ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Nuggets 1/30/2013

Excellent let us see if it works.

 

It depends on when they got their growth spurt and whether they ever played the PG position in high school at all.

For example, Chandler Parsons played PG before he became a forward.

As for coaches and PG/Guard positions, I did a break down once... you would be shocked at the discrepancy. The number of Coaches that formerly played Guard or PG far outnumber the number of players that played Big Man positions.

Seriously, look up 10 or 20 of your favorite coaches and try to figure out their positions while they played ball. Good chance they were a PG or Guard during their playing days.

On an aside, I personally believe that the position you play often influences how you approach the game.

When you're a small guy, you know you're giving up length, strength and mass, so you tend to look at the game more strategically. You can't over power or bully on the court, so you learn to play smart and crafty.

Big guys tend to look at it differently. Grit, toughness, and fight are often enough to get by.

I wouldn't be shocked if it was like the difference between being a Quarterback and an Offensive lineman. There is no shortage of great coaches who played Quarterback. Try to find a bunch of great head coaches who were former offensive linemen... it's pretty darn hard.

 

i blinked my eyes and we had fallen behind by 8. i saw mental mistake after mental mistake unfold over the period of one minute, drop us back, while Denver stayed hot. It was like watching a slow motion car crash. You just knew how it was gonna end and you were powerless to stop it. 3&3/4's quarters of competitive basketball squandered by mental mistakes in the last few minutes. We're just not there yet.

 

That's one of the differences between a good coach and a coach that's treading water. A good coach doesn't go, meh, I can keep a suck lineup out there in so long as the opposing team is missing easy shots. A good coach doesn't say, meh, it's manageable so I can f*** around with my fetish lineups to show my brilliance. A good coach says f*** this shat, keeps the pressure on, and tries to bash the opposing team's skulls in, so when Gallinari goes on a tear making an unlikely string of tough shots, DEN would still be down by 15.

Actually, it may be too high a praise to say the McHale is even treading water at this point.

 

The main problem was they took Asik out when he was a HUGE factor in getting to the Nugget's game. I don't care if he's tired or running short. Play him in short durations but keep him in. Just his presence alone would have made Nuggets think twice before driving in.

The secondary problem was staying with the line up without Harden or Lin on the floor to facilitate. As we all saw, after a tiny burst of energy, the whole team collapsed from not knowing wtf they are supposed to do to get a shot in.

The third problem was EVEN when Nuggets were on a huge run clamoring down, the coaches still refuses to call a timeout to put Lin back it to change the pace. Where as if it was the other way around and Lin was in the rotation for the collapse, he would have been benched instantly right at the beginning of the momentum shift. (Which is arguably a good call)

The coaches are not stupid, and I still choose to believe this. The only reason I can think off is some people are being showcased for trades.

 

Anyone listening to Rocketscast?

Ready for HOU's media mouthpiece to spout more excuses?

 

Both teams had their hot streaks, cold streaks, and strings of mistakes. The difference is when DEN had theirs, McHale is like, well, as long as they are cold, let's f*** around with some stagnant shat for a quarter to match their cold streak and string of mistakes 'cause it's still manageable, and if we let it get close, then I put my foot on the gas, Karl didn't.

Karl knows you can't let up, because you never know when your opponent is going to get on a hot streak or when calls just don't go your way or shots just don't fall for you. You have to have your foot on the gas the whole game if you want to win consistently. You need that point differential cushion for when things don't go your way.

It's not just this game either, McHale does it consistently.

 

I will give it a listen. Haven't listened for a while.

 

Jason Friedman is one cool dude. He takes his time and tweets lofs back and forth all day even the rude ones.

 

Momentum had shifted a lot by then though. Their confidence was souring. We allowed a team that was on the back of their heals to turn it around.

I bet Phil Jackson would have never allowed this. he would have put guys back in to try to break the slide. It's not just about the score, it's about the psychology and the crowd.

 

Totally. I don't know how he does it. Must drive him crazy. I do give him credit for having so much patience - though it's part of his job to do so since he is HOU's media mouthpiece - part of what he was hired to do. Still - would drive a normal person crazy.

That said, since he's part of the organization - he's barred from saying much of anything that is critical of it - all I was saying.

 

I don't think Clutch even said that Lin should not have been put in earlier, or that he agreed with the way McHale was handling the game.

His only point was to dispel the myth that McHale waited until it was "too late" and the Rockets were down by "8 points" or whatever.

Lin fans do get annoying, because they aren't fans of Lin's game, they are fans of him as some sort of idol to be worshipped who can do no wrong and react with zeal whenever he is criticized. The fact that Clutch now can't even express his opinion is ridiculous. This whole BBS started with Clutch stating his opinions and people discussing it with him while most of the current posters on here were still crying for their mommy when they fell of their bike.

I like Lin a lot. I think he played awesome today. Because he didn't pick up his dribble (which I hate), was very aggressive, and passed the ball for the most part before he got into trouble. His court vision was great today.

Why McHale didn't play him for a long stretch in the 3rd? I don't know. Maybe he wanted to give Douglas a chance. I thought Douglas started struggling and McHale should have brought Lin back in. But heck, the problems were far deeper than the pg position in our collapse.

You had Harden playing awful, Parsons making really bad decisions, and no one being able to hit a jumper. And you had the defense really suffering.

So that's why when you put Lin & Harden back in with us down 2 we kept on collapsing.

 

Yeah but I just don't see it as "excuses". Dude makes a lot of sense O_O

 

This is so true. I like Greg Smith, but I was dumbfounded as to why McHale had him playing. McHale's personel decisions def. helped scuttle the game for us. And i'm not even with the "Fire McFail" crowd ...yet.

 

Seriously, people, does it have to take a LOF to recognize what's so special about this player, Jeremy Lin?

Last night's game is a perfect illustration. After Nuggets shot those deadly threes early in the 4th and changed the momentum, every Rockets players were like panicked and went their stupid ISO mode, trying to forcing everything. After Lin came in and was allowed to take over, what he did: he drew a charge to stop consecutive scoring, played a few middle range jumpers to get the offense going, and then passed the ball to Delfino for 3s (who hadn't had a chance to shoot for how long?) and Asik for easy dunks (which he unfortunately and characteristically missed).

This guy is a game changer, a killer in the 4th, a general of a team. How many Rockets players, or even NBA players, have such composure in a difficult situation like last night? That's what's so special about this guy, Jeremy Lin.

And what did the coaches do? Bench him in critical times, call him out whenever he made a mistake, and say stuff like "he will be fine" when he played hard and well. Come on, give me a break. What can do more damage to a player's confidence when strong will is actually his best strength?

 

Very much agree! What I want to see from McHale is:

1. Hold Harden and Parsons accountable for their mistakes;

2. Stop the "everyone is born equally a PG" thing! No, it's simply false. Let your best ballhandler and playermaker do his work.

3. Have a few more half court sets.

 

i went back to watch the game, especially late 3rd qt and early 4th qt (btw, i have the league pass). during that period, our defense was mess (no need to describe it) and offense was no better either. the whole offense looked like a bunch of headless chicken running around. you can't see any meaningful play. the mess led to individual ISOs eventually coz time was running out or rush to throw the ball into air and prayed for miracle. no one, including harden, came out to get teammates together and de-panicked themselves. it just looked like a pick-up game in your backyard.

 

His will to win is definitely admirable, and I see that in other players like CP and Harden. His drive to win really stood out to me in games like this one, the loss against Dallas, and the 2 losses against San Antonio; however, with that being said, I have to wonder if he is scoring that much due to a weakened 4th quarter defense that has already mentally accepted a win, and, thus, is susceptible to lackadaisical defense. But still, I cannot deny that the guy can be a great scorer when he needs to; just wish he can turn it on earlier in the game, like in the 3rd.

 

A bit ot but do you know how to switch announcers?

 

You must have missed the game. Harden only took 13 shots, and Parsons chocked and missed wide open 3s.

QFT

What are you talking about? What does being Asian have to do with anything?