ClutchFans Game Thread: Blazers @ Rockets 4/30/2014 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 5)

I have to disagree, saleem. I think Harden is going to bust out of this perplexing slump of his and lead us to victory in game 6, bringing home court back to the Rockets with a game 7 in the Toy Box. That's what I'm feeling. And a game 7 in Houston is all I ask for. Should Portland beat us then, I'll tip my hat to them and wish them well.

 

why doesnt harden look more emotional and invested, its the freaking playoffs, you only get a handful of games, nothing is guaranteed

 

Just play Harden in the 4th quarter.

 

Daryl Morey ‏@dmorey 8m
Our paint dominance was due 2carry us 2victory. Portland will B very tough 2beat on road,we will need 2play better than any game so far 2win

 

Watch Wesley Matthew's reaction during Lin's last second shot at 43 seconds of the 2nd quarter.

 

Can any of you guys tell me where I can go to watch tonight's game??? I had to miss it...

 

Harden's due for a big one, right?

 

The answer to this question is yes. Just like it has been after every other game in the series.

 

Some positives to look forward to for game 6:

1. Harden is due for a break out game. Even his best game so far this series (13-35 shooting) is well below his standard.
2. Lin's confidence is at an all-time series high. Lin plays his best when confident.
3. Parsons slowly is getting back into form.
4. Bev should be healthier by Friday (although he still can't stop Lillard).
5. Daniels is bound to get more open looks than he did tonight (and that means swishes)
6. TJones is playing better than he did in the first few games and Asik looks great out there if only he can make a layup

 

Went to the game tonight, great seats, great game.

Comments on tonight

The free clutch city shirts are awesome, i love it.

Howard, Lin and Asik all had great games. Parsons and Harden also had nice games but both were pretty inefficient

Crowd boo'd Mo Williams every time he checked in or touched the ball lol.

Sat right across from Mario Elie, and Chamilionare was a couple rows down from down from me as well. Rockin his metro 44 acres homes shirt.

Lin played well! He had a couple of bad plays, but really scored nicely, and got some nice steals and assist.

Our defense still scares me, don't get me wrong, we shut Aldridge DOWN, but still let Matthews score wayy to many 3's and Lopez scored a little too much.

Seems like a couple of foul calls didn't go the Blazers way IMO, Aldridge would of usually gotten some more calls down the stretch, but not tonight.

Great game, hope we can win this series, go rockets!

 

Wes Matthews has owned Beard this season, Dwight and Omer need to set more picks for him to get him better looks.

 

mannnn i hope so. again, if we wanna have a shot at winning this series. that man's got the keys to drive us.

 

Harden lit him up in the regular season.

Harden for 40 plus and stealing game 6! He is do Lamarcus Aldridge type nights.

 

I think it's time to give up on Harden having a break out game after 5 tries. They can win without him starting.

 

LOL. I would love more than anything for these guys' cockiness to come back and bite them in the ass. Even the writer of this article is totally counting the Rockets out at this point. Could work in our favor if they're really sleeping on us this much.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Will Rockets come back from 3-1 again? An anonymous <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Blazers&amp;src=hash">#Blazers</a> asks “Is Hakeem Olajuwon coming out of that tunnel?” <a href="http://t.co/WLIbMJTXVV">http://t.co/WLIbMJTXVV</a></p>&mdash; Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/statuses/461752938981900289">May 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

While the Trailblazers have effectively neutralized Harden and have forced us to rely on other options, I believe that Lin's emergence as a spark will cause Portland to overplay him. They know that he's a legitimate threat and will work hard to throw Lin off his rhythm. I'm hoping that Harden will capitalize on this. He knows that he hasn't played well, but the last few plays in the 4th quarter shows that he's still capable, he just needs to adjust.

 

Let's not get ahead of ourselves there....

He'll bounce back

 

yep, I noticed this... Asik is his boy. Asik sets the crazy screens, Lin sets him up with the easy, easy cheappies...and some how Asik is only 50% on those.

 

Good game, glad they finally got a win on their home floor.

Friday will probably be a loss but I am eagerly awaiting what Morey will do in the offseason.

Hoping for a miracle.

 

End of 3rd quarter, Mo Williams was on Kamakaze attack on Lin and nearly injured. Blazers definitely see Lin as a threat and will react if he starts rolling. This could open doors for others, namely Parsons whom they are content to play one on one with Batum.