[The Triangle] @Clutchfans' Tweet Made Grantland Article

If you don't want to click on the link above and scroll to find what they said about the Rockets... here it is:

"Andrew Sharp: Stop complaining about free throws. Just be amazed that the Rockets are about to be the Western Conference third seed in the NBA playoffs by playing like this. There are a dozen or more plays during every Houston game in which someone throws James Harden the ball, he jab-steps back and forth for 10 to 15 seconds, and it all leads to a bad shot. Or a foul. Or maybe a last-second pass. That’s the offense. And it works!

It’s just incredible to watch a good NBA team rely this much on one player. It’s like watching a high school team that always throws it to the one kid who’s getting a college scholarship.

Theoretically, Dwight Howard’s return would reduce the burden here. In practice, Harden has already announced that he has Dwight’s blessing to continue playing the same way. And you could see why last night.

The Rockets got off to a sluggish start, with Howard playing the first few minutes last night against the Pelicans. They were down 15 when Howard left with seven minutes left in the second quarter, and Harden returned shortly thereafter. By halftime, he, Trevor Ariza (22 points for the game), and Donatas Motiejunas (21 points) had cut it to three. In the second half, they blitzed New Orleans with and (mostly) without Howard, and Houston survived a late rally to move Brow’s playoff hopes a little closer to the grave.

I’ve joked all year with Chris Ryan about loving the Rockets come playoff time, but now I’m really curious. Not because I believe in them, but more because I have no idea what to make of them. If Dwight can come back to shore up the defense and especially the defensive rebounding, they could be a fourth title contender in the West. They are the one team in the past two years that has consistently given the Spurs problems.

But if their shot at a title depends on Howard’s health, he’ll also have to stay out of the way on the other end for this to work. Because … the offense flows better when James Harden is stopping the ball for 10 seconds at a time?

It really might. Also, I can’t believe the cooking dance is a real thing and that it happens even at Rockets away games. This team is amazing, man."

 

I'm not sure if I'm down with the "cooking dance" - but nevertheless it was fun to see the rowdies represent and Clutchfans get quoted.

 

The triangle is overrated. I tried with some people on a court in the late 90s early 2000s and it is just a mess.... It takes way too long to observe and quantify in your head the different triangle angles that form with every movement within a possession. **** that ****...

 

Very nice.

 

Media thinks that our offense is easy to guard but opposing teams are finding that it's not, even if they know what they are supposed to do.

It takes 2-3 guys to stop Harden, but when he gets cookin', he can't be stopped. Too much attention on Harden allows the others to get open.

Then even if opponents stymie Harden, Harden has been learning to pass early enough to create some ball movement. If randomly Ariza or Brewer gets hot, or if Motie can have his way, or Smith hits his 3s, we will win.

It's creating a style, and players getting comfortable with the style and the shots they can get. Where was it that I read, we have players that can attack in different ways--so if they can take away our 3s, we can go to the post or try to create TOs or penetrate and dish or run the pnr.

The high variance offense can create ugly losses but also beautiful wins. The offense looks simple but it's deceptively simple.

 

Imagine if we surrounded Harden with true 3&D players what kind of damage he could do...

 

It's just a triangle

 

exactly. It's well documented that Mchale has his players doing dodecahedral reads on the defense.

 

God, I would have really like to see that second round mach-up last year.