Series Thread: 3) Houston Rockets vs 6) OKC Thunder

[tlance]

I am going to count bad passes by russ Justin this quarter.

He just made 1

 

[ChrisWebber]

How was that a foul on Beverly?

 

[ChrisWebber]

All these ticky tack calls.

 

[BallsOfFurry]

THis quarter is precisely why the criticism is warranted.

IF Westbrook played like This all the time, he would have rings and KD would still be there. But, he is selfish so he doesn't.

And, no, taking uncontested rebounds from Adams and KANTer I still not needed.

Also, no. Westbrook is a very average passer.

Westbrook is an excellent passer, he is mentally very quick to see where to put the ball and usually puts it on the spot.
You don't understand the value of loose ball rebounds, ask any coach how he values them.
He clearly plays well most of the time, when he plays like he did 4th quarter of game 2, criticism in warranted, but not his overall game.

 

[tlance]

THere is 2

 

[Hambombs]

All these ticky tack calls.

It's harden what do you expect lol

 

[tlance]

Westbrook is an excellent passer, he is mentally very quick to see where to put the ball and usually puts it on the spot.
You don't understand the value of loose ball rebounds, ask any coach how he values them.
He clearly plays well most of the time, when he plays like he did 4th quarter of game 2, criticism in warranted, but not his overall game.[/QUOTE

I am not talking about loose ball rebounds.

I am talking about 2 Thunder bigs with inside position and the ball comes off the rim soft. Offensive bigs make no effort to go after the ball, but Russ swoops in and grabs the board instead of getting in position for an outlet pass. That is not good basketball.

 

[LAD]

None of that criticism is warranted.
When RW is playing like he is this quarter he's damn near flawless.
The rebounds he gets are 90% loose ball boards, those are particularly valuable because position doesn't help, it's hustle and quickness that wins out. He is also an excellent passer, much better than he's given credit for by some.
The trouble is when he stops passing like he did in game 2. He was awful in the 4th quarter. Of course if he'd hit some shots, OKC wins the game and he has a game for the ages.

The problem with defending RW is that this isn't something he just started doing. He's done this his ENTIRE career. That is particularly the reason they lost to the Dubs in the WCF last year & why I believe KD left.

Taking just about every shot meant he bet on his own individual game instead of on his TEAM. And in the playoffs - more specifically the Western Conf.- that just isn't going to get the job done. Not even against a team like the Rockets who don't defend well.

 

[LAD]

I think a no conference is eventually coming

I hope so because season after season we see teams with losing records in the East make the playoffs while better teams in the West don't get in. SMH

 

[BallsOfFurry]

The problem with defending RW is that this isn't something he just started doing. He's done this his ENTIRE career. That is particularly the reason they lost to the Dubs in the WCF last year & why I believe KD left.

Taking just about every shot meant he bet on his own individual game instead of on his TEAM. And in the playoffs - more specifically the Western Conf.- that just isn't going to get the job done. Not even against a team like the Rockets who don't defend well.

Durant took 168 shots in the WCF, Westbrook took 157, so that claim is demonstrably false. RW also had 79 assist, so he damn sure wasn't hoarding the ball.
Durant left because he felt GS would be tough to beat with him on an already loaded roster.

 

[tlance]

That was an example of a great rebound And a needed one on the Beverly miss FT.

Westbrook plays team basketball, and surprise! Thunder score 65. If he goes hero mode in the second half, they will lose again. If he allows the ball to move and his teammates to play basketball, they will win this game.

 

[tlance]

Durant took 168 shots in the WCF, Westbrook took 157, so that claim is demonstrably false. RW also had 79 assist, so he damn sure wasn't hoarding the ball.
Durant left because he felt GS would be tough to beat with him on an already loaded roster.

LOL.

So you think that a inefficient scoring PG that has only 9 fewer FG attempts than his teammate who is a pure scoring wing and the most efficient scorer in the NBA is an example of Russ not hogging the ball?

Shot split between those 2 should have been 65-35 if Russ were doing his job right.

 

[BallsOfFurry]

LOL.

So you think that a inefficient scoring PG that has only 9 fewer FG attempts than his teammate who is a pure scoring wing and the most efficient scorer in the NBA is an example of Russ not hogging the ball?

Shot split between those 2 should have been 65-35 if Russ were doing his job right.

I showed he didn't take most of the shots like the poster claimed, and he averaged over 11 assist a game. Shit on that if you want, it's extremely impressive and the biggest reason OKC almost upset the winningest team in history.

 

[LAD]

Durant took 168 shots in the WCF, Westbrook took 157, so that claim is demonstrably false. RW also had 79 assist, so he damn sure wasn't hoarding the ball.
Durant left because he felt GS would be tough to beat with him on an already loaded roster.

So if Russ wasn't the problem with his selfishness then please explain to me how KD moves to a MORE talented team in terms of shooters and his numbers SOAR through the roof?? His efficiency is up, his defense is up. On the other side of that coin Russ has decided to take those shots that used to be KDs rather than distribute them on a consistent basis.

It is no coincidence that they win when he's not being selfish. It's actually common sense. By the way, have you taken a peek at RW's efficiency stat? You can pick a game and it's terrible. The reason they've made the playoffs is because there are more teams in the league that don't defend on a regular basis than that do. But, in the playoffs that isn't the case. If by some chance they get past Houston you think they will really be able to get past SA???

 

[LAD]

I showed he didn't take most of the shots like the poster claimed, and he averaged over 11 assist a game. Shit on that if you want, it's extremely impressive and the biggest reason OKC almost upset the winningest team in history.

I wasn't talking about when KD was there. I was talking about the 4th quarter of game 2 of THESE playoffs.

 

[BallsOfFurry]

So if Russ wasn't the problem with his selfishness then please explain to me how KD moves to a MORE talented team in terms of shooters and his numbers SOAR through the roof?? His efficiency is up, his defense is up. On the other side of that coin Russ has decided to take those shots that used to be KDs rather than distribute them on a consistent basis.

It is no coincidence that they win when he's not being selfish. It's actually common sense. By the way, have you taken a peek at RW's efficiency stat? You can pick a game and it's terrible. The reason they've made the playoffs is because there are more teams in the league that don't defend on a regular basis than that do. But, in the playoffs that isn't the case. If by some chance they get past Houston you think they will really be able to get past SA???

Of course he's more efficient on a deep team with passers at every position...da.

 

[BallsOfFurry]

I wasn't talking about when KD was there. I was talking about the 4th quarter of game 2 of THESE playoffs.

Yes, you were posting about last year's WCF, read your own post.

 

[BallsOfFurry]

So if Russ wasn't the problem with his selfishness then please explain to me how KD moves to a MORE talented team in terms of shooters and his numbers SOAR through the roof?? His efficiency is up, his defense is up. On the other side of that coin Russ has decided to take those shots that used to be KDs rather than distribute them on a consistent basis.

It is no coincidence that they win when he's not being selfish. It's actually common sense. By the way, have you taken a peek at RW's efficiency stat? You can pick a game and it's terrible. The reason they've made the playoffs is because there are more teams in the league that don't defend on a regular basis than that do. But, in the playoffs that isn't the case. If by some chance they get past Houston you think they will really be able to get past SA???

RW has the highest PER rating in The NBA, that is literally the Player Efficiency Rating. It's far more than just shooting. It's how effective the team is when he handles the ball.
You guys are reaching.

 

[LAD]

Of course he's more efficient on a deep team with passers at every position...da.

But you just said RW is a great passer...so how does it work in GS but not with RW? I'll tell you why- because Steph is a PASS FIRST PG instead of a champion of hero ball & RW is the opposite.

it's the same thing Kobe used to do in his early years. It was good enough to get his team into the playoffs but never worked good enough to actually get out of the first round.

 

[LAD]

Yes, you were posting about last year's WCF, read your own post.

I know what I was talking about - and I told you when I referenced his number of shots that was in regards to the last game. I'm not going to argue about it because his shot selection in the 4th quarter of the last game was an atrocious that you can't argue.