My biggest issue with this team is that there’s no game strategy, or adjustment (whether in game, or within a series). It’s basically... well, we are all in on small ball, so our game is simply Harden/Westbrook isolate, shooters at the wings/corners, and when help comes, kick it out. But when another team adjusts to Harden and Westbrook isn’t playing well, we have no adjustment. Then what? A series is supposed to be like a chess match, back and forth. Different adjustments by both teams, and I just feel like the Lakers have switched it up after game 1, and we are stuck just hoping we can “execute better”. Ok well I guess we are just relying on maybe an extra few 3s going in, and that’s our hope to win a game. That’s not a game strategy. I feel like our couches (at least in the last decade) have been below average with in-game and series adjustments. Nothing to be done about this now, they are going to live an die with this now. But, something for the future..
LeBron has certainly figured out that he will not be called for goal tending under any circumstances. The Lakers haven’t really figured anything out. Still jacking up terrible mid range shots, and relying on rondo to be the best 3 point shooter on the team is not going to work for many games.
In fairness it took the Lakers 7 months, 3 regular season games and 2.5 playoff games to actually figure out that going small against small ball was the right answer rather than tripling down on big men. It almost worked!
I thought the Rockets played good last night. The Lakers were just better. The Rockets got out rebounded, and the Lakers had six blocks. The game was really even in many ways, but the Lakers height advantage made a difference.
I feel like we figured it out. Near the end of last nights game, more guys were aggressively cutting and slashing when the hard double came. Westbrook lead the way in this regard, and it is obviously going to be the key to the turnaround. We need to focus on making aggressive and purposeful cuts that find the openings which a hard double team inevitably allows. The Lakers figured out how to defend the version of our offense that relies on a drive, multiple passes and no movement. Once we add more aggressive cuts it will change everything, and may even force the Lakers to rethink the hard double. We saw what happened when that was the case in the first half last night. I am certain this is an adjustment MDA will make.
I agree the lack of in game or even in series adjustments I think is what is holding this incarnation of the Rockets from taking the next step. I was skeptical of the small ball game especially on D but they've won me over. That said the problem we are seeing with it is more on O as teams figure out how to frustrate it. D'Antoni is one of the winningest coaches but I think it's no accident he hasn't even taken a team to the Finals. He's come up with innovative systems but he's too slow to make rapid adjustments. Over an 82 game series his strategy can work as you play the averages but a game or even a series there is always the risk that you will come up on the short side of the averages. Obviously we can't completely change how we play as we're locked into the personnel we have but adjustments need to made..
Great now I have to sit here and watch all these BSPN people wipe Lebron James c*m off of their face today...
Whatever "personal" problems House is having he needs to seriously leave the team and stay gone or man up and ****ing play. It’s just that simple. It’s the playoffs. We needed his production last night and he’s the one that said he wanted to prove everyone wrong with how he played last year but he decided to sit the game out!
What adjustments can you make when the Lakers have figured out how to drive everyone off the 3 point line yet defend the rim? The only opening is the mid-range which the Rockets don't do.
You gotta tip your hat to LeBron and Rondo for the adjustments though. That's what separates championship teams from everyone else and, no, this is NOT a knock on our coaches or players. I'm fairly confident that these adjustments came from LeBron and/or Rondo because Vogel's not the one to move away from playing centers or making big adjustments, even during his tenure in Indiana. Coaches that are more willing to experiment and adjust despite a higher level of risk tend to do better in the playoffs. Coaches that don't--the Budenholzer, Brooks, D'Antonis--have a lower ceiling. That being said, I think other than adjusting to the double teams the only other move I can see is to insert Jeff Green into the starting lineup, remove Russ, and have him come off the bench when Harden sits. Green's been more consistent from the 3 than Westbrook and the Lakers can't sag off of him like they do with Westbrook. House being out really hurts.
It's coaches fault. They had a couple of good games each coming into the playoffs and most of the year. We lose 2 games in a row to OKC and they are nowhere to be found. For players like Bmore who have moved around this can do a lot to a young players confidence and development. You get them in rhythm and then shut them down because you think you need more minutes from tired players. Instead of extending rotations. Everyone is not a good ISO player but they can hit some shot and do a couple of basket cuts. RUN SOME PLAYS for CERTAIN PLAYERS!!! We know HARDEN can get his!
Much more off ball movement. Other than Harden and Westbrook the Rockets offense is rather static. We see flashes of when players move around with back door cuts and other plays but it's not something the Rockets do consistently. Pushing the ball much more. The Rockets are like the Lakers that they thrive on transition shots off of turnovers. We see in the wins the team that is able to get more transition buckets is the team that wins. And yes we have to be willing to take the mid-range shot when other stuff isn't there. This was said by a commentator in the last series during one fo the Rockets' losses when they were bricking threes. Sometimes you just need to see the ball go in the bucket even if it is an elbow jumper. This the whole point of having first CP3 and then Westbrook. A legitimate mid range threat to force to complement the rest of the Rockets offense.
we are now 2-9 when marc davis refs over the past 3 postseasons 23-14 ft disparity (w/ 2 WB ft's coming w/ 30sec left) and a shiit ton of missed/dubious calls against us we are cumulatively 3-22 when davis or foster or brothers are present nugz were leading entire game couple nites ago and lost w/ a 26-10 ft disparity silver is under no circumstances going to allow anything to disrupt his plans the need for rocket fans to point out that the rockets didn't put on a perfect performance and could have played better while ignoring the OBVIOUS is mindboggling
