Series Thread: 2nd Round: LA Lakers vs Houston Rockets

[bksballer89]

And also you keep bringing up his turnovers like it is some crazy #. He was basically at his avg amount of turnovers. When the ball is in your hand a lot, you're going to have 4-5 turnovers. Luka and Bron lead the playoffs with over 5 turnovers per game. 4-5 turnovers is pretty common for the top players who have the ball in their hands a lot

 

[bksballer89]

I'm no Harden fan, but to be fair, he was 6 for 12 from the field and 11 for 13 from the line. 27 points on 12 shots is pretty efficient.

The Lakers did a great job of cutting off his driving lanes and forcing him to give up the ball. Then they followed that up with doing a good job of making sure he didn't get it back.

They also were able to confuse him and the Rockets (especially early) by switching back and forth from zone to man, sometimes in the same possession. They also did a good job of not fouling him.

If he had kept forcing the issue against the double team (which usually had a bigger player involved like Lebron, AD or Kieff), the Rockets would have gotten blown out.

Plus, Tucker, Gordon, House and Covington were all playing well, so there was no reason for him to force the issue. In the 4th, I think the Rockets were just worn down.

As I said last night, I don't know how anyone supposedly watched that game and blames Harden.

 

[Wamu]

Lakers sent a double team at him every time he had the ball. It is either force a shot over 2 defenders or pass to the open teammate. Criticizing him for making the right basketball play is borderline retarded

He disappeared in the 4th quarter when the Rockets needed him the most. Odd you think otherwise. It funny you said borderline retarted (a phrase only used by people with a limited mind).

Now we can go back and forth all day, got nothing to do until the Celtics game tips off. I think he played a bad game. You think otherwise. So it's up to you if you wanna continue this.

 

[Wamu]

I'm no Harden fan, but to be fair, he was 6 for 12 from the field and 11 for 13 from the line. 27 points on 12 shots is pretty efficient.

The Lakers did a great job of cutting off his driving lanes and forcing him to give up the ball. Then they followed that up with doing a good job of making sure he didn't get it back.

They also were able to confuse him and the Rockets (especially early) by switching back and forth from zone to man, sometimes in the same possession. They also did a good job of not fouling him.

If he had kept forcing the issue against the double team (which usually had a bigger player involved like Lebron, AD or Kieff), the Rockets would have gotten blown out.

Plus, Tucker, Gordon, House and Covington were all playing well, so there was no reason for him to force the issue. In the 4th, I think the Rockets were just worn down.

Yes he was efficient. But he's the leader of the Rockets. I find it unexceptable he only took 12 shots. And this isn't the first (or the last) time he's done next to nothing in the 4th quarter of a playoff game.

 

[trojanfan12]

And also you keep bringing up his turnovers like it is some crazy #. He was basically at his avg amount of turnovers. When the ball is in your hand a lot, you're going to have 4-5 turnovers. Luka and Bron lead the playoffs with over 5 turnovers per game. 4-5 turnovers is pretty common for the top players who have the ball in their hands a lot

Magic is the greatest point guard to ever play the game and if memory serves, he was always among the league leaders in turnovers.

 

[Stakesarehigh]

Help me out with this...a Rockets fan I've been friends with forever says AD is a problem for the Lakers, because obviously not a perimeter defender.

He was 36/10/4 today on 63% shooting so obviously a big reason they won. But my friend says he was -7 for the game. I know one game plus/minus is misleading...but why exactly? How do I explain to him why AD was really great tonight with a negative plus minus?

Rondo was +28 so I know it doesn't correlate to how good a player is in one game LOL

Rondo had like seven steals though

 

[trojanfan12]

Yes he was efficient. But he's the leader of the Rockets. I find it unexceptable he only took 12 shots. And this isn't the first (or the last) time he's done next to nothing in the 4th quarter of a playoff game.

I agree to a point. But the Lakers defense was really good. It's up to the coaching staff to make the right adjustments.

Also, it's not just about the best player taking the most shots, it's also about the best player making the right play. When your teammates are hitting shots like Tucker, Gordon, etc. were last night, the right play is to get them the ball. Especially when you're being doubled teamed.

Your point about the 4th quarter does have some merit. But I put that more on the coaching staff for not making adjustments so that Harden could take over in the 4th and as I said, I think the team was worn down.

Plus, it was pretty obvious from the opening play of the quarter...Lebron wasn't letting the Lakers lose that game, no matter what the Rockets did. lol

 

[Wamu]

I agree to a point. But the Lakers defense was really good. It's up to the coaching staff to make the right adjustments.

Also, it's not just about the best player taking the most shots, it's also about the best player making the right play. When your teammates are hitting shots like Tucker, Gordon, etc. were last night, the right play is to get them the ball. Especially when you're being doubled teamed.

Your point about the 4th quarter does have some merit. But I put that more on the coaching staff for not making adjustments so that Harden could take over in the 4th and as I said, I think the team was worn down.

Plus, it was pretty obvious from the opening play of the quarter...Lebron wasn't letting the Lakers lose that game, no matter what the Rockets did. lol

Like I've said before I'm not a fan of the Bearded One. So I'm gonna be overly critical of his play when I think he should have done more.

 

[DJ]

It's funny how you keep defending Harden. Only 6 buckets and vanished in the 4th quarter. But you just keep thinking his subapr game wasn't his fault.

It's how he rolls....

 

[bksballer89]

It's how he rolls....

lol Harden didn't play bad.

Anyone with a basketball IQ can tell you that

 

[tlance]

lol Harden didn't play bad.

Anyone with a basketball IQ can tell you that

Yeah, I thought he did what he needed to do last night.

If the defense is going to consistently double you 30 feet from the basket, get the ball out and trust your teammates (who are professional basketball players) to beat a 4 on 3.

Rockets got good shots all night. They lost because they didn’t hit enough of them.

 

[trojanfan12]

Like I've said before I'm not a fan of the Bearded One. So I'm gonna be overly critical of his play when I think he should have done more.

I know how you feel. It physically hurt to type positive things about him. lol

 

[DJ]

lol Harden didn't play bad.

Anyone with a basketball IQ can tell you that

He didn't take over in the 4th like a star should. He basically disappeared like a ghost.

 

[bksballer89]

He didn't take over in the 4th like a star should. He basically disappeared like a ghost.

You really know nothing about basketball.

So now 2 people on here wants Harden to go 1 on 2 when the Lakers are doubling him....yeah that makes no sense

 

[bksballer89]

This is basketball 101. When you're being doubled then you pass to your open teammate. Not rocket science.

You wouldn't keep that energy if Lebron was getting doubled all 4th quarter and it limited the amount of points he had because he made the right basketball play

 

[DJ]

You really know nothing about basketball.

So now 2 people on here wants Harden to go 1 on 2 when the Lakers are doubling him....yeah that makes no sense

LOL. Because you said so? You're funny.

I know this.....Harden failed to take over the game in the 4th......per his postseason failures.....

And he had 7 assists to 5 TO's. A 1.4 assist to TO ration, which for your information is HORRIBLE....Harden took just 3 FGA's in the final quarter while RW was trying to help the Rockets win the game.

 

[DJ]

An average assist to TO ratio is 2-to-1.....an elite ballhandler's assist to TO ratio is 2.5-to 1.

 

[DJ]

This is basketball 101. When you're being doubled then you pass to your open teammate. Not rocket science.

You wouldn't keep that energy if Lebron was getting doubled all 4th quarter and it limited the amount of points he had because he made the right basketball play

And 7 assists to 5 TO's is good? LOL.

It's horrible.

 

[wildturkey]

I agree AD needs to get in the paint more and that the Lakers need a paint touch on every single possession.

But you are dead wrong about the centers.

They just don’t provide enough offensively. PJ Tucker and Jeff Green can guard them pretty effectively with a little help.

And the only player who gets minutes on the Rockets you can just let shoot 3s is Westbrook. When Dwight and Javale are out there, Rockets force a switch in pick and roll and the Lakers either have to leave shooters to over help or take chances in a terrible matchup.

If McGee and Howard has played much more than 8 minutes last night, the Lakers would have lost the game.

McGee was minus 8 in his 8 minutes. Not a coincidence. He brings nothing to the table in this matchup. And like I told people the last 2years, there was good reason Kerr left him on the bench against the Rockets. He was 100% correct.

Houston has more guys than you think you can sag off of. Houston shoots a TON of 3s, but they aren't actually a particularly good shooting team. They get their points thru sheer volume. I think they lead the league in attempts but are actually a bottom third team percentage wise. PJ Tucker can't hit shit outside of the corner 3. There's no need to stay tight on him if he's anywhere else other than the corner. Eric Gordon is a surprisingly poor 3 point shooter (31%) and Covington isn't any better. House and Rivers are average but are more prone to put the ball on the floor and drive than they are to shoot. Any feint of pressure and they will pull it down and dribble. Houston needs wide open shots to hit. Anything else and they don't shoot well at all. You don't don't even need tight pressure either. Just enough space to close off any drives but enough to where you can rotate over with a light contest (hand in the face, etc) of the shooter and their percentage goes way down. They need wide open shots and get those shots with Harden and Westbrook driving into the lane and banking that you'll blow a rotation. But if you take away the drives, they can't generate any of those wide open looks. Everything breaks down and its just iso ball. The Lakers strategy with their centers has been poor because they are pulling them too far out of the paint either showing too high on screens or they are a step too close to some of those poor shooters to get back and close off the lane on drives. It allowed Houston to start its sequence of extra passes until it finds an open person.

 

[bksballer89]

And 7 assists to 5 TO's is good? LOL.

It's horrible.

It is fine. Once again if the ball is always in your hands, you're going to have roughly 4-5 turnovers. Not a surprise there.

Lebron is avg 5.1 turnovers per game in the playoffs.

Go look at the stats. A lot of the league best are around 4-5 turnovers per game. This is nothing new if you know about basketball....which you don't