I would like to know your thoughts on your strategy for game 6. 1. We can't let them get up early and play with leads in excess of 10. 2. Let Paul and Blake be the primary scorer's early 3. Start Josh Smith again (TJones is afraid of Blake's shadow) 4. More PnR with Josh, leaving Jordan as the only defender in the lane against Josh and D12 5. Mr. 94 Feet D on Paul 6. Stick to Reddick, Rivers, Crawford like glue, the Clippers get going when they are hitting threes, force them into the lane for help. Bottom line the Rockets have to stick around to the 4th Qtr to make it a game. Clutch City Reborn!!!
I think McHale did well with bigs rotation last game, especially with Capela since he played at the start of a quarters and LAC had no chance to hack him and force him to the FT line (who wan't to pick up 5 team fouls in first minutes of a quarter? But I don't get a strategy to hack DeAndre when we are leading, clock is not running, they get two FT's and he makes half of them. Our flow is also hurt during that time because we are up-tempo team.
Play with the same urgency as they did in Game 5 and attack DeAndre Jordan instead of avoiding him and the team will have a decent shot.
the hack-a strategy is actually most effective/sensible when leading. for example when were up 20 and they whittled it down to 13 and lower. when they are putting a run like that together and you can't score, you disrupt their flow with the hack-a-x.
If by the end of the game we are able to score more points than the Clippers I feel we have a good shot of being awarded a victory.
Exactly this. Also, it can play into our favor when we convert a DREB off of a missed FT into a fastbreak opportunity via a streaking Corey Brewer or Ariza. That combination can be backbreaking for a comeback attempt.
Exactly the same as this game, but with less gambling on playing the passing lanes instead of your man and no reaching. Do not let them get any open shots, especially threes. That will kill your spirit quickly, if you see Reddick or Jamal go off. I know Ariza is great in getting in passing lanes, but sometimes it can kill you. He's the only one who should do it ocassionally, I don't want to see no half assed steal attempt by Harden, Terry, Brewer, Josh, TJ or Howard to get a steal. Just stay in position and defend, let them beat you 1-on-1. Keep your hand out of the cooky jar, especially you Josh. When you have Griffin with nowhere to go, just keep your position and only double-team when you know you going to get the jump ball or a horrible pass. If not, let him throw up a bad / contested shot. Not double team and let their shooters get a wide open three.
1) Stick with the same rotation and substitution as in Game 5. Smith did a much better job in the starting lineup, especially in the 3rd quarter. I think not trying to force things as he's been doing as a reserve helped him a lot. And T-Jones had some really good moments too off the bench. I also liked resting Harden late in the 1st quarter so he could start the 2nd. That allowed the Rockets to avoid their standard 2nd quarter collapse which has been plaguing them throughout the postseason. 2) Defend from the opening tip. Focus especially on Redick, Crawford, and Rivers. Griffin's gonna get his. So will Paul. But if you keep the supporting cast from going off as they did in Games 1, 3, and 4, you'll stay in the game and have a shot to steal it late. 3) Make your open 3's. Sounds simple, I know. But it's been a problem most of the playoffs, especially in this series. As bad as Game 4 was for the Rockets, one of the few bright spots was seeing guys like Ariza start to hit those shots. And it carried over into Game 5. It needs to happen again in Game 6. 4) Rebound the ball. Dwight can't do it alone. The entire team has to contribute. Keep the Clippers off the offensive boards. It's hard enough keeping them from scoring at Staples Center. The last thing you need is to give them 2nd and 3rd opportunities. 5) Harden has to dominate. He doesn't necessarily need to drop 40+ on the Clippers, but he has to be aggressive. If a few calls don't go your way, just grin and bear it. I can live with Harden having an off-shooting night. What I can't stomach is seeing him only put up 12 or 13 shots because he goes into pouting mode when Redick or Jordan get away with a hack. 6) Don't be afraid to play guys heavy minutes. Game 7 wouldn't be til Sunday, so you'll get an extra day to rest before having to play again. Harden logged 43 minutes in Game 5(surprisingly, no one else played more than 32). It's ok to run him(and others) out there again for that long if necessary.
Start the bench players and Hack a deandre from the opening bell. Lets see how long the game will take to end.
I have to add, McFail please match the Clippers rotations. The Clippers go on big runs with our D12 and Josh on the bench while Deandre and/or Griffin run wild. Also, keep banging on little Rivers, he wants to shoot jump shots and wants no part of trying to finish at the bucket after the hard foul. Make Redick, Rivers, and Crawford midrange jump shooters and please force Crawford to his left, he only shoots jump shots going left, never, tries to finish at rim.
This and let CP3, Blake, and Jordan get theirs and just contain everyone else. The pressure to close out at home will be on the Clippers and the Rockets knowing that IF they can pull off another W they will be back in H-Town for another game. Go Rockets!
Things we have to carry over from game 5 1.Dont switch and keep fighting through those screens 2.Keep Josh smith on blake there were times he was playing him brilliantly , never got into a rhythm 3.Keep throwing the hack a jordan at them 6-14....At home IMO he could be even worse..Make sires he's hacked in PRESSURE situations, this is vital New adjustments i would make 1.Have to play terry less minutes man i don't know why he's playing 32 min a night thats just too much...terry on paul was better but paul still got anything he wanted, his 3pt shooting does NOT offset his invisible defense its that simple 2.Use all of Dorseys 6 fouls its win or go home pull out everything 3.IMO i wouldn't take dwight out of the game just cuz of the hack, keep his mind focused and aim sure hell hit 60% and then feast on davis and haws he would destroy them inside Ill be frank had no hope after game 4 , but maybe just maybe we could pull this off because if i know one thing about this team they can ride momentum to its fullest. Lets get this!!!
Speaking of Mr. 94 Feet, when is he returning? If I remember correctly he should've already gotten his cast off and wanted to return soon after. Does anyone have an update?
