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Re: Wolves vs Rockets (It's playoff time!!!) GDT
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 3:15 pm
by Monster
Q12543 wrote:AbeVigodaLive wrote:Q12543 wrote:SameOldNudityDrew wrote:Just got done watching. Brutal. We had a chance to steal one with how bad the Rockets played (except Harden and Capela) but we matched their shittiness. Ugh. There's no way they miss this many 3 pointers again in this series.
Quick note. Defending the Capela-Harden pick and roll will be the key to whether we can make this a series. Their 3 point shots will either fall or they won't, but they just brutalized us on that Harden-Capela pick and roll, especially in the first half. Harden is so freaking good at deciding whether to shoot or toss up the alley-oop, and even if he doesn't draw the foul and misses the shot, Capela crashes the glass and gets the putback so often.
So what's the solution?
I'm not sure, but I think we have GOT to box out Capela after the pick and have the other guy commit to stopping Harden. There has to be absolutely clear communication on who will do what, and those guys have to commit. So many times tonight we got screwed on that. It was usually Towns who either hesitated to commit to defending Harden because he was afraid of the pass or it didn't matter because the other guy (sometimes Wiggins, Butler, even Teague and Rose) didn't box out Capela and keep him away from the rim at all costs because that guy was trying to chase down Harden with no real chance of making his shot harder.
It doesn't come down to any one defender. It's really a systematic challenge. Thibs has to meet it if we're going to make this a series.
Ugh, just a gut wrenching game to watch down the stretch.
For one thing, as is mentioned time again before, during and after this game, don't have KAT guard Capela. They were obviously targeting him. It's funny how in the 2nd half when KAT wasn't guarding Capela, they suddenly stopped putting him in the pick and roll. He had 4 points after scoring 20 in the first!
I would do everything possible to make PJ Tucker beat us. Put KAT on PJ and do whatever is possible to get him to take shots by allowing KAT to sag off him and help on the interior. And yes, that means giving up some open 3's.
Will Ryan Anderson be back though?
Yeah, he's trouble. If you swap out Anderson for Tucker, I'd go like this:
Harden - Butler
Paul - Wiggins
Ariza - KAT
Anderson - Teague
Capela - Gibson
Switch everything between Harden/Paul/Capela/Anderson on picks. Paul/Harden and Ariza, KAT would need to hedge and recover back to Ariza. That's the only one I don't switch on.
Thibs would never put Teague on Anderson, but that's the kind of shit I think you need to do to have any chance. And why run pick and pop with Anderson if you just don't bother trying to hedge it and simply switch Teague onto Harden and Butler onto Anderson?
This is all about moral victories. To me, preventing Anderson from freakin' going off on us with a gazillion open 3's might be the best moral victory of them all!
I thought last game there was a stretch where it looked like they were perfectly fine letting Tucker get and take open 3's.
Q I like what you have suggested here. One thing I think Teague is good at is chasing shooters around the perimeter. I'm not sure whether Wiggins on Paul is what I would want to do though. It seemed like he has done well against him not only last night but in some other games. If Wiggins is locked in he can stay with Anderson well enough and has length as well. I agree we need to do some interesting things. The Wolves did a lengthy stint last game of rushing and doubling Harden way out on the periemter to force the ball out of his hands or at least run some clock and make something happen.
Re: Wolves vs Rockets (It's playoff time!!!) GDT
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 3:25 pm
by Q12543 [enjin:6621299]
I don't know....they are damn near an impossible team to defend and Harden was even putting Butler on ice skates last night. You just play the odds and try to do extreme things to get them to take shots they don't want to take.
Lip ultimately is right...it's like the Eagles strategy in the Super Bowl against Tom Brady and the Patriots. You gotta just go for it and outscore these guys because Harden and their 3-point shooting will ultimately beat any attempt at trench warfare. Although we damn near pulled it off last night.
Re: Wolves vs Rockets (It's playoff time!!!) GDT
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 6:08 pm
by khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]
You can't defend the Harden-Capela PnR because Capela sets the most illegal screens in the history of basketball. You can't go over the screen because he's gonna box you out to 26 feet with no call and you can't go under because Harden will just drain 3's left and right. You have to switch and I would just let Harden live at the rim on his drives and just avoid fouling and over helping.
Re: Wolves vs Rockets (It's playoff time!!!) GDT
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 7:03 pm
by Monster
If Ryan Anderson is back that's terrifying because of his ability to hit 3's but even though I don't think he is a huge liability on D (might be more if that ankle is still sore) he won't have the defensive impact Tucker did while being allowed to mug people while guarding them although he had plenty of defensive possessions he did well regardless.
Re: Wolves vs Rockets (It's playoff time!!!) GDT
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:24 pm
by crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]
Interesting, apparently Monty williams was the first choice to be the coach. taylor only hired thibs after Monty declined.
Re: Wolves vs Rockets (It's playoff time!!!) GDT
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:53 pm
by Lipoli390
crazy-canuck wrote:Interesting, apparently Monty williams was the first choice to be the coach. taylor only hired thibs after Monty declined.
Where did you see that?
Re: Wolves vs Rockets (It's playoff time!!!) GDT
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:56 pm
by crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]
lipoli390 wrote:crazy-canuck wrote:Interesting, apparently Monty williams was the first choice to be the coach. taylor only hired thibs after Monty declined.
Where did you see that?
Read a tweet that it came from the mouth of woj.
Not sure how reliable it is because I didn't actually watch sc.
https://mobile.twitter.com/r_mack/status/984554410880663552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwitter.min.html%23984554410880663552
Re: Wolves vs Rockets (It's playoff time!!!) GDT
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 6:42 am
by Monster
crazy-canuck wrote:lipoli390 wrote:crazy-canuck wrote:Interesting, apparently Monty williams was the first choice to be the coach. taylor only hired thibs after Monty declined.
Where did you see that?
Read a tweet that it came from the mouth of woj.
Not sure how reliable it is because I didn't actually watch sc.
https://mobile.twitter.com/r_mack/status/984554410880663552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwitter.min.html%23984554410880663552
Jon K said It was more that if Monte was actually available he would have been absolutely considered and would have been a top canidate. He wasn't ready to be a head coach at the time (understandably) so...it never really went anywhere.
Re: Wolves vs Rockets (It's playoff time!!!) GDT
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 8:03 am
by AbeVigodaLive
Monty Williams?
Seems exactly like the kind of "inspired" retread choice Glen Taylor would dig.
Re: Wolves vs Rockets (It's playoff time!!!) GDT
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 7:58 pm
by crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]
I dont think Teague is a fan of Thibs.
Jeff Teague just said the Wolves are playing into the Rockets hands when they use KAT to space the floor rather than having him post.
So Kat clearing out was by design to allow Crawaford, Rose, or Teague to iso the mismatch.
Thibs is an idiot.