ClutchFans Game Thread: Blazers @ Rockets 12/11/2018

Finally glad the Rockets start attacking the paint rather than shooting stupid contested threes and allowing the team a free outlet.

 

That game was crazy tho . Our role players saved us .

Nene's best game of the season .
Greens best game
House's best game

The starters had all their bad moments and good moments .

We needed a game where our bench picked up the slack. I think the pressure of having to play perfect was weighing on the main guys and they are pressing a bit .

Though the cynic in me says no way in hell those role guys bring it again . Nene in particular can't be expected to keep up that effort night in and night out . We should rest him on B2B's

 

It was a tad more fun and enjoyable than those other nights.

Spoiler

 

They are also only a 5 game winning streak away from a top 4 seed.

 

last year jazz went onto 15 games winning streak or something(cant remember exactly) and still didnt move out of 11th place

 

I was being sarcastic.

 

was not able to watch it, we finally turned the corner?

 

Holy ****, the Rockets won ... against a team that does not suck ... albeit at home.

 

Look at that, they actually played defense like they gave a crap, how nice of them.

 

second unit anyway

 

It really was refreshing to see the fellers hustling on defense and run outs. Like they were athletes, and not office workers balling on their lunch break. Who’da thunk that possible after the season so far?

 

Sad that they could have played with that level of effort and intensity all year, as they did last season, and would be well inside the playoffs. Probably a top seed at this point.

 

https://nbahdreplay.com/portland-trail-blazers-vs-houston-rockets-dec-11-2018/

 

I'm offering 4 first round picks and an Eric Gordon caliber player. I will be heavily protecting the third and fourth pick though because I'm no fool.

 

Rockets sure know how to compete against decent teams (Warriors, Nuggets, Pistons, Pacers, Spurs, Blazers) but forget how to basketball against scrub teams (Cavaliers, Mavericks, Wizards, Timberwolves).

 

its all mental, the difference between good and bad teams in nba is less than ppl think.... all of these guys are very good and only nuaces decide the winner...a blowout win is merely a 6 possessions game, if you dont gave maximum effort you can easily lose to bad teams on any given night ..particularly due to increased 3pt shooting which is a high variance shot

 

So... Knight for Parsons?

 

Clint and Nene's +/- comparison says it all for me. It's not just this game that tells me Clint is being misused. Clint's perimeter defense is severely overrated by the players, the coaches, and Clint himself. It's not a coincidence that when he's on the court that the opposing team pops off with easy at-the-basket points. Nene was stellar because he knows his limits and decides to play big and patrols the paint.

Concern about Harden is that he's seems to be the last one stuck in the past like what everyone here says. His moves are still good and effective, but he just needs to attack earlier in the shot clock. He's trying to reproduce his highlight reels from his MVP year and seems to have forgotten how dynamic he was attacking. It's a mentality issue, not an out-of-shape issue.

 

Harden can definitely still fill up the stats, but it drives me crazy when he does like late in the game and completely stops the offense so he can just dribble at his spot until the shot clock is all the way down and then chuck a 3. I was begging through the TV for Paul to take the ball away from him, and when Harden finally did pass it to him, Paul gave it right back and Harden threw another brick. Made the end of the game a lot more suspenseful than it needed to be. Maybe he's tired. I don't know.

 

How bad is Ennis' hammy? I hope he can come back soon.