Here's a good article on the reality of the situation:
Ultimate Rockets » Rockets in need of some getting-to-know-you time
Coach McHale after the loss:
http://www.nba.com/rockets/video/2012/11/03/MVI0575AppleTVm4v-2276592
Jeremy after the loss:
http://www.nba.com/rockets/video/2012/11/03/LinMOV-2276585
The reality of the situation is if Matthews doesn't hit that three, and the Rockets win, everyone would be raving about the undefeated Rockets and Jeremy's "and one" finish.
This loss is probably the best thing that could have happened at this point. No, the sky is not falling. Jeremy has not turned into a mediocre player. Everything is going to be fine.
Yeah I was thinking about the same time. We all know that a win solves all the problems, but the truth is that people learn much more from the losses.
ReplyDeleteThis loss is a blessing in disguise, as we will probably see a more "balanced" attack from all players in the future, especially between Jeremy and James. I like how one of the fan here posted that we need a "sustainable" solution.
I liked and believed in "Linsanity 1.0" because it was based on total team work on both ends of the floor. Houston can't rely on James to play 40 min and to score 40, UNLESS Jeremy also scores 25 and another guy gets his 15. Otherwise, it'd be much wiser to find a more balanced 1-2 punch of 27 and 18 from James and Jeremy, respectively, with both of them playing 35+ min. It was clear that the entire rockets team was exhausted and demoralized in the OT.
Hopefully this loss plus the extra days off will provide them time to come up with a better game plan for a sustainable season.
And as we all know, Jeremy would ALWAYS come back stronger after a loss like that!
Anybody noticed that Lin didn't get ball in his hands many times and just gave the ball to Harden and stayed in the corner to look for chance? and also Asik missed several shots that Lin gave to him and why? He was just under the paint and missed so many times. Tyson rarely missed that chance. So Asik is just a good rebouder but not a shooter. That made me so upset. I even thought he did it on purpose. In Rockets, did theybplay a lot of PnR? I didn't see that much. When Lin attacked the rim, He went by himself several times. That's not right and very risky. When Kmart was here, rockets played more ball movements. But now most of time, Harden hold the ball. Think if he got hurt, who will be the next shooter? Coach really not develop a good plan. I'm really worried about Rockets if they depend on Harden so much. That's not a good game plan. They should show their shooting coming in different players so the opponents don't know who to guard. Knicks so far is doing a good job. I don't like Knicks but Rockets should learn some game plan from Spurs, Clippers ....
DeleteIsn't it the coach's job to make sure his players are aware of the clock, not to allow a 3 pointer, and not to foul ?
ReplyDeleteA well coached team would not have allowed an open 3 pointer to go double team Lamarcus Aldridge ... am I right ?
A good coach will also call timeouts and design plays for his team to score ... not just give the ball to one player for a desperation 3-pointer.
Exactly what I've been thinking. At least call a timeout instead forcing a guy who is out of energy to shoot a predictable 3. Too many coaching errors;
DeleteThe time management isn't good also. Should have stayed with Morris.
Note to McHale:
- these players are humans
The things you pointed out are also signs of a young and inexperienced team. I wanted to yell at James so much when he left Wes open for that 3 pointer... such an avoidable mistake.
DeleteAs for the last play...well D'Antoni didn't call a time-out, which led to that miracle shot @ TOR. That's a bit of a toss up, so I can live with James holding it down.
I just wish Jeremy could had been a bit more cautious with that alley-oop play with Parsons in the winding moments. There were time on the clock and Pasons wasn't that open for a free play. Again, inexperienced play.
Remember Bill Cartwright? If Houston can't get a star pivot man, at least get a bet like Bill to LOCK DOWN the opposing big and provide leadership/experience for this team.
I agree. When you are up by 3 and you know they have good 3-pt shooters, why cheat so much to help out on a guy who is probably gonna take a 2-pt shot?
DeleteKevin McFail...er McHale does not exactly come off as a coaching genius, particularly in terms of his in-game management and Xs and Os.
DeleteReportedly, during his brief tenure as Minnesota coach, McHale's players would basically have to draw up their own plays at times instead of relying upon McHale!
I still agree with McHale's strategy of letting unproven rookie Lillard and erratic $5 million Wes Matthews shoot as opposed to $30 million Aldridge and Batum.
DeleteSo far, I haven't seen McHale do anything that I wouldn't have done myself.
I'm in the performing arts and pro sports fields, so I spend my life taking calculated risks in competitive fields. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
But if you don't take the risks, you ALWAYS lose.
Hans, I agree that Bill Cartwright would have been a FABULOUS pivot for these Rockets.
DeleteHere's the problem. Bill Cartwright is a #1 OVERALL PICK who was one of the best centers in the NBA when he played!
I had the privilege of watching a lot of Bill Cartwright when he was still with the Knicks. Though he wasn't flashy, Cartwright was a very solid center who was one of the best defensive pivots when he played. Plus Cartwright had a nice right jump hook and a decent jump shot despite the awkwardness of his form.
A consummate team player, Cartwright graciously stepped aside so that Patrick Ewing could play the center position. He was the backup, and I was happy that he did such a great job behind Ewing. But the Knicks had a massive rebounding and defending problem with Sidney Green and Kenny Walker as their forwards, so they traded Cartwright straight up for Chicago's bruiser Charles Oakley.
The trade turned out GREAT for both teams. Jordan got his defensive center, Patrick Ewing got his rebounding sidekick. In the Jordan years, Bill Cartwright was the best defensive center in the entire NBA and went completely unnoticed because of Jordan's offensive dominance. I was not surprised at that because Cartwright was exactly the same way in NY for years before he got traded to Chicago.
Of course sky is not falling, but what was deflating for me was not the loss but the poor decisions at the crunch time by Rockets, including Lin, which led to TO and put no pressure on Portland shooters. When you are leading by 3 with one minute to go, you have to make them earn points. The hard fought game was given on a platter by poor decision making.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is that Harden should have not demanded the ball after Asik rebounded the ball and gave him to JLin (watch the video). JHard should just let Lin to decide if he should pass the ball to him or take the shot. He should realize that all of the players on that team including HIM is there because of their center player which is Jeremy.
ReplyDeleteCould have been the gameplan of McHAle
DeleteYeah, I have a feeling it was the standing order from the coach for Lin to defer to Harden. I hope that changes.
DeleteA sad loss... but things happened ... time to move on ...
ReplyDeleteAll is said and done and the guys will learn from it.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm seeing though is a team that is going to make a run for the play offs and not fighting for the 8th seed doing so...
Also for the fans, I got goosebumps watching this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ytQHyZl7fc
And a tear with JLins intro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttw6RBYGPOM
If anyone was at the game, who got the louder applause? Lin or Harden?
Great links! Thaks man!
DeleteFrom NBA LP viewing, it seemed Harden got slightly louder applause.
DeleteGreat links, Jason!
DeleteLoved the Mars-landing intro video where they found these new Rockets but hated the anxiety-inducing background music when players entered the court. It just sounds like hearts beating anxiously rather than pumping up adrenaline like the famous Chicago Bulls intro with Jordan and now DRose. I hope they changed it soon not to make their young players nervous!
From the live TV, I thought the applause for JLin was a little louder than Harden - even though Lin has been low key of late and Harden has been high key.
DeleteTo look on the bright side, the Rockets were absolutely horrid this game and still should have won.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how long it will take, but when Jeremy is "back" (being efficient in his scoring, as well as assertive and confident) that's when this team will really take off.
I'm still waiting for that Jeremy
DeleteI thought the Rockets and especially Lin did JUST FINE.
ReplyDeleteThey nearly won in regulation and ran out of gas in the 4th against a much more talented and highly paid team. There's no excuse for Portland NOT to beat Houston!
All basketball critics are geniuses in hindsight. Slamming Lin is totally irresponsible and revisionist.
The biggest blunder by far was double-teaming Lamarcus Aldridge while he was posting up on the baseline and leaving Wesley Mathews open for a 3... when you are up by 3. LA was automatic that night, but even if he makes the shot the Rockets are still up.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing physical fatigue led to mental fatigue -- it was a no-brainer...from my couch.
Like TVN said, with all that went wrong the Rockets almost won that game. I'm trying my best to focus on the many positive things I saw.
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DeleteThat was the Blazer's simple and effective strategy.
DeleteMcHale seemed as though he didn't have ANY strategy at the end - unless you call the "Let the ankle-tweaked and fatigued Harden do whatever he wants" a strategy.
Small changes effect bigger changes. In the pro sports - just as in any other areas of life - small details or changes make a huge difference whether a team wins or loses close games. That's what makes a championship team.
I don't like McHale's nonchalant attitude about the loss to the Blazers.
And what is the difference in the end result between Carm_elo demanding the ball all the time and the Rockets teammates always deferring the ball to Harden,even when he is over-worked or his health isn't close to 100%.
Portland had their strategy of going to LA and kicking out on the double team, that's fine. But Houston's defensive strategy was WRONG. Up by 3 with ~50 seconds left, they should live with LA making a 2 and going back the other way up by 1.
DeleteMaybe they get fouled and shoot free throws to put themselves up by a couple more points...
Even if they don't score at all, Portland is forced to score on two possessions instead of just one. I'd take the loss a lot better if it went down that way.
Exactly. McHale s/h/called a time out. Don't take anything for granted.
Delete"And what is the difference in the end result between Carm_elo demanding the ball all the time and the Rockets teammates always deferring the ball to Harden"
DeleteThe difference with Anthony demanding the ball and Harden is that Anthony had to demand the ball. Because the ball was in Lin's control as the undisputed PG, Lin decided whether to give the ball to Anthony or not. Last season, Lin could and did call his number at times when Anthony demanded the ball.
Since Harden also controls the ball, Harden doesn't need to demand the ball from Lin like Anthony did. Harden can simply take the ball from Lin and call his own number.
Of course, just because Harden CAN take the ball from Lin doesn't automatically mean Harden WILL take the ball from Lin as a rule. It's early. We'll see how their relationship develops.
* Last season, Lin could and did call his OWN number at times when Anthony demanded the ball.
DeleteKHuang, I really love it when you always stay positive on our boy Jeremy! Being an excellent basketball critic/analyst yourself , I'm glad you've got Jeremy's back all the time! Cheers to you , man!
ReplyDeletethank you chan c.
DeleteBelieve me, I'd criticize Lin if I thought he warranted it. But I just haven't seen much to criticize other than his jump shot form that I don't agree with.
Even though I would like Lin to revert to his old NBA style side jump shot, I'm not smarter than Lin and am not going to argue with him or his coach Doc Scheppler. Those guys know what they're doing, plus Lin's numbers are steadily creeping up.
Lin's ability to hit crucial shots when they count reminds me of two point guards from WAY back. Norm Van Lier with the Chicago Bulls was that way, and so was Maurice Cheeks.
When Maurice Cheeks was with the Knicks, I watched a game where Knicks announcer Al Trautwig said that Maurice Cheeks had a "loaded gun" as a pass first point guard. Sure enough, Cheeks went out and scored 20 in that particular playoff game against the Celtics despite being 34 years old or something like that.
Jeremy Lin has the "loaded gun". Opponents know that leaving him open is playing Russian Roulette with a basketball!
Whoaa! You are one loaded basketball aficionado! I have no idea who these players are. lol But ,seriously , I enjoy your posts because I am learning a lot. And I truly thank you for that. Keep the posts coming ,my friend! You are educating folks like me , who last season , tuned in to watch basketball because of the kid named - Jeremy Lin.
DeleteAnd by the way , I know you criticize Jeremy too. But , I know you always do it in a constructive way and always in good faith. I know you do that because you love to see him grow to his full potential.
DeleteMan, when JLin stopped and pulled up a 3. I was jumping up knowing it would go in. Then he did the classic AND-1, and I was like "Houston, here comes Linsanity". Then the focal point shifted to Harden. McHale wanted Harden to win this game for him and not JLin. I was disappointed and furious towards McHale more than anyone about this game. Hey, at least we got a glimpse of Linsanity :)
ReplyDeleteIf I were Lin's Rockets coach, I'd probably have given the ball to Harden too!
DeleteI'd have been like "OK, I've got Jeremy Lin who everybody knows is a proven 4th quarter superstar. Let's see what Max Contract Harden here can do!"
Then after the game I'd have been like "Cool. I have TWO fourth quarter closers, not one. Whichever one of my two studs gets the hot hand in the 4th, that's the guy I go with".
Who is the better closer? Jeremy of Harden?
DeleteBoth of them.
DeleteI think both are evenly matched as being the closer given the opportunity. It's the setup for that last play that took away the element of surprise from the play itself. McHale should have called a timeout and run a play for either JLin or JHarden to create for their own shot or pass to the open man. The success rate would haven been much higher, then iso Harden and everyone else just watched. I'm JLin's fan so of course I want JLin to take that last shot but I'm ok if JHarden has to take it. As long as it's a good design play, make it or not, I can live with that.
DeleteSorry KHuang, I prefer iHoopsAlot's answer to yours although you both think Harden and Jeremy are equally good closers. :)
DeleteI somehow feel that Jeremy is better. Didn't we witness that 3-point game winner right before the buzzer in Toronto last Valentine's Day ? I bet Jeremy was tired and yet he made that 3.
Good for you, janelin7.
DeleteMy thing is that opponents KNOW that Lin is deadly, so they guard him with triple teams from the opening tip. Watch any Rockets game and Lin has guys hanging all over him as he scurries around without the basketball!
Rather than having Lin ram through those triple teams, let Harden and the other Rockets do their thing. I'd rather Harden try to beat a single defender than for Lin to try to beat three guys!
I don't remember seeing Lin getting triple-teamed.
DeleteIf you look closely, JLi, every defender on Lin's side of the court reacts to his smalles moves with or without the ball.
DeleteThe perimeter corner defender sags into Lin's dribble path along the sideline. The big man defender near the paint gives only token attention to Lin's pivotman and leans to whatever side of Lin's pivotman that Lin is on. When Lin attacks, all three players converge on Lin. They scramble back to guard their men once Lin gives up the ball.
Essentially Lin is facing what I call a "zone triangle" defense. Where the "triangle offense" stations guys in the spots I mentioned for offensive purposes, opponents are stationing guys against Lin for defensive purposes. And Lin BEATS IT ANYWAY!
With all the defensive attention given Lin (soon Harden), there are shots galore for Lin's teammates like Marcus Morris. Soon it won't be just Morris who starts attacking the gaps created by the Hardliners' presence!
I wouldn't call it triple-team but just help defense. If that's the case then any zone defense can be called double-team or triple-team.
DeleteJeremy Lin is the only Rocket getting that kind of "help" defense, then.
DeleteWhen he flashes across the top of the 3 point line by dribbling past the high screen, he has not two but THREE guys within arm's reach of him. Lin's man, Lin's big man's defender, and a weakside perimeter defender all converge on Lin all at once.
That's a triple team when Lin has three guys on him that are close enough to block his shot or steal his dribble or tie him up. Help defense, zone defense, the bottom line is that Lin has 3 guys actively trying to stop him. Not even James Harden draws that kind of coverage YET.
Last year in early Linsanity, Lin would blow by guys up top and nobody would rotate over to stop him. This year, the whole team rotates with the zone helping triple team schemes even when he doesn't have the ball!
Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry don't get this kind of defense because they don't hurt teams like Lin does.
Khuang... I'm glad that i'm not the only one notice for the last couple of games even without the ball he draws double or triple when he move. I guess thats why the coach have him stay by the corner, So he won't jam the traffic. But i could be wrong.
DeleteI have to side with JLi on this one. The defense on Lin, at least in the Blazers game, was normal.
DeleteYeah , I teared up on that classic AND-1...
ReplyDeleteI learned from watching NBA for 16 years that you can't dwell on the mistakes for too long to feel good about your favorite team/player. You've gotta to force yourself to list the positives so let's do it, JLin fans!
ReplyDeleteMy top 5 positive things from this loss:
1. Coaches saw JLin's And-1 almost won the game. You can count they will use it again in the last 2 min. He's slightly a better closer to get and-1 than Harden.
2. They can't simply rely on Harden and Lin's natural instincts against good teams. They need more practices and good teamwork from 5 players. Other players will step up.
3. Morris is the real deal as the 3rd highest scorer (12 ppg) and he will get more minutes. They need Greg Smith's inside scoring and high FG% (100% in Game 1)
4. If Asik can score 2-4 more points, they would have won the game.
5. Parsons can contribute more than 3PT shooting with his 12 rebounds against Portland bigs. He can get better than Landry Fields.
So what are your positives?
TONS of positives, as relates specifically to Jeremy Lin's TEAM effect.
Delete1. The Rockets are in the right defensive spots. Maybe they can't athletically stop one-on-one scoring, but transition defense is good and rotations are crisp. This has also translated to solid rebounding on both ends of the court. That's ALL Jeremy Lin, as he's the floor general on both offense and defense.
2. Jeremy Lin's presence creates good shots for others, and Harden's has created good shots for Lin but not so much for the others yet. It should come as no surprise that Jeremy Lin's field goal percentage is steadily rising while his point totals are climbing too.
3. Jeremy Lin is turning the ball over less. In the grand scheme of Rockets basketball, all it means is that the 3-4 extra turnovers Lin would be getting from creating for others is simply assumed by Harden. Less blame for Lin.
4. The young Rockets frontcourters are steadily learning how to cherrypick off Harden and Lin's creativity. Marcus Morris was a total SCRUB with Dragic and Lowry, but he's a STUD with Lin. Once the young Rockets realize that they're essentially unguarded, they'll get bold and start shooting with more confidence. I can even see guys like Chandler Parsons and Terrence Jones eventually put the ball on the floor for a few dribbles and maneuver into scoring position.
5. Jeremy Lin cannot be playing any better than he is. With this totally inexperienced Rockets team and a new teammate, he's doing absolutely fine. Once the Rockets get used to each other, Lin's numbers will rise naturally on their own.
KHuang, that's a great positive on #3 that Harden will share 'good' TOs resulted from creating for others with Lin.
DeleteAgreed on your No 5 that JLin can't play any better than he is with 85%-90% explosiveness.
Two questions:
ReplyDelete1. Will Harden be okay down the road with the vicious he took to the side of his head from Metta?
2. Kenyon Martin, who is 34 and is still a FA, now says that he'll play for *any* team and for vet's minimum..... Should the Rockets grab him before any one of the big-market hard-nosed teams do?
1. After averaging 37 in the last 3 games, it's safe to say that Harden is JUST FINE.
Delete2. I thought about that briefly. Personally, I don't think so. The Rockets have his limited skill set in abundance in their younger springier shootier rookies.
- I still think that the Rockets need a defensive stopper like Renaldo Balkman.
If I was coaching the Rockets, I'd have stuck Balkman on Nicholas Batum last game to at least slow Batum down.
At the least, Balkman absolutely would've impeded Batum from bouncing up and down on the Rockets' heads for a few possessions. Stopping Batum hose possessions would've WON THE GAME!
1. Yes, Harden proved to be the biggest playmaker (with the highest +/- per game) for OKC during the playoff run to beat the Lakers 4-1 and the Spurs 4-2 then lost 1-4 to the Heat. The vicious hit did not impact how well he played against Artest in the Lakers series. Lakers knew Harden was the biggest playmaker but Artest's intimidation factor failed to rattle him.
Delete+/- per game during 2011-2012 PostSeason
Rank +/- per game PLAYER 1
1 6.45 J. Harden
2 4.70 R. Westbrook
3 3.50 K. Durant
4 3.20 D. Fisher
5 2.80 N. Collison
6 1.85 S. Ibaka
2. I wouldn't pick up the original KMart based on his last year +/- per game with the Clippers. He was only ranked #9 (+0.62) in the regular season and was not a factor (-0.82) in the playoff loss against the Spurs. Even for stopgap measure, he would hinder the development of young Rox players. I believe in giving playing time to Greg Smith and Marcus Morris more.
Thanks for your replies.
DeleteI was thinking about a comment I'd read last season (though it was regarding JLin) by a medical doctorc, that a head injury might not be transparent until a whole year.
That's definitely a valid medical concern (i.e. aneurysm) that Houston Rockets medical staff should pay attention. Other NBA players like Jeff Green, Chris Wilcox properly got surgery following medical evaluation so NBA is doing a good job in medical screening.
DeleteOn the other hand, if there is a positive impact of unconscious shooting caused by the head injury, we would root for it to be permanent :)
I don't understand why the Rockets appeared to not have done their simple homework. Before the Rockets hosted the Trail Blazers, I simply checked the Blazer's boxscore from their last game; and I thought to myself that the Rockets must watch out for Lillard's and Matthews's 3-point shootings.
ReplyDeleteLike I said above, it's better to let unproven Lilliard and inconsistent Matthews shoot than allow LMAx and Batuman to destroy single defenders down low (or in Batuman's case, on both ends of the court inside or outside!)
DeleteIt's very possible the officials were waiting to give Lamarcus an and-one call down low, at the slightest bit of contact, just to pad his stats or make things interesting. Lin and Harding ate both young, playing hero ball and going for the high risk, highlight reel play is understandable, later on they will find out that tough NBA defenses cannot be beat by flashy moves or iso play. They have to learn the hard way.
Delete@KHuang: Well.... I guess.
DeleteBut 3 point shootings are deadly and so many players from every team can shoot uncontested 3's.
@ABC Baller: You're right. Those two can do it, but I think they were both tired (3 games in 4 days) and neither of them were fully healthy.... That's where I blame McHale's seeming attitude of "See what you guys can do" non-strategy or wrong strategy.
BTW, It's too bad the Rockets 3's didn't go in the last 2 games (although they still won the previous game). The Rockets' players need to practice releasing 3-pointers quickly as soon as they catch the ball - and tons of it.
Not sure, the 1st 2 games, Lillard hits 3 out of 10 3 point. That is 30%. If my front end player has problem with the max player, I will order help.
DeleteMatthews' is career 40% player in 3 pt shooting, that will be different story.
NBA website says Lillard is averaging 21 points and 9 assists after 3 games, not bad for a rookie.
DeleteLillard is gettin' tons of minutes and some very good teammates to pass to so his numbers will be good. But boy can definitely shoot and has range. I am impressed so far.
DeleteThat's an example of why 3-point shooting is so important to a point guard's game. JLin needs a more consistent jump shot to get to the next level.
DeleteAlso, I hope Lin sees the entire game tape and learns from the defense of Tony Douglas, he doesn't just stay in front of his man, he harasses him up and down the court and forces him to give up the dribble. That's how Jeremy should defend his man next time, especially if he's a smaller, slower guy.
ABC, and I would like to dunk the ball like Nate Robinson.....(please note the sarcasm)
DeleteYou may mean that in the context that defense is effort, but there is skill and athleticism in staying in front of your man. It is clear as day Lin does not have elite NBA level lateral movement on defense, hence why he cannot stay in front of his man as well. It's not for lack of effort or know how....just my 2 cents...
swinglinezigzag, I agree. That's what my eyes see also. I would think if you have fast forward movement, lateral movement would be fast also, but I guess not the case.
DeleteIf Lin had such elite defensive lateral movement and an elite vertical jump, Lin would be unstoppable as a guard on offense and defense. Lin is great at changing quick directions with the ball when he knows what he is gonna do, but not so great in a reactionary stance on defense.
DeleteLin's on-the-ball continues to be a work in progress, but it's not as though he's a poor defender as is. In terms of decision-making and effort, I thought Lin's defense was acceptable. Lillard made plays.
DeleteHarden was slow to recover on Matthews, which fit the theme of Harden looking slowed on offense, too, especially after the ankle injury.
Nothing wrong with Harden having the ball at the end. He's the most experienced player in this kind of situation. Should have been up by 1 (allow them 2 but not 3) with the time running out and made Blazers foul Rockets player. It hurts because this one got away unfortunately. I disagree that Blazers are all that much better than Rockets, not with Harden on Rockets. McHale has to let Rookies get some playing time gradually; otherwise, they will never improve. I was impressed by Douglas trying to play tough D, but either this guy has no luck or he just can't buy a bucket -- hope he finds a way to contribute and doesn't get pushed to 3rd option. Gotta say the game was exciting even though Rockets lost. But no question in my mind that this game was there for the taking. Hopefully, Rockets will learn and make better decisions when they are in similar situation in future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you wrote. Up by 3, the situational awareness by Harden and the coach was not great. You can't leave the 3-pt shooter to help double the 2-pt shooter.
DeleteThese are exciting games though for sure. And although Harden has grabbed the spotlight, the Rockets are a much more competitive team with him. Imagine if the Rockets were 0-3 now, people would be asking for Lin's head.
I'm sure Lin's ill-advised alley-oop attempt to Chandler in the last minute contributed to McHale's decision to let Harden make the last play.
DeleteYou can say one loss is no big deal, but I feel that when you are a borderline playoff team (with Harden), you need to win a game like this and ride a momentum to its limit. Of course, I realize that some days, Rockets will lose by 20 when your shots are not falling and the opposing team is having a good shooting day, but this one hurt because Rockets let one get away: they fought and clawed back for the lead and then poop went the game. Therefore, the loss did have some impact, besides the game being a home opener. Success in pressure packed situation breeds more success and confidence and momentum. Momentum plays an important role for borderline playoff teams.
DeleteJLin must be playing nervous because Parsons was surrounded by Blazers' guys in that ally-oop attempt!
DeleteAnd I can't remember it was in this game or the last one, but JLin did a similar thing to Asik, except the taller Asik just barely caught the difficult ally-oop.
JLin needs to calm down and make better decisions.
If 4 guys started converging on me the way they did on Lin on that play and Parsons was the only guy to move to a scoring spot, I'd get nervous too.
DeleteALL of Lin's teammates have to move to their spots when defenses shift like that. Players who can't recognize those shifting defenses and move to spots accordingly wash out of the NBA, no matter how talented they are at individual scoring.
McHale has been emphasizing movement off the ball and passing to the open spots. The Rockets will work on these issues in the days off and come back STRONGER next game.
I wasn't bothered by the alley-oop attempt. If the alley-oop is there, take it. But on replay, it looked like the defender (Batum, I believe) baited Lin into throwing the pass by taking a step up and not turning his head when Parsons ran the baseline. Parsons looked open a for a moment. But when Lin threw the pass, the defender was in perfect position to pick it off.
DeleteLin got tricked. It happens. He'll learn.
What bothers me is that the coach only puts in Lin/ Harden combo, Harden/Douglas combo, and sometimes, Douglas/Delfino combo . He never has Lin on the floor without Harden. So Harden plays most of the minutes and Lin is just a rotation player to help him.
ReplyDeleteIt's highly possible that McHale wanted to reduce wear and tear on JLin's knee (still in recovery) and play him when it matters most in the last 4-5 min in 4Q.
DeleteHarden was spent at the end of 4Q so now McHale also needs to reduce Harden's minutes.
I don't think it's McHale actively wanting to limit Lin. McHale used to clash with players for asking them to do MORE than they thought they could do, not less.
DeleteSimilarly, lineups will remain unsettled until the Rockets can have a few practices and get to know each other better.
Both Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic improved greatly after playing for McHale. Jeremy Lin is improving too!
I don't think playing most of the minutes is ideal. And I'd prefer if the Rocket's had a solid backup point guard. Even though my sentiment may not be popular here and even though Jeremy Lin is my favorite player in the NBA: James Harden is a better overall player, right now. As good as Jeremy Lin is, James Harden is more skilled. And that is a GREAT thing because now there's two stars on the team instead of just one which gives the Rocket's a better shot at making the playoffs. Also, I expect Jeremy Lin to steadily get more consistent and improve his skills throughout the season, which will be exciting to see.
DeleteI said this before, but I see why McHale let Harden play hero ball.
Delete1) Jeremy isn't finishing consistently at the rim yet (knee still not 100%).
2) Jeremy isn't getting many whistles from refs (probably because of point #1).
3) Harden is already getting some superstar calls. So even tired, he can get to the line regularly.
But this loss was a wake-up call, I hope. Even at 90%, Jeremy MUST be considered a go-to guy late in games. Especially when Harden is clearly exhausted like he was the other day.
That's all this loss was really. Both teams were gassed and the Rockets kept going to Harden while Portland let guys like Matthews and Lilliard have a shot (instead of just Aldridge).
Bamboo Forest, your viewpoint sounds very reasonable to me.
DeleteJlin and Jharden are not iso players. You cannot isolate them and expect them purely to win the game, ala MJ or Kobe, based on individual athleticism. In order to do that, again ala MJ, you must for one, be able to elevate above your opponent to put up a good shot. Two, you must be a good one on one player, able to go take on two or three opponents and still get up a good shot. Not saying both guys are not athletic, but they are low to the ground players who don't score their points off of elevation. Both guys go north and south, instead of east and west. When the defenses crowd the middle and take away the driving lanes, there's no where they can go except up, which means they got to have hops to elevate against their opponent and put up a good shot. Now Jharden has an advantage over Jlin in that department. However, he's still not an elevation guy. If Mchale continues to use Harden in this fashion, I think the Rockets will fail miserably. This is a team built for slashing and dishing to the open man, cuz there will be alot of men open resulting from the drives. Cultivate that mindset rather than isolation is key.
ReplyDeleteGood point mt.
DeleteAre you guys kidding? Lin and Harden were two of the BEST iso players in the entire NBA last year. As in Top 10, Top 5 territory.
DeleteJeremy isn't full strength yet, so I can see why you'd think that based on the "eye test." But trust me, in a few weeks, McHale will want to run tons of isolation for Harden and Lin, especially in crunch time when everyone's gassed.
You are correct zzcvb ; Top 10 I think
DeleteSorry I mean zxcvb
DeleteIf you read McHale's comments, this is what he is trying to establish. McHale is old school, he's not into 1 on 1 basketball or over dribbling. He wants to beat teams with the pass, not dribbles.
DeleteMchale is not a big fan of the PnR used in isolation. Mchale likes to use options off set plays which involve the use of a PnR or screening action. However right now, all they are doing in the 4th Quarter is the iso PnR game with everyone standing there watching Harden. It actually worked for 2/3 games!
I have confidence Lin has specific elite basketball skills like deflections/steals/first step/up the court lead assists/speed that will allow him to succeed as a player and will eventually help him earn the trust of teammates and coaches.
The coaches are so busy with other crap that they barely even watched Lin's games in NYK after he was signed despite what they claim to the media. Trust me they have no clue what he can or can't do. They will rely on their own observations since Lin doesn't have a large body of work. They've only seen Lin shoot 20%, brick shots, look horrible against the Spurs, forcing drives to get rejected at the rim time and time again in the preseason. They have no clue what he can do other than what he shows them in games and practices. Guess what? We've had 3 whopping games.
Amazingly, Lin played only o.k./average in game 2 yet almost got a triple double. What do you think will happen when he turns it on and gets in the groove?
Lin crazies want to hear Lin is the Asian Jordan. Truth is Lin's game is much more modern day Jason Kidd than anything, in my humble opinion. Lin is a less physically imposing but more skilled version of Jason Kidd that gets all around stats and affects the game on offense and defense. Kidd was more a Lebron James version of a PG with no shooting touch in his heyday. I believe Kidd had Kerry Kittles at SG with the Nets, but Lin has Harden so Lin will be forced to share the ball more...
I see Lin eventually becoming more of a modern day John Stockton . . . and so does Gary Payton.
DeletePayton has this hilarious video talking about John Stockton. He raves about how Stockton would come in, score his 17 ppg and get his 10+ assists every night, and win games. Payton even talks about how Stockton is his favorite player, not Jordan!
I envision Lin at the peak of his powers averaging about 17 points and 10ish assists (asts depend on how capable his teammates are). Even now, Lin could be a 20 point scorer if he were more selfish and bricked more shots. But Lin is more focused on winning the game not just by scoring and passing, but rebounding and defending and leading.
Lin's got a nice shooting touch that is really starting to emerge. I can even imagine Lin shooting Stockton-like percentages in a year or two.
@swingline, I can see how Lin would turn out to be a modern-day Jason Kidd with more shooting touch although Jason Kidd had the edge in rebounding being slightly taller (6'4") and bigger.
Delete@Khuang, I do hope JLin's career will resemble John Stockton's with double digits assists and 2-3 steal avgs. JLin has greater potential due to his athleticism to get more rebounds/steals and be more physical around the rim but the shooting consistency is a bit unknown at the moment.
Because of Jeremy's strength and athleticism, he'll most likely play like Kidd. A do-everything point guard.
DeleteSo far, Lin has been BETTER than 3rd year John Stockton!
DeleteLin's actually been better than 3rd year Jason Kidd, who's not taller than Lin and is an even 6'3" by his own admission.
In evaluating basketball players, the trick is to see what they're doing in a team context. Jeremy Lin has done as much as any point guard could be expected to do for the Knicks and Rockets, so I'm satisfied with his play and expect no more.
I keep saying that as Lin's team gets used to playing with him, Lin's numbers will improve. That does NOT mean that Lin is getting "better", though.
@zxcvb, No i am not kidding. If you think isolation will work, then you are in for a rude awakening. Even for Kobe, it is not working nowadays because he doesn't have the elevation anymore.
DeleteEverybody has it all wrong with their JLin comparisons.
DeleteJeremy Lin is the Asian Amurican version of Wilt Chamberlain!
I don't mean in terms of Lin's performance on the basketball court, however.
I mean his performance "off the court" ... if you know what I mean. ;-)
Stockton was a hell of a tough nosed, physically strong player who was only 6 foot one I believe. Perhaps the toughest guard in the NBA during his time. But I view it as an insult to Lin when people compare Lin to Stockton. I cringe every time Magic and Steve Smith say that.
DeleteI believe Stockton was a smart player, tough as nails, but very very limited in talent and ability when compared to other elite PGs. For me, he was vastly overrated because he was maybe the only starting white PG guard in the NBA before Mark Price retired. And of course he played in Utah back in the 90's when they only had 4 black players on the team. And of course as the sole white NBA (or at least the best of the white starting PGs) starting PG he was put on the Dream Team. You can all disagree, it's just my take. I like Stockton, but I just think he was no better Eric Snow.
I believe everyone compares Lin to Stockton because Stockton is white. And Lin to Nash because Lin is white, although they do both throw similar type lead passes and hit open men which is a classic "heady white guy" play. What these media guys and expert NBA guys (all the expert and great players besides Bird are typically black) can't admit to themselves is that Lin is athletic. Lin is not a limited player of minimal athleticism as that idiot David Thorpe will have you believe.
I don't want to talk about race more than I already do, but to me, the best Asian American players play like a hybrid of the stereotypical "heady, tough white player" and the stereotypical "athletic black player." Lin is a shining example of that.
That is why Kidd is a better comparison to Lin
DeleteNash was a good athlete when he was younger.
DeleteDoes anyone have an idea what is the average field goal percentage and 3 point percentage of PGs in NBA?
ReplyDeleteMost NBA PG's shoot mainly perimeter jumpshots, so I'd say about 40% and 35% from 3-point range. But what's most important is their number of assists, making the team around them better. I think most PG's average only about 5.5 assists per game. So in that regard, Jeremy Lin is above average.
DeleteIf these were just guesses, they're pretty good. For 2011-2, the average PG 3 pt% was 0.348 (avg for all was 0.349).
DeleteAverage assist is a bit trickier. The average is 4.1 (2011-2) but this makes no distinction between starter and scrub.
Much better is to use the "qualified" PG stats. Just for fun, so far this year, JLin comes in at #10 with 7.3 APG. Who's at #9 and #11? Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry, respectively.
Don't read anything into this low sample sized stat, remember I said this was just for fun!
Wow, not much difference between 3 pts average and inside 3 points line field goals, right? I thought inside 3 points line field goal percentage would be substantially higher. I guess not.
Delete@Eb5,
DeleteI'm sorry, I think I've misled you with poor syntax. The "avg for all" references all positions (since you asked about PG), not all shots. My bad.
Jeremy needs to hold himself to high standards. If he's content with simply being average, then he's in the wrong business.
Delete39% FG shooting isn't something that he's known for. Hopefully he starts to get it together soon.
So, if we see in stats that a PG shot 40% for field goal attempts and 30% for 3 pointers attempted, then the PG is shooting ok? I know Novak shoots something like 40% or better for 3 pointers, which is considered really good.
Delete@eb5
DeleteThose numbers are both below average for point guards (0.429 and 0.348 respectively).
Novak-aine shot a league (qualified) best 0.472 from 3 pt land last year (his 2 pt FG% was 0.509!). Yes, anyone around 0.400 is considered really good (Harden shot 0.390).
Delfino shot 0.360 last year. It was inevitable he come back to earth from his ridiculous (but much appreciated!) four 3's in the fourth in game one.
Basketball is super fun from a stats perspective, showing that it has appeal for both the dexterous and the pointdexterous (apologies to the Simpsons).
My personal take is that Lin and Harden don't have to change anything about their games.
ReplyDeleteLet's see the Rockets frontcourt actually SCORE first.
Let us hope Greg Smith and Morris play more.
DeleteYes, definitely more Smith and Morris.
DeleteI do want to see if Terrence Jones will play nervously or not.
Also, Delfino makes bad decision with his bad shot selection; Parsons is still bricking shots;
ReplyDeleteWhy don't the Rockets play pick and pop with Patterson?
Don't use screens from Asik since he clogs the lane so much.
Delfino doesn't have even average NBA athleticism, so he'll regularly toss up bad shots. Otherwise it's no shot at all.
DeleteParsons is simply not a shooter period. He's trying, but he'll never be a "good" shooter".
Patterson cannot pick nor pop. Doesn't have the skillz.
Asik needs to SCORE. If he can hit the little jumpshot and actually shoot layups, he'd be a good screener.
Questions from an elementary-school-level bball viewer, and a huge fan of Lin:
ReplyDelete1. why did Lin stay in the corner that often, and just watch others play?
2. when he was guarding PG of the other team, he was always chasing the guy around, but when he was guarded by PG of the other team, he seldom ran around and again just stood in the corner. Is this because of his knee problem? or is he trying to conserve his energy?
Simple answer to both questions.
DeleteThe young Rockets frontcourt CAN'T PLAY.
They rotate poorly on defense, have no idea what to do on offense (even though McHale's coaching plan puts them in the right spots), and offer no assistance to Lin or Harden.
Lin in particular tries to cover up for his teammates, but there's a limit to what Lin can do.
Case in point: On the blown alley oop to Chander Parsons, there were FOUR guys on Jeremy Lin. Only Parsons presented himself as an option to finish the play while everybody else other than the gassed Harden was clueless. Had Parsons simply caught the ball and gone back up, Lin would have been a hero instead of the villain.
I disagree, the defender read the pass easily leading to the turnover It was a high risk play.
DeleteIf it was on a set play, then that's just how it's designed to be and he's just going where he is supposed to. It is *not* to marginalize him, as conspiracy theorists may have you believe. Depending on the set, it could simply be to draw his own defender as far away as possible from the ball. If his man cheats off of him, he has an easy back door cut for a lay-up. Look from 1:29 here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIMVWmSnen4
DeleteIn the final regulation play against Portland, he wasn't in the corner, he was on Harden's right. It's Harden's iso, but the only other player who could have been involved is Lin. Look at 2:07 here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swDZmG1Sy_o In other words, when it counts, Lin's not standing in the corner, and it would never be "just to watch others play".
Contrary to what neph says, beating a quadruple team is NOT all on Jeremy Lin.
DeleteHad Lin's Rockets teammates moved to where they were supposed to go, Parsons wouldn't have been the only guy open. Besides, Parsons could've just caught that pass and come down with it.
It takes an entire team to beat a trap, not just one guy. Antifans of Lin love to blame Lin for the failures of other players.
Thanks, guys, for the education.
DeleteI do remember the 2 cases Nom pointed out, but since preseason, I saw, a lot of times, he just stood in the corner, either by coach's order, or by his own choice, or just trying not to overuse his recovering knee in the beginning of the season, as a huge fan of his, it pains me to see such scenes.
Anyway, I love his performance in Game 2, and a glimpse of Linsanity in Game 3.
@KHuang
Deletere:
"Case in point: On the blown alley oop to Chander Parsons, there were FOUR guys on Jeremy Lin. Only Parsons presented himself as an option to finish the play while everybody else other than the gassed Harden was clueless. Had Parsons simply caught the ball and gone back up, Lin would have been a hero instead of the villain."
Really? Even given your penchant for hyperbole, how can I take you seriously if you post stuff like this. For the record, I went back to the game to see if it was true because this is not how I remember it; you may want to watch this play again.
You don't have to take me seriously if you don't want to, Nom.
DeleteI saw the game and that particular play from Lin's player perspective.
When I watched those 4 guys suddenly turn their attention to Lin on that play and converge on him to stop his drive, I also saw Chandler Parsons move toward the rim. Because Lin has great court vision, he saw Parsons and found him with that pass.
Little plays like that are glaringly obvious to me but not to others. Most people don't see those plays and flame me for it, but those plays have a tendency to show up in the "sneaky stats" that Lin compiles (i.e. #1 in the entire NBA in passes leading to 3 point or layup attempts, which that particular play just added to).
Hyperbole, huh? Look at Lin's STATS, they speak louder than I do.
I've watched the lob pass several times and I can say that it was batum (Parsons' defender) who disrupted the pass. Batum read that pass perfectly. There was no quadruple team since Jeremy was outside the three point line. So, Batum just timed the pass well. If Batum's timing was off then that would definitely be a dunk by Parsons. Again, I didn't see any quadruple team after watching it more than 10 times.
DeleteFair assessment, neph.
DeleteTo me, a double or triple or quadruple team is when defenders step into Lin's dribble path and await his attack while neglecting their own men.
I saw four guys suddenly shift their attention to Lin and move themselves into position to stop his inevitable drive to the hoop. Lin saw Parsons as the only guy open, but Batum being Batum disrupted the play.
The bottom line is that 4 guys were correctly focused on Lin and that the young Rockets will have to respond better to the shifting traps. They'll work on that in practice and respond better next game.
@KHuang
DeleteYou know, maybe I do need to be educated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nixix8yMfI0
Start at 12:10.
Not only do I not count 4 players guarding him (that's how many I would need for a quadruple team, right?), of the 3 in JLin's vicinity, PPat has screened Lin's man, Harden has Matthews' full attention, and LMA is how many feet away?
I wish JLin had just taken a three. He was open enough. A make would have been worth much, much more than 3 points.
Anyways, neph is correct, Batum owned that play, CP couldn't have caught it if he wanted to.
Here's the thing, @KHuang. I *want* to take you seriously, but you're right, I don't have to. And if "glaringly obvious to me but not to others" means subscribing to your creative gameplay reconstruction, I won't.
Back on topic, for anyone who still thinks JLin is not getting a fair shake, there is under a minute left in a tied game, and *Harden* is the one who brings the ball up and passes it to Lin. Lin just messed up. Won't be the last time, he'll learn from it, and hopefully come back stronger.
Nom, any armchair enthusiast like you or me can analyze Lin's "errors" repeatedly.
DeleteIn the heat of the game when decisions are made in split seconds, not even Lin can make the right play every time especially when the focus is on him. Maybe you can, but Lin can't.
Go ahead. Analyze and reanalyze and rereanalyze. I'm seeing the game from Lin's player perspective, not yours.
I used to get really worked up over what KHuang writes on here, but a while back I just figured the guy is a comedian. He lives in a different world than the rest of us do. There's no point in attempting to reason with him.
Delete@Khuang,
DeleteIf Jeremy was getting "quadruple-teamed," wouldn't 3 of his teammates be open? Because that certainly wasn't the case on that play.
I honestly didn't even see a soft trap on Lin above the 3pt line.
DeleteIt's hard to tell because the resolution is poor, but it looks like Jeremy threw that alley-oop TOO LOW.
DeleteThe ball looks to be at rim-level...which is why Batum was able to intercept it. If Jeremy had thrown it A FOOT HIGHER it might get by Batum and Parsons could still dunk it as he's even longer than Landry Fields with similar ups.
I guess Jeremy thought it was better to have it tipped in the air (for a loose ball) than risk throwing it out of bounds completely. Still, I really like that gutsy call by Jeremy/McHale. It would have been an epic way to clinch a game and required Batum to make a superb defensive play to stop it.
By "quadruple teamed" KHuang just means that four defenders were focusing their attention on Lin. That is, their heads were turned towards him (even if they were technically guarding someone else).
DeleteTVN posts here only to flame me and other Lin fans.
DeleteI used to think he was a Lin fan, but I was DEAD WRONG.
Haters like him try to stir up other haters to hate Lin and Lin's fans. That's why TVN hates my guts.
The worst thing that could happen is that JLin does well. Whenever that happens, TVN runs like a pansy because his haterade boils away.
There are A LOT of Lin haters for whom TVN is their idol. You're doing a good job stirring them up, TVN.
Jeremy Lin had a triple threat stance, meaning with the nice screen by Patterson, he had 3 options. Take the 3 pointer or jump shot, drive in for lay-up, or pass. He choose to pass as he thought that CP was open for a lob pass. Which technically he was, but like Neph said Batum was able to disrupt the pass due to his long arms.
DeleteFor analyzing and reanalyzing stuff, it's pointless. But for this thread I will make my analysis.
I think Lin did a great job to get himself on a triple threat situation due to his and Patterson's nice pick n' roll execution. The pass was a good choice as it was a high risk & high reward choice. However, a bounce pass to CP would have been a better choice, not a lob pass. The lob pass makes it a high risk & low reward choice.
A 3 pointer would have been a high risk & low reward choice.
The drive-in layup would have been a low risk & low reward choice. (Because they would have collapsed on him and even if he drove in and dished it to CP, it would have been a low reward since the Bigs would have been able to contest the shot inside)
Lin is a great penetrator and most NBA teams will collapse the defenders of non-shooters into the paint to cut off the higher percentage plays in the paint. This is standard help defense. It's not like they're running 3 or 4 defenders at Lin when he's at the top of the key. When Kobe is posted on the block and another defender, not the one guarding Kobe, runs at him, that's a double team.
Delete@Etymology re: 3 pointer
DeleteAgree, absolutely, with high risk. Disagree with low reward.
Taken within the context of just this game, a 3 would likely have clinched it.
Taken within the overall narrative of the Jeremy Lin story... who among us wouldn't have exploded if JLin drilled a 3 at that point? How many questions would be put to rest, what would it have done for his confidence, for the coach and his teammates' confidence? 0.333 chance of that happening had he taken the shot. The reward? Like the Mastercard commercials go...
Just for fun, I rewatched the botched alley-oop to Parsons in NBA LP replay.
DeleteAt first I thought it was a similar alley-oop he used to do so well with Landry but the timing and the execution was not done very well perhaps because Parsons and Lin did not have the timing down or practiced it often enough.
Personally, I believe it would have been better to attack inside (just like he did with the and-1) until the defense starts to collapse on him and he can decide to pass outside, take a midrange jumpshot, attack the basket to get fouled or reset the offense if noone was open. It was 12 seconds on the shot clock so a long 3PT from the top of the key wouldn't have been his first choice.
BUT this was NOT what caused Houston to not win it in regulation. The biggest mistakes were:
1. Asik not being able to dunk the ball to extend the lead from 78-76 to 80-76
2. Harden's defensive lapse to let Wesley Matthews to shoot 3-PT and tied it at 81-81
3. Houston porous defense allowed Portland to catch up so easily after being behind 72-76
That's probably why McHale focused on defensive assignments based on JLin's post-practice interview today. So it was not Lin failing to make 1 play that caused the loss, it was many defensive lapses in the last 2 min that let Portland scored so easily.
Batum baited Lin into the pass. It looked like Batum was playing off of Parsons and didn't see him cut on the baseline. But when Lin threw the pass, Batum was in perfect position and caught it like he knew it was coming.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete#1 hater with another video! and there was a White woman waving a China flag in the stands!!! hahaha
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR2M8-ozRWI
I was actually viewing his video to check what happened in the lob pass. The pass was a high risk play. Credit to Batum for timing the pass perfectly. If it was other players who are not as smart as Batum, then the Rockets would definitely score for sure. So, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Blame Batum here.
DeleteAnyways, this uploader has too much time for him to dedicate a lowlight videos of Lin.
Hah.
DeleteNo need to go THERE for haters when we have THIS site, huh?
that was NOT a flame of neph, who has good points here.
DeleteIt IS a flame of TVN who hates us all here though.
DeleteHe's even more of a Lin hater than FilipinoIslanders on youtube.
I watched that video of FilipinoIslanders a couple of days ago. I am Filipino and Jlin's biggest fan, in fact i have collection of JLin's photos, and newspaper clips during his times in New York..
DeleteI now know what "quadruple teamed" means. LOL. By that definition, I think I once saw Melo get teamed by 5 opposing players because they were all focusing on him. No wonder Melo misses so many shots.
DeleteOne thing that does amaze me is how Harden with his jerky dribbling can get by or slide by sometimes 3 or even 4 players. This shows me that you don't have to be super fast but decelerate and accelerate to freeze and get by defenders. That's the same with soccer dribbling.
I don't hate anyone who posts here to be frank now that I came to know better what their perspectives are. And I don't think TVN hates me; I see where he's coming from, and he often has good points. I actually like Neph also because he says what immediately comes to my mind.
Yeah , I am shamed too by that FilipinoIslanders... tsk tsk.. such lowlife...
DeleteIn other news, the New York Knicks are now 3-0, for the first time since the 1999-2000 season!
ReplyDeleteIs it possible for JLin to demand a trade back to New York?
LOL.
Maybe that was the plan of Lin and Dolan in the first place ?
DeleteGet some experience with an inexperience group then he'll be traded back to New York with a lot of experience in terms of running a team. We have been manipulated by the Dolan and Lin.
Melo is actually playing some hard D. I think the problem will occur once Stat returns.
DeleteYou're right eb5attorney
DeleteBut they can't trade Amare or at least there isn't single team stupid enough to accept his 20 million dollar contract. Who would? No one, that is for sure.
I think it is the presence of J KIDD. He makes them move the ball more.
Jeremy better wake up, the Knicks are determined to succeed without him. Jeremy needs to attack aggressively. He can't settle for 13 and 7 game. He needs to have an 18 and 8 performance every game.
Nah, Jeremy doesn't have to jack up stats to justify anything. Just win baby. He can't be worrying about the Knicks or, gasp, what people might think.
DeleteHe just needs to play his game, keep improving, and leave the rest of that crap to everyone else.
groan.
DeleteThe sky really is falling for guys like neph, eb5attorney, and TVN. To them, Lin is a FAIL and they're determined to make sure we agree on this Lin fansite.
I'm happy with Lin's performance. I'm not the only person who is.
This is a Lin fansite, but the amount of flaming toward Lin and his fans thrown at people especially by those three haters is impressively FUTILE.
Yeah. I think it will be asking too much to wish that the so called "experts" will stop analyzing or over analyzing Jeremy Lin.
DeleteIt's so easy to say , "Lin should have done this... or Lin should have not done that... blah..blah...blah..."
The truth is , it's easier said than done. From a player's perspective who was in that actual situation , the ideal is not always what is achieved. There are a lot of factors that come to play.
This is just my humble opinion. :)
(because I already find the repeated analysis and over analysis stressful :(
I am so happy that Lin is doing very well right now . The other player is the people's business . Do guys like neph, eb5attorney, and TVN try to make us feel sorry because rockets is winning 2 and 1 right now......Ha ha ha and I want to cry.
Deleteand in other news Raymond Felton is putting up "backup point guard" numbers
Delete@pz
Delete16 and 8 in the last game for Felton
@neph and today's numbers?
Delete@neph 11-1 and 4 TO
DeleteThose are today's numbers
Deletethat's right .. 'backup point guard numbers'
Delete11 and 1 were the home game numbers
DeleteAnyways, why would you compare him to a slightly above-average pg like Felton.
Compare Lin to Lowry who has been balling. I've watched some Raptors highlights. Jeremy should do what Lowry does. Lowry is very aggressive. That is what is missing in Lin's game. Somebody needs to ignite the passion back in him. He's playing safe too much on offense. Last season, he was ultra-aggressive.
"He just needs to play his game, keep improving, and leave the rest of that crap to everyone else."
Delete- The problem is that he is not playing his game. Waiting outside the 3pt line is not his game His game is all about aggressive penetration. Through that penetration, he'll open opportunities for himself and for his teammates. It will be difficult to score and distribute if you're always in the perimeter.
- He played better in the Hawks game so he didn't improve after one game
- What crap?
at the end of the year the comparisons will be about Lin & Felton and if Dolan made the right move (basketball wise).
Deletealso all the other players and "analysts" who had no problem voicing their opinion ala D-Will / SA Smith saying Felton was the better of the two will have their judgement day coming and Lin should prove to come out on top.
Personally, I don't really care what Felton averages. He will not have all-star numbers but the likes of Lowry, Wall, Irving, and others will definitely have. He should play at those levels.
DeleteThe Felton-Lin comparison is for the media to deal with. that such a low standard by Lin if he's going to compare himself to Felton.
People were predicting a 20 and 8 season for Jeremy. Then you simply want to compare him to a slightly above average point guard who I think will end up averaging 12-14 ppg and 5-6 apg.
We're all Jeremy fans here but i do believe you're setting your expectations too high. Lowry, Wall, and Irving are the #1 options on their team. With the addition of Harden , and even before the trade, Jeremy is not and will never be the #1 option although you can argue he will the #1 facilitator and share a #2 scoring option with Asik. With the exception of Lowry, Wall and Irving have been on their teams for a year now and have had that time to build chemistry among teammates and learn their coach's offense.
Deletei mean let's be fans but not fanatics. to put expectations on Jeremy to be that #1 scoring option on his first year with the youngest team in the NBA is only setting him up for failure. last year we were thrilled he wasn't cut and actually even starting. this year I'll be absolutely satisfied with decent numbers that get them into the playoffs.
I'm not expecting him to be the number 1 option. I have realistic expectations for him this season. he's not going to have a 20 and 8 season. However, 13 and 7 aren't impressive either.
Delete@neph, didn't you say stats isn't important? think the tough love making you really stressed out.
DeleteYEah, stats are not everything
DeleteHowever, I'm not satisfied with how much less aggressive Lin has become?
Okay, let's compare Lin to Lowry/Irving/Wall. Lin's team is 2-1. Lowry's team is 1-2. Irving's 2-2. Wall's 0-2. And Lin is doing all this by having Harden and nothing else on the team while Lowry and Irving all have competent frontcourt and backcourt teammates. Wall is injuried and not playing now. Well I think Lin is doing very fine compared to others.
DeleteOf course Lin's team will win the first two games because HARDEN averaged 41ppg. So regardless of the pg, they would have won.
DeleteLet us compare their contributions to the team and not the wins. Winning should be attributed to the whole team and not the individual.
Have you seen Lowry? He was like a possessed demon due to his aggressive play. His PER is impressive.
Wall has yet to play
Kyrie Irving: 23.7 ppg and 51% FG
So, who is better?
Lin better have a 17+ ppg and 7+ apg and at least shoot 45% or more.
Jeremy shoots 39% from the field
DeleteThat is never FINE ~Cara~
The purpose of this game is to win, no? Lin was doing enough to win 2 and almost 3 games. He did not put up as good numbers as others yes, but he didn't need to either.
DeleteBTW, I like Lin's game so much better than those 3 pointer jacking guards.
But if you are a fan of those guards, you can always choose to go to their fan sites.
but he hasn't shown his true game: the fearless penetrations, the clutch shots, etc.
DeleteWinning is important but also to have sufficient stats to silence the doubters.
@Cara
DeleteJeremy needs to prove to the rockets fans that he is the BETTER PG than Lowry.
To Lin's credit, he has been playing better than Dragic.
Winning is fun but Winning while DOMINATING is even more fun.
@neph, I didn't say in the last game Lin played his game. But I also wouldn't get so caught up in his stats either. He is deferring a bit too much to Harden, but this might be handed down from the coach. As the season goes on, things will shake out and a more even distribution will start to surface.
DeleteI have a feeling Lin will get is groove back and will be seen as more of an equal with Harden. Then the stats will take care of themselves.
@neph agree with not comparing to felton.
Deleteand beside, does anyone really believe that whoever thought felton is better for the knicks will change their tune after the season even if lin's stats blows felton's out of the water? hell no. they will NEVER change their tunes. they will just say "lin had better stats but felton was better for the knicks". "better for the knicks" is a subjective opinion since you can't really prove that.
neph, eb5attorney, and TVN , you just forgot about to mention Lin's turnover number , I feel bad that he let you guys down ,now you guys just have one less thing to talk about , you are very disappointed , right ?
ReplyDeleteOk his turnover numbers were down at the expense of less driving to the basket.
DeleteLet me ask you something:
Can you easily say that he has been penetrating as much this season compared to last season?
In my opinion, it is not even close. In NY, he would penetrate ALL GAME long despite the tight defense. He would split the pnr, use his hesitation dribble, etc. Now, you barely see him drive to the paint.
I would rather him play the way he's playing now and be safe than re injure himself again and cut his flourishing bbal career short.
DeleteUntil when will his knee be 100%?
DeleteBlake Griffin had the same surgery at a much later time but look at him now. He looks so athletic as always. Lin , on the other hand, had the surgery at an earlier time but is still looking like he didn't improve at all.
We want the ultra-aggressive Lin and not the jumpshooting Lin.
Each injury is different to recover from. Blake Griffin's surgery was a fractured kneecap, it did not affect the cartilage joint in his knee.
Delete@ABC Baller
DeleteThanks, that is my mistake
From the stats I've seen Ramond Felton is playing very solid. But none of that matters. And I believe Lin isn't looking at other people's stats. He's too busy focusing on making himself and the Roeket's the best possible.
ReplyDeleteThe angsty part of Felton's success with the Knicks (so far) is that Felton's role, playing with Kidd, Anthony, and Chandler, is tailor-made for Lin.
DeleteDolan is like the studio head in the Godfather (horsehead-in-the-bed scene) who refused to give the Italian singer a movie role because he knew the singer would be perfect in it and it would guarantee the singer's stardom. Switching out Lin for Felton won't hurt the Knicks until they reach the 2nd round, at which time they'll need a dynamic, creative, clutch perimeter scorer/playmaker and will be reminded Felton isn't that kind of guard. Lin is that kind of guard.
Lin is in a good spot with the Rockets. They're young, while the Knicks are old and brittle. Succeeding as an underdog is a Lin specialty. He and Harden have a lot of potential together. Still, Lin would be perfect in Felton's role. It would have been special if the Knicks had brought him back. Oh well.
You really want Lin back in your Knicks
DeleteWanted, yes. Not because I'm a Knicks fan, but because the conditions on the team, especially when they signed Kidd, suited Lin so well - like I said, tailor-made.
DeleteThe Knicks' biological clock is ticking loud, but by the time the team fell apart, Lin would have drawn out all the veteran development and winning reps he needed to establish his career. He would have been ready either for the Knicks to make a long-term commitment or move on with his rep established, Nash-to-Suns style.
As far as the Knicks being my hometown team, in that sense, I do prefer he play in NYC. Either Knicks or Nets would be fine. Lin had a strong fan base in NYC.
Why is everyone getting so upset when its only been the 3rd game? ONE loss. Yeah Lin sort of lapsed in OT (IMO I don't recall Lin ever doing well in OT as a Knick, every time a game goes OT I expect a loss, he is clutch in 4Q, not OT), but he wasn't the only one. IMO McHale lapsed as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd who cares about Knicks?
I swear for a second I thought I was reading BR...Stop with the Lin bashing already. He will get better. If you don't believe that, well, not sure why ur even here.
Yes , why come here if guys are so negative , real man can handle a sole loss , name me 82 game winning team this season PLEASE .
DeleteIt is not being negative; it is called tough love
DeleteI cannot speak for others but I have very HIGH EXPECTATIONS for Jeremy.
Will you settle for Jeremy having unimpressive stats? I doubt you will; yes it is just one game but remember he was struggling throughout the preseason.
Is it too early to panic? Of course
We are just pointing out that this previous game, JEremy doesn't deserve an A+ grade for his performance.
@Kenoshi
Of course he will eventually get better, but when?
Not all of us are as patient as you. We do not want to wait for a few more months for the aggressive Lin to seize the moment.
Right now , I see Rockets doing OK . Since they already have Asik for rebound and defend and he doing what he supposed to do . For offense , they just do not able to make enough easy basket , I believe a balanced inside player can able to play with mind and flexible is needed ,when this paired with Lin that also change the pace of the game , I am not so sure Rockets can get it from a trade or develop from the current roster . If this happened , it will make the offense very easy and we can open up a lot of 3 .
ReplyDeleteTry playing the Rookies for a few minutes;
DeleteBench Patterson, Asik, and Parsons if they continue being incompetent offensively
Mavs Destroyed the Blazers. I knew the Blazers are talented but no way they are that good.
ReplyDeleteThe Rockets should have won that game. I blame McFAIL...... and the incompetent starting Frontcourt : Asik, Patterson, and Parsons
The Rockets should try playing small sometimes to improve the horrendous offense
DeleteAlso, if Patterson ans Parsons keep bricking then benched them. or better TRADE them for more competent players.
Lillard 1/8 3 pt shooting. See, the Mavs destroyed the Blazers because they used the same tactics as the Rockets, that is letting and living with this rookie PG shoot 3 instead of the more competent Blazers frontcourt players. So would you stop blaming Lin for Lillard going off on him in OT now?
DeleteI blamed him in the previous thread but not in this thread. OK.......
DeleteCan you please read who I blamed above?
I said McFAIL and the starting froncourt
So McHale had the same gameplan as the Mavs coach. And he failed but the Mavs didn't?
DeleteHe didn't call a timeout.
DeleteHis offensive gameplan is a failure.
Way to be a revisionist, nep, on top of being a flip flopper.
DeleteRevisionist and flip flopper ? When ?
DeleteThe Rockets should trade Patterson and Parsons to Utah for Millsap.
ReplyDeleteParsons is getting overrated every time he plays. His magical rookie season might be a FLUKE.
Do it Morey.
On the bright side, Jeremy shoots 91.7% from the FT line.
ReplyDelete@TVN makes me laugh. I think he once said he knew Jlin and thus his analysis was more important than any of ours. Hilarious. TVN..please keep coming back..I love you!!
ReplyDeleteLet me guess TVN..is Michael Jordan your cousin..hahaha. How about Kareem Abdul Jabaar..is he your dad?
DeleteSorry..couldn't help myself..On a more serious note, I predicted in an earlier post that the Knicks would have a banner year with me-Melo and Felton all trying to prove that Jlin is no longer needed. They will have a 55 game win season and all the experts will be talking championship...too bad they have to go through Lebron in addition to the Nets. A second round loss in the playoffs will likely occur.
ReplyDeleteI agree that a 2nd round loss in the play-offs is the likeliest result for the Knicks. That's when they'll be reminded why Lin would have been better for them than Felton. I like Felton from his run with the Knicks 2 seasons ago. But the Knicks would be more likelier to win the 2nd round with Lin than Felton due to their respective type as guards.
DeleteA 55 win season, reaching the 2nd round, and playing competitively, hanging close in a hardfought loss to an EC finalist would be considered a successful season, though. The last 2 Knicks seasons have lowered the bar on expectations for this season. If they play well in the 2nd round and lose close, they'll be talking championship for next season.
Guys, dont sleep on the knicks. I remember many saying that the knicks will not do well without Lin .However , I beg to differ.
Delete1)Carmelo has more motivation than ever to prove that he is the real king of ny..when he came to ny he was the undisputed BEST player when Lin came, things changed
2)Carmelo has everything he wants... coach and players. Something which I felt many did not notice was how Chris paul, and even derrick rose recruited players during the offseason so how was it that carmelo really wanted Lin ? That is why when he said that Lin's contract was ridiculous I knew that Lin would not be a knick.
3)If you look at the players on the team, you would realise all of them have motivation to prove that they are better off without Lin. With Lin's success in ny, came much criticism of melo and amare as overpaid. Of course, it would hurt their ego. I will not be surprised if they brainwashed the new players on the team speaking ill of Lin. That is why I think the new york match is extremely important. Then you have Felton as well...
When I realised that melo hated Lin, I knew that Lin will be in trouble. melo is considered by OTHERS as elite and he hangs out with all the all star players. There is a possibility that melo probably bitched to them about Lin.(not saying he does, but if he did..) Trust me, these all stars may have a personal grudge against Lin . That is why in a way I am glad that harden came to Houston. However, I am not sure if Harden will have Lin's back. I always wonder before HArden was traded, how did he think of Lin. Harden wants to prove okc made a mistake and Lin probably wants to as well but is Harden willing to sacrifice?