vaids, I gotta disagree with the Rondo part. The only lead they had during the game was when he was being aggressive. I think they play him more.
And that was with Dwight on the bench. With Dwight protecting the paint, he couldn't really do anything nor could Monta.
The main adjustment is Howard needs to not pick up the ticky tacky stuff. Don't give them stuff to flop about. That foul #4 where he stuck his foot out a little further right as JJ was fighting through the pick? Come on, Dwight. You know what you were doing. And foul #5 when he helped Dirk get behind him and to the floor. He knew what he was doing there too. All those little shoves are just a wide open door for Dirk to get his Oscar nomination. Take pride, Howard. You are the #1 target on the other side. You are the #1 guy they want to get off the floor by getting you into foul trouble. So cut it out with that little extra stuff. Now foul #3 that Dwight did on Amare? That was no foul. And it came just after Howard couldn't get an alley oop cause a Mav was literally holding him so he couldn't jump high right in front of the official, and of course there was no foul called. So he was starting to get frustrated, and then that's when that little extra stuff starts to come out. D12...when he's playing with this level of athleticism & health...he is just as important as Harden. He has to stay on the floor.
We answer the Hack a Rocket by curbstomping them after we implement Hack a Rondo. That and run PnR's on with Harden and whoever Dirk is guarding. This seems like it was the magic formula in Game 1. Funnel them into the paint when Dwight is on the floor. Let Chandler handle the ball. Most importantly, WIN!
Everything went according to plan except two things. Josh Smith going r****d and Howard getting into foul trouble. Calm Smith down and dont make him the primarily ball handler, and Howard not commit obvious stupid fouls and it is a sweep.
I agree. It was obvious from the opening minutes that they were going to call this game very tight (Harden pushing Rondo, Tyson Chandler defending Dwight in the post), don't give them the opportunity to take you out of the game. It shouldn't be a foul but to be fair, if they don't call those, they shouldn't call some of the fouls Harden draws with his outstretched arms, namely those where the defender isn't reaching but Harden is able to create the impression by stretching his arms at the right time.
pick and roll game kill them i think they will start double team harden before he cross the 3pts line
I think Howard and Josh Smith need to slow the game down. Both came out with too much energy. I was great to see Howard get the quick 4 blocks but at the same time he was too aggressive and got in foul trouble. I don't know what the heck Josh Smith was on, I guess he though he was Jordan or something. He should stick to what he does best, be a shot blocker on D and grab rebounds. I hate it when he shoots the 3 ball, there is a reason why the opponent leaves him open in those shots. He is also not a PG, so I wish he would stop trying to be a playmaker. That is why Detroit got rid of him because he hurt them with turnovers and poor decision making on his shooting.
What I think the Mavs should do... 1. Start Aminu, and have him try guarding James Harden 2. Have Rondo guard Terry 3. Have Parsons come off the bench till his body responds 4. continue to mix up the zone vs Man looks as much as possible 5. may have to start to double James early(at the half court line and get the Rockets into stagnant possessions); the Clips were successful getting the ball out of Harden's hand...maybe that may be needed. What the Rockets should do... 1. Defensive rebounds without Dwight...players forgot how to box out 2. Continue to play grade A level defense 3. Ariza cramping made me worried, so players need to get as much rest as possible. So more substitutions are absolutely needed. Liked that they had a almost 10 man rotation. 4. bigs better continue to practice FT's; Brewer's clutch performance in the 4th allowed us to get by with a small lineup, but there is zero question that the Mavs were more efficient when Dwight was off the court. They will continue to bait him into cheap fouls, and flop enough to get a few cheap fouls on him. 5. Dont allow Dallas to play mind games with you. It seemed there were a lot of small little plays that were trying to get under his skin. Wouldnt be surprised if they continue to prod Dwight.
Harden only took 11 shots. The Mavericks definitely tried to take the ball out of his hands. I expect them to dial that down a bit. Therefore, Harden will need to lay the smack down on Dallas next game. Another big issue is Dwight's foul troubles. The Mavs know they have absolutely no shot at any game if Dwight is in the game, so I expect them to continue to run into Dwight and flail on rebounds (cough Dirk cough). He needs to stay out of foul trouble. Eliminate the silly fouls and don't get too caught up in the flops against him.
I rewatched the game and they were already doing that! Mchale prepared the team well and there was always a second guy waiting for the pass from Harden. Not only that, they learned to execute quickly while the defense was weak and disorganized. Mchale out-gameplanned Carlisle
They can't start Rondo/Aminu together. Only one player in that starting lineup would be able to shoot (Dirk). Problem with Dallas is that their roster has so many one dimensional players that do not fit together. Either way Rondo or Aminu has to be on the floor at all times to guard Harden and their other shooters are not lethal enough to compensate for the lack of shooting. It also doesn't help them that Harris/Parsons are banged up. If I were Carlisle this would be the one lineup he hasn't tried yet that could work. Barea/Ellis/Harris Parsons Aminu Dirk Chandler
That will do it. I want a larger margin of victory. I want the Mavs feeling really down heading to Dallas. No mercy, no prisoners.
Breeew did most of his damage in game 1 with a flurry of fortunate three pointers. I wouldn't mind seeing him abuse them in the open court, though.
