He is what he is. If you didn't see this coming you haven't been following the Rockets this season. I expect him to surprise some people when he's able to stay with LaMarcus Aldridge and contest the long 2's - but he's still going to be a liability on the glass.
I'd rather Clint figure it out on another team. He was a low 1st round pick for a reason. Rockets are suddenly in "win now" mode with this year's sudden resurgence. Morey needs to get Harden an experienced front court with legit range.
I'd actually love to see a lineup adjustment for Game 5. It would throw the Thunder out of their game plan instantly and lead them to panic straight away.
I think more than anything it points to the Thunder strengths. I've been saying all season their squad isn't crap. They have no bench, well no backup guards worth squat. But they're dominant on the interior, and beefed that up even more with the addition of Gibson. Frankly, the Rockets have done much better than I expected. They're: +15, -11, +2, +5 total rebounds. And on offensive rebounds, its +7, -12, +2, +3 The Thunder were the best rebounding team in the NBA. The Thunder were 10th in the league in Def. Rtg - and that's with Russ being pretty mediocre in this department. Thunder were 10th in the league in blocks per game. As for Capela, yeah, he's struggling because he just doesn't have the size to bang with Adams or Kanter. Both bully him in the post. Then add in the fact the Thunder are disrupting the spacing a bit for the Rockets outside offense, that Ryno and Ariza are struggling, and its a recipe for struggle. Nene comes in and is just a bigger brute of a player. And he's playing great, smart, high IQ playoff basketball. I wouldn't change the starting lineup, but would happily change the rotation, getting Clint out sooner. I mean Clint did have some solid defensive plays in the second half. Sure layups and even potential dunks he stopped at the rim. He has a defensive length in there that Nene doesn't have. if you combined the two they'd be the perfect player. Also, should be noted, more than anything else, the problem is the turnovers, and bad shots with bad positioning. When this happens, the Thunder score almost every time. I frankly don't understand why they don't intentionally foul Russ one or two times a game at halfcourt when he is barreling down the floor. Rockets transition defense has been horrible... but then I just don't know if anyone can defend Russ in transition - even Kawhi.
Good points. I would say a contributing factor to the turnovers is a product of the Thunder scheme and abilities. Bottom line, if only Ryan Anderson would hit his 3s at a decent clip, then the Thunder defensive schemes wouldn't effect so many turnovers by clogging the middle (and not making them pay). I fully appreciate Anderson's importance in the line-up, but he needs to hit those 3s that he's done his entire career (and was brought here to do). If Abrines and McDermott can hit with hands in their faces, RYNO certainly needs to hit them.
I literally turned to my 7 year old son during the game and was like: "do you know how much that guy gets paid?? $18 million dollars. To do one thing and one thing only. Hit open three pointers!" in frustration. Lol.
To be frank, I was actually pleasantly surprised that Anderson hit that late 4th quarter (or 3rd) 3. He was wide open on a swing pass from Bev. I still expect all of Ryan's shots to go in whenever he shoots, but given the results lately, I was pleasantly surprised.
He's going to do fine in game 5. If not, take him out sooner and play him less minutes. But not the time to change starter.
Rockets outscored 21-13 on fast break points. It was worse than that until the 4th. 20 turnovers to the Thunder's 17. Thunder's 14 blocks to the Rockets 2 - which lead to easier transition or semi-transition buckets for the Thunder. In game 3, Rockets got outscored 19 to 4 on fast break points. Again, the Rockets had more turnovers - 16 to 11. Blocks were more even. In game 2, Rockets got outscored 16 to 7 on fast break points. Again, turnovers, Rockets 13 to Thunder 7. In game 1, Rockets got outscored 16 to 6 on fast break points. Though Thunder had more turnovers at 15 to 11. So this is kind of a trend that is happening and is legit in this series. And the Rockets were a good fast break team in the regular season. It's just that Russ is a one man fast break. It's the counterpoint to "Russ cherry picks his rebounds". Sure, he absolutely does... but it also absolutely leads to fast break dominance for the Thunder. What does this have to do with Capela?? I'm not sure. It's unquestionable that Nene comes in and the Rockets do better. But is that due to who he's playing with (Nene typically comes in with Gordon, for example). But the first quarter doldrums seem all about the turnovers (and bad, missed early shots). Meanwhile, Russ in the beginning of games is typically making perfect decisions... which reverses in the 4th quarter.
Ha. He can't remember Ryno's name... so just calls him the white guy. He actually likes Ryno because in the regular season he would hit so so many deep threes. Steph Curry like threes, which even my 7 year old is in love with. But I can tell you after yesterday he absolutely knows Nene's name. Used to call him "the guy with the hair".
Ryno and Ariza have to TAKE and hit their 3s early on. If they receive a pass from Harden and have 1/2 a second of daylight, they need to take it. It was actually quite frustrating to see how many of those looks were passed up in hopes of swinging the ball around for a "better look" that often times ended in a shot clock ending bad shot. Anderson in particular is a great catch and shooter (better than Ariza). There were quite a few shots Ryno left on the table where he could have just put it up within the flow.
I've been thinking this the whole season. Clint is just soft as Charmin and i don't know if you can teach the kind toughness required. Clint still needs to start and play a good amount of minutes to conserve Nene but come off season I feel like we should look at other options at the position.
I really have no idea why Capela was so good in game 1 and has been abysmal since then. I mean in game 1 Capela was a BULL. He played with "FORCE." But since them he has been so hesitant and passive. What happened?
I agree, i remember him bumping other guys in the post to finish strong a couple of times...maybe OKC just picked up their intensity and Capela lost some confidence. He needs to man up, even though it seems like he's just not ready for this level of physicality.
Yeah, it just might be that Adams and Gibson picked up their level and Capela just didn't have a higher gear.
He's been fine defensively the whole series . Since game 1 , OKC has made it a priority to stop the Clint/James PnR to the hole , so his offense has suffered . He's super limited in that regard . Furthermore , he's been rushing in the playoffs . He tries to quickly throw up a shot . He just needs to learn to compose himself and then go up smooth and strong. This is his first real playoff xp .... The last couple of years he may have gotten 5 minutes here and there vs reserves. The game will slow down and he will adjust . He's already fine on D . Especially considering he plays next to anderson
He's a far better player at home than on the road. And he also plays a lot better with that 2nd unit.
Overall he may not have been effective but he had some big time blocks in all 5 games. Some of those dunks he blocked could of ignited OKC to go on a streak. They were demoralizing blocks IMO.
