ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Pacers 12/20/2013

Did you watch the preseason games? In particular the Taiwan game. The Pacers game in Taiwan was different. I watched the game on a Pacers' feed, and even the Pacers announcers mentioned how hard fought the game was. Not saying it was the same as a regular season game, but Rockets can definitely do better than they did tonight against the Pacers ....

 

Part of why Harden had low assists is that our other players were defended well.

How many Wide Open looks did you see for the other players? Indiana is one of the best perimeter defending teams in the NBA. What does that tell you? it means that they have speed, length, and more importantly it means that they ROTATE their defenders very effectively.

It's about more than just dishing to an open shooter. You don't break down a defense like Indiana off ONE pass. You need serious ball movement to break down Indiana. You need to make the 2nd and 3rd pass and get them out of position to beat a defense like Indiana.

As for Lin, even if he's in the corner he's going to get a 2nd pass from Parsons or someone else on the perimeter. And when he gets that pass he's either going to pass it to someone else or drive and shoot, or drive and pass. Or simply shoot from the 3 if he gets an open look.

Players don't just stand around when there's multiple play makers on the floor. You see repeated drives and passes, 1st, 2nd and 3rd passes. And that isn't completely on Harden or the Coaches, part of it is on players who are smart passes and can create defensive distortions.

The ball movement didn't just die with Harden. It died multiple times around the perimeter because the only person who was creating looks or driving effectively was Parsons.

Feel free to rewind and watch more closely. You'll see what I mean.

 

Pacers were sending a message

 

A good ole fashioned Texan's-like prime time beat down. Got to love it. I think our bunch has a way to go. Maybe Linn is the Pacer's silver bullet.

 

Totally agree.

 

Rockets can't beat the Pacers since PG locks up Harden every single time

 

Let's see who misses more games at the end of the season to be dictating that Lin is more prone to injury and with greater duration. Lin missed zero games during the regular season....I'm just putting things into perspective.

 

Harden should not be our point guard. He should play shooting guard. Let Lin start and play point guard.

I dunno why everyone so averse to this. The last and only stretch of time he actually played point guard was back in NY.

This sort of reminds me of the Knicks in 2012. Everyone saying how we have no pg - when there is one.

Or free Bev and let him try to manage the offense.

 

casspi. Garcia and brooks had a combined awful shooting night. wAs it pacers D or they just didn't have it?

 

Oh well on to the next game tomorrow night. At least the Pistons will also be playing on B2B night.

 

The game was lost by the starters . Other than TJ, everyone of them played major minutes and were all double digit -

 

If the Rockets and Pacers players keep performing at the level that they did tonight, no one player is going to get the Rockets over Indy. There is no player in the NBA who consistently makes his team 30+ points per game better.

In fact, if the team is 30 points worse than Indy overall, we might as well tank the season.

Luckily, the Rockets are not 30 points worse than Indy. Tonight is just a very bad night that happens at times in the course of an NBA season. Hell, even when teams keep on playing each other in the playoffs, it is not uncommon to see a team get blown out one game and come back to win the next.

 

Mostly Pacers Defense making them uncomfortable. Hardly any open looks at all. Ball needs to move a LOT more and you need more attacking in the paint to get them space to shoot.

More off the ball cutting and staggered screens would help too.

 

Pacers D but they haven't had IT in awhile too though

 

He's played the same amount of games as James Harden in a Rockets uniform. I guess we have 2 injury prone guards...


We seriously could've benefitted from Lin and Asik tonight. Asik needs to just man up and play, he'd be a huge help to our bench.

Howard seemed like our only scoring option all night and the team looked significantly worse when he was out.

James needed to chill out with the shooting when he's off.

 

Didn't Lin say something like no matter how many times he does well, it's never enough?

 

A very good offensive PG was not playing today.

 

Lebron would.

 

On national TV, a marquee game of the season against a championship contender, and the ROckets lay an egg. It was flat out embarrassing. I hope the Rockets regroup and get angry and really introspectively look at each of themselves in the mirror and question how good they truly are. Because the Pacers sent the ROckets to the wood-shed tonight

 

maybe Kobe in his prime