Wouldn't mind if he was 5sec faster when bringing the ball up the floor. It's clear SA can't keep up & when they try its usually to our advantage. I guess MDA sees something I don't.
This is 100% what I mean about TRUSTING the system, he needs to move his butt faster up the court, he is wasting valuable shot clock. Doesn't have to BLITZ it up Westbrook style, but a nice jog would be great and save 4 seconds. DD
I'm not a fan of "he was gassed" excuse either. It gets really old. If he is that "gassed" as everyone uses as the excuse, then he needs to rest more, regardless of the quarter. We have plenty of capable guys who can bring in more energy every quarter while he rests. I think he is just veering away from MDA's style of play though, and it started before the playoffs. MDA was all over those guys when the season started if they didn't run it back down, and he seldom does that now. Our fast break points started disappearing as well.
Game 5 was just so jarring and disappointing for me as a Rockets fan. I'm surprised it has affected me this way. I still haven't gotten over it. I have avoided sports media because of it; I haven't watched any sports programing since game 5. Harden's extremely poor play in a pivotal game 5.... I replay the MUTIPLE times Harden could have iced the game and I just shake my head.. I hope the Rockets can pull out the series, but Game 5 will forever haunt my dreams.. I just can't believe how poorly Harden played in winning time..
The system is James Harden. James Harden trusts the system. And James runs the system. And that's the problem. What you the fan should NOT trust is the system. Because it is one-dimensional.
Harden isn't Nash. Harden slows down time to find emerging holes in the defense. Nash found holes before they emerged by creating chaos. Harden is an elite scorer who can suck the defense in, Nash was merely a good scorer. Different players, therefore, different systems. The non-Harden lineups can run all they want, they should, but Harden lineups are FINE at his pace. The Rockets & Harden have had an all-time great offensive system with Harden quarterbacking.
At the end of the games he was indeed walking it up, people just didn't call it out because of us winning. It's been the same sh** all playoffs honestly, with the last minutes being extremely slow Harden iso, it's completely hit or miss and makes our entire clutch game depend on him hitting tough shots. This had me worried even when we won those games, as it's making us predictable and being dependent on risky iso shots instead of continuing to play the high-paced and variable offense that made us compete with the opponent.
It is not so much about "running it up court" as it is "playing with force" and starting the action as soon as you get there. The offense works best with driving and probing the lane. And passing. It forces the defense to breakdown and shooters can become available in open areas as the D scrambles.
When you don't start your offense until there are 14 secs left on the shot clock all those emerging holes are already gone.
