ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Blazers 5/2/2014 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 6)

If you watch the video slowly, you actually see Lillard walking towards Mo William to get the screen and how DUMB Bev didn't see that and quickly switched back to guard the dashing Lillard. For those of you Bev lovers and LOH, how do you justify bashing Lin to no end for Lin's TO at end of game 4 when Mo William should be called out and Lin didn't see him coming, and yet you are all saying nothing about this utterly stupid mistake by Bev & Parsons. I thought McHale was the culprit of the set up, but looks like it was Bev & Parsons making the bone-headed decision to switch. Man, they actually facilitated to open that lane for Lillard. Losing this critical game hurts all of us. Seeing this dumb move by Bev & Parsons even hurts more. How on earth they don't know Lillard was the guy to do the shot? How on earth the minute he walked towards Mo for the screen that Bev did not see the dash was coming and switch? It was his job to guard Lillard. We lost the similar buzzer beater to LAL by Steve Blake doing the same dash and shot. Haven't we learned anything? Speechless!

 

That's not on bev or pardons or jones. It's on mchale.

We still can't guard basic out of timeout plays. Our positioning was terrible.

In some ways this loss will expedite our team goals and really showed our flaws. Coaching is our first priority.

 

Here is my list of key gripes for things that I think are largely controlled by the Rockets.

Parsons missed too many layup/floater type shots that should have gone in.
Too many Dwight Howard post ups in the 4th quarter.
Still don't understand why they never run Howard/harden picknrolls
Where was Harden in the 4th quarter? Thought he had finally showed up, but pretty much disappeared in the 2nd half, especially 4q.
Too many stupid fouls by Asik. The Lamarcus aldridge jersey grab, and the clothesline when Lin made the 3p especially.

 

this hurts yall :/

 

idk what to do with my life now. what number should i call to help me cope w/ this?

 

Man, it's like someone wrote a script for the blazers...this is insane. To be honest guys, I hope they take it all and win a championship doing the same **** to all the other teams. For some reason that would make me feel much better about this rocket team than if they go to SA or Dallas and get their asses handed to them. First, it would mean Portland only decided to go all miracle shot crazy against the rockets and also that means the rockets also are not nearly as good as the other playoff teams.

 

After Parsons bucket with 0.9 left...They call a time out, advance the ball to midcourt. Howard was initially trying to guard the inbound, before Parsons quickly came over to move him back to the post. This confusion forced Mchale to take a timeout and reinstruct every idiotic player on that floor...dont switch, stay man to man...And right after the timeout, Lillard becomes a legend...

The Rockets indecision triggered the play. There was a complete breakdown of coaches coaching and players reacting. They had two timeout(one by the blazers and one by them to get their assignments and best defensive lineups out there. Infact, its beyond me why they wouldnt switch knowing that a brush screen picking off a guard could yield the exact same situation. Knowing they cant dribble, every player was supposed to close out airspace. Beverley on Mathews did that, and so did Howard who was locked up in the post with LMA.

That leaves Parsons and Harden. They were the only two that didnt know what to do. The moment the ball was in Batum's hand and Lillard realized they had no clue what to do...he took off without even needing a screen to get open... If Parsons was alert, he may have had a chance to close out better(thereby changing the angle of the shot and perhaps forced a miss.)

Finally that brings me to the last oncourt player for the Rockets: TJones. He has had great moments for this team. However, he mightily struggled playing defense(couldnt get rebounds in traffic and couldnt score enough to take pressure off Dwight in the post.) T Jones had zero pressure on the ball, infact it looked so dumb with him standing there...He had his arms out wide...but had zero activity once the ball was inbounded. And as soon he saw the pass going to the wing...his head shouldve alertly seen Lillard approaching the ball...And he couldve closed out faster than Parsons who was trailing the play.

Watching the replays over and over is making me sick...The play was so effortless, and in rhythm. Everything from the smooth pass from Batum to the short jumpstop and lighting quick release from their best 3 point shooter led to this devastating result. James, Dwight, Chandler, Beverley, Terrence, and Mchale let this team down on ONE defensive stop. Game. Set. Match.

 

I know the loss of the series is on McHale. I like him fired too. But this is a dumb last moment move by Bev and Parsons on their own. No other way to look at it. Even Bev should not have been in for Lin. Bev was sick. Why put a sick guy on speedy Lilliard. That was a dumb move by McHale to pull Lin and put Bev in. Lin had done a great job on limiting Lillard in the 4th qtr. Why pull him for Bev? That is McHale's fault. But the switch costs us the game. Bev & Parsons should be the one responsible for their stupid move.

 

the problem is they are guarding against a lillard drive to the basket layup vs a 3 pointer which is a mistake. Yeah, Parsons has him blocked from running to the basket but now he has a clear lane to the passer for an easy look if he beats parsons to it.

You know it's easy to look at film and say they should have done this or that but in a live situation, these guys don't have the full camera angel to see whats around them. Beverly is also shading Mo williams to make sure he can just drive to the basket for a layup.

 

BTW...wanna know how Dallas defended a 3 point attempt with 0.4 seconds left in the game only up by 2...go watch that highight...

Marion guards inbounds a little further away, but everyone else is locked on their man...

 

Dallas has Rick Carlisle. We have Kevin McHale.

 

This is the kind of unfairness about the bashing of Lin for his TO in Game 4 and yet not a word of criticism for Bev & Parsons. There is no comparison between this mistake and Lin's. Lin's TO happened from behind, in total chaotic game situation, and Mo went out of bound uncalled. McHale should have made a time out call if he wanted one. Lin just tried to dribble out of the danger zone as quick as he could. He truly didn't have time to analyse much. But this dumb-headed switch was done after a time out, and everybody was getting set in their position. Lillard was walking towards Mo to get him screening out Bev. Everybody, even the commentators and us knew Lillard the hot hand, the quick release 3-pt guy will be the one dashing for the ball. Yet they switched the last moment and never switch back. That is a much more controllable mistake then Lin's O. Lin was trashed and booed. Bev & Parson, oh well, the coach's mistake. I have yet to see one word of criticism for their mistake on CF. If this is not double standard, what else is?

 

Your posts in this thread before this one all felt like they were less about the play and more about inciting a revenge criticism pile on for what Lin got earlier in the series. This post pretty much confirmed it.

Well you keep worrying about fairness and the rest of us will continue to worry about basketball.

Keep fighting the good fight.

 

How wrong was I...how wrong...

 

You forgot this one:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>My vag can't handle this</p>&mdash; Babykungaroo (@babykungaroo) <a href="https://twitter.com/babykungaroo/statuses/462517484868759552">May 3, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

All I'll say is that I'm glad I was already drunk when my friend and fellow Rockets fan told me that we lost. Damn, this one hurts.

Can it just be the draft now?

 

Insult to injury:

 

Wow...hey...it's not a big deal for our player to be partying with their player after the game. I don't think the players take it as personally as the fans do. It's still just business on the court. You lose...you lose. Life goes on...right after the big game apparently. lol. Props to Lin for being able to consort with the enemy right after he stuck a dagger in the team's heart.

 

Can't blame Lin for going out, season is over. Harden hits dreams & vlive plenty of times after home losses in Houston.

Lin probably was just relieved he wasn't in on that last play, because if he was on lillard CF would've crashed last night with too many post and threads going at him.

 

If Lin was on Lillard for that last play we'd be talking about a game 7 right now.