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One observation from last night

No, the Bucks had Lopez waiting for him flatfooted near the restricted area. Again, you simply cannot pick him up with the center much earlier in that kind of set without giving up a layup to Capella. Utah sagged off Tucker and some other wings leaving them wide open for a three to double Harden out further just like the Bucks did. Utah did what you are asking when they could with a wing, but that's pick your poison
The poison I would pick is play him as we would with our normal defense.
 
No.
I think fans have been more worried about our offense than our defense for a few years now. We have arguably the best defense in the league.

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That is being shredded by Houston. For all the statistics to back up this claim, the Jazz have no answers on how to stop the rockets.
 
No.
I think fans have been more worried about our offense than our defense for a few years now. We have arguably the best defense in the league.

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I'm going to argue with you then. If a team can shoot 3's and move the ball a bit, Utah doesn't have defenders who can stop them. The more I watch this team, the more I see the philosophy hasn't changed much from Sloan's days. Dare a team to beat you with 3's. Funnel everything inside to Eaton, I mean Gobert. But if Rudy has to take away a penetrating guard, or come out to guard a good shooting center, it's easy to pass it inside to the vacated spot.
 
That is being shredded by Houston. For all the statistics to back up this claim, the Jazz have no answers on how to stop the rockets.
Well I mean we beat them twice this season without playing the gimmick defense being currently employed

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I'm going to argue with you then. If a team can shoot 3's and move the ball a bit, Utah doesn't have defenders who can stop them. The more I watch this team, the more I see the philosophy hasn't changed much from Sloan's days. Dare a team to beat you with 3's. Funnel everything inside to Eaton, I mean Gobert. But if Rudy has to take away a penetrating guard, or come out to guard a good shooting center, it's easy to pass it inside to the vacated spot.

Except how statistically we allow the least amount of 3 pointers in the league and had a top defense in the league even though the league is all about the 3 ball.

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Except how statistically we allow the least amount of 3 pointers in the league and had a top defense in the league even though the league is all about the 3 ball.

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We didn't allow the least. We were tied for 7th least. And we were exactly middle of the road in 3 pt% allowed at 35.5%.
 
That was at the beginning of the year when Houston was struggling. Since the All-star break Houston has been one of the best teams.
I agree. Yet we still beat them (twice) and ever other team we beat without a gimmick defense.

With the gimmick defense we have beat zero teams and been blown out, embarrassed, and looked stupid twice.

Sign me up for our normal defense please.

From what I understand the reason we are employing the embarrassing gimmick defense is because we are scared of harden shooting threes and stepback threes in particular.
Why are we so afraid of that again? Harden shot 36.8% from three this year. That's ok but nothing to freak out about. I'm fine with him taking and making threes at a 36/37 percent clip. That's what he shoots against defenses that play him straight up.
Against the jazz and their gimmick defense in the playoffs harden is shooting 44% from three.

The rockets as a team shot 36% from 3 in the regular season.
Against the jazz gimmick playoff defense they are shooting 39% from three.

Doesn't seem to be working.

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We didn't allow the least. We were tied for 7th least. And we were exactly middle of the road in 3 pt% allowed at 35.5%.
Fair enough. (I remember a post a while ago, I think from Ron Mexico, and we allowed the least at that time)

Even with your numbers it disputes what jack strop was saying (that we don't care about defending the 3)

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I agree. Yet we still beat them (twice) and ever other team we beat without a gimmick defense.

With the gimmick defense we have beat zero teams and been blown out, embarrassed, and looked stupid twice.

Sign me up for our normal defense please.

From what I understand the reason we are employing the embarrassing gimmick defense is because we are scared of harden shooting threes and stepback threes in particular.
Why are we so afraid of that again? Harden shot 36.8% from three this year. That's ok but nothing to freak out about. I'm fine with him taking and making threes at a 36/37 percent clip. That's what he shoots against defenses that play him straight up.
Against the jazz and their gimmick defense in the playoffs harden is shooting 44% from three.

The rockets as a team shot 36% from 3 in the regular season.
Against the jazz gimmick playoff defense they are shooting 39% from three.

Doesn't seem to be working.

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Your contention with taking away Harden's 3 is as simple as his shooting percent? C'mon man.

That's not the only thing forcing him right attempts to take away anyway.
 
Your contention with taking away Harden's 3 is as simple as his shooting percent? C'mon man.

That's not the only thing forcing him right attempts to take away anyway.
What I know for certain is that the rockets offense is playing better in the playoffs against a great defense than they did in the regular season when they got to go up against all the garbage defensive teams to help bring up their offensive numbers.

What we are doing isn't working.
What we were doing prior to the playoffs was working.

I also think our strategy isn't only hurting our defense (which it definitely is) but I think it is also hurting our offense.

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What I know for certain is that the rockets offense is playing better in the playoffs against a great defense than they did in the regular season when they got to go up against all the garbage defensive teams to help bring up their offensive numbers.

What we are doing isn't working.
What we were doing prior to the playoffs was working.

I also think our strategy isn't only hurting our defense (which it definitely is) but I think it is also hurting our offense.

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Overplaying to force right (it's not a gimmick it is forcing right) has not worked. Arguing against Harden's 3 pts % is dumb support for why to stop forcing right so hard. His ppp on 3's is insane and it also opens up the rest of his game. Trying to take it away is logical. When that isnt working doing something else is logical.
 
Overplaying to force right (it's not a gimmick it is forcing right) has not worked. Arguing against Harden's 3 pts % is dumb support for why to stop forcing right so hard. His ppp on 3's is insane and it also opens up the rest of his game. Trying to take it away is logical. When that isnt working doing something else is logical.
They are doing more than trying to force right.
You should always try to force players to their weaker hand.
What they have been doing is guarding him from behind and giving him the paint.

Big distinction there.

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What pi$$es me off is that we could have put the Stars out there for these two games and probably not have lost as badly. Earn your paychecks guys.
 
They are doing more than trying to force right.
You should always try to force players to their weaker hand.
What they have been doing is guarding him from behind and giving him the paint.

Big distinction there.

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I know what they're doing. Poppovich did it and was successful so now every other coach wants to try. Still, his step back 3 is something insane like 1.5 pop and the reason they lead the league in ppp and needs to be stopped somehow.

Utah was 2nd in ppp BTW. Defense is a complaint but offense is the clear problem in this series.
 
I know what they're doing. Poppovich did it and was successful so now every other coach wants to try.

Spurs were 1-3 against the rockets in the regular season and -25 against them in point differential.
The one win was on November 10th and they won by 7.

I don't call that successful.

Jazz were 2-2 against the rockets in the regular season and +6 in point differential

I kinda think the jazz were more successful and should have just kept doing what they did in the regular season.

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Spurs were 1-3 against the rockets in the regular season and -25 against them in point differential.
The one win was on November 10th and they won by 7.

I don't call that successful.
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What are you on about? Pop tried it in a game Harden didnt shoot well. What do all the other games have to do with it? You said Harden's above average 3 pt% shouldn't be a big worry. That's simply fantastic.
 
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