Sac.Kings
All-Star
Isn't that ironic.... regardless of the loss, DMC is a beast!
[Game] Game 74: Kings @ Rockets, 4/1/15 - 5pdt, 8edt
- Thread starter VF21
- Start date
The Rockets are, basically, built exactly like us, but backwards. That's why they can continue to excel without Howard. They have an elite center and an elite wing, just like us. But, unlike us, they're built around the skills of the wing.
Sac.Kings
All-Star
Smart choice on their part. Howard has had his chances, and failed. Plus, at this stage of his career, at best he is a Robin to a Batman.
Boogie didn't challenge a couple of shots early on, that would've almost certainly resulted in at least one more foul for him, so he let Rockets have a couple of easy buckets. He should do it more often - just let go of moments, when defensive plays are barely effective. Kings need Cousins to stay on the floor.
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9x1x6
Bench
Kings shot 50% FG, 50% 3Pt and 50% FT tonight, has only happened one other time in history.
http://www.nba.com/tvc/index.html?gamecode=20150401/SACHOU&brand=NBA&ls=slt
http://www.basketball-reference.com...3val=50&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=pts
http://www.nba.com/tvc/index.html?gamecode=20150401/SACHOU&brand=NBA&ls=slt
http://www.basketball-reference.com...3val=50&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=pts
Ron
Starter
I just went back to the video, to check if it was our D
that made Harden's "superhero act" tonight possible -
Here's a log of Harden's 8 from 9 for 3pts (Notice how some shots were really uncontested!)
Let's see whom he scored those 3's on:
Q1 - 8:08 - on McLemore (With a quick release from the corner)
Q1 - 3:45 - on D-Will (Who was late to guard him, and hardly bothered to)
Q1 - 0:29 - on Stauskas
Q2 - 5:38 - on McLemore (Who entirely lost Harden, and was actually behind him...)
Q2 - 4:25 - on no one! (Free, after a steal in our paint)
Q3 - 7:47 - on McLemore (Who just wasn't there! Again!)
Q3 - 3:27 - on Stauskas (Held by a pick)
Q4 - 5:25 - on D-Will (Just sloppy, giving too much space. Casspi was furious with D-Will)
On the other hand - I thought Omri did a very good job on Harden,
stripping 3 steals off him and allowing no 3pt attempts at all!
Unfortunately - that matchup was too little too late...
that made Harden's "superhero act" tonight possible -
Here's a log of Harden's 8 from 9 for 3pts (Notice how some shots were really uncontested!)
Let's see whom he scored those 3's on:
Q1 - 8:08 - on McLemore (With a quick release from the corner)
Q1 - 3:45 - on D-Will (Who was late to guard him, and hardly bothered to)
Q1 - 0:29 - on Stauskas
Q2 - 5:38 - on McLemore (Who entirely lost Harden, and was actually behind him...)
Q2 - 4:25 - on no one! (Free, after a steal in our paint)
Q3 - 7:47 - on McLemore (Who just wasn't there! Again!)
Q3 - 3:27 - on Stauskas (Held by a pick)
Q4 - 5:25 - on D-Will (Just sloppy, giving too much space. Casspi was furious with D-Will)
On the other hand - I thought Omri did a very good job on Harden,
stripping 3 steals off him and allowing no 3pt attempts at all!
Unfortunately - that matchup was too little too late...
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gunks
Hall of Famer
The Rockets are a legit squad, we're playing in their house, and we are missing both Rudy and (the underappreciated) DC..... So I shouldn't be pissed about a hard fought loss....
...But still, it irks me that we can't get a W when Boogie puts up these RIDICULOUS stats. The dude is just balling lately. This stretch is prime Shaq level dominance. We have one more guy step up, and we win.
OTOH, that also leaves room for optimism..... We only need to get ONE solid player in FA or via trade and we are instantly far more competitive.
Anyways, mixed feelings after this loss. But Cousins.... that dude is a stone cold HOFer.
...But still, it irks me that we can't get a W when Boogie puts up these RIDICULOUS stats. The dude is just balling lately. This stretch is prime Shaq level dominance. We have one more guy step up, and we win.
OTOH, that also leaves room for optimism..... We only need to get ONE solid player in FA or via trade and we are instantly far more competitive.
Anyways, mixed feelings after this loss. But Cousins.... that dude is a stone cold HOFer.
Beyond frustrating. Just shows how valuable FT shooting is. In a game where Harden actually had a better than 2 PPS and Cuz put up all the numbers, it came down to the FT advantage that Houston had. We missed 8 FT's and Houston had +9 points in FTM. We lost by 4.
rainmaker
Hall of Famer
What the Kings need is to get Cuz some goddamn help this summer.
Players at this level, and right now he's making claim to clearly being a top 5 player on the planet, should be in the playoffs every single year, and not just squeaking in either, but 2nd round and beyond. This is what contenders are built around, key words being built around.
If Cuz plays 67+ games next year(giving a 15 game buffer zone), there's not going to be a viable excuse for not being in the playoffs.
Can't fault anyone really in this one. The role guys role played their roleplaying hearts out tonight. But can't fault them for not being 2nd and 3rd fiddles, where both of ours were out tonight.
That really has been a major issue the past two years. Last year with IT-Gay-Cuz and this year with Collison-Gay-Cuz has gotten far too little run of all 3 playing together. And you can't underestimate the value of a non-established team not getting its best players a majority of its games played together.
Ron
Starter
Shame on you...
This team just needs better fans.
We're missing 2 thirds of our "star trio" and yet we manage to stay close until the last seconds, against a top-5 NBA contender, on the road!
Your attitude... SMH
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kingsboi
Hall of Famer
After that 19 point lead Houston built, I thought the Kings were dead in the water. The Rockets aren't going to get far in the playoffs because they chuck so many three's and rely so much on one player to carry them that it will eventually be their demise. Cousins is on another planet and it's a damn shame he hasn't sniffed the playoffs yet in his career....the clock is ticking Pete, tick tock! Casspi has that fierce and fiestiness in him that this team severely lacks outside of Cousins so I am leaning more towards retaining him for next season, regardless of all the boneheaded plays he makes out there.
rainmaker
Hall of Famer
I'm not faulting anyone tonight. I didn't mention anyone other than Cuz tonight. Was a good game and better than I expected.
My point is there's no excuse when you have a talent like Cuz to not be in the playoffs and playing for something this time next year, barring unforeseen injuries.
captain bill
All-Star
Ron
Starter
Well, not really, actually...
He made none on Casspi, who was guarding him throughout the 4th.
Harden's only 3 in that 4th was after a switch, that got him off Omri for a few seconds (Found himself on D-Will and pulled up the jumper...)
kingsboi
Hall of Famer
it's games like this and Klay's performance that make me want to go out and draft a perimeter defender so you don't have guys like Ben, Williams, Nik and Casspi guarding players like this.
Ben played him tough in the first meeting and Casspi did reasonably well tonight. Nik is a rookie, so he gets a pass, Williams is...well, who he is - he tries, but they score anyway.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
When the coaching staff reviews the film one particular theme is going to stand out - the inability to get loose balls. McLemore standing and looking as a ball falls in his vicinity and the Beard getting it; McLemore again inexplicably watching a ball go right past him as he sped up the floor on a fast break (which never occurred because he didn't get the ball.) McCallum not beating Jones to the ball even though Jones first reaction was incorrect and to go more toward the basket and away from where the ball eventually landed; and then Casspi just not responding well to the long rebounds and reacting to get the ball on at least two occasions. This team is just crappy in being quick to the ball. First, it doesn't have the instinct to know where the ball is going. Second, it just doesn't have the quickness to get to the ball once it figures out where it is going. This is something that I think a coach just can't influence much. The players either have it or they don't, and this bunch just doesn't.
Ron
Starter
Oh please, DWill had a hand up and contested Harden out at the 3 point line multiple times, but Harden just made some tough shots. Better to give Harden some space way out on the 3 point line than to let him drive by you and get whistled for a definite BS foul. Let's not pretend Casspi didn't get scored on or lose Harden on backcuts and whatnot. Harden was hitting shots on everyone and getting his usual BS foul calls. I agree that Casspi played him tighter than the rest did, but that also resulted in Harden getting to the rim several times (for example: 4Q 4:35, 4:05). You mention that Harden didn't hit a 3 over Casspi in the fourth, but conveniently leave out the fact that by then we were often sending double teams at Harden.
I know you're an Omri fan, but please don't make it out as if Casspi played some perfect D and everyone else failed miserably. That just wasn't the case. Many times the guys you mentioned got scored on because they had to switch on Harden, who wasn't their main man.
In the other thread you mentioned that Omri barely had a 3 scored over him. Well up to the 4th (I'm too lazy to go check the 3rd) he was guarding Terrence Jones as his main man - of course he got less 3s scored over him!
My point is not to bash Omri. He played very well and gave a very good effort. But unfortunately you've made his performance out to be something it simply was not, and in doing so passed a lot of blame to other players. That's just not fair.
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Ron
Starter
I wasn't blaming, Mac. I was just singling out the positive (as I see it) to take note and improve our perimeter D.
I won't fight you, but I believe closing-in tight on the perimeter, at the risk of a drive to the rim, was a deliberate strategy by Omri/Karl.
My point was that that's the right way to guard the Rockets when they are red-hot from outside.
Keeping in mind how we served as the perfect lamb-to-the-slaughter in more than one record-breaking 3-point feast this year (by Klay Thompson, James Harden and their like), I am trying to point at a solution.
I feel that's the way to guard the perimeter against such systems - not only against Terence Jones (who by the way had 2/3 for 3pt tonight!... none of them on Omri. Just saying...) - it's effective even vs Harden with his lethal "And 1" drives, as long as you have DMC and/or JT covering you at the rim.
With such rim protectors you WANT to lead slashers to go there. It worked well in many cases tonight that ended with blocks. It almost got us a win, IMHO.
Yes, I AM a Casspi fan, but you should also honestly check and note that all the Rockets' runs came with Omri on the bench, and all the Kings' runs were with him guarding the perimeter.
It's not that Omri's the greatest defender on the league, or even on the team (he is actually a bit too slow in his lateral movement to be a real good defender...) - Casspi just figured out the right way to guard the Rockets tonight (it's not even his typical D-style or anything), and I want the rest of the players to follow that against teams of that type. That's it.
BTW - Casspi was Harden's teammate for a season, I remind you, so he also has the advantage of knowing his little tells and fakes, so JH didnt buzz by him as often as you would imagine. I don't expect the rest of the team to have that. But it wouldn't hurt to watch and learn from it.
(Just this night, at least)
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It's like 10,000 spoons, when all I need is a knife.
Telemachus
Starter
It's like good advice that you just didn't take.
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