ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Warriors 5/19/2015 (Western Conference Finals, Game 1)

How about all those step-back shots he missed when JJ was guarding him.

 

Which leads to my question, is it me or has Harden been the sole focus of defenses more so than ANY other Superstar in the play offs?

I've watched other series as well, admittedly not as closely as the Rockets.

It just seems Harden has gotten more attention from defensive game plans than any other superstar.

Correct me if I'm wrong here.

 

and you send what happened in the end

 

Lets go RedNATION

Haven't played them in 4 months. Media can't get enough of GS

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Warriors center Andrew Bogut says he's got a case of hay fever but insists he'll be fine in Game 1 &quot;as long as there's no pollen in Oracle&quot;</p>&mdash; Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/600384308096860161">May 18, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">For those wondering, point guard Pat Beverley is NOT coming back this series. McHale confirmed that at practice today.</p>&mdash; Jenny Dial Creech (@jennydialcreech) <a href="https://twitter.com/jennydialcreech/status/600385633371103232">May 18, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Harden gets those shots regardless of who is guarding him 1v1. Because he missed step back jumpers that means Reddick shut him down?

 

It'll depend on how much pressure Dwight can put on Warriors' flopping interior. With DH12 as the decoy, TJ might be able to do some real damage.

Containing Curry is no easy feat, and it can't be achieved by any player alone. It has to be a disciplined team effort, and Rockets really need to make Curry play defense.

I see a wire to wire series, hopefully with Rockets edging out.

Go Rockets! Steal game one with great carrying-over momentum.

 

Give Curry his points. Stop everybody else. Show the world we mean business!

Let's get the W!

 

Golden State is way over-hyped and overrated imo, they basically played neck and neck with the Pelicans with the exception of game 4, and they struggled mightily against the Grizzlies when Tony Allen and Mike Conley were both on the court. They are not invincible, as a matter of fact, I kinda think they are an easier match up for us than the Clippers because they have no inside presence who can take advantage of our weak 4 spot.

 

yeah...but. I mean Harden has been defended by opposing teams top defenders all year and it hasn't stopped him from scoring 2 50+ point games and 30 (or whatever) + 30-40 point games...

I don't think the issue is who is defending Harden and whether they will shut him down, i think the question is can Harden dominate in the playoffs like he did during the regular season when he was IMO the clear MVP.

Its obvious that one of his advantages--getting to the foul line--has been mitigated by the refs (unfairly I may add--if he's fouled, he should go to the line, why change the way fouls are called in the playoffs? Makes no sense).

So the REAL question is not whether Reddick or Thompson can shut down Harden (They really can't) but whether Harden is ready to step up and make the adjustments to his game in the playoffs.

And if they are double or triple teaming him, then our other players better be ready to hit a high % of shots!

 

That's what terrifies me. The Warriors will absolutely destroy you if you let up for even a couple minutes. And on some nights, they'll just jump on you from the opening tip and you're never even in the game. That's basically what happened in the 4-0 series sweep this season. The Rockets hung with them for 3+ quarters in the first 2 games before the Warriors just turned it up a notch and pulled away(in fairness, the Rockets were very short-handed both nights). Then in the 3rd game, the Warriors despite playing in their 4th game in 5 nights buried the Rockets in the 2nd half at Toyota Center. And in the 4th game, it was pretty much a blowout from the 2nd quarter on(at least til the bench made a late run in the 4th).

That's why I said the Rockets have to play extremely well for 4 games. Not just for a couple of quarters. I'm talking the entire game. Just one bad quarter can put the entire thing out of reach if they're not careful. And Harden can't have any 5-20 nights this series. He'll have to be MVP James Harden to pull off the upset. Like I said, it can be done. But it's gonna require the Rockets to play consistently great basketball at both ends of the floor and that hasn't always been their strong suit this season with their habit of losing focus, especially when things are going well.

 

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whats crazy about this warriors team is that its basically the same team from a year ago where the Rockets dominated them 4-0 or 3-1 (I think) during the regular season--the Mark Jackson warriors. Amazing what a year and a new system can do for players.

 

Anybody can jack-up a shot. His iso/hero ball doesn't work in the playoff. It only works against non-playoff team like Suns and Kings. Rockets would have loss game 6 if McHale put him in the 4th quarter.

 

Go Houston Rockets! You can upset the Warriors!

 

i keep hearing gsw's had the best defense from the regular season. and how bogut is vital to their overall d.

i assume they have some sort of stats to claim this, eh. what are they? pls enlighten me. thanks.

 

Yes, I said Harden can get that step back on anyone. So how does that show Reddick shut him down as you said? The Clippers "shut him down", not one player.

 

Stop bring in up regular season record and just look at how the current Warriors are playing in the playoffs. Frankly, I'm not that impressed. Pelicans almost had a shot for the first three games with the Warriors. The freakin' Pelicans! Warriors could not even dominate the Grizzlies when Tony Allen and Mike Conley were both on the court. Pelicans and Memphis are clearly not better than the Rockets, sure Grizzlies have superior perimeter defenders but they can't make threes to save their lives and their bigs are not as athletic and imposing as ours. I seriously think Clippers were more difficult match up for us than the current Warriors are. It sure ain't gonna be easy, but the media is making huge mistake by taking this series for granted, as usual. We'll see what happens.

 

I BELIEVE! GO ROCKETS!!!