I think the Rockets have one of the best offensive systems in the NBA

by 2 pt shots i specifically mean jump shots. mid range or long 2s. quite simply if the threes arent falling i would love to see the team start taking these 2s. why? to keep the game closer and to get people going. make a few 2s and then all of a sudden the 3s start falling too. if we are having a night like vs gsw, then by all means continue bombing away. but those games come few and far between...

 

which is exactly why good teams will beat us more often than not. live by the 3, die by the 3 when they pack the paint. they dare us to shoot well, so we best make them. if not, we have no chance.

 

Actually this roster is not perfect for the system we run. The Finch system is perfect for Harden and Parsons, and would be for Lin if he were a consistent 3 point shooter.

However Asik is not perfect for the screen and roll we run. In order to keep defenses honest on the penetration and kick out, we need a great screener (which Asik is) that finishes well inside (which Asik doesn't). You will note that when Asik doesn't finish well inside we struggle.

Also our system does not necessarily have to be all run and gun come playoff time, it can work in a half court set.

We have the penetrators we need in Harden and Lin, but we need the post finisher and we really need a player or two that can hit 40% of their 3's.

Anyone that says we don't run plays or P&R is just wrong. We ran them during the losing streak too, but we didn't hit our 3's so the lane dried up.

 

I love that the "Fire McHale" thread and the "Rockets offensive system is awesome" thread are both active at the same time.

 

Also a result of hero ball. Harden really tried to take al ot of shots. Now the ball is being shared more again, Harden is handling the ball a little less

 

We just need to improve our defense. The more defensive stops we can get, the more fast-break opportunities we have. Given that we have no low-post option and are highly dependent on drive & kicks we could improve our win margin significantly simply by creating more defensive stops.

This is an elite team in the making if we can address some of our finer flaws.

 

What you describe is not backed up by statistics. Basketball is simply a game of maximizing the probably of success. The Rockets are a reflection of Morey. The coaching staff, the players, are playing Morey ball. Are we going to see a team that completely surpasses any reasonable expectation due to team design and and Morey's influence on the offense?

Two point shots are a losing proposition for a team like the Rockets. They take them when they are open, which is much less likely than the 3 being open. Who takes them? Paterson and Lin and Harden and Parsons. When they are open.

Good teams beat the Rockets because they have more talented players. That is the only reason.

 

the only stat that matters is championships. how many championship teams play moreyball?

 

LOL, that is one of the worst arguments I have heard in a really long time.

 

really? if this play style was so great then why doesnt everybody do this? sure the league as a whole are shooting more 3s, but lets not act as if this is the "best" way to play the game because it's the most efficient on paper. again, there is no human element in stats alone. great teams, great coaches, great players are not great only because of the numbers...

 

It hasn't worked yet. Does that mean it won't work? It hasn't exactly been tried with a championship quality team yet, how about giving it some time?

 

the fact that "championship quality" teams dont play that way says a lot to me, dunno about you.

 

People using your logic could have said the same thing about the triangle offense before the Bulls won titles, or the Rockets inside out offense before Dream won two titles... Showtime, etc.

Further, the offensive system we are running has roots in what the Celtics ran in the 80's... They won titles.

Offensive systems are not static, they change, progress and adapt.

 

.....By that logic, nothing new can ever work because it hasn't worked before and no one does it. Nothing ever works till it works, no one ever tries anything until they try it.

 

roots, sure. but we are running it to the extreme almost. at best moreyball is a theory. its unproven. and the rox right now are an experiment.

 

And that experiment is going REALLY well, they are a team in the first year of a rebuild on pace to make the playoffs....

 

imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. if this system is so good, it'd be logical that others will try to emuate it. the only problem is that its unproven and no team would change everything based on a theory...

 

And I wouldn't expect them to. Other people doing it doesn't validate it at all, the only thing that matters is if it is working, as of now, it's working. This Rockets roster has no business being a playoff team, but they are on pace to make it. That in itself tells me it's helping get the most out of the team.

 

again. if the playstyle is only good enough to make the playoffs every year but not good enough to win it all, then what good is it? its obviously too early to tell, with this team, but people are making it sound like if we acquire enough talent, this playstyle cant be stopped. crazy talk....

 

LOL, how do we know if it is good enough to win it all or not yet? We have already seen that it's good enough to make a rebuilding team with the lowest payroll in the NBA with the youngest players in the NBA have a shot to make the playoffs.....isn't that pretty awesome? Who knows what it could do with a completed roster with players in their prime.