First off, I'm happy just to be in the playoffs. I always see the glass half full and predicted 50 wins this season. Most here, as well as all the so called experts (except Ed Weiland, predicted 50 wins I believe) guessed in the 30's if not lower.
No one is giving the Houston a chance in this series and that seems to make good basketball sense, just like the Rockets winning 30 games this season. However, there is one caveat, Jeremy Lin. If Jeremy is as good as I said and believe he is, this series should be competitive. Winning it against the best team in the West is another story. Even Michael Jordan lost in the 1st round his first 3 years in the playoffs.
I'd also like to add my 2 cents on Mchales coaching. I don't think most of you realize, but every single coach (Smart, Mark Jackson, Da'Antoni before all the injuries) that Jeremy has had in the NBA looked at him the same or worse than Mchale does. My guess is that there are maybe 2-3 (10% of all coaches) in the entire league that would treat Jeremy any better. I know that it's hard for most of us to believe but that is just the way it is. It is not because they are blatant racists, or hate him. They just see him as a nice young point guard who has many holes. Just like what Bill Simmons said on ESPN.
Lastly, lets put this in perspective so we can enjoy these moments even more. Jeremy is gonna be the starting point guard getting invaluable playoff experience going against one of the NBA's best. The Rockets are huge underdogs with no expectations. You can look at this as the glass half empty and a Mcfail team about to get swept, or how about the glass half full? The least experienced team ever to make it to the NBA playoffs coming out playing free and easy and ready to make this a series.
never been the first in a thread :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm just very grateful that Jeremy stays healthy the whole regular season, played all 82 games as a starter, and now is going to experience his first playoff.
I will be flying from east coast to Houston to cheer for him for games 3 & 4. Yes, I know I am that crazy as an LOF :-)
Please pray for Jeremy and the whole team, especially the coaches. I'm praying that suddenly it will dawn to KM that he will let Jeremy the "THE" PG (I know, I know, who am I kidding, right? but I can always hope, especially the trip will cost me around 1K).
Hy,
DeleteIt is great to see you putting the money where your mouth is as LOF. I wish i can do the same. I think the Rockets will get swept 4-0 because I don't think McHale will change his tactics. All the possible brilliant points that others might think what McHale was doing is just wishful thinking. I was one of them during the middle of the season when I thought McHale might have turned the corner but I was disappointed over and over again.
The only possible scenario I can think of is if the Rox get blown away in the first 2 games by OKC, may be,just may be, McHale will finally see the light to let Lin be THE PG/Floor General because there is nothing to lose anymore. In this case, It will be an exciting two games and the Rox may tie the series 2-2. Of course, there is no guarantee McHale will continue with that. But at least HY will be blessed with two good games in Houston with Lin as The PG. Money well spent.
You never know, HY, it's improbable but not impossible. =)
Delete@via: yeah, I can only wish for the best.
DeleteBut after watching 82 games, I think the possibility of KM allowing Jeremy to be "THE" PG is 0%. I DO hope I am wrong.
I will not regret spending 1K to watch Jeremy's historic moment of being in his first playoff.
Then again, I definitely will hate spending 1K to watch KM's bad sub/game plan, no adjustment, and not trusting Jeremy to handle the ball, etc.
Well, it's hard for Lin to make any impact in this series when most if not all offensive plays for the Rockets feature Harden making all the decisions although he's not exactly a good decision maker.
ReplyDeleteThis is the nba. Teams feature who they want to feature especially in half court sets. Sadly as you said the Rockets just see Lin as a young average PG, not someone to feature heavily in their sets.
From what I've read from Morey's interview that McHale is going to adopt Hero ball and Harden's ISO which simple plays to the hands of the Thunder.
ReplyDeleteJust hope the Thunder would whip some sense into the block head coach that Harden is not unstoppable and the rockets are hopeless with Harden's ISO ball.
Of the almost 500 players in the NBA, only 25 have played all 82 games this season. Asik and Lin are among this 25-player group. This says something about the coaching staff. McHale took good care of both these two boys. Was this why McHale did not play them at certain times during games? Was McHale protecting them and saving them for the playoffs?
ReplyDeleteFor a second point, was McHale over playing the bench? Or was McHale training the bench for the playoffs?
For a third point, was McHale experimenting with all substitutions looking for combinations which would work? How many successful combinations has McHale discover?
For a fourth point, was McHale smart enough to recognize that Harden was smart enough to realize iso-Harden would not work. One way to train a player is to place in situations where he needs to figure things out by himself.
For a fifth point, McHale knows Lin's weaknesses. Was that why he parked Lin in the 3pt corner?
On a positive note, McHale is not an idiot. Therefore, I post these points.
CHEERS
Welcome back jmac, or "billy chung", or "elizabeth wu", or continuum, or geronimo, or ....
DeleteAKA..... Trrrrrrooollllll
DeleteMchale is SUCH a great coach that he decided to rest Lin in the 3rd quarter after Lin had given the Rox a 10 pt lead in the last game against the lakers. It was Sooo brilliant to play bev until the lead was gone.
DeleteOh yeah it was brilliant also to give Harden 4 shots at the end of the game against Memphis when Lin had 2 clutch 3s to bring the Rox even with 1.3 min left in the game. 2 time outs and 4 bricks or harden ISO was also brilliant coaching!
The Rox could be playing the injured Spurs instead we are likely to be swept by OKC.
Brilliant!
Do people even watch the games? God.
DeleteYeah, Mchale sure was preserving Lin. He preserved him so much that he kept him on the bench during the most crucial points of games and even had his back up finishing games for him, whether it was a close game or blow out.
No, to all of the above. "On a positive note", it is quite a concise summary of JLin's trials and obstacles flowing from the coaching this season.
Delete@stanleyChang, u sure are an idiot if you think McHale was "preserving" Lin by not playing him. What ridiculous comments!! Are you so blind so as not to see that McHale treated Lin like shit, benched him, tried to break him mentally, etc. what games were you watching? Moronic!!!
Deletepreserving Lin for what? for the final and most important game of the season? That's certainly not the case since Lin played 10 fewer minutes than the other starters and didn't even see the 4th quarter until it was nearly over. Please.
DeleteI actually agree with this FLAMELESS post of Stanley Chang's.
DeleteMany of these points are the same ones I've been making all season long.
I find Stanley Chang's take on Harden interesting. It seems possible, albeit unlikely, that McHale is letting Harden hang himself.
By the way, I'm not as mad as others are about Lin being in the corner. The corner is a close 3 point shot that Lin has consistently hit, plus it also provides a good starting point for Lin's movement without the basketball.
Nothing to see here. Move along. Move along ;)
DeleteThe problem is not Lin standing in the corner, but Lin is not getting the ball when he stand in the corner.
DeleteThere is 1% slim chance that Stanley might be right. Anyhow, McHale still is a bad coach.
DeleteWhat a dumb McHell fan OP post. SMH
DeleteI will not have a different expectations from both the coaching satff ( bec they have been consistent in their unfair treatment to lin) and jeremy( bec i know he will always play his best and honest game) during playoffs.whether it will be a sweep or tight playoffs, i expect lin to come out strong despite the odds...this is a great experience for him, one that he can learn from and grow.... All the best to jeremy and may his fans all over the world support him in his journey....
ReplyDeleteAh just like that and regular season was over. Time for some real physical and mental basketball. Win or lose to me is not as important as how the game will be played. I just want to see JLin play his brand of basketball even though he's not allowed to. Just play hard every minute he's on the floor and see what'll happen. It's pointless to rage at the FO or coaches at this point. If they don't see what they've been doing is undeniably wrong, then they will not change now. The game plan, if there's ever one, will be exactly the same like 80 games prior. I just want to see Lin be Lin, and we will witness playoff Linsanity for the first time.
ReplyDeleteJeremy Lin is in a quagmire: Unfortunately, if he plays too good in the playoffs, he may not be traded. Lin isn't likely to play very well though, since the $25 million owner-acquired player will be again handcuffed, so that his low stats would be juxtaposed against Harden, the $80 million Morey's acquisition.
DeleteMorey's puppet, McHale, wasn't timid about benching Lin - WHEN HE PLAYED WELL - for almost 11 consecutive playing minutes (from late 3rd to mid 4th) in the nationally televised last game of the regular season, which was a key game for both teams. McHale has done the same thing to Lin a lot the whole season. Now the Rockets put Lin on the awkward spot to do them the PR favor raving about coach McHell. At least we found out that Lin can act.
I agree with the general sentiment--I will tune back in for Jeremy's first playoff series!
ReplyDeleteI would disagree about how McHale should get a pass. Let us look past McHale's sterling COACHING resume. Let us look past McHale's sterling record as GM, the defacto final say on acquiring talent. Let us look past McHale's tactical brilliance.
It's about how you pay someone starter money and declare no dropoff when the backup subs in. Does any other front office say there is no dropoff between a midseason FA pickup and your starter? Even if you believe it, shouldn't you keep that opinion to yourself? Ok, maybe that is Morey. So why did McHale provide NY tabloids fodder with his "Jeremy I only want to win here" comments? Why so many 4th qtr benchings? Why feign ignorance on other player's ISOs and TOs and just concentrate on Lin by berating and undressing him on the court?
I'm not saying D'antoni would be great for Lin in LA. Judging on his exit from NY, he wanted D. Will as his ball handler so perhaps that was a damning indictment on Jeremy. On the other hand, I prefer to view it as a subtle compliment. Nevertheless, D'antoni doesn't bench Lin for 12 minutes and then expect him to perform MJ-ish miracles. He at least understands cadence and tempo. Look at Steve Blake! Look at Jodi Meeks! They don't get dressed down in public huddles. If he disagrees, he'll say it in private.
Justifying the youthfulness of the roster as an excuse and no expectations is turning this into the Rockets PR machine. You don't have "no expectations" when you shell out FA money to Asik and Lin. You don't have "no expectations" when you swing a trade for Harden and DEAL your first rd picks away.
So the "nobody believes in us" gambit should be treated as playoff motivation--which I have no problem with. As a general validation of the Rockets' success? I don't think so--it just demeans Jeremy's ceiling as a winner and high impact player. I had no doubt the Rockets would battle for the playoffs when Jeremy Lin sign on the dotted line. Maybe an 8 seed is low expectation but certainly is not "no expectations."
Bill Simmons is irrelevant--he's in the entertainment business. He's the worst kind of entertainer since he doesn't produce OC (original content) in the field he works in--the sports business. He simply uses his opinions on the sports stars that generate the OC. I respect him for getting paid, nothing more nothing less. To conflate an entertainer and a coach, which then is used to justify an entertainer's opinion as a pass for for the coaching staff is a pretty sad state of affairs for rationalizing coaching mistakes.
I enjoyed reading this.
DeleteAs a tortured fan, I will watch every game until HOU is eliminated. If Jeremy is not playing like a GOD on offense and defense, then I will expect more of te same. 25-30min on the court, 12-14min benchings, and the back up with more 4th qtr minutes than Lin.
Compared to Morey, Lin is a more accomplished and much better person on every level. It is such a shame that Lin's repeatedly humiliated by McHale in public and trapped in this dysfunctional org led by Morey.
DeleteSo much common sense in a single post...bravo!
DeleteIf not for the brainless McHale and his excessive coddling of Harden, this team would've been a sixth/fifth seed easily.
Morey has said that Bill Simmons is a friend of his. Enough said.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I'm just grateful that Lin is healthy and will be able to play in the playoffs. This is what I have been waiting for. I'm waiting for the clutch Lin, the one who plays with complete passion every play and screams and celebrates like a little kid every play he makes. Now, I'm predicting that the Rockets will win a game. Now, if the game that they win is tomorrow than the series will be a lot more interesting. The reason is because that will give them hope that they can win. The only strategy you can have against an underdog is to NEVER give them ANY hope that they can win. Anyways, I'm just excited for tomorrow. Can't wait to see Lin finally play in the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteAnd for those who havn't seen my video, you should to laugh a little bit before tomorrow's game :)
http://captiongenerator.com/3854/McHale-helps-Lakers-defeat-the-Rockets
lol, great video, and I have a feeling that the Rockets playoff games will give you more inspiration to create more McFail videos :P
Deletenever thought that I could laugh at a vid with Hitler on it. EPIC!
Deletea vid with Hitler on it could make laugh so hard? thanks for the good laugh!
DeleteSesshie I didn't think about it, but now that you mention it I might make a video each game of the playoffs with my analysis in a funny way. I will think about, thanks for the idea :D
DeleteA brilliant video!
DeleteWow! are you a professional or something :) The video is spot on!!!! Brilliant!!
DeleteI expect JLin to have that Linsanity swag this playoff series. In a recent interview, he noted the playoff buzz and energy. And we know what JLin feeds off of. In his words, 'it's crazy'. He might as well have said it's gonna be Linsanity!
ReplyDeleteIn terms of playoffs seeding, given Harden joining, it has been somewhat below expectations. Assuming a typical PG run offense, JLin, KMart, CP, PPat, and Asik, rotation players Delfino, MMorris, TD, GSmith, and young talent like TJones, RWhite, JLamb and DMo. I don't think KMart would have been a huge downgrade from Harden. Indeed, there may not have been a large drop-off in offensive production because KMart also shoots well and draws fouls well, without under-utilizing teammates as much. With Harden properly used alongside JLin as the primary play maker, the expectation was a higher playoff seed closer to middle of the pack.
As for the season, it has been far below expectations from a JLin fan perspective. The expectation was that he would continue with 'all-star' level production. I bought NBALP to watch my favorite dazzle each game. Instead, I got a season of frustration and left feeling shortchanged. Postseason league pass? No thanks.
I have great hope that Lin will be traded in the off season because Morey thinks there is not much offensive production drop-off between Lin and PB. Morey needs the Cap space to acquire another all star max contract PF to complete his championship roster. All is left is to convince Les to let Lin go. Les might just have to oblige because if he thinks that is the only chance he can bring the NBA championship back to Houston. Most of us here will be very happy indeed. I will follow Lin to his new team and get away from the ever negativity about Lin with the Rockets fan base.
DeleteI think a trade will be the only chance we will see JLin get that opportunity to play the PG position. Otherwise, we will have more wtf than ftw.
DeleteWill Harden slip on a banana and miss the playoffs? Hope so.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI disagree with the op sentiments. So we should just accept McHale because everyone else in the league thinks he Is just an average pg? That's such a defeatist attitude with a lot of assumptions that is probably not true.
ReplyDeleteI just want Jeremy to be THE pg of a team. Lets see how he does in that role. Then we (the haters and fans alike) can be more confident about what he is as a player. No player could excel consistently with the role he has been given in this offense.
It is clear to me that harden and not Lin is the focal point of this team. They just want Lin to be a solid average pg like chalmers on a team loaded with superstars. Some obe who can make shots while nit committing mistakes. a player who is not there to lead but shut up and follow. That's the vision Morey appears to have.
The silver lining in all this is that I anticipate that Lin will get traded at the end of his second year at the latest because no matter how much he improves as a player, he will always be too good for the role the Rox are asking to play.
Houston will always be Harden's team period. I doubt Rox will be willing to pay 15 mil for a pg who they feel is interchangble with bev.
"Houston will always be Harden's team period. I doubt Rox will be willing to pay 15 mil for a pg who they feel is interchangble with bev."
DeleteI don't think they will pay "8" mil for a pg who they feel is interchangeable with PB. I am hoping the trade is this off season, not next off season.
Morey will wait until he's 100% sure in his mind that Lin is a bust before he trades him. He can't let Lin explode on another team if he lets him go too early.
DeleteUnfortunately, Lins not gonna get traded bc of his work ethic and desire to accommodate his teammates. He'll do whatever it takes to compliment his team so naturally he'll improve enough to not get traded. BUT if Lin is not playing all star level bball (yes, even in his limited role) by his 3rd year, Morey will consider trading him. IMO, if Lin gets traded, it'll happen in the final year of his contract bc Morey is going to want something for Lin.
Another team that Lin could go to:
DeleteOrlando.
If Houston's coaches decide to put all the blame on Lin for losing this playoff series, maybe Orlando could send over Jameer Nelson who's a playoff tested veteran point guard that Lin has had no trouble outplaying.
Lin on that young Orlando team with Nicholson and Harris and Vucevic would be devastating. Orlando would end up in the playoffs, provided that Coach Jacque Vaughn uses Lin correctly.
With the full season in hand, Morey still don't think Lin is an All Star level PG, He is still waiting for "one of them to step up". I don't think he can afford to wait till he can be 100% sure because if he can see it, other GM will see it also. He just has to take the chance because he needs the Cap Space to bring in Howard. And Lin still have trade values at this stage. With his hand selected championship roster, he is not going to worry about being embarrassed by Lin again. He believes in his analytic numbers. But if there is no trade available, he will keep Lin for another year for sure.
DeleteIndiana would be best trade destination.
DeleteFrank Vogel is a superb coach (esp. defensively). They have Hibbert and Paul George and KHuang's favorite, Psycho T-Hansbrough. I don't know if West will be back, but he can hit a mid-range J and rebound decently.
Pacers could trade George Hill for Jeremy and the salaries would match. Hill makes ~$8M and is basically a SG in a PG's body -- that's what Morey and McHale want anyway.
But It's a Catch 22 sitution. If Jeremy adapts to Harden Hero Ball and puts up quality stats next year...there's no way Les will let Morey and McHale trade Jeremy. And if Jeremy continues to struggle with inconsistency...then the team he's traded for won't use him properly either.
JL just has to keep improving and be ready for his final FA year in 2015 -- I got a feeling the Lakers will be looking for a "PG of the future" to pair with Dwight for the rest of his career. And if Jeremy is averaging, say, 16/6 next to a ball-dominant Harden...I'd suspect he'd be a top choice.
Even if only a small amount of NBA coaches will recognize JLin's talents, it doesn't matter as long as there is no ball-dominant teammate that takes away the ball from JLin. If Harden didn't come to the Rockets, I think this season would play out a lot differently in terms of JLin's play-time and usage.
DeleteAgree with sesshie. I don't care if the coach doesn't believe in him. Just let Lin be the pg .. He will prove him wrong.
DeleteIn this Rox set up with harden, Lin will never be as effective.
And the trade won't happen this off season - unless Rox get cp3, the best pg in the planet according to Morey.
Morey will wait to see how Lin does next year to see If Lin can "take that next step". But this will never happen because of the confined role Lin is asked to play. He will be traded before the 3rd year so the Rox can avoid paying him 15 mil. Remember the Rox are only paying him 5 mil for the first two years.
And for those who think McHale should be fired this off season.. That is not gonna happen. We are looking at McHale from a Lin centric point of view, which as an organization, the Rox does not share. If u look at McHale from harden centric view, there is nothing horrible that McHale has done. McHale is helping harden put up crazy numbers.. Making him the next superstar.
When Rox got harden, Lin became dispensable. This will play out during the playoffs and next seadon before Lin ultimately gets traded.
No. They're paying him 15mil in the 3rd year but it only counts as 8mil against their cap, which is what's most important. Against their cap, Lin's contract is 8/8/8.
DeleteI realize that. But money is money coming out of les's pocket. U think just because the cap count is 8, les will just discount the 15 mil they are giving to a player who they have deemed dispensable?
DeleteThis is why I believe if Lin is going (whether because he fails to improve or because he fails to gel with harden), it will happen before the real money kicks in the third year.
You guys need to account for the acquisition of an allstar/near allstar 4 into your calculations.
DeleteAn All Star 4 probably would not help the Rockets win more games than thwir promisinh young two way talent at that position.
Delete"An All Star 4 probably would not help"
DeleteWhy would that stop Morey when he has the money and the "vision."
Oh, I'm not saying that it would stop Morey.
DeleteI'm just saying that if the Rockets want to win more games and contend, start by improving the main position of need: starting SG!
Until James Harden starts defending and playing smarter team basketball, he's more of a liability than anybody on the Rockets roster.
Update!! In my dreams harden has slipped on a banana and has missed the playoffs. McHale stepped on a long shovel which stood up and whacked him on the head, leaving him brain dead, and thus making his coaching decisions measurably smarter. Coach Sampson slipped in the shower and forever broke his fat ugly ass, leaving him handicapped and out if a job. And in my dreams, Lin capitalizes on such good fortune and leads the Rockettes to victory over Russell Dumbrook, Kevin Duhrunt et al.
DeleteAnyone notice how, in the Lakers game, Harden tried to throw alley oops after Lin hooked up with some alley oops? But Harden's alley oops passes were totally not catchable. That showed again that Harden is not as good a playmaker as Lin is, and again that the team does better when Lin has the ball in his hands. But what particularly bothered me about those plays is how Harden would give a look of annoyance and frustration towards Asik, as if it was Asik's fault that those passes were not catchable.
ReplyDeleteAt the start of season, Lin was often passing it too low for Asik to catch (much like how he passed it too low for STAT to catch last year) but as the season progressed, he improved in this area, and adapted his passing for Asik's (limited) offensive skills. Meanwhile, Harden still thinks he (to quote his words) 'doesn't have to change' but rather expects Asik to adapt to him.
While Harden overall is the more skilled player than Lin, I see less improvement from him in his game over the course of the season.
I look at how the Nets have been playing since the All-Star break and I can't help but think the Rox need to be more like them. The Nets always give the outlet pass to DWill, who pushes the ball up quickly and probes the defense during transition for easy opportunities. The Rox, instead, love to have Parsons take the ball up but he doesn't do anything with it to set up teammates, or Harden, who just slowly walks the ball up court, instead of pressing for transition buckets. There are so many times in which they could have passed it to Lin up court but instead just walk the ball up themselves -- this is especially mind boggling since the coaches always talk about how the ball travels faster than players do, and want to press the pace. Harden slows the pace often, but the coaches don't do anything about it. After 82 games, little has changed in this regard.
More on Harden and Parsons in transition: there were two fast breaks last game in which Harden and Parsons were running fast break but passed the ball too late, and they didn't score in those two possessions. Harden was looking for his own shot, and when that wasn't there, he passed it, but by that time the passing window was already over, resulting in a TO. In Parsons' fast break, he also passed it too late. When will the coaches realize that Lin is so much better handling the ball in transition? Argh.
DeleteThat was particular frustrating because those should have been easy buckets.
Let's not overrate Harden as "being more skilled" than Lin.
DeleteLin is the more skilled player. He runs sets better, can play equally well on or off the ball, has better defensive awareness amd technique, and is by far the more positively impactful player.
Harden has a long way to go before he catches up to Lin in playing winning team basketball. It's a HUGE gulf between Harden's scrub gamr and Lin's winning ways.
Khuang, I respect your bball knowledge but c'mon. Even Lin's shooting coach listed things he needed to work on, how can you not see holes in his game?
DeleteI don't even know what to think anymore. Do we overrate Lin's skills or is the media wrong for underating Lin? Coach sees Lin everyday in practice, I hate saying this but does he see something we don't or is he just an ignorant prick for not embracing Lin?
I completely understand your thinking, K.smith.
DeleteHere's how I see it:
Even with no true screens being set for Lin and no true plays, Lin has shot the ball excellently since the All Star Break and especially recently.
If Lin were prioritized on offense as much as even Parsons or Delfino, Lin would score 20+ every game without breaking a sweat. He's that good a slasher and jump shooter.
Sure Lin has shooting weaknesses, like all players. But in the context of 5 on 5 NBA basketball, Lin's scoring is utterly dependable and comes easily within the flow of the offense.
Lin doesn't have to master every shot from anywhere on the court. He only has to pick his spots and stick with them. By that standard, Lin is already an excellent scorer and that can be seen in his ever improving fg%.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FiqYU-GHeg
ReplyDeleteJeremy burned McHale! Haha.. I always wondered why he walked like that.
Wow, Jeremy had some complimentary things to say about McHale! Class act all the way!
DeleteThey posted that the day after the horrible Laker's game. I wonder if they did it for the many fans who were saying that there's a bad relationship between McHale and Lin.
DeleteIn my mind, the overall ranking of Jeremy Lin just went up another notch.
DeleteI'm sure JLin likes McHale for non-basketball reasons, and the feeling is mutual for McHale.
Delete"I wonder if they did it for the many fans who were saying that there's a bad relationship between McHale and Lin."
Delete- Yes, Rox FO is well-aware of fans' outrage on McHale's irrational usage of JLin.
Is there a definitive answer from McHale about his strategies and philosophy about how he runs the team? There is so much talk about his substitution patterns, play calling, etc., on various websites. Surely he must be asked these questions in interviews. Is there a video or article where he answers these questions? I really want to know what his rationale and thinking is.
ReplyDeleteNot definitive, but HERE HE TALKS A LITTLE ABOUT HIS SYSTEM.
Delete82 games starting in the 1st qtr right :) so happy with it good health all the way.hope there ll be no more 4qtr allergy lol :)
ReplyDeleteHighest chance the roxs will lose 0-4.
ReplyDeleteIts gonna be harden hero ball and u will see harden struggling big time.
nailed it.
DeleteHere it's my prediction.
ReplyDeleteHarden will dominate the ball and go ISO in first 3 games. Of cause we will down 0-3. Game 4, McFail give Lin a chance to control the ball all night long because McFail will be out of hope at that point. Then we win 3 more game all under control of Jeremy. 3-3, game #7, McFail bench Lin most of the game because it is game 7 clutch time. haha. We lose.
Then McFail get fired by Les after game 7 right away.
Delete@ alan xie....Let's hope so.
Deleteim willing to pay for this to happen, to you Alan Xie. I'm sure I won't be the only one willing to sacrifice a little bit so Lin can get some due respect and freedom to play ball the way he knows how.
DeleteTo be fair, if Lin had a much better shooting average like Warrior's Curry, he'd get many more minutes. That's why Lin's potential is on the way up. Skills like anticipation, awareness, perfect passing, no-look deceptions and basic skills like catching the ball (anti Asik) and dribbling (anti Parsons) take a lifetime of coaching and practising and innate physical attributes to achieve which Lin has in buckets.
ReplyDeleteShooting on the other hand seems to be a more robotic skill which can be improved by endless practice and which many NBA players have improved on during their careers. In comparison, you do not suddenly become an accomplished point guard.
Get Lin some of the screens and plays that Curry gets every game first.
DeleteTHEN talk about jump shooting.
Houston is a good situation for Lin. All he needs is a new coach and a dominant power forward who can actually score. He and Parsons are terrific. But McHale is not the right coach for this team. I'm fine with Harden, but only with the right coach who would need to change his role.
ReplyDeleteI think that Houston has a major problem in James Harden and a MINOR (yes, minor) problem in McHale.
DeleteHarden has become a low percentage bricking turnover defenseless SCRUB who is killing the entire team with his lame losing play. Lin is getting blamed by McHale for Harden's faults, and that's why Lin has tuned McHale out. Harden actually can't play any worse than he's been playing!
McHale needs to stop worshipping Harden and atart coaching. Though everybody here hates McHale, the hard truth is that the team plays very well when it runs his motion offense. Even defensively, the Rockets have shown the capability of shutting people down especially when Harden and Parsons are not playing. If McHale was truly bad all around, the team would play worse when those two are out.
Jeremy Lin is getting unfairly blamed for Harden's poor play, And that's McHale's fault. There are also positives to McHale's coaching, though the negatives now outweigh the positives.
Eric,
DeleteI'm fine with everything at the Rockets - just trade Lin or Lin should ask.
I like all the players myself. I just can't stand all the politicking by the Rockets "basketball minds" headed by Morey. And the gross level of favoritism and mistreatment of players that is related to their office politics.
McHale operates on a very conflicting principle. He wants ball movement but he played Harden who essentially halts ball movements and turning over the balls a lot. The rockets needs Jeremy to play well for any big win against strong teams like the Thunder, the Clippers and the Griz. In all those games, Lin contributed significantly.
ReplyDeleteFor rockets to have a realistic chance of success, the variance is on Lin. Yet, in game time, he treated Lin like dirt and always pulled him out when Lin was in groove of having a good game. He didn't give Lin good playing time. How can we expect the Rox pulls out an upset.
The scenario will be Lin plays his heart out getting a small lead for the Rox. Then coach NcHale will look for small miscue to pull him out giving Harden the ball hoping that Harden will finish the game offd. Most likely it won't happen. He will put Lin back in the last minutes. On the statistics, Lin played 3o+ minutes, but the last minutes will be time that the momentum of the Rox is gone and the lead disappears. Should Lin be able to bounce back, the same story will repeat again.
McHale will not let $80m be outdone by $25m Lin. Then Alex will ask the question why should we pay $80m for Harden?
If the Thunder lost in landslides. McHale is going to be fired. Coach McHale is in dilemma not knowing what to do: either way he is going to get fired. That's he will get fired when rockets doing well with Lin going strong or he will get fired when Lin play poorly and the Rox ends their postseason quickly.
45:20 i WALKER VISITS TOYOTA CENTER
ReplyDelete3:51 JLIN PREGAME WARM-UP
ReplyDeleteLin ending it with a prayer
Delete4 assistant coaches who might be top candidates for HC position:
ReplyDeleteAdrian WojnarowskiVerified account @WojYahooNBA
Among GM's, here are strongest names in assistant pool: Kelvin Sampson (Hou), Mike Malone (GS), Steve Clifford (LAL), Quin Snyder (Russia).
2:14 PM - 19 Apr 13
[For some who don't want to click link]
ReplyDeleteQ&A: Rockets GM was prepared for ‘horrible season’
Houston Rockets GM Dayrl Morey is proud of his young team for making the playoffs, but doesn’t want the ride to end in the first round. ( Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )
With the victory in Oklahoma assured, his Rio Grande Valley Vipers having just taken Game 1 in their second-round series of the NBA Development League playoffs against the Tulsa 66ers, the time seemed right to catch Rockets general manager Daryl Morey for a few questions about the Rockets and that other playoff series to begin in Oklahoma.
In less than a year, he had nearly rebuilt the Rockets, completing several deals he did not expect to go through, including the trade for James Harden just days before the start of the season. He had declared making the playoffs to be “a stretch goal” before the Rockets earned their first playoff spot since the 2008-09 season.
As he headed from Tulsa to Oklahoma City, Morey reveled in the Game 1 Vipers’ win and discussed the regular season just completed, the postseason to come and the work still to be done.
Q: What have been your feelings about breaking through to reach the playoffs, beginning with the night the Rockets clinched the playoff spot and through the week?
Morey: It was just tense, relief when we clinched the playoffs. I just felt there was always a chance that the very unlikely scenario plays out and we missed it. Actually, it might have gotten dicey the way things played out. We set ourselves up to probably position ourselves in the playoffs a little bit better so it was disappointing we didn’t do that, but overall, now that the regular season is over, taking a step back, 45 wins is just an amazing accomplishment for the coaches and players.
Q: Going back to the first week of July and the start of free agency, you were not optimistic then. How different would things have been had the Knicks matched the offer sheet for Jeremy Lin and the Bulls matched for Omer Asik as you expected?
Morey: I had prepared Leslie (Alexander) for just a horrible season if we don’t get Jeremy and don’t make the trade for James. I actually think Leslie was prepared for it for the first time. I think it was the right approach. We were hoping to avoid a down year, but I don’t see any way we could have avoided it if we don’t have some of the things break our way, Omer, Jeremy and James, and even getting guys like (Carlos) Delfino on very good deals at the end of free agency. A lot of stuff had
to come together.
Q: What were your expectations for this season after training camp and the trade for Harden?
Morey: After the James deal, I felt like — and I think I even said it then — our goal was the playoffs, but I felt like it was a stretch goal. I still thought that was a very, very hard goal to give the team. To their credit, they got it. People should realize what the coaches and players were able to do doesn’t happen in this league. We changed the whole roster. Sixth-youngest team to ever make it in the tough West. Very inexperienced. It just doesn’t happen. A great achievement by them.
Q: Where does this step lead?
Morey: Obviously, the most optimistic way of looking at it is to look at Oklahoma City three years ago. They were the eighth seed, made the playoffs for the first time, they were slightly younger than us even. They made a progression from that first year to probably not the favorite, but the second favorite to win the title. If we can make a progression like that, that would be fabulous.
Q: Do you have any idea how you get there, or will it be mostly from growth from within, as it was generally for Oklahoma City?
DeleteMorey: I think we’ll have to do a little more than growth from within. I hope it’s all growth from within. We’ll still take bets on young players, but we also may have to look outside, most likely through free agency than trades. We have that cap room and we like our young players and are reluctant to trade most of them, if not all of them.
Q: You’ve spoken of the work done by the coaching staff to get such a young, inexperienced team to the playoffs, but does that indicate growth ahead of schedule or is roster building still necessary?
Morey: It shows the players came along faster than most young teams do. That’s usually a great sign for the future. Success when young is probably the No. 1 indicator of if you are going be great in this league.
Q: When you talk about building, how imperative is it to use your cap space now at the risk of committing to those free agents long term as opposed to waiting for just the right guy, whenever that happens?
Morey: We’re not the first team to be young and hope for the future. We know probably the No. 1 mistake franchises make is in this phase to spend money on the wrong players, and it ties them up. We’ll be real careful. We’re going to be careful in free agency. We’re not going to be straightforward — team need, sign guy, team need, sign guy.
Q: So at this stage, does the question become what move makes you great as opposed to what move makes you better?
Morey: That’s exactly it.
Or what moves make us better without hurting our ability to make moves to be great. Carlos would be a great example of that.
Q: How do you beat the Thunder?
Morey: We need to change the game a little bit. We need to make it more of a random game. I don’t want to get in the details of it. I don’t really want to answer that one. Obviously, I talked to the coaching staff. They’re a very good coaching staff. They don’t need me to develop game plans. Analysis says they are maybe the best team in the league. There’s not a lot of holes. They’re really, really good. It’s like when Pete Sampras was coming up. You hope to have a little synopsis of what they are good at and not so good at. For Sampras, it said, ‘Good at serve, forehand, backhand and volley.’ For weakness, it said, ‘Topspin lob.’ I think that’s Oklahoma City’s weakness: topspin lob.
Great stuff Via. Rockets need a bit of luck (eg K Durant) to land in their lap before it can be a genuine title contender cos from the Morey comment, I don't think that Les will spend big money to buy an equivalent established franchise player.
DeleteIt seems that they think spending > $100m to $200m for one player who can break down any time is less fruitier than paying $30m for a Lin or Asik type of potential.
Morey's done a bit of DAMAGE CONTROL mentioning Jeremy Lin like that. LOL. Well, it's better than leaking another diss about Lin.
DeleteI think the Rockets are trying to tone down their propaganda and leaks against Lin, as I haven't read any more for quite a while.
I'm beginning to really dislike Morey. He thinks he is too smart for his own good.
DeleteHere is an extract from Red94
ReplyDeleteWhen the odds are stacked against you, to succeed, you can’t play it safe. You must introduce chaos and random variables to improve your chances at winning. In example, Oklahoma City, by any evaluative measure, is a far, far, far better team than the Houston Rockets. If the two teams were to play 10 times, with no variables (ie: playing the same way they played in the regular season) the probability would hold that the Thunder would win a majority, based on the historical data available (ie: everything that just happened over the last 82 games).
Thus, the logic would bear that the Rockets, to increase their odds at winning, would increase variables to escape the set probability. Again, doing what’s expected has already proven to be inferior and will bear out a predictable outcome.
(Through this, we can also hereby conclude that because this is what the logic holds, Kevin McHale will do the complete opposite...)
My apology for taking it out of context but again the argument is sound the deduction is valid based on the history.
LOL...True! McHale just might as well play eenie meenie minie moe with his line-ups.
Delete"but again the argument is sound the deduction is valid based on the history."
DeleteI disagree with sound logic. That blog is taking Morey's media speak and agreeing with it without using even shred of critical thinking.
No single game is alike. Unless every game the HOU Rockets played against the Thunder is exactly the same every game down to every second, how is this sound deduction? Therefore, there are always variables occuring.
Morey's "variables" is nothing but cover speak for the general statement that Billy Beane caught flak for in everyday, plainer speak "The playoffs are a crapshoot."
Introducing chaos and random variables is not sufficient in improving the team's chances. It isn't even necessary. The same itself always has variables. Introducing it or adding more is inconclusive. The ball bounces where it wants to. The arc of the shot is not the same for every shot. Every shot on the court is not a duplicate location of a shot in a previous game.
Therefore, the game of basketball always has variances. It isn't sufficient to improve the chances of winning nor necessary to improve the chances of winning.
In short, no matter how many variables you introduces, if there is not enough correlation between them and winning, it is pointless to introduce it at all.
DeleteHP: Chandler Parsons Narrates Finding Space In Transition After the Initial Option Fails
ReplyDeleteThe Rockets decided Friday to opt for the unusual schedule of flying back from Oklahoma City after Game 1 on Sunday to practice for two days at Toyota Center before returning to Oklahoma City to resume the series.
ReplyDelete“I just think it’s a shorter flight and to be able to come back and come here and get all our film work done, have our film room, I’m just a big believer in familiarity,” coach Kevin McHale said. “I just think you come back. For a 45-, 50-minute (flight) to Oklahoma City, to practice for a couple days here and get on a plane, I just never as a player liked staying in cities a long time.”
An important message from Morey
ReplyDeleteQ: When you talk about building, how imperative is it to use your cap space now at the risk of committing to those free agents long term as opposed to waiting for just the right guy, whenever that happens?
Morey: We’re not the first team to be young and hope for the future.
We know probably the No. 1 mistake franchises make is in this phase to spend money on the wrong players,
and it ties them up. We’ll be real careful. We’re going to be careful in free agency. We’re not going to be straightforward — team need, sign guy, team need, sign guy.
That explains all. They spend $80m. They can afford to let Alex know that they spend all those money on the wrong player or anything comes close.
We're due for the playoff version of LINSANITY!!!
ReplyDelete[UR] Notes: Lin used to tuning out the noise
ReplyDeleteJLin [on pressure and scrutiny]: “Tuning stuff out, just being focused and not worried about all the outside noise that’s going on...I feel like in the last year, all there has been is noise. Just got to continue to tune everything out and just play...That’s what we have to do as a team. We can’t listen to what everyone else is going to say, whether we have a chance, whether we don’t have a chance, we lost our last two games of the season, whatever. Right now it’s 0-0. As long as we believe we can win, I think we can.”
McHale: “The game doesn’t change...Your intensity changes. It gets a little harder to move the ball, harder to run everything because everyone gets tied in. The game doesn’t change. The baskets are still 10 feet high. The court is still 94 feet long. You’re just playing the same team over and over again so everything gets a little more difficult, especially as the series goes on and everybody starts making adjustments and taking certain things away. [That is especially true against the Thunder, who are outstanding at trapping and switching on the perimeter. McHale said the Rockets have put in some “new wrinkles” with that in mind.]
As often as the Rockets use their small lineup, with Carlos Delfino at the power forward, it is not the plan full-time. It was, however, part of their success in their win against the Thunder when the Rockets were shorthanded following the trades of Patrick Patterson and Marcus Morris. That made Delfino the starter against Serge Ibaka, the league’s top shot-blocker, and offered a chance to spread the floor and take Ibaka out of the paint.
McHale: We’ll play small at times...We’ll play big at times. We’ll definitely change it up in different ways. It’s going to be us. If we have our big lineup in there and they switch, we’ll have to get Greg (Smith) and O (Omer Asik) the ball, run pick-and-rolls. Our bigs are going to have to space better, be very aware of if Ibaka’s guarding you, if he’s helping out, going for blocks. If we play small, it’s going to be more of a spread game. We’ll play both.”
Mcfail BS !! what the hell is the new wrinkles ?? Oh.. Making PB get much more time and Lin back to court with 1 min left? Then, Lin gets all blame ,,, I really want Lin traded to Dallas, if Mcfail remains as a head coach next year.
Delete[Sam Amick] MOREY INTERVIEW: James Harden trade worked for Thunder and Rockets
ReplyDeleteAllen Lu @allenclu
ReplyDeleteThe Hawaii 5-0 crew came out to support our #linsanitymovie screening! (Hiro Nakamura not pictured,…
http://instagram.com/p/YUC2TnxXi0/
9:32 PM - 19 Apr 13
Previewing Rockets/Thunder: The Chaos Principle and ’3rd and long’
ReplyDeleteA pretty good preview of tactics loosely based on probabilities, which is too complicated for McHale.
DeleteHe simply doesn't want to be smashed. His main objective is to either win one or two games or lose all games with none of them wipe outs. So just as the sun will come up tomorrow, Harden will dominate, Lin is there to prevent wipe out embarrassment and the starters will also be stay in during the fourth quarters to show that the coach is not a huge loser.
JLIN POST PRACTICE 4/20/13
ReplyDelete[Jerewy How]
Jeremy talks funny with his mouth guard.
DeleteDavid Weiner @BimaThug
ReplyDeletePlayer A is Jeremy Lin in 63 games with James Harden after end of November (harsh estimate for when he'd recovered from knee surgery)
Player B is Jeremy Lin in the 18 starts/full games played with Carmelo Anthony during Linsanity.
Player A: 13.6 pts on .455/.340/.773 %s (FG/3p/FT), 5.9 ast, 2.7 reb.
Player B: 15.6 pts on .412/.292/.840 %s, 6.8 ast, 3.8 reb.
Dxx Dxxxx @dxxxxxxx
@BimaThug good analysis. Are you saying his numbers can be better if not playing next to a superstar?
@dxxxxxxx No. Saying that Linsanity wasn't far off from what he did this year and that he's actually improving as a player (%s are up).
Lin without a superstar won't be a legit contender. I think Jeremy cares more about winning than about padding his stats.
7:52 PM - 20 Apr 13
DW, a puppet of the Rox FO literally hinting Lin's fans that Lin is gonna be a role player next to a superstar. and who's that superstar? yawn...
Delete" I think Jeremy cares more about winning than about padding his stats." Tell that to James Harden...
DeleteLin is going to look exactly like Steve Nash at Dallas in the next couple years. Most people will think he's good, but not great, since he won't have carte blanche on offense. It's a myth that Lin needs a special sort of players surrounding him to dominate or win, but that's the word around the league. Lin is a lot more athletic than Nash, a much better defender, and would be able to dominate with almost any NBA line-up, so long as he isn't being actively held back.
DeleteIt will be interesting to see what Lin chooses to do at the end of this contract. He is getting really, really good. It's kind of crazy to imagine if Lin had been this good last year during his much more favorable situation with the Knicks.
Michael .. Yeah I have to say it speaks volumes how Lin has been able to put up the stats he did despite the having the ball essentially taken out of his hands and being asked to do something away from his strengths. I don't think other players wouldn't have been handle the season as well as he did this year ( read: lowery).
DeleteI hope he becomes a more fluid and confident shooter next year.. And continue to work on his game despite the restraints put on by McHale.. And finds a team that invests in him as a leader and a game changer. IMO Houston is not that place.
@ Michael Terry...Agree with you about Lin being more athletic and better defender than Nash, but shooting wise, Lin still needs improvement. If he can come close to Nash's shooting, move over CP3!
DeleteAAAS2013 ROUNDTABLE on Linsanity: History, Politics, and Identity.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJeremy Lin on Game 1 Vs Thunder and Russell Westbrook | April 20, 2013
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZKFsh9uVB0
Sportige: Jeremy Lin Isn’t in a Competition With James Harden
ReplyDeletecongrats to lin for 1st playoffs, All the best and God Bless!
ReplyDeleteWatched Open Court "Playoffs" and Shaq mentioned a playoff moment he liked. Jordan turned to Steve Kerr (role player), told him (Kerr) that he (Jordan) was going to be double teamed and that he was going to pass to him. Jordan was double teamed, he passed the ball the Kerr, and Kerr made the game winning shot.
ReplyDeleteAll the retired players on the show (Barkley, Miller, CWebb, Brent Barry, Smitty, Shaq, and Steve Kerr) also discussed the importance of playing unselfishly and having a great coach.
I am excited to see Lin in his first playoffs. I can imagine that he will be really studying up and doing his homework on Westbrook.
Question: The big post-game interviews include 2 players from the team, i.e. Paul and Griffin, Durant and Westbrook. Who will be representing the Rockets? From their site, one would think Harden and Parsons, but does anyone know how and when this is decided?
It will be harden and whoever played well after him.
DeleteFANVID: FOR YOU
ReplyDelete[j017823]
AUTHENTIC DERRICK ROSE 2013 PLAYOFF JERSEY
ReplyDeleteHarden and other players of his ilk(Melo...Amare) should NEVER ever be considered All-Stars until they learn how to play defense.
ReplyDeleteJFriedman: Examining the Rockets' keys to survival against an elite Oklahoma City squad
ReplyDeleteMcHale: Move the ball.
Look at the clips. When Rockets made two great defensive blocks, Harden was spectating in the opposite corner. When OKC made a transition 3 pointer, Harden was 'guarding' but was effectively just watching the potential shooters.
DeleteWhat gels and irritates this forum is that:
It required this site to point out Harden's defensive weakness
Commentators blame the TEAM for its defensive lapses, not on 'who'
McHale orgasms over Harden and simply ignores his lack of effort to team defence.
Rox clip~
ReplyDeleteBEHIND THE SCENES: ROCKETS VS CLIPPERS
I'm sure Lin is in great shape physically in April.
ReplyDeleteUnless he is shackled, he will be able to give a great performance in the playoff.
On the contrary, Harden hits a slump.
McHale live or dies with Harden.
Pray that Lin gives a great performance in the first half. Then McHale will run out of excuses when pulling him out and insert him back at the last minutes.
I personally believe the eye test that if a player is doing well or not. Statistics lies with coaches and players padding their game up just for stat.
NBA on ABC 2013 Playoffs Intro Theme Song - POWER
ReplyDelete0:08 JLIN
That was like only half a second but hey at least its not Chandler "Beiber" Parsons. Oh wait, he gonna get jealous again like the GQ stuff
Delete
ReplyDeleteThunder try to get defensive, begin playoffs vs. Rockets
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/253692/239/Thunder-try-to-get-defensive-begin-playoffs-vs-Rockets?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co
These sports writers are funny. It sounds like Patric Patterson is still on the Rockets' roster:
Here is an excerpt:
The bearded left-hander can't afford to make too many mistakes, but on the contrary he has five other teammates who averaged more than 10 points this season. Chandler Parsons (15.5 ppg), Jeremy Lin (13.4 ppg), Patrick Patterson (11.6 ppg), Carlos Delfino (10.6) and Omer Asik (10.1) have all hit the 10- plus point mark. No wonder they're averaging more than 100 ppg.
I think Lin will surprise. During the Linsanity where he thrived, Lin was getting individual playoff intensity defense and he still continued to thrive. He is more ready than I think people think. If he gets his chance or 35+ minutes at the right time then he will dominate.
ReplyDeleteso derrick rose will miss the playoffs. i wonder if certain media figures will be attacking him and calling him a coward like they did to a certain asian kid a few months ago?
ReplyDeletedon't count it ;)
The key to the series is for Lin to be in constant contact with Doc. Doc's summer coaching starts now.
ReplyDeleteLin needs to channel Ray Allen or Novak on the court. How do you keep your mind and body in the game when you don't dominate the ball. Are there key imagery, key words, key patterns?
Oh, and Lin needs one of those stationary bikes on the sidelines to keep warm like the footballers do. You know there will be icing ahead.
He probably started playing that candy crush game because he got so bored on the bench.
DeleteNOT SLACKING AFTER ALL...
DeleteI wonder we should have some fun to try to predict what game one would look like. I thought of a few scenarios and I am sure others can come up with more. We will see who has a better prediction.
ReplyDelete1. Lin will play below average in the first quarter;. He comes back and plays great in the second and the third quarter. Rox was up 4 pts when he leaves the game with 4 min to go in the 3rd. He doesn't come back till 5 min in the 4 quarter when Rox is behind by 8 pts. This is just a typical game scenario for Rox all season. No changes here and no variances and no new winkles. Rox loss
2. Lin plays great the first 3 qtrs, he is just "a" pg on the team. The team is down 8 pts at the end of 3rd. McHale decides to go with small ball and iso pretty much in the 4th. He thinks there is enough variances in small ball and iso that gives him the new winkles. Rox loss.
3. Lin plays lousy in the first half. He shows some linsanity in the 3rd but McHale didn't want anything to do with it. Bench Lin for the 4th qtr. Rox got blown out of the arena.
4. McHale saw the lights finally after the last two games of the season that the iso and small ball just doesn't cut it. He decides to let Lin be "The" PG for this game. The game is an exciting and close game as the lead goes back and forth for over 10+ times until the last possession with OKC up by 1 with 10 seconds left. Lin has the ball after inbound and drives it into the paint. But the OKC see that coming during the timeout as Lin was doing it thruout the game. They pack the paint and double team Lin, Lin drive and dish out to Harden outside the 3 pts line all my himself. Harden takes the shot with 1 second on the clock, nothing but net. Rox won the game. Team play all the way. (I must be day dreaming coming up with this scenario).
I pick #1 as nothing will change.
I am sure you can come up with other scenarios. Just for the fun of it.
.
I think Lin will try to step it up during playoff, i.e., purposefully try to score more, but I don't know whether his extra effort will result in 20+ PPG games though. If I see Bev play more than 15 minutes in place of Lin, I will be pissed. It is an ultimate disrespect for Rockets to try replacing an 8 Million per year player like Lin with 1 Million per year player.
Deleteeb5attorney, you're gonna be pissed then. Bev will most likely play more than 15 min IN PLACE OF Lin.
Delete#1 or #3 sounds likely, because JLin will be too hyped up and that may affect his game initially. But I'm hoping for at least #2. #4 is nice to dream about.
DeleteAndre Miller, at his age, plays like a super star and helps Denver defeat GW. Denver is looking very tough to break. Those hesitation, stop, switch to the basket moves are beautiful to watch. Seems like the guy is playing better than when he was young.
ReplyDeleteA more relevant issue to this site: When Lin stands in the corner, is he ordered by Mac to do so? I do agree that Lin seems to just stand there, without giving an impression that he is ready to catch and shoot right away. Of course, the ball doesn't often find him there. Or can Lin run here and there and try to find an opening or a block to catch and shoot like Novak or Curry? If he has some freedom on where he should catch and shoot, it would help Lin to improve this aspect of game. I do agree that he doesn't seem to convey the shooter's mentality, even though I know this is not his game. My point is that if he is forced to become a better catch and shoot player, he might as well put more energy into this area, while trying to score other ways when he can. It seems like Klay Thompson of GW player is ideal to play with Harden if Mac wants to keep the system Harden-centric.
I don't think anybody is telling Lin to go to the corner.
DeleteLin's simply pushed off the perimeter by the four guys playing selfishly for new contracts: Harden, Delfino, Parsons, and Beverley.
I believe that it is Mchale wh sends Lin into the corner in order for harden iOS to have his court space.
DeleteMchale is the one responsible for the players activities on the court. That's a coaches job to discipline his players. If he fails to do that, that's his fault and not the players.
I'm terrified of two things:
ReplyDelete1) Refs rig the games by calling fake fouls on Lin.
2) James Harden gets SCARED and bricks/turnovers in a selfish way while also refusing to play defense.
It's very hard to beat the Rockets if those two things don't happen.
I have this sick feeling that Lin is going to get into foul trouble early and then head to the bench. We'll then see a lot of Bev. He'll probably finish the game too, even with 5 fouls.
DeleteRemember this? Yes, it's happened before.
What i'm really scared of is for jeremy not to have the chance to touch and hold the ball during crunch time like what happened in lakers OT. Funny and and disappointing that when my dad who is a huge bball fan back home saw the game b/w LA and Houston and saw lin play for the first time said jeremy doesn't even touch the ball and everyone is just passing it to harden...he has no clue abt this team and what jlin fans have seen throughtout the season but he saw right away in that 5 mins how the PG is treated.It is a sad reality and since these playoff series will be shown there, this is what bball fans back home will witness if the trend stays the same. I just hope that fans who have no idea of how good lin is will see him play his brand of bball, and will not wonder why we became fans of this talented kid...i just hope
ReplyDelete[CSN] JLIN: A LOT FOCUS ON GAMEPLAN
ReplyDeletethat's sounds promising...some new plays, knowing their current plays even better, and watching games together (sign of team bonding) and noticing lower scoring (hopefully sign of more committment to D) and physical games
DeleteWe just hope miracle to be happen!
ReplyDeleteOfficials for Rockets-Thunder tonight: Zach Zarba, Tony Brothers and Ron Garretson.
ReplyDeleteLakers just lost to SAS.... They need a new, young and unselfish PG with great court vision and excellent playmaking ability...
ReplyDeleteand great defence too :D
Deletewell i think jeremy could be a great add to the lakers as 6th man, just like manu ginobili was and is for the spurs or harden last year for okc. Not a big fan of this move cause i want to see our boy be the leader of his team just like Michael Terry said before but if trade happens, well, it could work.
DeleteI think dwight howard doesn't work with the lakers. If it happens it'll be a sign and trade where rockets would get howard
If JL stays in Rockets, I hope the Rox find a way to trade for Novak, the great 3 point shooter.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBefore i go to bed, (it's 0.26 here and tomorrow i must work :D) I ask for the believers to pray for jeremy for his first playoff series.
ReplyDeleteLet's pray God gives him skill, force, courage, wisdom and, most of all, calm to play these games. Could his efforts on court convert people.
For the unbelievers, support as much as you can !!! :D .... okay, even us believers could scream out loud for every jeremy's bucket :D
And peace within himself knowing he is doing his best and playing for the glory of God. Amen.
DeleteJLin, continue with your brand of success. Keep being the salt and the light on and off the court.
DeleteGodspeed to Jeremy and his teammates. Amen
DeleteWell rather than glass half full, I'm adopting a hope for the best expect the worst attitude.
ReplyDeleteJlinfan#1 you are way generous of mchale. He is an inept coach, and you don't give the players enough credit, they got here because they played hard and improved all season, not because the coaching knows what they are doing, this has been proven time and time again. A lot of this is due to lins leadership on and off court, and the teammates feed off of that. They hustle when lin is in charge because lins brand of ball rewards movement.
But lin gets punished everytime he does.
Experience? Yes if they actually stick lin in without messing with his rotation. But that's nit gunna happen, and surrounding him with roleplayers rather than defensive ball stopping liabilities, not gunna happen.
I'm happy and sad for lin and rox at the same time. McHale needs to just move on.
Well rather than glass half full, I'm adopting a hope for the best expect the worst attitude.
ReplyDeleteJlinfan#1 you are way generous of mchale. He is an inept coach, and you don't give the players enough credit, they got here because they played hard and improved all season, not because the coaching knows what they are doing, this has been proven time and time again. A lot of this is due to lins leadership on and off court, and the teammates feed off of that. They hustle when lin is in charge because lins brand of ball rewards movement.
But lin gets punished everytime he does.
Experience? Yes if they actually stick lin in without messing with his rotation. But that's nit gunna happen, and surrounding him with roleplayers rather than defensive ball stopping liabilities, not gunna happen.
I'm happy and sad for lin and rox at the same time. McHale needs to just move on.
Game is on tnt. Dynamite! Kaboom! Something is gonna happen. I think harden will def share ball more this series, cuz he knows ex- teammates knows his tendencies n how to stop him. He wont run out the clock like in lakers game. We will see linsanity....very solid numbers. People will see the value of lin when his play fills up the stat sheet in every category. I am more interested in seeing how clutch lin can be as this is the big time stage. Im sure there ll be choke moments. How will he respond after that. Overall, wanna see his psyche on display. We know want he can do. Wanna see want he cany do!
ReplyDeleteCan't not cany
DeleteMessed it up badly :). We know what he can do. Wanna see what he cant do!
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ReplyDeleteFirst round，all six home court teams won.
Heat is playing against Bucks now, leading by 7. So predictably Heat will win their first game too.
Will Houston be an exception? Very unlikely.
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ReplyDeleteVegas came out with the OVER/UNDER on how many games before Beverly wins the starting role over JLIN. They said Game 3.
ReplyDeleteI am betting under.
That's not going to happen.
Deletewhat the hell are you talking about??
Deletewho is vegas? Link plz
DeleteGood news guys, all playoff games I ome teams so far won all of them. So, mathematically, the chance of Rox winning on the road is about 81.23%. I just got this calculation result from my super computer.
ReplyDeleteI mean home team won them all so far.
DeleteAre u kidding me?
DeleteInteresting. Care to share your super formula?
DeleteI graduated from Harvard Mathematics and computer science double majors. Haha.
DeleteI just hope don't get blow out by the thunders.
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