D'antoni is an idiot, if it were up to him, he'd run all of our players into the ground before the playoffs started just like he did with Nash.
Play regulars but limit their minutes more....open up some opportunities at the end of the bench for a few minutes, but try to win every game. DD
The last two games were valuable tests against playoff caliber squads. We got a glimpse of the type of defense we’re likely to face.
I prefer Harden resting than he playing like this ever since we got first place he has care very little about this games. I know he can play better but I know now what the media will say tomorrow and this couple games. And if we face them in the playoffs I bet you the media will give an edge to okc. Also I wish he had sat coz he just gave one more L to that harden Chris and Capela record. Frustrating but I know we can play better plus Eric is always great against okc. Oh and yea they had a at minimum 6 vs 5 on the court. So many freaking bad calls and changes to calls. The two changes of calls which were Rockets for sure and that second delay was bs too and then Nene call for offensive foul. Smh it was so obvious the Nba or the refs wanted or want okc to go to the playoffs.
and how useless jj and nene will be in the playoffs. its nice to have them for depth, but they shouldn't be in our top 9 for the playoffs.
GSW, a team with nothing to play for and HAVE had injury issues are playing Thompson, Durant and Green 36+ minutes a night. Just to point that out. Rhythm counts.
The night games vs lakers sac, Id like to see some Joe chee action. Tarik Black -Joe Chee Joe Chee -Ryan Anderson , Moute Gerald Green- Joe J Gordon - Joe J Tim Q, Markel Brown.Harden This should be enough to play both teams up front, Throw in Harden late in game just to get some time in.
Well, well, well...I guess Luc reeeeallly needed to play this game. Who else needs to get hurt before the playoffs before we rest our key playoff players?
if his shoulder is that loose it wouldn't matter if he sat out these last two games, it would've popped out in the first round on a similar play. it was going to happen sooner or later.
Are you saying that no rotation players should be playing at all these last two weeks? We wouldn't even have enough players to play a game. I get that you are all emotional and everything. But, we can't just forfeit the games. We have to play the games.
lakers called up random g-leaguers to close the season. rockets could've easily played hunter, brown, quarterman, qi, onuaku, joe johnson, green 30+ minutes and lost by 40 a night. rockets locked up homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs anyways.
Notice how i said run this lineup, Maybe let Moute come in late as a 3rd stringer, now they pushed it and hes injured for 2-3 weeks. lol i say pull everyone now this game means ****, they are in there saying mvp to a dleaguer, why are the rockets main guys in this game???? i dont get it., if harden goes down next, its gonna be on Mike d.
Seriously, he was playing his usual 25 minutes a night - he sat out a few games last month with another injury - he's not really a "rest" candidate, especially if you're resting other guys.
"I'd say [the last] couple months we haven't played really well," D'Antoni said before Sunday's practice, a day after a 121-105 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that trimmed the Rockets' series lead to 2-1. "That's why I was worried the whole time about resting guys, doing this, getting out of rhythm. [People say], 'It doesn't really mean a whole lot.' Ehhhh, it does. "Anyway, we are where we are. We'll be fine. We'll be OK." The Rockets scored 112.2 points per 100 possessions during the regular season, an offensive efficiency that was a tenth of a point behind the Golden State Warriors for the best in the league. That number plummeted to 102.3 points per 100 possessions in the seven regular-season games after Houston clinched the top overall seed, a statistic skewed by occasionally resting key players down the stretch. D'Antoni expressed his concern about losing rhythm by resting regulars after the Rockets' 11-game winning streak ended with a blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Easter Sunday. But Houston erred on the side of caution with players nursing minor injuries and rested the entire rotation for the regular-season finale -- a loss to the Sacramento Kings on the second night of a back-to-back. Houston hasn't been able to flip the switch during the playoffs. The Rockets are averaging 106 points per 100 possessions during the first-round series, a mediocre number. "It's been a long time," Rockets superstar James Harden said of the team being in a good rhythm. "It's been a long time, but tomorrow is the perfect opportunity for it." Harden and co-star Chris Paul both emphasized that the primary reason for the Rockets' Game 3 loss was an uncharacteristically poor defensive performance. The Rockets had not allowed that many points since a 124-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 4. The Timberwolves shot 50 percent from the floor in Game 3, including 15-of-27 from 3-point range, with Paul describing many of Minnesota's long-range shots as being "butt-naked" open. "I guess everything is cool until you lose," Paul said. "All in all, we've just got to come out tomorrow ready to play and be us. ... It starts on the defensive end. That's when we can get out in transition." Harden shifted the focus to defense when asked how the Rockets can regain their offensive rhythm in the middle of a playoff series. "It's pretty simple: play hard the entire game," Harden said. "Shots are going to be made, shots are going to be missed, but I think defensively as long as our focus level is there every possession, it doesn't matter about the offense. Defensively, we'll be good enough." The Rockets went 44-5 when Harden and Paul both played during the regular season. However, the future Hall of Fame playmakers have yet to both perform well in the same playoff game. Harden carried the Rockets in Game 1 with a 44-point, eight-assist performance while Paul had an off game, scoring 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting and matching his career playoff high with six turnovers. Harden had a horrible shooting performance in Game 2 (2-of-18 from the floor), but Paul starred with 27 points and eight assists. Harden had 29 points and seven assists in Game 3, when Paul fouled out after only 30 minutes, finishing with 17 points and six assists. "We've kind of like traded off, right?" Harden said. "We've just got to get a rhythm. It's not necessarily just me and Chris. We're good enough to get enough to get our shot going and get our rhythm going at any point in any game. "We've just got to make sure we're rallying everybody else around us and making sure that they're in good spirits and always confident in their shot. ... So we're good. We're real good."
