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

What? Please, that's ridiculous. Harden and Howard are the only 2 players that have that much impact on our team.

If either of them are out then we'll most likely lose. But as long as those 2 play, any other combination of players with them can beat the Trailblazers in a series.

 

McHale did one of these as soon as the game ended because he knows he's going to be out of a job, even if he escapes the first round.

 

I noticed that the Rockets do this with anyone handling the ball. Harden and Lin have had the ball the most often but no screen or pick and when they drive, the rest of the players are sitting with their defenders in their laps not moving. Isn't new but gives no options to the penetrator.

 

No Kelvin Sampson is a bigger factor than I think anyone thought.

 

That's exactly what Webber said

 

This. Ever since Sampson left our defense has been atrocious.

 

The injury was Aldridge setting a screen and Bev trying to beat it. Pretty fluke injury if you ask me.

 

-The series is FAR from over. Per ESPN, historically, teams losing game 1 at home has gone on to win a 7 game series 44% of the time. It's not ideal, but 44% is still a good probability.

Tonight was essentially a coin flip game. It certainly does not suggest that Portland is clearly the better team. One more made or miss FTs, one referee call going in Houston's favor and it's a different outcome.

- Both teams went small a ton tonight. A part of it is foul trouble, but my guess is that we'll see more small ball all series. When either team goes small and the other one says big, it seems that the small team has had the advantage most of the time.

-I am expecting a bounce-back game from Harden in game 2. He just doesn't seem to have his usual juice today except for a few flashes.

 

yep that the key

 

While I do think the refs dictated the outcome of this game, the inability of this team to execute in crunch time ultimately did us in. So often this season we saw this ROCKETS team give up easy baskets on defense, but nail tough shots at the end of the game which is exactly what happened tonight except we didn't nail the tough shot at the end.

 

That's what frightens me. The psychological aspect of it(I'm praying that a Bev injury isn't piled on top of everything else). How tough are these guys when backed into a corner? I'm not saying they can't recover from this. All it takes is one win in Portland, but this was a very demoralizing loss.

 

6 point lead in OT.. cant get stops man.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>We don't normally endorse theft, but stealing 1 from the <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets">@HoustonRockets</a> is just fine with us <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers">@trailblazers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RipCity&amp;src=hash">#RipCity</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23PORvsHOU&amp;src=hash">#PORvsHOU</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NBAPlayoffs&amp;src=hash">#NBAPlayoffs</a></p>&mdash; Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/PortlandPolice/statuses/458110764125925376">April 21, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

LIN wasn't in the last possession to try for a rebound. Portland didn't hit the and 1 on the 3.

 

WHERE WAS ASIK IN THE 4th? Omg **** you Mchale. You barely played him in the third okay foul trouble but he was rebounding for us and playing well defensively. Jones was a beast in the first because you actually rested him for asik. Stop running our players until they cant do anything in the 4th.

If mchale trusted his bench more we win in ot. We should never have players, even harden, scared of defending their man because they dont want to pick up their second foul in the second quarter.

 

switching at the end on defense really killed us. stupid swtich called by either jones or parsons

 

I'm so disappointed by the last 2 ISO possessions by Harden. A contested 3 with 10 seconds on the clock on the 2nd to last possession then a bad contested fade away 2. Can anyone explain this to me?!?!?!!?! Why I ask WHY!!!!

 

I see what you're doing there.

 

Totally, I blame Lin for not making 100% of his shots and shot 20 3's so we can have linsanity sequel.

 

If you mean everyone as in Harden, than I agree