It was D'Antoni's JOB to take Westbrook out of the game when he was clearly not right. When he went to the lockerroom, he shouldn't have been allowed to come back in the game. Kevin McHale was willing to bench a healthy Harden in an elimination game because he wasn't playing well. That was a way harder move than what MDA needed to do and he still couldn't do it. The Rockets really don't have an actual coach. MDA continues to cost Houston playoff games and we all have to pay the price. Houston on paper was good enough to sweep this series and instead we're stuck in a Game 7.
he didn’t have to play Russ all of his allotted minutes . rivers was playing well last night and he only Got 11 min . we did miss a lot of layups and had dumb turnovers.. ok that’s not all on mike, but he’s let WB play though rust , Gordon play like ass .. and kept rivers and our best 3 point shooter on the bench . He isn’t completely absolved
Watch this clip and focus on MDA the entire time. People will blame EG and rightfully so but MDA could have called timeout when he got stuck. Then again after the CP3 miss and Rox rebound it was his players(Russ and Harden) who called a TO to regroup. His just stood there for the entire sequence. Didn't read the frantic desperation of his team who were begging to regroup. For all his offensive genius, he will always be a high stakes risk. Doesn't have the leadership and serenity in high pressure moments. Story of his close but not quite career. It's going to have to be Harden or Russ to "coach" those high pressure moments unlike a Pop, Stevens, Kerr , etc... Rox players will be on their own.
MDA offers a basketball philosophy, not Xs and Os. I'm down with the D'Antoni position-less, run-n-gun, 3-point heavy approach to the game, but I think D'Antoni's execution of it is lacking. We need more than a basketball philosophy from our head coach. We need a system to run within the bounds of the position-less, run-n-gun, and 3-point heavy approach to basketball. And IMO, MDA puts the cart before the horse in terms of where fluid, seamless, and creative basketball comes from. Fluid, seamless basketball comes from mastering a system, the variations and options within a system and then having talented enough players to execute it, adapt in real time, and use their own talent and creativity to overcome breakdowns in the offense and good defense. At minimum, designed sets and a good half court offense would be great change up to throw when the Rockets offense gets stagnant. This is a bit cliche but think Golden State. Curry and Thompson take guys one-on-one off the dribble plenty and do some isolation stuff, but Golden State also runs a lot of action and variations of different sets to get Curry and Thompson open looks. When defenses overplay action designed to get Curry or Thompson a look from outside, they often have secondary movement to hit a cutter going to the basket. What if the Rockets had an actual half court offense to mix in during these grind it out playoff games to get our guys some different looks? You can’t tell me it wouldn’t help with shot selection and maybe even fatigue. MDA is too predictable and in a playoff series and the Rockets become easier to game-plan for and defend. When buckets are hard go come by in close playoff games D’Antoni needs to offer more. Harden is an incredible player and makes up for some of MDA's weaknesses.
Come tomorrow morning I hope I wake up and we parted ways with him and get started on the coaching search right away.
"D'Antoni was well aware at the time that he was likely in his final season as Houston's coach if the Rockets didn't go far in the playoffs. It was the NBA's worst-kept secret after the coach's contract extension talks with the Rockets fizzled -- twice -- in unusually public fashion last summer, with Houston owner Tilman Fertitta and D'Antoni's longtime agent blaming each other and developing bad blood. It's been believed by many in the league -- D'Antoni included -- that the Rockets would need to make a deep playoff run for him to return as coach. The divorce between coach and franchise could be finalized soon after Houston's Game 5 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, sealing a second-round departure from the NBA's Walt Disney World bubble. D'Antoni is officially an unrestricted free agent and intends to consider his options regardless of whether the Rockets show real interest in re-signing him, sources told ESPN. He's considered a leading candidate in the Indiana Pacers' search, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, and is expected to have other suitors. The 69-year-old D'Antoni has no desire to retire, as he's made clear, and hopes to coach at least another four seasons."
I think yall bash him far too much. We could have won a title if we had health. We did well for a team under the tax. Seriously compare rosters of teams that have won titles and tell me you honesltly believe we should have done much better or a coach couldve got more out of this roster than mike did.
I'd love to have MDA as a coach if it was an up and coming team. Or even a rebuilding team, as long as it was one with a young roster or a young star. I think he would excel in those situation. Somewhere like Memphis, Kings, Pacers, Pelicans, etc. I'm just not sure he is the best coach for a contending, veteran, superstar team that needs that extra push and focus.
should have been fired after the spurs series. has been outcoached every single playoff series here. wasted 4 years of harden’s prime. stubborn till the day he’ll die
