ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Pistons 11/23/2018

I am glad I watched until the end of the fourth quarter, it was exciting. But I left before overtime because I had a feeling the refs would screw over the Rockets since they were the entire night.

After Blake Griffin hit that three pointer, and those threes he made last game....You just knew the top dogs gave word to make sure the Pistons won in overtime. Detroit fans need something to be excited about.

 

On top of blake and andre beating up everyone on the boards and the post.

It was a long game. Normally games end in under 2 hours and 20 min, but this game went slightly over 2 hours and 30 minutes without overtime.

 

I remember in the first half the ball went out on drummond, the refs said it was off capela. It was clearly off drummond upon first look and blatant with dvr.

Capela was upset, so was cp3. You know when capela is upset something is wrong, he doesnt fabricate things like other players. Cp3 then went to andre drummond and asked him if it was off him and drummond said yes whiel half smiling about it. Then chris shrieked and was more upset at the refs for missing it but played on.

 

band-wagoners always pops up like ads every time the rockets looses a game

 

The refs where terrible. We didn't play well but if the game is called even remotely fair we win tonight by 15 even after playing a bad game. It happens in the N.B.A with so many terrible refs. Sometime we get all the calls. I guess it was just Detroits turn.

 

That was a bad one.

 

Rockets still have a solid chance to win the next 5. They can aim for 14-8 after 22 games. Considering a 1-5 start, that would be 13-3 since the start.

 

Yea, it's been pretty crazy, like I mentioned, he's losing the Rockets about 4 ppg compared to his average performance last season.

 

Just wanted to say I am blessed to be able to watch the Rockets on Root Sports. But I find it odd that they haven't edited out video of Carmelo yet.
Yes I know he is still technically on the team but it just feels strange knowing that he is all but gone.

 

True and we used that excuse before Paul was acquired.

Harden should consider the other point guard if he's winded.

 

We still do not know exactly how good the record will be.

At the beginning of the season, fans estimated 58-60 wins. Or even 60+ wins.

Then the losing streak happened, and it was suddenly only - barely making the playoffs will be fine 45-50 wins.

Now it is likely back to 53-56 wins.

 

That 3 by griffin was big. I remember thinking in that split second while the ball was in the air, even if that goes in, that was a pretty good defense. I don't think the loss is too disheartening, just a blip in the overall upward trend after the slow start

 

Did precisely the same.

 

Type of game we won last season

 

1) you weren’t a rockets fan last season

2) you only comment when we lose.

How exactly would you know what kind of games we won last season?

 

What are you talking about kid? I was in junior high skipping classes&losing sleep to watch Juwan Howard and Bob Sura at night, dont talk to me like that i earned my rights

 

Maybe I didn’t express myself well in the post. I was only talking about when we can aggregate players for a trade. We might be treading water for a few weeks.

 

Totally. Almost makes you think something is in the works for him to stay and be the good soldier.

Nene would’ve been big for us. Having Drummond and Griffin beating you up 2 games in a row... ouch. Split is fine, especially th3 way we got officiated. And griffin looking like the best 3 point shooter on the floor, geez.

Gordon, Green have to find the range. Plain and simple. There’s about 10 ppg we are missing.

Biggest need on this team is either 4th guard or nene getting healthy. Steven Adams and Drummond have been too much for us.

 

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sp...eaways-from-the-Rockets-overtime-13417851.php

1. It would be understandable if the Rockets blame their defense in overtime. The Pistons took five shots and they made them all. They put up 18 points in the five overtime minutes, scoring at a pace that would be worth 180 points over 100 possessions.

That might not, however, provide the lesson that needs to be learned.

The Pistons got on a run and in the short window of an overtime, a few late buckets made it a five-minute romp.

It was particularly striking, however, because the Rockets had turned the game around with defense.

The Pistons had managed just 37 second-half points on 34.3 percent shooting. In the first half, however, they made 47.9 percent, scoring 61 points and leading by as much as 10.

This has become something of a pattern with the Rockets. Their defensive rating in the second half is the second-best in the NBA and that's with their poor start defensively.

Since the 1-5 start, the Rockets have allowed a league-best 96.9 points per 100 possessions in the second half of games. They have given up just 45.4 points on 38.5 percent shooting in the second half in that stretch, both league bests, showing that when they get a chance to focus on issues and put their minds to it, the defense can excel.

In the first half, however, they have been middle of the pack, even in their 11-game turnaround, allowing 55.5 points on 51.5 percent shooting.

With that, in the past 11 games they have given up the fewest points in the second half of games and the 18th most on the worst opponent field-goal percentage in the first half. They have had the top-ranked defense in the second half and the 15th-ranked defense (on points allowed per possession) in the first half.

That also points out what needs to change.

The Rockets have routinely come back from halftime deficits to win, taking five of their past seven wins after trailing heading into the second half and nearly taking another on Friday. But they should not have to do that every night. The defense they play in the first half of games should at least be similar to what they have done in the second half.

It might be admirable to be able to make adjustments and improvements at halftime, but it should not be so regularly necessary. On Friday, after the Rockets allowed 61 points, they played well enough in the second half to win. But with all it took to undo the damage, they had little margin for error with the game on the line. They lost in overtime, but hurt themselves much earlier.

2. The Rockets will in no way feel better when the last two-minute report comes out Saturday.

[...]

3. When the Rockets ended the Carmelo Anthony experiment, choosing Gary Clark's defense in the rotation ahead of Anthony's potential offensive contributions, they knew there could be nights when the bench does not bring enough firepower. They need more, however, than they are getting.

Eric Gordon's season-long shooting slump defies explanation. With a 1-of-6 night from the 3-point line Friday, he is making 26.7 percent of his 3s. Gerald Green had a strong night last Saturday, scoring 17 points against the Kings, and he made a pair of 3s on Wednesday. But he took just two shots, missing both, on Friday and is shooting just 29.3 percent on 3s.

Other than Green and Gordon, the Rockets' bench consists of rookies Isaiah Hartenstein and Clark, neither of whom is expected to bring much scoring.

The Rockets bench averages just 27.4 points per game, the fewest in the league, with the worst shooting percentage (37.7 percent) and worst 3-point percentage (26.8 percent).

The Rockets don't need a great deal of scoring off the bench. In some ways, those numbers are misleading with Paul basically the Rockets' backup point guard. But they need more than they are getting, especially with two starters (P.J. Tucker and James Ennis III) defense-first players.

Gordon's importance to the Rockets offense had been clear the past two seasons when he was the Sixth Man of the Year one season and runner-up the next. His shot is as obviously necessary since it's been gone.​

 

Enter Brandon Knight. The sooner the better