After the trade, rockets won 6 and lost 6. Every time Harden made more assists than Jeremy, the rockets lost the game. Playing Harden more as point guard backfires.
I thought the Rockets played real hard, but their shots weren't falling. When their 3's aren't falling, they shouldn't rely so heavily on it (3-point shots: Rox 9 of 35..... GS 13 of 26). However, I have a feeling that McHale asked them to keep shooting from beyond the arc.
Another game to live or die by 3's. Jackson the mediocre philandering preacher coach has outcoached McHale.
I think today, we missed the 2 traded more experienced players in Patterson and Morris. But the trade is probably better for next season.
I watched first quarter and a little of second quarter before leaving home. kinda disappointed with this loss. saw Mama Lin seated behind the bench. would have been nice to secure 6th seed.
The bad news is the Rox lost a game that would have put them in 6th, but poor shooting outside of Lin, Harden, and Delfino did them in.
The good news is Jeremy is putting together a string of really solid games and is putting to rest any lingering doubts that critics may have that he is anything but the real deal.
JLin did a good job offensively and defensively this game. He would have more assists if his teammates hit open shots. No one made shots except for JLin, Harden, and Delfino. They almost had another epic comeback in the third quarter but the Warriors answered back with three-pointers. Harden didn't do a good job at defense like always. JLin was gassed at the end and the game was over.
Hope this loss wakes up the Rockets. They can't dig a deep hole and play catch up.
I hope JLin continues his aggressive play and looks to score first when his teammates aren't hitting shots. I hope the coaches give him the green light to run the offense more than Harden and demand that Harden puts more effort on defense.
Harden's D is just mind boggling sometimes...not in a good way... If we make it to the playoffs(I'm sure the rockets will) they won't get very far with defense like that. I'm not hating on Harden coz sometimes he's just a complete monster on the offensive end but it's definitely something he needs to improve. As far as the loss goes shots weren't falling. Parsons and D-Mo way off tonight. As for McFail that man only has one strategy, let the ball move find your open man for the wide open 3 if not give it to Harden.
I think that's the tradeoff of playing him 40+ minutes. No defense, all offense. He won't last those long minutes on the court if he was playing both sides of the court. The Rockets needs a legitimate backup for Harden, play him less minutes, and demand that he plays more defense when he is on the court.
I think McHale expects him to shoulder the offensive load while the rest of the team can play defense. The problem is u just can't play defense like that. It has to be a collective effort as a team. Tonight was a perfect example of how it was impossible to defend curry, their number one offensive option, by himself.
McHale was right. The team should've focuses on their backcourt duo.. But it looks like the team just wasn't up to the challenge. I really wonder if McHale prepared the team the right way.
I didn't get to watch the game. So just look at the box score Jeremy Lin looked like had a good scoring output with over 50% FG and 3pt shooting.
It was mind boggling to see he had no steals this game and was 0-3 FT. He also only had 4 assists.
Curry exploded for 29 points but he did take 11 3 point attempts and 22 shot attempts, which will net you that many points so I'm not really concerned about Jlin's defense on him. Anyone who takes that many attempts and makes half or almost half of those shots will score that many points regardless of how good defense you played.
What I want to know is how did Jlin only end up with 4 assists? Were his teammates missing shots or having butter finger night?
How did Klay Thompson explose for 26 points? The only way I know he scores a lot is 3 pointers because he can't create his own shot, he's only a good spot up shooter.
Did the Rockets front court get out played? Because Bogut and Lee had both double-doubles vs. Rockets front court had no double double tonight.
How did Curry get 11 assists? Was it based on penetration and dishing in/out or just passes from the perimeter to perimeter where his teammates were making a lot of open 3 pointers?
Did Jarrett Jack smoke the 2nd unit PG(s)? Because he almost had a double double?
What happened to Chandler Parsons? 2-13 FG and 1-6 is a bad shooting night for him? Did GSW game plan against him tonight to take away open looks? And did he force the issue on offense by trying to dribble penetrate?
Dmo and Defino didn't look like they had a good day as well, what happened? Just bad shooting night?
There is a change in game plan for the rockets. Harden seems to take up the point guard spot while Jeremy played as scoring guard and put into a position of catch and shoot at almost the last seconds. Harden has a bad knee and he was considered exempted for everything and would not be benched for whatever reasons. The team chemistry is not there if you take away accountability out of players by making exceptions for one player. Every time Harden made more assists than Jeremy, the rockets lost the game. It seems to reflect that if we let Harden running the offense, the whole team suffered.
Isolation plays - they are reserved for when your team is not in an offensive groove. However, isolation plays froze Houston's offense in the third. When Lin was hot, the ball was taken out of his hands on multiple consecutive possessions due to iso Harden.
After Lin was benched, Delfino got hot. However, he got cooled down because the ball got too sticky in Harden's hands again. Delfino was rightfully demonstrating his displeasure with Harden's ball hogging when Harden forced Delfino to commit a shot clock violation when Harden passed him the ball with less than 1 second left.
Delfino and Parsons are shooters. Do not let them dribble for more than 3 steps at a time. Delfino has no business cutting to the basket either on or off ball. Parsons is a good cutter but should only cut to the basket off ball. Other than that, both should float at the perimeter 80% of the time and 75% of their shots ought to be 3pters.
Lin might as well continue to play his shooting guard position for the rest of the season. The team cannot finish any of his passes nor do they get themselves open for passes. So, Lin should drive first, shoot second and pass third whenever he gets the ball like a shooting guard out to.
Dmo's main problem is he floats at the perimeter too often. He should not shoot more than 2 3pters a game unless he makes his all 2 of his 3pters. He should concentrate on running towards the rim and not away from it. This will open up shots opportunities for everyone else as well as getting Dmo in position to crash the board. His goal should be getting at least 10 rebounds a game. And, if Dmo wants to shoot a J, it has to be from off a roll on a PnR. He can't just walk outside the paint unless there's a reason. He's NOT a guard.
No comment on Asik's game other than strengthening his lower back and core so he will have better flexibility and strength to bounce up for a dunk after catching a ball instead of having to bring the ball down before he can go back up again. Maybe he should do some laps in the pool.
Harden should not play as point guard at all, the team stifled and almost petrified when he was waiting his teammates to create opportunities for him. Jeremy drove to the basket and create opportunities for teammates. JLin passed whenever he sees opportunities. But JLin really didn't have many opportunities to make plays without the ball in his hands.
The Rockets should've rammed the ball inside against David Lee.
That guy is a notoriously bad defender. He doesn't have the height, quickness, hops, or willingness to stop DoMo or Robinson or Smith inside. I'd have posted Lee up with DoMo on every play and let DoMo control the offense against Lee.
This is where motion ball fails. Instead of bricking outside shots, the Rockets should've went right at David Lee and Bogut with their big men. Play "inside out", which is what McHale was crowing about doing when he was hired by Houston in the first place!
BAD MOVE: Harden did not speak with the media after the game, exiting the locker room before reporters were allowed to enter. Although it is rational for Harden to be upset on an embarrassing evening for the Rockets, a superstar and team leader has to show more professionalism in the face of adversity.
Expect Houston FO request for this narrative be pulled out of the game story, like they did recently where JLin and Haren picture were featured in the Fast and Furious Duo articel but a couple of days later, only Haren's dunking picture was there for the audience to see. LOL
QUOTABLE II: "What can you say? ... We didn't do anything right tonight, and it was just one of those nights. We can dwell on it, or we can come out and kick the crap out of the next however-many opponents we have at home." Jlin..
Harden was the guy running the offense lately. Ever since the trade, the rockets lost 6 games with him running the offense. When Jeremy stepped in and took over the game, the rockets won 6 times. The rockets played Dallas, Phoenix, and Golden States twice in this period. The rockets won the game easily with Jeremy running the offense specially when they set up pick and rolls for Jeremy but they lost when Harden was running the offense. We even lost 30 points to Golden States which we easily demolished for 3 times. Nothing was more apparent when the rockets played the Phoenix, JLin took control and demolished the Suns. When Harden ran the offense with his iso game, the rockets lost to the Suns.
If basketball is a game for team work, Harden's iso game should never be there. He stifled the ball movements. He is a great scoring guard but a lousy point guard.
It is clearly evident from these games that not much is going to change for JLin with this coach, with this team except that he now gets 5-7 mins more playing time per game. Here is what irks me:
1) Harden brings up the ball more than Lin during crunch time--unbelievable.
2) Harden most possessions during crunch time holds the ball way to long and then panics by passing it off with a few seconds left on the shot clock or throwing up a desperation shot with 2-3 defenders on him.
3) Harden because he scores a lot, for some sick reason is never accountable for his defense from his coach. And he rarely plays any on-ball or off ball defense.
4) Harden is the most selfish ball hog this side of Melo and his ISO/hero ball has cost the rockets at least 10 games this season including tonight's game against the Warriors because when the Rox were coming back in 3q all due to Lin and were only down by 5, Harden had to try to take over and dominate which was a disaster instead of feeding Lin who was unstoppable.
5) This team will get nowhere with the unaccountable Harden suffocating his team and teammates.
6) Lin just needs to keep attacking not giving a flying fuck what McHale thinks!! Ever notice at most timeout team huddles Lin is slightly away from the group, barely engaged but mostly tuning out McHale as everything he says in the huddles is all Harden centric.
7) Lin has the Rox by the balls and he knows it because if they fail in the playoffs due to Harden ball, Lin will he sitting pretty. If the Rox have some playoff success it will be because of Lin and inspite of Harden so either way Lin wins.
For the most part i agree with u, but #7 i am not sure. lin just need to continue to play his brand of stype of bball. If he does, his success will show up during the playoff if they make it of course.
What is interesting to me is that i see Harden trusting Lin a lot more now. Harden is more willing passer to Lin. I hope Lin's game continue to improving so that they can make it to the playoff.
When Jeremy played to any proximity like Harden, Lin would be benched. Harden essentially could do whatever he wanted in the game and got away with it.
Okay, I'm going to be blunt and say that the rest of the team choked under the pressure of gaining the sixth seed. Everybody chokes, some just handles it better than others. Lin is extraordinary in this regard, he seems to thrive on the biggest moments.
The coach choked, Harden choked, Parsons choked like a dog and even Delfino did as well. They were all looking ahead, in the future and not in the present. Staying in the moment is the key to enter the zone when time slows down. It's a stupid saying but true, " you don't own what you haven't got ". In this case the Rox were in the future, in 6th place before the game was played.
When they put the ball into Lin's hands, the Rockets closed to within 5 ... when they put the ball into Harden's hands ... the Warriors go up by 30 points !!! Coincidence ???
It's no accident. Ever since the trade, when Harden was running the offense, the rockets lost 6 times. When Jeremy stepped in and took over the game, the rockets won 6 times. We played Dallas, Phoenix, Golden States twice and each time Jeremy took over the game with high assists, the rockets virtually demolished the Dallas, Phoenix and Golden States. Then when Harden was hogging the ball, playing ISO passing his last seconds Hail Mary to teammates for assists, the rockets lost the game.
Right now, only Lin and Harden can get to the basket.
Part of the reason that nobody else can score is because it's the end of the season and everybody has been scouted.
NBA defenses are the best in the world. Any fancy passing scheme can be shut down by a committed defense. If a player cannot create on his own, he is of limited value on the court.
Superstar talent which can break NBA defenses is needed at this point in the season. Both Lin and Harden have that kind of talent, though Harden's refusal to play defense offsets all of his offensive contributions and even Lin's defensive contributions.
Expect more choking out of the Rockets outside of Lin who's the same ol' Lin no matter who the opponent is or what stage of the season it is.
First
ReplyDeleteWhat was his stat? Jeremy?
ReplyDeleteThere's a thing called the internet. Learn to use it.
DeleteDon't be so mean to him. Maybe he is stuck at work and the only site that he is allowed access to is Jeremylin.net. Poor guy.
Delete@Bong2302,
DeleteLin didn't do too bad. He should have gotten more assists though if it weren't for butter fingers and bad eye-hand coordination...It's all here:
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400278708
On of the anouncers kept saying that Lin was the best Rox tonight.
DeleteWhy every time Harden's assist no more than Lin's, we loss the game? ??
ReplyDeleteAfter the trade, rockets won 6 and lost 6. Every time Harden made more assists than Jeremy, the rockets lost the game. Playing Harden more as point guard backfires.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Rockets played real hard, but their shots weren't falling. When their 3's aren't falling, they shouldn't rely so heavily on it (3-point shots: Rox 9 of 35..... GS 13 of 26). However, I have a feeling that McHale asked them to keep shooting from beyond the arc.
ReplyDeleteAnother game to live or die by 3's. Jackson the mediocre philandering preacher coach has outcoached McHale.
I think today, we missed the 2 traded more experienced players in Patterson and Morris. But the trade is probably better for next season.
I watched first quarter and a little of second quarter before leaving home. kinda disappointed with this loss. saw Mama Lin seated behind the bench. would have been nice to secure 6th seed.
ReplyDeleteThe bad news is the Rox lost a game that would have put them in 6th, but poor shooting outside of Lin, Harden, and Delfino did them in.
ReplyDeleteThe good news is Jeremy is putting together a string of really solid games and is putting to rest any lingering doubts that critics may have that he is anything but the real deal.
JLin did a good job offensively and defensively this game. He would have more assists if his teammates hit open shots. No one made shots except for JLin, Harden, and Delfino. They almost had another epic comeback in the third quarter but the Warriors answered back with three-pointers. Harden didn't do a good job at defense like always. JLin was gassed at the end and the game was over.
ReplyDeleteHope this loss wakes up the Rockets. They can't dig a deep hole and play catch up.
I hope JLin continues his aggressive play and looks to score first when his teammates aren't hitting shots. I hope the coaches give him the green light to run the offense more than Harden and demand that Harden puts more effort on defense.
Harden's D is just mind boggling sometimes...not in a good way... If we make it to the playoffs(I'm sure the rockets will) they won't get very far with defense like that. I'm not hating on Harden coz sometimes he's just a complete monster on the offensive end but it's definitely something he needs to improve. As far as the loss goes shots weren't falling. Parsons and D-Mo way off tonight.
ReplyDeleteAs for McFail that man only has one strategy, let the ball move find your open man for the wide open 3 if not give it to Harden.
Harden won't play D if he is kept in the game no matter how poor his D is. No accountability.
ReplyDeleteHarden can't play D for the entire game if he has to play 40 minutes every night. Bad minutes management.
Both of these are on McHale.
I think that's the tradeoff of playing him 40+ minutes. No defense, all offense. He won't last those long minutes on the court if he was playing both sides of the court. The Rockets needs a legitimate backup for Harden, play him less minutes, and demand that he plays more defense when he is on the court.
DeleteI think McHale expects him to shoulder the offensive load while the rest of the team can play defense. The problem is u just can't play defense like that. It has to be a collective effort as a team. Tonight was a perfect example of how it was impossible to defend curry, their number one offensive option, by himself.
ReplyDeleteMcHale was right. The team should've focuses on their backcourt duo.. But it looks like the team just wasn't up to the challenge. I really wonder if McHale prepared the team the right way.
Hi guys & gals,
ReplyDeleteI didn't get to watch the game. So just look at the box score Jeremy Lin looked like had a good scoring output with over 50% FG and 3pt shooting.
It was mind boggling to see he had no steals this game and was 0-3 FT. He also only had 4 assists.
Curry exploded for 29 points but he did take 11 3 point attempts and 22 shot attempts, which will net you that many points so I'm not really concerned about Jlin's defense on him. Anyone who takes that many attempts and makes half or almost half of those shots will score that many points regardless of how good defense you played.
What I want to know is how did Jlin only end up with 4 assists? Were his teammates missing shots or having butter finger night?
How did Klay Thompson explose for 26 points? The only way I know he scores a lot is 3 pointers because he can't create his own shot, he's only a good spot up shooter.
Did the Rockets front court get out played? Because Bogut and Lee had both double-doubles vs. Rockets front court had no double double tonight.
How did Curry get 11 assists? Was it based on penetration and dishing in/out or just passes from the perimeter to perimeter where his teammates were making a lot of open 3 pointers?
Did Jarrett Jack smoke the 2nd unit PG(s)? Because he almost had a double double?
What happened to Chandler Parsons? 2-13 FG and 1-6 is a bad shooting night for him? Did GSW game plan against him tonight to take away open looks? And did he force the issue on offense by trying to dribble penetrate?
Dmo and Defino didn't look like they had a good day as well, what happened? Just bad shooting night?
Sometimes, guys just get out-talented.
DeleteLin and Harden are performing (well, Harden is not playing any defense and is the team's weakest link).
Everybody else is showing why the Rockets are a minimum wage team!
There is a change in game plan for the rockets.
DeleteHarden seems to take up the point guard spot while Jeremy played as scoring guard and put into a position of catch and shoot at almost the last seconds. Harden has a bad knee and he was considered exempted for everything and would not be benched for whatever reasons. The team chemistry is not there if you take away accountability out of players by making exceptions for one player.
Every time Harden made more assists than Jeremy, the rockets lost the game. It seems to reflect that if we let Harden running the offense, the whole team suffered.
Thoughts on Houston going forwards:
ReplyDeleteIsolation plays - they are reserved for when your team is not in an offensive groove. However, isolation plays froze Houston's offense in the third. When Lin was hot, the ball was taken out of his hands on multiple consecutive possessions due to iso Harden.
After Lin was benched, Delfino got hot. However, he got cooled down because the ball got too sticky in Harden's hands again. Delfino was rightfully demonstrating his displeasure with Harden's ball hogging when Harden forced Delfino to commit a shot clock violation when Harden passed him the ball with less than 1 second left.
Delfino and Parsons are shooters. Do not let them dribble for more than 3 steps at a time. Delfino has no business cutting to the basket either on or off ball. Parsons is a good cutter but should only cut to the basket off ball. Other than that, both should float at the perimeter 80% of the time and 75% of their shots ought to be 3pters.
Lin might as well continue to play his shooting guard position for the rest of the season. The team cannot finish any of his passes nor do they get themselves open for passes. So, Lin should drive first, shoot second and pass third whenever he gets the ball like a shooting guard out to.
Dmo's main problem is he floats at the perimeter too often. He should not shoot more than 2 3pters a game unless he makes his all 2 of his 3pters. He should concentrate on running towards the rim and not away from it. This will open up shots opportunities for everyone else as well as getting Dmo in position to crash the board. His goal should be getting at least 10 rebounds a game. And, if Dmo wants to shoot a J, it has to be from off a roll on a PnR. He can't just walk outside the paint unless there's a reason. He's NOT a guard.
No comment on Asik's game other than strengthening his lower back and core so he will have better flexibility and strength to bounce up for a dunk after catching a ball instead of having to bring the ball down before he can go back up again. Maybe he should do some laps in the pool.
I am glad my paragraph structure is alien approved.
DeleteHarden should not play as point guard at all, the team stifled and almost petrified when he was waiting his teammates to create opportunities for him. Jeremy drove to the basket and create opportunities for teammates. JLin passed whenever he sees opportunities. But JLin really didn't have many opportunities to make plays without the ball in his hands.
DeleteThe Rockets should've rammed the ball inside against David Lee.
ReplyDeleteThat guy is a notoriously bad defender. He doesn't have the height, quickness, hops, or willingness to stop DoMo or Robinson or Smith inside. I'd have posted Lee up with DoMo on every play and let DoMo control the offense against Lee.
This is where motion ball fails. Instead of bricking outside shots, the Rockets should've went right at David Lee and Bogut with their big men. Play "inside out", which is what McHale was crowing about doing when he was hired by Houston in the first place!
http://www.nba.com/games/20130317/GSWHOU/gameinfo.html
ReplyDeleteBAD MOVE: Harden did not speak with the media after the game, exiting the locker room before reporters were allowed to enter. Although it is rational for Harden to be upset on an embarrassing evening for the Rockets, a superstar and team leader has to show more professionalism in the face of adversity.
JLin is the team leader according to a poll by clutchfans so he's responsible to address the media in wins and especially in losses ;)
DeleteGood point Sesshie
DeleteExpect Houston FO request for this narrative be pulled out of the game story, like they did recently where JLin and Haren picture were featured in the Fast and Furious Duo articel but a couple of days later, only Haren's dunking picture was there for the audience to see. LOL
Deleteyes, it's his natural role since high school, right?
DeleteQUOTABLE II: "What can you say? ... We didn't do anything right tonight, and it was just one of those nights. We can dwell on it, or we can come out and kick the crap out of the next however-many opponents we have at home."
DeleteJlin..
Harden was the guy running the offense lately. Ever since the trade, the rockets lost 6 games with him running the offense. When Jeremy stepped in and took over the game, the rockets won 6 times. The rockets played Dallas, Phoenix, and Golden States twice in this period. The rockets won the game easily with Jeremy running the offense specially when they set up pick and rolls for Jeremy but they lost when Harden was running the offense.
DeleteWe even lost 30 points to Golden States which we easily demolished for 3 times. Nothing was more apparent when the rockets played the Phoenix, JLin took control and demolished the Suns. When Harden ran the offense with his iso game, the rockets lost to the Suns.
yes, it's his natural role since high school, right?
ReplyDeleteHarden ain't no superstar--all hype created by the media because he pads his stats with his selfish at a la that loser punk Melo
ReplyDeleteIf basketball is a game for team work, Harden's iso game should never be there. He stifled the ball movements. He is a great scoring guard but a lousy point guard.
DeleteHarden has proven to be an elite talent, but his defense kills the team.
ReplyDeleteIt is clearly evident from these games that not much is going to change for JLin with this coach, with this team except that he now gets 5-7 mins more playing time per game. Here is what irks me:
ReplyDelete1) Harden brings up the ball more than Lin during crunch time--unbelievable.
2) Harden most possessions during crunch time holds the ball way to long and then panics by passing it off with a few seconds left on the shot clock or throwing up a desperation shot with 2-3 defenders on him.
3) Harden because he scores a lot, for some sick reason is never accountable for his defense from his coach. And he rarely plays any on-ball or off ball defense.
4) Harden is the most selfish ball hog this side of Melo and his ISO/hero ball has cost the rockets at least 10 games this season including tonight's game against the Warriors because when the Rox were coming back in 3q all due to Lin and were only down by 5, Harden had to try to take over and dominate which was a disaster instead of feeding Lin who was unstoppable.
5) This team will get nowhere with the unaccountable Harden suffocating his team and teammates.
6) Lin just needs to keep attacking not giving a flying fuck what McHale thinks!! Ever notice at most timeout team huddles Lin is slightly away from the group, barely engaged but mostly tuning out McHale as everything he says in the huddles is all Harden centric.
7) Lin has the Rox by the balls and he knows it because if they fail in the playoffs due to Harden ball, Lin will he sitting pretty. If the Rox have some playoff success it will be because of Lin and inspite of Harden so either way Lin wins.
For the most part i agree with u, but #7 i am not sure. lin just need to continue to play his brand of stype of bball. If he does, his success will show up during the playoff if they make it of course.
DeleteWhat is interesting to me is that i see Harden trusting Lin a lot more now. Harden is more willing passer to Lin. I hope Lin's game continue to improving so that they can make it to the playoff.
DeleteHarden doesn't know the meaning of the word "pass" when he gets nervous.
Delete"the Rox were coming back in 3q all due to Lin", sadly the NBA gave that credit to Harden not Lin.
DeleteWhen Jeremy played to any proximity like Harden, Lin would be benched. Harden essentially could do whatever he wanted in the game and got away with it.
DeleteThanks for the link, Lin is aggressive!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm going to be blunt and say that the rest of the team choked under the pressure of gaining the sixth seed. Everybody chokes, some just handles it better than others. Lin is extraordinary in this regard, he seems to thrive on the biggest moments.
ReplyDeleteThe coach choked, Harden choked, Parsons choked like a dog and even Delfino did as well. They were all looking ahead, in the future and not in the present. Staying in the moment is the key to enter the zone when time slows down. It's a stupid saying but true, " you don't own what you haven't got ". In this case the Rox were in the future, in 6th place before the game was played.
When they put the ball into Lin's hands, the Rockets closed to within 5 ... when they put the ball into Harden's hands ... the Warriors go up by 30 points !!! Coincidence ???
ReplyDeleteIt's no accident. Ever since the trade, when Harden was running the offense, the rockets lost 6 times. When Jeremy stepped in and took over the game, the rockets won 6 times.
DeleteWe played Dallas, Phoenix, Golden States twice and each time Jeremy took over the game with high assists, the rockets virtually demolished the Dallas, Phoenix and Golden States. Then when Harden was hogging the ball, playing ISO passing his last seconds Hail Mary to teammates for assists, the rockets lost the game.
Right now, only Lin and Harden can get to the basket.
ReplyDeletePart of the reason that nobody else can score is because it's the end of the season and everybody has been scouted.
NBA defenses are the best in the world. Any fancy passing scheme can be shut down by a committed defense. If a player cannot create on his own, he is of limited value on the court.
Superstar talent which can break NBA defenses is needed at this point in the season. Both Lin and Harden have that kind of talent, though Harden's refusal to play defense offsets all of his offensive contributions and even Lin's defensive contributions.
Expect more choking out of the Rockets outside of Lin who's the same ol' Lin no matter who the opponent is or what stage of the season it is.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete