Game Information, Rockets History vs. Magic http://www.clutchfans.net/nextgame.cfm?NextGameID=3632 Game Chat Starts At 7:00pm http://www.clutchfans.net/chat.cfm Previous Game: Rockets 110, Thunder 105 <LI> Box Score | Game Videos The Rockets2K TV Listings Game is televised locally on Root Sports Southwest. Thanks, Clutch
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Good timing, chef <a href="https://twitter.com/JHarden13">@JHarden13</a> bobblehead 2tomorrow! MT <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchCityChefs">@ClutchCityChefs</a> we R prepping magical menu 2morrow. X, Chefs <a href="https://t.co/pCKnluPRBb">pic.twitter.com/pCKnluPRBb</a></p>— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/dmorey/status/661741709215166464">November 4, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Importance of Being Ty By Rene Cantu @Pete_Chilcutt on Nov 3, 2015, 11:54a + What do the Rockets do when James Harden struggles? When our threes are not falling? Surely, our coaches have a contingency plan for when our system has a wrench thrown in it, right? Well, since 2013, it has looked like that is not the case. The Rocket role players start to play outside of their roles when Harden is cold or our threes are not falling. You see Trevor Ariza dribbling more than he should be as he does his best Lebron impression. We see Corey Brewer driving to the basket like that one bearded lefty on our team, usually throwing up a brick or turning the ball over. We see Patrick Beverley do his damndest to drive and kick, only to get cut off in the paint. We see Terrance Jones post up like he's Z-Bo, usually getting blocked or missing the rim completely. When Harden struggles, other guys step outside their comfort zone, or live out their dreams of being Kobe or Lebron. This was most evident in our second half collapse versus the Heat. Harden forwent what he was actually doing effectively in the first half (getting others involved via his elite passing and sucking in the D better than Khloe does.....couldn't help it. Sue me.) in favor of summoning his inner Ray Allen. You know, if Ray Allen was Tony Allen. Harden couldn't buy a three if he used every penny from his Adidas contract. But that didn't stop him from bombing away. Thing is, all those jacked up threes could have been drives to the rim for kick outs or free throws or lay ups. Something positive. Something to move us forward, not backwards. Harden had 7 assists at the half. He finished the game with 7 assists. Now, I've never been accused of being a genius, as you can tell by my lax use of the English language, but that tells me that he was creating offense without scoring in the first half, and then decided, "What the hell. I think I'll try to get mine in the second half." Harden went 0/10 from three point land. Brick after brick. He had built a house in the middle of American Airlines Arena. As a result of his struggles, Rocket role players began to play outside of their roles, which only supplemented the Rocket collapse. Ty Lawson, the man brought in as the answer to the "What do the Rockets do when Harden struggles?" question, was MIA. He was passive and the team largely ignored him. He was relegated to the Derek Fisher or Mario Chalmers role on their respective teams. Okay, we beat OKC. Definitely cause for celebration and a sigh of relief. But does James Harden have to put up 30 plus points for us to win? What will happen in the playoffs when teams concentrate on stopping him? How many "Josh Smith goes Super Saiyan Reggie Miller on the Clippers" spells do we have left to cast? Beacon of hope: Ty Lawson finds his groove. He finally recognized it last night against the Thunder, dishing out 11 dimes and giving OKC one more headache to worry about. But what if Harden had a typical Harden game of 27 points and 7 assists? Would we have lost to the Thunder? Not on Ty Lawson's watch. An aggressive Ty Lawson was born last night. And an aggressive Ty Lawson will not allow us to roll over when Harden has a bad game, or when the Rockets need a Herculean effort from him to overcome an elite team. Lawson being Lawson will prevent Ariza from trying to be Lebron, Brewer from trying to be Kobe. and Terrance Jones from trying to be...uh...Terrance Jones. After all, wouldn't you rather see Ty Lawson create than Ariza, Jones, and Brewer? Of course. Once those guys settle into their roles without trying to play outside their abilities, Ty Lawson can do what he does best and incorporate them by accentuating their strengths. Hitting Ariza for open threes. Hitting Brewer off a quick cut, which Brewer does better than anyone else. Getting the ball to Dwight when he actually has deep positioning in the paint. Interior passing to Jones who thrives on short hooks around the bucket. Dropping passes to Capela or Harrell, who are experts at finishing strong around the basket. Everyone else must, to quote The Rock, KNOW YOUR ROLE, AND SHUT YOUR MOUTH. Trust in Ty Lawson, and he'll get you involved. It's up to Ty to remain aggressive, though. And after last night, the shark has tasted blood. I don't think we'll be seeing much passivity from Lawson again any time soon. Wheel of Morality turn, turn, turn. Tell us the lesson that we should learn: When Harden is struggling, don't take it upon yourself to take over a game by playing outside your abilities, you'll only hurt the team more. Instead, trust in Ty.
That's not a scrub team coming here at all. Their first 4 games have been againsts playoff teams. 3 of those are close losses and that includes the thriller against OKC. Payton is a smooth floor general. Oladipo has outplayed Harden once before in a game. Vucecic is far from a joke. I would not be surprised to see this Magic team 6-8th seed in the East. I don't think they have the depth but they have a young core that could get there.
The Magic are no slouch. You can best believe they will give us a run for our money. I think that win against the Thunder did a lot for our confidence.
That's a damn good write-up. An agressive Lawson can take this team to a whole new level. He's the best PG the Rockets have had since Lowry and he just needs to play his game and not worry about "Stepping on other players toes" as he said post-game. He needs to be the floor general and circulate the offense especially when Harden sits or is off his game.
Ty Lawson got 6 assists while Harden rested against the Thunder. That is the hugest stat of the night. Harden rested for 9 1/2 minutes. 6 assists in less than 10 minutes. No Harden on the floor. Well distributed assists too. Howard, Beverley, Brewer, etc. Beverley as our starting PG playing 30 mpg last year, got 3ish assist per game. (Again not a knock on Bev. Wolverine is my dude) People seriously need to take note. Once we get all the silly toe stepping crap out of the way, this team is going to be a non-stop freight train of offense. Seriously. 6 of Ty's 11 assists last night with Harden resting.
