Why is everyone caught up in placing the blame on this player or that player?

For the same reason blame is always invoked.

 

Lin only fan gonna Lin only

 

I spent a lot of time backing Schaub up, and I still don't agree with what everyone was saying about him, but its something you've just got to give up. Sports can get emotional for fans, especially during the playoffs. The mob mentality is just going to happen after losses like these, and there is plenty of blame to go around.

 

Diehard fans trend towards over-investment, which means emotions running high after a loss. Pointing the finger makes it easier to cope, I think. This isn't the first time this has happened this season... "Should We Trade Harden?" threads were all the rage after a couple of bad losses in regular season, as well as the rash of "Was Dwight a Mistake?" threads. I know I feel better when I b****, whether it's the "right" thing to do or not. So it goes.

But you are right. There are some people who are all too happy to stick it to Lin fans after last night, just as there were plenty of Lin fans who were all too happy to trash Harden unabashedly just a few days ago (some of the same people who are now purportedly above the blame game). Again, so it goes.

 

LOL gandhi you are the one who walked right into it asking 'why'

sounds like you are you the one that is stupid. this thread sucks btw.

NEXT

 

For me, as bad as Lin's play was, I don't know if I would ignore the fact that a comfortable lead was evaporated to the point where one rebound was the key moment when the game would be won or lost.

And it went into overtime, no less! Five more minutes for someone to step up big and it didn't happen.

Lin's is the easiest to gnash teeth about because it was such a simple play and was definitely a turning point, but where should we stop? Lin's missed layups? Howard not hitting FTs? Parsons poor d? Harden's poor d?

Lots of blame to go around, I guess Lin's is just the most egregious of them all and thus the easiest to get angry about. I don't disagree that it was the catalyst that allowed the Blazers back in, but man, when a game comes down to the wire like this, there are a lot of reasons to get angry.

Guarantee you, if Lin got the ball to parsons and it lead to a game clinching fast break, everyone would have applauded his heads up play. That's the fast paced game of basketball, nothing is for certain and so many crazy elements can lead to crazy outcomes. Hindsight is 20-20.

 

OP hasn't been a sports fan for very long if he thinks this doesn't happen more with football fans in Houston vs bball fans.

this is the way many fans (who I'll never go to a game with) react.

 

We got a tough guy!!!

Lol. When you have high expectations and fall well short of it. People will blame.

Understand that a lot of us fans care a ton about this franchise and have been around for many years through good times and a lot of rough times. People pay money to go to games and to pay for league pass and for merchandise. If they want to blame a player or two when the expectations aren't met, that's their right.

Athletes only make millions because fans provide that much revenue to the game. Let them have their say and shut up

 

Total nerd comment incomming:

Every vector space and ordered field has an absorbing element, aka a "0" that stabilizes the algebraic/numeric/geometric structure. It's human nature that's even evident in mathematics.

Scapegoats bring some kind of semblance of stability, even in the most chaotic of times.

 

Hasn't GARM always been like that?

 

Gotta make free throws

 

Actually, it hasn't. People used to discuss hoops in a civil manner and support Rockets players through thick & thin.

 

Uh, we tend to focus on plays at critical moments in games. That's pretty standard. Those critical plays are what makes heroes and goats in sports from John Starks to Eddie Johnson to Robert Horry and so on. Maybe you're new to sports because you are pretty damn clueless about them. When players screw up at critical moments and it costs you a game, fans get pissed off, especially when that player has a cadre of irrational fans who have for years now attempted to blame others for that player's failings. Welcome to reality.

 

Cuz its easy.

 

Season long vendettas?

If ANY Rockets players makes those same two mistakes that Lin has made the last two games, they deserve to be crucified for it.

The fact that Lin has sucked this season, and hasn't earned his salary, doesn't really "help" his cause either... but this isn't just over-blowing common mistakes and making a bigger deal about it because its Lin. These are huge potentially series-costing blunders that CANNOT happen.

 

Harden gets beat off dribble by everyone in Portland's starting lineup= not his fault its the teams fault

 

After the first loss @ Houston, I think most realistic fans already realized how this series will end up, same as most media analysts.

The 2nd loss was just a nail to the coffin.
Winning 1 out of 2 in away games is actually better than expected, especially when we were already behind 0 - 2.

Anyway, Les and Morey need to do a detailed analysis and make major players/philosophy changes next season. Letting Harden getting away all season without playing defense is not going to let you win in a 7 games playoff series. Because the other coach will make adjustments.
The problem is, there is nothing the Rockets coaches can adjust other than bench him, which would be crazy.

They tried to use Bev as a defense only specialist to try to cover for Harden. But thats not going to work when Bev is having problem covering his own man, Lillard. And the Blazer coach kept their offense going against Harden.

Morey likes to pick flawed players that is really good at 1 thing, but is bad at others. Then hopefully, they'll develop the other needed skills. Because it allows him to pick up players for cheaper than an all around player. But when your first option player is this flawed and not even putting any efforts to defense... and when the opposing coach focus on shutting down Harden, the whole team is screwed.