http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2013/05/02/hack-asik-says-thunder-not-contenders/ Lock if posted. Did McFail really turn into McHail? All hail McHale.. Did he exposed Scott Brooks? In a post game interview he was left stuttering and repeatedly saying the same things. He's also got his team to FLOP and Hack-Asik. Those strategies are a teams last resort in a losing effort. We could become the 1st team in NBA history to comeback from 3-0 and the first to take down the #1 at #8! Progress- Game 1: L by blowout Game 2: L by 3 Game 3: L by 3 Game 4: W by 3 Game 5: W by 7 In each game we've progressed. We played much better in game 3 than game 2. Thoughts?
I used to think Brooks was a great coach. Now I am realizing it was a combination of his great players and the fact that I am a homer.
We are not winning this series. Just cherish these few wins while we can. Because if you keep increasing your expectations, there is going to be a meltdown. I am already prepared for the Clutchfans meltdown and the multiple threads about how McHale lost us this series. People take things for granted.
McHale just kept rotating his players from the bench until he found a lineup that could take advantage of the Thunder. Brooks has kept his lineups consistent, not many changes. Garcia can defend Durant better than Parsons. Brooks can score on Fisher easily. Just trial and error. It's not Rocket Science (Pun intended) I just fear that Brooks will put Nick Collison in the lineup more ... that guy has been killing our bigs on the glass and in the post. But I hope Scottie Brooks doesn't see it.
Every coach looks like a genius when his team wins a game they were supposed to lose, and every coach looks like a clueless idiot when he loses a home playoff game he was favored to win. Brooks is trying to experiment the best he can under the circumstances-- remember, the Thunder had NEVER played a game without Westbrook until Game 3. They are only now learning how to do it. I do think McHale has been the better coach this series so far. But it ain't all Xs and Os. If Brooks can find a way to motivate his role players to play stronger, faster, and tougher than they did last night, the Thunder still only have to eke out one more W and the McHale's Rockets will be forgotten until next year. Still, there has to be a shred of doubt creeping into OKC's minds about their coach right now, while the Rockets are feeling great. Pulling his team together will be Brooks' biggest test in the next couple of days, not "out-coaching" Kevin McHale.
If he doesn't play Collison more, then he's one of the worst coaches in the NBA. I expect he will in Game 6.
We can be the first to do both in a single series... but a #8 seed beating a #1 seed has happened before.
OKC should have eliminated the Rockets by now, even without Westbrook. Look who the Rockets have on the floor. A couple of players one of the worst teams in the NBA didn't even want in Brooks and Garcia. A player that was playing in Russia a few months ago. A player that was selected in the second round of last years draft. A starting Center that had never averaged more than 14 minutes per game before this year. One thing all these players have in common is that they are coached by Kevin McHale. McHale has taken one star player and surrounded him with cast offs and bench players and has them playing pretty well. The Rockets should still be the underdog to win this series, but we do have a fighting chance, and I think McHale has played a big part in this teams success.
Nick Collison is probably my favorite non-rocket. I pray to God that he keeps getting limited minutes though. Brooks is Phil Jackson minus the coaching ability.
Yeah, why are we pretending this is hard to do? A team's success is not entirely due to the coach, but also the personnel. McHale is a crappy coach but he has a bunch of hardworking young kids with talent. Likewise for Brooks. They tend to do well even if the guy at the helm has major flaws. You throw either of them onto the Lakers, talented but full of primadonnas, and it's a totally different story.
If they do, I'd put T.Jones in to counter. Tough vs. tough crashing the glass. But I don't think McHale would give Jones a chance, puts more trust in Greg Smith who has been a disappointment.
Brooks doesn't have any plays, he just out talent you with Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, Harden(last year of course). Now with Westbrook and Harden out, not enough talents and still no plays.
