I'll lulz on any comment that states McHale is the best in the NBA at anything... but he definitely may be underrated in that area. Starting Parsons as a rookie was brilliant.
Two sophomore players in the starting lineup, one third year player in the lineup and one getting 18 minutes in 2014 off the bench. Sounds like ... sounds like ... Philly.
We don't live and die by the 3 at all. Our 2 point shooting drops just about the same amount in losses as our 3 point shooting.
Nice thread JTR - believe it or not the rockets can come out the west this year. Everything is going to depend on DWIGHT HOWARD on how far this team goes. When you combine that with this teams LUXURYS we should be able to beat the spurs, clippers, okc. Mchale – he does a great job, he’s done his part by incorporating an offense around harden & howard. McHale can’t get out there and run the plays himself. STARS step up in playoffs. Harden will do his job when teams focus on Harden it will be time for Howard to take us home, will he ? Bench – bench will have to step up. WE will need lin, DMO, and whatever wing to be solid. Asik will do his part. But at the end of the day the starters play 40 minutes in playoffs unless theirs foul trouble so I don’t see a reason why a bench can cost us a game. PF – yes we don’t have the stretch 4 yet but we have to guys that are more than serviceable at this position paired with 2 stars who have finals experience. LUXURY 1 - WE have a luxury of having 48mins of rim protection, solid post D and rebounding at center. This is our luxury that we have to ride going into playoffs. Teams don’t have this that we will face. LUXURY 2 – Twin towers, this is another luxury we have, when we face teams with a PF that we can’t slow down. LUXURY 3 – Best SG in the league who can create his shot, and best center in the league who should be well prepared for playoffs.
That is a really insightful comment. Taking your word for it. It actually makes sense. Why, if the three is not falling, would a fan expect 18 foot mid-ranged shots to fall?
I totally agree. In the playoffs, the game slows down and we basically run zero plays. We rely too heavily in close games on Harden's offense. What if he's contained? Who will we rely on to create shots for our offense?
Bwhahaha smh so the emergence of Jones don't get brought up at the 4 position. Jtr your sole purpose it to hype up dmo huh? Why not state how both players progress are becoming beneficial to the Rockets success.
I would not say contenders, but definitely IN the ball park. DMo has always had those skills, he just needed some time to find his way and work through it on the court. It took McHale far too long to figure that out, he looked far and away the best in the preseason. Nothing against TJo, like him a lot too - and love the rotation - personally, I want Asik traded this offseason so DMo gets more minutes at backup PF and C....I think that will make the team better overall. Dmo is a player that I would not trade unless we are getting a major star. DD
I have in the past. And I did repeatedly mention that Jones is starting as a sophomore for the Rockets. The purpose of that section was to put out some interesting data .
My thoughts exactly. I find it interesting that D-Mo and Asik function well on the floor together. After Harden, Howard and Asik, D-Mo could be the most powerful trade chip in Morey's asset stack. After all how many players in the NBA could be a teams starting center and back up PF, or the starting PF and back up center next season? And that is precisely why Lin is more valuable to the Rockets than his stat line. The ability to play well at two positions. It makes running a 3 guard rotation feasible.
No, the worst shot in basketball is brick after bricked 3. If they shot it at maybe a %40 clip I wouldn't complain but sometimes it feels like they shoot %25-30. Compared to %45-50 midrange, how is that worse than a 3? It's been stated before, Rockets cannot win a championship without a midrange game. JVG brought up the example of the 80s Celtics teams and how they were successful with it, limiting 3s to Bird and wide open shooters.
Interesting. You do realize that 30% from beyond the arc is equivalent to 45% on mid-ranged shots? 32% from three is the point where NBA coaches tell their players that they have to seriously challenge the shots? Makes sense. 32% from beyond the arc is 51% mid-range. Is there even a player in the NBA with over 150 attempts that even comes close to 51% mid-ranged? The NBA average FG% from mid-range hovers just about 40%. To put things in perspective.
I do however agree with us being contenders. We have built the necessary chemistry to make a title run this season.
YES we are contenders. The Rockets maturation over the season has been phenomenal. With an almost guaranteed win over Philly tonight the Rockets will be 20-5 in the last 25 games. 80%!
We're missing something. A bit more defense or scoring punch at the 4 would likely get us there. DMO & Jones are still too raw to get us to the promised land. I think the WCF will feature OKC & SA. We might get past one of them, but not both.
My minor observations: 1. Rockets do well with one and only one true center. Two Towers isn't working. DMo at center isn't working. 2. Rockets do well with one and only one PG in the game this season. Lin and Beverley lineups just are not performing this year like they did last year. 3. There has been a huge drop off when Harden and Parsons aren't on the floor. Hamilton has lessened it some and probably needs more time before he can be judged. 4. Rockets do very well with Jones or DMo at PF as long as Beverley or Lin, Harden, Parsons, and Dwight or Asik are on the floor.
And you certainly may be right. The path to the NBA chip is difficult. I think there is a possibility that D-Mo may play more minutes than Jones in the playoffs. That does give a defensive push, but it takes away a bit from the offensive end. But the Rockets are the third youngest team in the NBA. Young teams get better if they are coached well. The future looks bright. I honestly have no idea what strategy to employ versus the Thunder and the Clippers. Go back to last seasons playoffs versus the Thunder? TT against the Clips? Or just go with D-Mo and tell him to get his ass in gear? Just kidding of course.
