McHale is yet again going to be the key to the game. I really hope the line up of Lin Daniels Harden Parsons Howard Gets more looks IMO is our best lineup. You can't double Harden or Howard with this lineup. Say what you want about Lins offense but he's been MUCH better on D than Beverly. Beg has been really bad this series on both offense and defense.
Our losses could be a blessing in disguise and we've made a bunch dumb mistakes that will bite you in the ass during the playoffs. Hopefully they've learned from their mistakes.
The point was you don't need Howard or harden to send a physical message. They won't fall for it. You can use other players to send a message. Howard and harden send a message with their play.
Our game plan lately has been pretty solid overall now that we've used more TT and Daniels. No need for huge adjustments. Get a few more plays called for Daniels, CP driving aggressively all game instead of just one half, more Harden/DH pick and roll, TJones only in when Aldridge is out so he doesn't have to guard LA or Lopez, a bit less DH post-up (and less of the swooping right hand hook; how about an up and under?). If one of Bev, Harden, or Lin can hit a few more open 3's, Lin finishes better around the basket, we can finally have a comfortable game. On D, I'm not thrilled with how we are defending the Lillard/LA PnR with a quick hedge since Lillard is always able to hit LA with a pass either open near the elbow or on that freaking delayed roll which generally leads to a dunk. If it's a pass to the elbow, LA either shoots the open jumper or passes to an open 3 point shooter. The scheme may be the lesser of other evils like not hedging at all and letting Lillard drive, or going under the screen and letting him shoot the 3. However, if TT is in, I would switch it to not hedge and let the other big help out in the lane. Also, we tend to get burned on switches on screens for anyone else (e.g. Batum shooting 3's over Asik or DH). I would test their ball-handling and passing skills by using the hedge on anyone not named Lillard.
