The Lakers team defense really makes me miss Lu Dort.

CFTXAG10 said:

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WES2006AG said:

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While this roster has major flaws that will keep it from being a championship team I am not sure that is an indictment of the entire small ball strategy. We went all-in on small ball this year and I can't see us scrapping that after one bad run where you get bounced by a couple of great players in LeBron and AD.

James was awful yesterday and at this point he is who he is in the playoffs until he proves otherwise. I am not sure that means we need to trade him but something in James has to change to get over the hump.

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I give credit to the Lakers too for making things harder on James. They went small ball with no McGee or Howard. Then they trap off and on to get the ball out of his hands. Leaves minimal time on the shot clock for James, or forces other players to step up and make big shots. They have defended really well these last 3 games.

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I agree that LA has been great on D. They changed how they were playing James after game 1 and he hasn't looked the same since. While their D should be mentioned it doesn't excuse the performance we saw. James Harden should never go 2/11 in a playoff game.

I love James and have defended him on here more than most but this playoffs isn't an isolated incident. I still think he can figure it out and lead us to the promised land but I am losing confidence with every late season meltdown.

TXAG14 said:

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It's time for Morey to blow up this team. Lots of vets with decent value. It has become obvious small ball will never win a seven game series in the later round of the playoffs.

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I've been a Morey fanboy for the longest time, but I honestly think it's time for him to go after this year. We've hit the same wall that the Oakland A's hit in Moneyball/real life.

The efficiency approach works excellently for the regular season. Not so much in the playoffs when an opposing team overhauls its strategy to counter yours.

WES2006AG said:

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CFTXAG10 said:

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WES2006AG said:

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While this roster has major flaws that will keep it from being a championship team I am not sure that is an indictment of the entire small ball strategy. We went all-in on small ball this year and I can't see us scrapping that after one bad run where you get bounced by a couple of great players in LeBron and AD.

James was awful yesterday and at this point he is who he is in the playoffs until he proves otherwise. I am not sure that means we need to trade him but something in James has to change to get over the hump.

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I give credit to the Lakers too for making things harder on James. They went small ball with no McGee or Howard. Then they trap off and on to get the ball out of his hands. Leaves minimal time on the shot clock for James, or forces other players to step up and make big shots. They have defended really well these last 3 games.

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I agree that LA has been great on D. They changed how they were playing James after game 1 and he hasn't looked the same since. While their D should be mentioned it doesn't excuse the performance we saw. James Harden should never go 2/11 in a playoff game.

I love James and have defended him on here more than most but this playoffs isn't an isolated incident. I still think he can figure it out and lead us to the promised land but I am losing confidence with every late season meltdown.

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Trapping a ball handler and running the other shooters off the 3 point line isn't some revolutionary defensive concept, its only working against the Rockets because by construction, the other 4 players mostly stand around the 3 point line and watch Harden waiting for a pass and Harden makes next to no effort to ever move around the court when he doesn't have the ball in his hands.

That defense doesn't work against Steph and Klay (especially when KD was also involved) because Kerr designs open looks with a ton of off ball motion for them but against Harden its like magic.

I realize the systems are different, but I don't see how this Rockets' team is much different that the Suns' teams that D'antoni coached when Nash won a couple of MVPs and Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudamire were in the prime of their careers.

You have an offensive system that is fairly unique and piles up points and wins in the regular season, with one guy (Harden/Nash) as the catalyst. Against the inferior teams of the league, you are wrecking shop and putting up gaudy stats and point totals. Against the good teams, you're average to above-average, but when the playoffs start and defense and half-court become the mantras, you grind to a halt.

The '05 Suns were funning and gunning to 110 points a game, made the WCF, then got routed 4-1 by the Spurs, only reaching 92 and 95 points in their last two losses of the series after going 62-20.

In 2006, they went 54-28, averaged 108 per game, got to the WCF and lost to the Mavs, got held under 100 three times.

In 2007, they went 61-21, averaged 110 points per game again, got to the WCSF and lost to the Spurs again.

In 2008, it was 55-27, high average, lost to the Spurs in the first round.

It feels a lot like the law of diminishing returns, and looks a whole lot like what the Rockets are becoming - COVID bubble play aside. We keep adding guys to Harden, building the offense around what he does best, and it's not good enough.

Morey gave up such key picks for Westbrook that it doesn't feel right pulling the plug, but maybe it's time to dump the GM and the system, find a big man to make it a 3-headed monster, and try something more traditional.

I think the Westbrook trade was more about getting rid of Paul since it was no longer working and trying something different.

Farmer1906 said:

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I think the Westbrook trade was more about getting rid of Paul since it was no longer working and trying something different.

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It was 100% this. CP3 wasn't the answer for this team and the only piece you could get back that was partly fair value if you were to trade him at the time for a "win now" team was Russ.

I will give credit to Morey for always trying a new thing if the current thing isn't working. Chris Paul was here for two years and it didn't work, on the next one.

The problem is that the thing Morey thinks will work only works in the regular season, as someone alluded to earlier. The formula pumps up the numbers and is to a degree, cost and on-court efficient. Problem is none of that matters in the post-season. To win a ring, you need gamers. Kawhi last year. KD the year before. KD/Steph the year before. LeBron the year before. Et cetera. We don't have that.

Head Ninja In Charge said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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I think the Westbrook trade was more about getting rid of Paul since it was no longer working and trying something different.

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It was 100% this. CP3 wasn't the answer for this team and the only piece you could get back that was partly fair value if you were to trade him at the time for a "win now" team was Russ.

I will give credit to Morey for always trying a new thing if the current thing isn't working. Chris Paul was here for two years and it didn't work, on the next one.

The problem is that the thing Morey thinks will work only works in the regular season, as someone alluded to earlier. The formula pumps up the numbers and is to a degree, cost and on-court efficient. Problem is none of that matters in the post-season. To win a ring, you need gamers. Kawhi last year. KD the year before. KD/Steph the year before. LeBron the year before. Et cetera. We don't have that.

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The problem is you don't just "get" those guys. Houston will never be a FA destination like LA or Miami. Unless you draft a top 2-3 pick it's very rare you are going to get an AD/LeBron type player.

I don't see us drafting or acquiring a player as good as Harden ever again.

tremble said:

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I don't see us drafting or acquiring a player as good as Harden ever again.

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EVER?

If I may paraphrase His Royal Purpleness

That's a mighty long time.

Farmer1906 said:

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I think the Westbrook trade was more about getting rid of Paul since it was no longer working and trying something different.

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If it was more about just getting of Paul and just doing something different, the Rockets wouldn't have puked the draft capital they did and taken in a worse contract.

The other thing is where a center like Capela is missed. The TNT guys mentioned it last night. As much of a tank and as dependable of a player as PJ is, it HAS to be taxing for him to come every single night tasked with the hardest job by far on the defensive end. The team looked great against OKC, but has fallen apart over the past few games and you have to wonder how much of that is our main/best cog wearing down.

Covington is great, don't get me wrong. But we also need him to run back and spot up and take threes if he gets an open look. That wasn't the case with Capela or a similar player; he never took up *too* much space in the middle and if the whole impetus for moving him was to free Russell Westbrook up with more room to work, well...how is that going for us.

The Rockets need another tall, non-Tyson Chandler center in the middle to take some minutes off of PJ as they get deeper into the playoffs, especially against an all-world destroyer like Anthony Davis. I think the tread is coming off the tires with this experiment.

Farmer1906 said:

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I think the Westbrook trade was more about getting rid of Paul since it was no longer working and trying something different.

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That and who would have thought he could stay healthy through a full season and playoffs after not being able to do that in his 2 years here.

k20dub said:

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Cut him. Danuel is an Aggie and a pretty good young player but he isn't talented enough to keep around after something as selfish and stupid as what we have seen here.

In all likelihood we don't beat the lakers with him playing but it sure didn't help that he had a monumental lapse in judgment at the worst possible time.

All of this is assuming that what is being reported from the bubble is true. I guess Danuel is still denying it...

If it's any consolation, the comments section for all things House related are all hilarious.

WES2006AG said:

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k20dub said:

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Cut him. Danuel is an Aggie and a pretty good young player but he isn't talented enough to keep around after something as selfish and stupid as what we have seen here.

In all likelihood we don't beat the lakers with him playing but it sure didn't help that he had a monumental lapse in judgment at the worst possible time.

All of this is assuming that what is being reported from the bubble is true. I guess Danuel is still denying it...

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Agree 100% about cutting him. Everyone is in the exact same scenario in the bubble. it's not like he did something stupid and had to miss a November road game at Phoenix. I also agree we probably still lose Games 3 and 4 with him, but when the final margin is 10 and you're a guy who can get hot and drop in 12-18 points in a hurry off the bench, it speaks volumes about your priorities.

Wonder how Wilt would've done in a bubble?

*not that House is Wilt... rhetorical.

Poot said:

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Wonder how Wilt would've done in a bubble?

*not that House is Wilt... rhetorical.

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Against the current Rockets lineup he would have averaged 89 points and 135 rebounds a game.

The mentality should be that EVERY shot tonight is a 3, contested or otherwise. There's no other way.

I refuse to believe Frank Vogel is such a genius that he's just able to prevent the Rockets from getting them up.

If we can't make layups just start jacking up 3's and bear down on defense. Ugly start.

It's already over. Geez

Blow this **** up

Burn it down.

you hate to see it

Really does just look the whole team just wants to get TF out of the bubble right now. At least House got some WAP out of it.

Unwatchable.

Head Ninja In Charge said:

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Really does just look the whole team just wants to get TF out of the bubble right now. At least House got some WAP out of it.

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Danuel House is now back In Houston having to to explain what happened to his wife and family. Ouch.

ROCKETS IN 7.

Its not 2006. Driving doesn't get you automatic fouls. The team has no good finishers.

Just keep shooting 3s. Get up 60/game and win the series.

Let's try and get an actual lead first.

Kuzma just did the same ****ing **** Westbrook got called for offensive foul on

On the bright side, Rockets fans were correct, Westbrook is not really that good. So we've got that going for us.