Roland17:


The bolded is a cogent reason why you should accord Mchale the respect he deserves for the adjustments he made. Defensively, Harden was a liability and was not getting the calls he deserved in that game offensively, the Rockets needed stops, trading buckets with the Clippers would amount to a blow out loss, he called a time out, made changes with his personnel, spoke to Howard about blocking out loose talks from the Clippers, when they charged and tied the game he still resisted the temptation of bringing back the second best player in the league, he stuck to the five that understood the adjustments and they won the game, Harden supported and cheered the team from the bench clearly understanding the players on the court gave them the best option to win that game based on the tactics employed by Mchale.

No Chale that is not the point. He stumbled into that lineup! There was nothing deliberate about it. Its not like they shut down the Clippers offense and then magically started playing great offense on their own. I wouldn't even call it a gamble because there has to be some degree of deliberate to be labeled as that

At that point there was no need to bring in Harden. To do what precisely? It would have been beyond dumb to do that. Harden is a big reason why they were in that hole to begin with and common sense dictates you don't take out the hot hand

a40 and sir roland going at it again . i think both of you are partly right. yes, mchale did stumble into that 4th quarter lineup. but the decision to load up on CP3 on the pick and roll was coaching genius. apparently once you confuse CP3, the rest of the team become jump shooters. No creators or slashers, not even Griffin

The clippers may have let their guards down for a minute, but you cant sneeze at a 40-15 run. Come game 7, it is win or go home for both teams, so all this issue of heart will be done with. Even though I am a rockets fan, I see the clippers winning because they have a more battle tested team. But the Rockets have loads of talent and could pull off an upset if CP3 doesnt control the tempo.

A40:

No Chale that is not the point. He stumbled into that lineup! There was nothing deliberate about it. Its not like they shut down the Clippers offense and then magically started playing great offense on their own. I wouldn't even call it a gamble because there has to be some degree of deliberate to be labeled as that

At that point there was no need to bring in Harden. To do what precisely? It would have been beyond dumb to do that. Harden is a big reason why they were in that hole to begin with and common sense dictates you don't take out the hot hand

It was not deliberate yet they were able to go on a 45-15 run by the end of the fourth quarter? This adjustments did not happen in the third I hope you are aware, the charge to tie the game did not start in the fourth quarter ooooooo, Mchale was not throwing the white flag by sitting Harden from the end of the third until the end of the game, this was a game 7 for the Rockets, it was a win or go home situation for Mchale and the Rockets.

Mchale was not looking to trade baskets with the red hot clippers at that time, Harden had done his job getting them that far but they needed stops, they needed to stop that high pick and roll between Paul and Griffin, the option to bring Harden was there, it was available, if it was not deliberate and functional he would have brought him when the charge was hot..

By mid Fourth quarter the game had been sorted and figured out as size and different looks meant Paul and Griiffin wanted no part of the responsibilities that came with being clutch in such game, even Doc Rivers had no option as the hammer play which is usually their second option was in itself useless cos Jamal, Barnes and Rivers could not buy a basket from the three point line, they tried to slow the game in hopes they could crash into the finish line with a W, but every time Griffin attempted the board different looks and size stopped him, they turned the ball over severally with the Corey Brewer layup which tied the game being a typical example..

Give Mchale his due,,it was a win or go home, he needed stops and got the stops.

birdman:
a40 and sir roland going at it again . i think both of you are partly right. yes, mchale did stumble into that 4th quarter lineup. but the decision to load up on CP3 on the pick and roll was coaching genius. apparently once you confuse CP3, the rest of the team become jump shooters. No creators or slashers, not even Griffin

The clippers may have let their guards down for a minute, but you cant sneeze at a 40-15 run. Come game 7, it is win or go home for both teams, so all this issue of heart will be done with. Even though I am a rockets fan, I see the clippers winning because they have a more battle tested team. But the Rockets have loads of talent and could pull off an upset if CP3 doesnt control the tempo.

The irony is the Clippers are an extremely one-dimensional team. Especially when their bench don't show up

Loading on CP3 is an easy option to make as their swingmen (Redick, Barnes) are not facilitators and Griffin's legs are usually gone in the 4th.

40-15 run tells me one team just stopped executing on both ends of the floor. Some nights your shots don't fall but the onus is on you to keep the other team from scoring the Clippers failed spectacularly to do that

I'd probably hand this series to the Rockets, momentum is critical at this point and the Rockets have all of it

Roland17:


It was not deliberate yet they were able to go on a 45-15 run by the end of the fourth quarter? This adjustments did not happen in the third I hope you are aware, the charge to tie the game did not start in the fourth quarter ooooooo, Mchale was not throwing the white flag by sitting Harden from the end of the third until the end of the game, this was a game 7 for the Rockets, it was a win or go home situation for Mchale and the Rockets.

Benching Harden was a no-brainer. He's shooting 35% for the series 21% from 3pt range. McHale had to try something, throw a Hail Mary. They were still down by 13 going into the 4th quarter so its not like you could tell a significant change was upon us

Roland17:

Mchale was not looking to trade baskets with the red hot clippers at that time, Harden had done his job getting them that far but they needed stops, they needed to stop that high pick and roll between Paul and Griffin, the option to bring Harden was there, it was available, if it was not deliberate and functional he would have brought him when the charge was hot..

If the Clippers showed any remote interest in playing defence I'm 90% sure that game would have had a different outcome. How far did Harden get them when they were still down by over a dozen going into the 4th? Bringing in Harden when the charge was hot would have been naïve, this is basketball no coach would take out the hot hand (which at the time was Josh Smith being the primarily ball handler)
Infact the question should be what took him so long to bench Harden. He also hurts them on D so what would have been the point?

Roland17:

By mid Fourth quarter the game had been sorted and figured out as size and different looks meant Paul and Griiffin wanted no part of the responsibilities that came with being clutch in such game, even Doc Rivers had no option as the hammer play which is usually their second option was in itself useless cos Jamal, Barnes and Rivers could not buy a basket from the three point line, they tried to slow the game in hopes they could crash into the finish line with a W, but every time Griffin attempted the board different looks and size stopped him, they turned the ball over severally with the Corey Brewer layup which tied the game being a typical example..

Chris Paul had seven shots in the 4th quarter alone so clearly he didn't shirk his responsibility. Jamal has been shooting poorly all season long and like I told you before the Clippers are a very one-dimensional team. At a point one would expect a role player or bench guy to come on and make the difference which is usually the case in your home games. There was no such thing so when Chris and Blake struggled the entire team collapsed and nobody could step up and be the difference maker on either end of the floor

Half time game 7

LAC 46 ROCKETS 56

How about Doc Rivers going for the double team against Harden to force the ball off his hand high on the court..lol..

And of course, "the Clippers are who we thought they were".

cp3 and Blake might be the karl malone and stockton of this generation.

i am speechless. coming back from 3-1 has never been done before. And I didnt think this was the team that could do it. I am a bit sad to see CP3 go doen again, but man, we move on. WCF should be fun.

birdman:
i am speechless. coming back from 3-1 has never been done before. And I didnt think this was the team that could do it. I am a bit sad to see CP3 go doen again, but man, we move on. WCF should be fun.

3-1 has been done before, think houston is the 8th or 9th. i love cp3, but age isnt even on his side anymore. the bench was a deciding factor. corey brewer, josh smirh vs crawford, austin rivers. its a no brainer.

Donlittle:
3-1 has been done before, think houston is the 8th or 9th. i love cp3, but age isnt even on his side anymore. the bench was a deciding factor. corey brewer, josh smirh vs crawford, austin rivers. its a no brainer.

my bad... u right. I like how Jalen Rose just validated Daryl Morey's basketball analytics. Barkely has always hated analytics, but you cant doubt the effect of the "postionless" player in this game. Brewer, Ariza, Smith, all can play d, steal the ball, play multiple roles and knock down the 3.

Rockets through to the conference finals,coming from a 3-1 deficit just crazy.

The conference finals would be quite interesting..

It's safe to assume based on predictions on this thread that we all anticipated the Rockets were going to pull through, deservedly so if you ask me..

I would hate for CP3 to retire without competing in the conference finals and based on the composition and the talent available in the West it might be safe to predict he might not get there with the Clippers, a pragmatic thought just ran across my mind, how about CP3 moves to East?

Roland17:
It's safe to assume based on predictions on this thread that we all anticipated the Rockets were going to pull through, deservedly so if you ask me..

I would hate for CP3 to retire without competing in the conference finals and based on the composition and the talent available in the West it might be safe to predict he might not get there with the Clippers, a pragmatic thought just ran across my mind, how about CP3 moves to East?

Even the east is not safe anymore. They play a slower more deliberate pace, but the top 5 teams out there are very good. I think CP3 would have his hands full with a John Wall, or Kyrie Irving, or even Teague. The talent level in the league right now is such that getting to ECF or WCF is a feat on its own.

I think the Clips will get to the WCF next year They have gotten better each year and Blake Griffin has not hit a ceiling yet. If he learns to to pass out of double teams and make contested 18 footers, the clips would be at another level. I see the spurs and clips winning their divisions and being seed number 1 and 2 next year, making it easier to get to the WCF

CP3 to the East would definitely get him closer to the NBA finals itself....really some of these star players from the West needs to move as the WC is just too loaded.

Warriors for the title

Is it safe to say Doc Rivers is a tad overrated?

Btw CP3 come to the Mavs homeboy and help Dirk win another ring before he retires. He sure as hell isn't winning it with this one-dimensional Clipper bunch. Guys like DeAndre are going to want a max contract and I don't know if the Clippers are going to bite that bullet. They are not a balanced team and paying him that much would be rather silly when they have other weaknesses

OohMpa:
Clippers just made it easy for Warriors to get to the finals. Rubbish


Warriors in 5
Hawks in 7 (If Uncle Drew continues playing like a rookie

I think a lot of fans have excused Kyries injuries for his horrendous display this post season, uncle drew can't defend to save his life, his offense has improved but the defensive aspect of it is troublesome, but if you got LBJ it's very possible to hide a lot of weaknesses.

Atlanta Hawks vs Cleveland Cavs

Honestly for the first time I feel the Hawks are sort of evenly matched against Lebron and the Cavs, they went 3-1 against the Cavs in the regular season, many might argue it's just the regular season but I think the Hawks might just have the code to the Cavs secret lock..

Relying on streaky jumpers and threes, they are a very mobile team with no super star but need everyone to be in sync to perform at premium, the Cavs would look to pound the glass as they as superior in size against the Hawks but I expect the Hawks to force them out with their shooting, Al horford and Milsap are very important to this team.

Cavs in 7 even though my heart tells me the Hawks might just kill the game in 6

Donlittle:
3-1 has been done before, think houston is the 8th or 9th. i love cp3, but age isnt even on his side anymore. the bench was a deciding factor. corey brewer, josh smirh vs crawford, austin rivers. its a no brainer.

True there the bench decided this game.

A40:
Is it safe to say Doc Rivers is a tad overrated?

Btw CP3 come to the Mavs homeboy and help Dirk win another ring before he retires. He sure as hell isn't winning it with this one-dimensional Clipper bunch. Guys like DeAndre are going to want a max contract and I don't know if the Clippers are going to bite that bullet. They are not a balanced team and paying him that much would be rather silly when they have other weaknesses

Rumurs have it that he is not on good terms with CP3. IMHO DJ desrves the max contract and Im sure he will have plenty suitors

Roland17:
It's safe to assume based on predictions on this thread that we all anticipated the Rockets were going to pull through, deservedly so if you ask me..

I would hate for CP3 to retire without competing in the conference finals and based on the composition and the talent available in the West it might be safe to predict he might not get there with the Clippers, a pragmatic thought just ran across my mind, how about CP3 moves to East?

Naaah there are lots of teams in the west that could use his services. For the clippers this was their year to make it at least to the finals. They blew their chances. Burdened by salary cap and the possibility of losing DJ next season I dont see them being able to sign any serious veteran.In other words they're fvcked for now

Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets

By winning two games, the Grizzlies sort of gave the fans and teams a clue on how to beat the Warriors, run them off the three point, force them to shoot two points jumpers or attack the board and get swiped/ bullied off and get one of the splash brothers to play some sort of defense.

This series would be quite interesting, mobile, filled with transition basketball, two very high powered offense, the top 2 players in the league based on MVP voting a.

The Rockets have an edge in size match ups especially in the center position, if they are able to force one of the splash brothers to play defense or get into early foul trouble and run Green out of the paint, the this would make a good game, the Warriors swept the rockets in the regular season, I doubt a sweep is possible in the playoff's, the Rockets seem inspired and have been tested mentally from the precious round.

I would love to see how the Warriors match up against Ariza, J. Smoove and C. Brewer.

Warriors in 7

Roland17:

I would love to see how the Warriors match up against Ariza, J. Smoove and C. Brewer.

Me too. However, I think warriors win their 2 home games. Then split on the road. I dont think our superstars can win 4 against GSW, and our bench probably wont light it up every night. Warriors in 5. Which is why I want to see what they do when Ariza, Smith and Brewer are on the floor. That combo is potent. We could steal one in Cali with those 3.

Exceptional footwork by "The Beard", he put Thompson on skates severally...Seriously,how do u guard James Harden? It's almost impossible for the referee to ignore his drive to the rim without calling a foul, because he shows you the ball and the temptation to take a swipe for a steal takes over.

I hate what harden did tonight. Those iso plays killed the flow of the team especially Smith's game who didnt get enough touches to do damage.

i think one way to beat houston is to let harden iso all over and over again. he is good at it, but most times when they start losing, it is because harden is doing iso. the other guys on the team are really good but without the offense flowing they look like trash. whenever mchale takes out harden, the offense flows really good. saw that during the dallas series,with smith handling the ball.

GSW/HOU game 1 was keenly contested,series might stretch down to game 7.
GSW in 7

kliq:
GSW/HOU game 1 was keenly contested,series might stretch down to game 7.
GSW in 7

I read howard is injured ?
This doesn't look good for the rockets

��

SIRcumalot:

I read howard is injured ?
This doesn't look good for the rockets

Yeah,seems it's just a minor bruise to the kneel after collision with teammate....he should return soon,they need him.