More than likely, Amen, DB, Fred, Jalen and Alpi will get first dibs on closing. But Ime will adapt as the series progresses and play the hot hands based on both ends of the floor. Regarding offensive sets, I think the Rockets should focus on running the ball before the Warriors can set up their half-court defense, which is great, at times. You better believe they will be prepared for every tendency the Rockets have on offense. Rockets should use PnRs to give Jalen and Alpi favorable matchups, which they must aggressively destroy without hesitating. When Alpi has the ball against someone other than Draymond or Looney, he's gotta kick into gear instead of standing in place to survey or waiting for a double-team to come.
You are correct. The FVV contract was brilliant and worked out great. That being said, he has been at best average this year. He needs to be gone, because Ime can’t be trusted to put him on the bench. Next year, we should absolutely in a position to compete for a championship. If FVV is our starting Pg next year, we are punting next year as another development year. He’d be great as a 20m/year backup PG, will Ime and FVV accept that?
Yeah, last year they showcased Doncic in the afternoon, and OKC last game. And DAL was away against LAC on the West coast.
I was more specifically talking about 4th quarter and clutch time. I agree with getting out to run, but that is very atypical during those portions of the game. PnR would be fine, but I worry they will force it like 3/4 feet behind the 3 pt line which is the wrong spot for it. Also, I would figure they would put Draymond on Alpi and Butler on Green. Both are great switchers and communicators. Even trying to set up first switch from Butler to whoever is guarding Amen/Jabari/DB going into a 2nd PnR with Alpi is tough because they don't do enough so the spacing may be poor and allow Warriors to help out and allow them to get back into formation. I worry that they will try to force it to Alpi on the block and they are still too lazy with those entry passes, or not crisp enough with spacing to consistently manufacture a good shot in those spots. I think they need to do way more of setting up Alpi in the high post, especially face up when he is against anyone but Draymond. I also think you could potentially have Amen force a switch to Curry, Hield or Payton and iso on them while Alpi is setting back screens in different backside actions. I also think they prioritize getting Jabari open on back cuts/screens because there is no one on Warriors who can affect his shot. I would like Tari or Jabari in there to close out instead of Fred on defense and even on offense if Fred is cold. Only issue is that only having Amen/Jalen as ball handlers is risky. I would doubt seeing the double big to close games as well. Especially because that gives them so many guys they can "hack" maybe get a bunch of missed FT positions.
I agree with most of your concerns. Reality is the Rockets are going to have a tough time scoring when the Warriors tighten up. Mid-range and outside shooting probably make the difference in crunch time. When it comes to getting the ball to Alpi when defenses tighten up, I think he's 75% of the problem instead of entry passing. He makes himself a poor target by not sealing his man well and he's not strong with the ball when defenders reach. Sometimes I don't even want him to have the ball in late-game situations because he tends to lose it. With Jalen, sometimes it doesn't matter how far away from the basket he is. He's either going to beat his man off the dribble or not. Warriors will give him plenty of opportunity to playmake instead of shoot. We'll see if he makes good decisions and if the other guys hit shots. To win this series, Rockets are going to have to pound the offensive glass and limit TOs. They will not shoot a good percentage. Warriors very beatable. They are one man short of being a legit championship contender. But they will force a team to execute well in order to beat them.
What gives you the impression that Ime will adapt? He is going to play FVV 40+ mins regardless of how he is playing. He hasn’t adjusted all year without injuries playing a part, It is his Achilles heel. I hope you are right and he becomes a much better offensive coach than he has ever been. We got the absolute worse seeding result we possibly could have. Unless Doncic goes into one of his rare slumps, the Lakers are going to the finals. GSW and Lakers is the NBA’s dream matchup. It is going to take a Herculean effort for the Rockets to overcome the refs in either matchup.
Ime will adapt because wins and losses are the only things that matter in the playoffs. The process and pecking order are not as important now. It would be great if the youngsters make it hard to keep Fred on the floor, but this will be their first playoffs. IMO, it won't take a Herculean effort to beat the Warriors. The Rockets just need to play close to their very best basketball. With two very shaky "stars" like Alpi and Jalen, oh brother! On the other side, they have Curry and Butler who have proven themselves as absolute savages when it matters in playoff games. OK, so maybe we should start discussing how the Grizzlies can win tomorrow.
I don't why, but I have a strong feeling that the Grizz are going to show up very strongly tonight. I think they'll pull off the upset, which may be good for us, or lead up to the Warriors being the first play-in team to go to/win the Finals.
Reading some of the comments on here makes it seem like we just limped into the playoffs and are going against a Murderer's Row of teams with no hope of winning anything. Come on people. We are the second seed in the West. Comfortably so. We just won 15 of 17 when it mattered most. We have talent and depth and neutralizers. We can beat all these teams and have done so. No team wants to play us in a seven game series. Let's go.
I bought tickets to the game Sunday forgetting that it’s Easter lol. now I’m having trouble finding someone to go..I guess they don’t make rocket fans like they used too
Are there really that many people who care about easter? I guess Houston is probably pretty heavily Christian/Catholic, but still.
most faker fans who i know around the world are most preoccupied right now with next year’s repeat, in other words they consider this year’s title already in the bag. “even if shots aren’t falling some games, refs aren’t gonna let us lose”
We're going into the playoffs with the worst backcourt in FVV and Jalen. They either get manhandled, shoot us out the game, and coach leaves them on.
