i knew we were in trouble when we still had the lead and bill worrell of all people after a harden trip down the court asked that can't really be our offense, he's not being asked to do that right?
Could it be possible he recognized no one was making shots last night and that influenced his decision making "HeroBall". We can't and will not win every single game; but we are competitive and will learn from the mistakes made at the end of games against good teams. James gave the ball up several times in the 4th quarter and guys either missed or passed up an open shot. Repeat this 5 times, WE AR A LEGIT CONTENDER... Now believe it and sit back and watch the season unfold!!!!
There's two competing, but both sort of correct, ideas here: 1- milking the clock in late-game-lead situations is the correct play and almost always necessitates ISO, and Harden is the best guy to do it; and 2- something is still wrong, just on an "eye-test" basis and also based on the fact that this is like the 100th time this has been brought up. My working theory is that at the end of games, Harden is physically tired, so his first step is a little slower on drives. Also, the defense is obviously set and waiting for him if he tries to drive. So since drives are not such a good option, he tries to hit the step-back too often, except with tired legs. And I think the stats about Harden ISOs lie a bit, because ISOs at the beginning or middle of the game (when Harden isn't as tired) work at a high rate, but don't work so well at the end of the game when Harden is exhausted. I really do wonder why running a pick-and-roll with 8 seconds left on the shot clock isn't a better option than ISO Harden with 4 seconds left.
The dribble, dribble, dribble, take a contested 3-point shot play is almost never the best option. It eats up clock and it reduces the possibility of a live-ball turnover, but at the cost of an extremely low quality shot attempt.
Harden is a great player and has evolved his game to a new level as a player and leader this year. That doesn't preclude him from criticism for terrible basketball at the end of games. I swear some of you d!ckriders are the worst. Don't f*cking tell me heroball is what you are supposed to do in that situation. Waiting for 5 seconds left in the shot clock to initiate an offensive move is not only bad basketball but predictable. Not only is it a contested step back 3 99% of the time, but it also allows help defenders to cheat over knowing there is no time to pass the ball. We cannot get into half court possession basketball against elite teams and expect to win. We have to continue to play our game.
He's the star of the team! He makes $25 million dollars! Yes he gets the blame when he makes plenty of his share of mistakes in the final few minutes. You don't think Lebron would have been roasted if the cavs played like that down the stretch? He wants to be the MVP and a star in this league this is part of the gig. Lead your team to victory. Don't make mistakes. Overcome adversity.
This is similar to what people were saying last year. Only then it was "man, we have 7th best offense in the league what we really need is improvement on defensive end."
Uh isoball isn't start a play with 5 seconds left so there isn't even the option to pass to a teammate. And the spurs made 3's because they created open shots and exhibited poise in pressure situations.
Not to mention it also allows the other team to get a long rebound, and run out into the open court. Our players are usually caught either ball watching, or stuck in the corners so they can't get back for transition defense. The Spurs did this about 3 times in a span of 45 seconds last night.
All this after a loss to the Spurs? This team has to LEARN how to win a game like that. For those of us who saw the 2 championship runs, we realize it takes time and scars to win a title. Rockets are fine but building towards winning at the highest level isn't easy and won't happen overnight.
What I don't understand about Harden's game is... the man is a free throw machine. He shoots a very high % from the line, so why doesn't he look for more mid-range looks directly in that area? I understand taking a free throw and trying to shake a defender and take a jumper are entirely different things, but it seems to me, if his 3 isn't falling (as it hasn't been) he should look for more mid-range step backs, ala the PHX game-winner from the elbow. Let's try to get him some looks from that area when he's off from 3 and isn't getting calls when he takes it to the rack is all I'm saying. And more on topic: yes, the late game iso-ball is very annoying. It is necessary to drain the clock but I agree that we definitely could get into a play four seconds earlier in the shot clock.
