132
    Likes Received:
    58,297
    Interesting.

    But he has a ring with Toronto and is in the finals this year.
     
  18. jordnnnn

    jordnnnn Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2010
    Messages:
    11,152
    Likes Received:
    12,168
    I believe Zach Lowe said that in the regular season Denver scored 1.72 points per possession(small sample)against Miamis zone defense.
     
    harold bingo likes this.
  19. MystikArkitect

    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2006
    Messages:
    12,158
    Likes Received:
    19,019
    Sabonis and Jokic have already proven you can win with this type of player. And any player who has carried a team to a title is typically one of a kind. Sengun needs to get a respectable jump shot and be more sound defensively for this to happen. But it could happen. He's more athletic than Joker but does have issues with big centers that Joker does better against.
     
  20. ApacheWarrior

    ApacheWarrior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2017
    Messages:
    9,832
    Likes Received:
    12,817
    Not the same shooters. You will see.

    I remember when the Nuggets were going to be number 1 seed and they drop intentionally to avoid a small ball Houston Rockets team that was finishing either #4 or #5.....they didn't want any part of Jokic vs a Small Ball Harden led team.
    Avoided us until the 3rd round.

    His cast is better; but it's still the same Jokic.
    Small ball teams will run him off the court.

    Warriors were 1-3 (W-L) vs Nuggets in regular season last year.....but the Warriors ran Jokic out of the gym in the playoffs 4-1 (W-L).

    Now the Nuggets will face a Small Ball team that
    can sprint relentlessly for easy 3:s. Forces the bigs og Gordon and MPj to get back sooner....which will hurt their rebounding. Bam will get about 16 rebounds a game.

    Miami is getting acclimated to the mile high air since Monday. They won't get caught by that like the other teams rushed into game 1 as soon as they arrived.

    Game 1 or 2 to Miami.
    Miami then win game 3, 4 and 5 in Miami.

    But I give Spoelstra one extra game to catch up to my brain. Haha

    P.S. the Celtics were good shooters before the series as well. Allowed them to be 2nd in the association in offense.....sometimes chasing a bunch of 26 year olds running the floor relentlessly takes a little starch out of the legs.
     
    #3700 ApacheWarrior, May 31, 2023
    Last edited: May 31, 2023

Share This Page

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now