KEVIN MCHALE (On the momentum change during second quarter) “The guys really D'd up. I thought they really locked in defensively. That (Rockets) group gave a great effort on the defensive end and that kind of got us out running a little bit more and got us out on the break. Again, that same group started the third (quarter) and they had really good defensive intensity. We've been working really hard at it and it's good to see some results. A couple of things that were concerning the last game: they (Suns) had 17, 18 or 19 offensive rebounds for 24 points. They got to the line 39 times, we fouled them all over the place and we got to the line only 10 times. We were much more diligent (tonight).” (on Jeremy Lin) I thought Jeremy played very well. I thought Jeremy’s defense was very good. He’s got good anticipation, he sees stuff, he’s got good hands, he dug out some balls and, again, just came out and made easy plays. We really like to encourage our guys to get the hockey assist. Those don’t show up on the stat sheet but those are the ones we really look at. Everybody sees the one pass, but it’s the pass-pass combinations. (On the play of Donatas Motiejunas) “D-Mo played well tonight. I was happy for him. After a couple of stints where he got in foul trouble a little early in a couple of games, it was nice to see him get a little rhythm. Overall, that was a good game for us. We defended well and did some good stuff.” (On Donatas Motiejunas being a starter) “He's always been the guy that's filled in. When you watch him play in Europe he wasn't a 28 point a game scorer. He was the guy that came in and played with other people. He's one of those kids on his report card it says 'He plays well with others.” (on the importance of young players like D-Mo getting off to good starts) It takes awhile in this league – that’s why there are days of massive frustration and there’s also days when you just have to realize how young we are. I remember back as a young player, even in college, you didn’t play that often and it was hard to turn a bad game into a good game. It’s hard to explain. The snow ball would get rolling, you’d miss a couple chippies, then all of a sudden your man scores on you, then you have a sure block but you don’t get it and your man gets an and-one and you’re like, ‘Oh my goodness.’ At some point you just play enough games where you go, ‘Meh.’ Then a relaxation factor comes in and you have a two-point half in the first half with three fouls then you come out and score 24 in the second half. That doesn’t happen very often your rookie year, I can tell you that.
I am so proud of the team today, but it's expected to pull out wins like this. I was driving around Houston today, and I was bothered in my mind about the dynamic Clutchfans has is the past season, because I love this site, and think that Rockets fans are the most blessed. Not gonna lie, the only thing I'm disappointed in is how much better we're supposed to be with McHale at the helm, because we saw what he was able to do with average talent (with the exception of the end of season collapse). I wholeheartedly believe that we have to talent to go far, but it requires an investment on the part of the coaches that builds team chemistry, and encourages young guys to play winning basketball (defense, passing first). I'm neither a LOH or a LOF, but I'm a fan of good basketball, and Jeremy has the potential to do that. I'm an advocate for him, because that dude displays so much character. He's a humble player, and it's even more awesome that he's on the Rockets. It's like we've assembled this team full of good guys over the years. We have the underdog story, and it makes me love sports all the more. It sucks to see so many people who magnify every little thing he does, and the criticism is just not called for. We can't expect him to be superstar status, but that dude works hard, so we should be patient. With that said, I have respect and give props to all the guys on this team, because they are showing promise that they can be a dominant force in this league. A year ago, we had a good team, but they were merely pick-ups. This team we have now is ours, and we should embrace the good times that are bound to follow. Let's not lose patience with the team.
The game is already done. There's no point of playing the starters and risking injuries/fatigue. There are other games to prepare for.
This is interesting because McHale himself rose to prominence as a sixth man. Kind of sounds like his early days on the Celtics.
Harden still played too much. He should get real rested. Until he can get his full power back. The first step speed and europe steps are much less attackive now. Looks at melo, tyson chandler today. We can not bear to lose Harden. I am fine if harden have one or two game with only 20minutes. It is better than playing him 35min every game until he is out.
Seriously, the starters should consistently be sitting out in the 4th against all sub 500 teams and most of the the East Conference teams. If the starters all play it right, there is no need for any of them to clock more than 30 minutes.
Dmo and Trob. Two of the future players that we hope will carry this team forward for the future. Also I feel sad for Luis that at the tail end of his career he is stuck in such a bad team.
http://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1a9gal/im_an_australian_who_has_been_following_the_nba/http:// I'm an Australian who has been following the NBA obsessively for about 12 years. I've always refused to follow any one single team, preferring to follow the league as a whole, until today... (self.nba) Until today, i'd never jumped on any one team's bandwagon. I always have just enjoyed following the league as a whole, observing the different eras and generations in the league. Being from Australia, i never felt the need to become emotionally invested in one single team/city. It never seemed to make any sense to do so. I felt like i would just be following silly conventions that didn't apply to me. Why did i have to follow a team just because everyone else did? Why can't i just enjoy the league as a whole? Well, i can, and did. But today, i'm glad to announce that i've finally become so enamored with a franchise that i'm throwing away all my previous principles because of how much i love them. I hereby pledge my allegiance with: the Houston Rockets. I love everything about that franchise. I love the way their front office operates. I love their scouts, and their drafts. I love that their ability to pick diamonds in the rough. I love that they use nerdy advanced stats like me. I love their players. I love their chemistry. I love the fun-to-watch style of play the coach does. I love their general manager, Daryl Morey, and his philosophies on building a team. He does things the way i would do them. Everything about this team i love. I trust them. I'm intrigued by them. They represent what i love about basketball analytics, and basketball in general. I'm jumping on their bandwagon, but i don't care. I heart Rockets. I know many of you do not care about this and it will probably get downvoted, but i just needed to express it somewhere. I chose /r/nba. Thank you and good day! TL;DR: Jumped on the Houston Rockets bandwagon after over a decade of refusing to invest myself in any one single team.
Yeah, Lin has good potential and good work ethic. The main thing he needs to understand though, is Harden is the center piece of this team and Lin needs to adapt to Harden's play style. I think so far he is willing to do just that.
phew, finally feel a bit relax now, Rockets won, Lakers and Jazz lose !:grin: Good job from all the starters, and thank you the bench keeps the lead in 4Q to give Harden a rest. I would like to see more Anderson over Gracia in the following game, he is a solid player, would like to see him play more.
Aussie aussie aussie! So happy after todays win. Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could just rest starters every 4th quarter? i.e. if its a blow out like todays game. here's to more super-offense
"How did Jeremy Lin win that jump ball" 6 ft 3 vs 7 ft 2 haddadi. hahha More the fact that Haddadi just tipped it to the wrong spot after lin had the first touch haha.
