ClutchFans Game Thread: Blazers @ Rockets 2/8/2015

You don't see other teams who are serious about contending, go through lolls that this team goes through. As frequently as this team goes through.

All the while McHale sits there with his stupid clueless look on his face.

It's like he's gobsmacked that this is happening to his team, and he's forgotten about the 149 other teams it's happened recently.

 

I just wanted to make it 3 auzzie posters in a row

 

Actually you do, that is why there are 5 teams below us still in the playoff picture.

However, McHale could be more proactive, my issue with him is his lack of plan B.

DD

 

plan B is play harder

 

This game shows that physicality and hard fouls (mainly on Harden) and you have a recipe to beat the rockets. The question is how can we adjust the personnel before the trade deadline so that we can combat the physicality of playoff teams.

 

I'm not concerned about this loss. Anytime two of the top teams from the western conference play, it can go either way. The Rockets shot well from three point range, but did not shoot well overall. So many missed layups. DMo missed all those free throws.

The Rockets are going to struggle against some teams until we can get a rim protector in the paint.

 

Dmo 1-7 in freethrows.

And why in the hell is Beverly out there closing the game?!

 

I don't doubt that a ton of good things that he does do not show up on the stats sheets, but how long does Beverley get a pass from anyone just because he's somebody that gives a ton effort out there?

Because at this stage, consistent results are going to have to start showing.

 

you are drinking the kool aid like everyone else around here. When the team is down 4 or whatever it was and there was 4 min left, the team should try and work a good shot? What happened? Beverley ran around (like Lin last year) and wasted all 24 seconds. How does that happen?

(a) either coaching is inept
(b) Beverley was mad about not getting the ball earlier in the quarter so he tried to make something happen
(c) players are unaware of what should be happening

 

After a disastrous second quarter and a lot of missed free throws the Rockets rebounded in the third quarter and the game came down to who is the better team in the 4th. Portland is the best 4th quarter team in the league. The Rockets can learn from them. They started off running a lot of pick and rolls for Lillard who drove to basket after getting separation from his defender and created havoc, either by getting to the rim of kicking the ball out and the Blazers moving the ball finding the open shooter. Then to close out the game they went Aldridge in the posts which either led to him getting to the rim, or if there was a double team finding someone cutting to the basket or an open shooter. On the other hand the Rockets spent most of the fourth quarter with guys standing on the perimeter waiting to jack up threes. The Rockets needed to run more pick and rolls with Harden or posts DMo and have guys cutting to the basket if DMo is doubled or has trouble getting to the rim. Just like strong teams you need to use your go to plays down the stretch of a close game. It is not that the Rockets did not play harder they did not play smarter.

 

That Beverley play you are referring to in fourth quarter where he was dribbling and dribbling, no one was moving off the ball and he forced up a wild shot to beat the shot clock shows that Rockets forgot their go to plays and was the epitome of an 18 point fourth quarter.

 

Joey Dorsey is not a player of the NBA.
Bev = bench.

We need to return to play with 5 players.

______________________
Rockets Brazil

 

it was a play call from the beginning. but obviously he doesn't have the ability to run an offense correctly. hes horrible at running off picks and doesn't have the vision to make passes.

 

I can guarantee you that Harden will not get 25 free throw attempts in a playoff game.

 

THIS: when it's a close game you don't have to rely on threes. Brewer missed so many of them. It gave portland and easy possession back. When the 3s are not falling all of a sudden, why not try to get some easier looks at the basket.

 

I'm so sick of this...it's happens once or twice a game and always during a pivotal moment.

 

That drove me wild man.

How the team could not give the ball to either Smith, Dmo, or Harden...OR ANYONE ELSE that was just nuts.

Don't know what could have happen if Beverly does the right thing. Harden could have hit a step back 3 and the Blazers could have went into 'not again' mode.

It was a inexcusable mistake, and even if the coaching is inept the player has to be smarter and realize that this isn't his time to shine. Neither is it his moment, if he's getting the ball and he's open for three then sure take it...but what he did there was greedy, selfish, and dumb.

 

Is there a stat for how many missed point blank layups we average per game?

 

I couldn't watch the game but I feel that this sort of goes in hand with the Rockets' turnover issues. Basically, they're not a very smart team and they make the kind of dumb mistakes that young teams are supposed to stop making on the way to becoming contenders. I sometimes feel that all a competent team needs to do against the Rockets is to calmly play their game, keep things close, and then wait for the Rockets to self-destruct, because you know they're always going to have at least one or two stretches where they senselessly throw it away three or four positions in a row and you can murder them on that.

 

I'm not drinking anything. However I do watch other teamus play games, in addition to the Rockets. Lastnight the Clippers lost, the Spurs lost, and Atlanta lost. All good teams with highly respected coaches. Everytime a team loses, it's because of some reason. Fans always point out mistakes they think the coaches made, fans always complain about the players. It's the same thing on every fan forum. It doesn't matter what team it is, it doesn't matter who the coach is, the fans always think they know something the coaches and the players don't.

Much of the time the team that wins is the team that shoots better, and get the lucky bounces. Lastnight the Blazers shot 53% and the Rockets shot 38%. The Rockets had a lot of open shots, and they missed a lot of layups. The Rockets are 35-16, so the coaches and players are getting right a lot more often than they are getting it wrong.

The Rockets have the handicap of playing games without a true center, but that doesn't seem to matter to the fans that think we should win every game. It's just too easy to always blame the coach for every loss. No coach in the history of the NBA gets it right all the time. Two good teams played, and one team had to lose.