tlongII
04-24-2014, 10:20 AM
http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-140423/lamarcus-aldridge-scorches-rockets-again
HOUSTON -- For hours in the wake of their Sunday loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Houston Rockets watched film. Clip after clip, the team watched all 46 of LaMarcus Aldridge's points in Game 1 with one goal in mind: Don't let him do it again.
After three long days, the Rockets watched Aldridge again, this time live, scoring 43 points on 28 field goal attempts in Game 2. Aldridge becomes the third active player to score 40 points in consecutive playoff games, joining Kobe Bryant in 2001 and LeBron James in 2009.
So much for that.
On Wednesday morning, James Harden called Game 2 a must-win and vowed he'd play better after shooting 8-for-28 in Game 1. A few hours later, Harden missed 13 of his 19 shots and turned the ball over five times.
So much for that.
The Rockets are scrambling. After securing home-court advantage in the series, they're now down 0-2 backpedaling back to Portland and searching for answers.
Dwight Howard put up 32 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, thanks to a conscious effort by the team to get him more post touches. And yet, both coach Kevin McHale and the Rockets players used their postgame news conferences to talk about how they were out of rhythm.
The team is clearly on edge. That was no more evident in the Rockets' newly renovated, state-of-the-art, $7 million locker room where Harden had a contentious verbal exchange with a longtime media member who asked about his 14-of-47 (29.8 percent) shooting mark in this series.
Harden flatly said he wasn't worried about his offense.
"It's basketball," Harden said. "You're going to miss shots. It's basketball, that's it."
The interview session moved on, Harden calmly answered additional questions from other reporters. The Rockets' line of flat-screen TVs scrolled through the team's statistical ranks on the season, including their defensive efficiency rank of 13th. Harden focused on the Rockets' defense as their downfall in Game 2.
"I'm not worried about my offense, I'm worried about our defense -- our defense as a team," Harden said.
A few minutes later, the questions stopped coming, but not before Harden, evidently still aggravated, circled back and spun the questioning to the aforementioned reporter, taking issue with his basketball credibility.
"You've never seen someone shoot 29 percent in two games? You must not watch basketball."
The longtime reporter responded that he'd watching basketball longer than Harden had been alive. And that Harden should be held to a higher standard because he is All-NBA.
"Weirdo," Harden said, before walking out of the room once Houston's PR staff stepped in.
Despite his defiance, Harden has never been this bad. He has missed 33 shots in his past two games, the most he has ever missed in a two-game span in his career. In the 2012 Finals, Harden infamously shot 18-for-48 (37.5 percent) in five games, but he wasn't the focal point of the offense like he is in Houston.
In Game 2 on Wednesday, Harden missed 13 shots, which is more than he attempted in any of those five Finals games.
As Aldridge terrorized the Rockets' defense, it's clear that Harden and Howard aren't on the same page. Harden is the up-tempo, downhill star who wants to get out in transition and slalom his way to the basket. On the other hand, Howard prefers to slow it down and play back-to-the-basket, grind-it-out basketball. The two styles have been incompatible so far in this series.
Howard is one of the most devastating pick-and-roll threats in the NBA, and yet the Rockets oddly avoid that play call with Harden, who is an artist in such actions. In this series, Howard has just one made basket directly coming out of the pick-and-roll, according to Synergy video tracking. And it came in the third quarter of Wednesday's game, with Harden throwing him an alley-oop lob. That's the only one.
After the game, Harden said he'd like to see more pick-and-rolls with Howard.
"We don't have our same flow, our same mojo that we had throughout the season," Harden said of his on-court chemistry with his All-Star. "We don't have our same swag that we go out there and just play and have fun with it. We have to get that back."
Jeremy Lin, who missed four of his five shots from the floor after battling with the flu in recent days, was asked whether the Rockets have fallen into an identity crisis in the style of play.
"It's a good question," Lin said. "I think there's always a balance. We have a great, dominant post player, so I wouldn't say we should neglect him and run away from him. But we also have other weapons, and it's a balance."
The balance hasn't been easy to find. It's hard to push the ball, taking the ball out of the basket off Aldridge makes.
"Dwight played unbelievable," Lin said. "He had a great game, dominated down low, getting high-percentage baskets. That's not a bad thing at all. He did everything he could to keep us in the game, but it's about finding a balance and finding ways to get him and James [Harden] going at the same time."
Rockets coach Kevin McHale noted after the game that the Rockets finished with just 16 assists on 39 field goals.
"We have to move the ball and attack," McHale said. "We can't hold it. And we have to have play better pace and more flow. James will get it going when we get going. When we get up-and-down, that's where he's at his best. But we need to get up-and-down."
The Rockets' defensive game plan on Aldridge clearly did not work. Houston tried to go big with its so-called "Twin Tower" lineup with centers Howard and Omer Asik on the floor at the same time. Asik usually got the assignment on Aldridge, and the Rockets tried to push him away from the basket.
Here's the problem: That's where Aldridge thrives. To push Aldridge into the midrange area is like handing a dog a rib eye. It was a curious adjustment from McHale and his staff.
So much for that.
On Wednesday morning, James Harden called Game 2 a must-win and vowed he'd play better after shooting 8-for-28 in Game 1. A few hours later, Harden missed 13 of his 19 shots and turned the ball over five times.
So much for that.
The Rockets are scrambling. After securing home-court advantage in the series, they're now down 0-2 backpedaling back to Portland and searching for answers.
Dwight Howard put up 32 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, thanks to a conscious effort by the team to get him more post touches. And yet, both coach Kevin McHale and the Rockets players used their postgame news conferences to talk about how they were out of rhythm.
The team is clearly on edge. That was no more evident in the Rockets' newly renovated, state-of-the-art, $7 million locker room where Harden had a contentious verbal exchange with a longtime media member who asked about his 14-of-47 (29.8 percent) shooting mark in this series.
Harden flatly said he wasn't worried about his offense.
"It's basketball," Harden said. "You're going to miss shots. It's basketball, that's it."
The interview session moved on, Harden calmly answered additional questions from other reporters. The Rockets' line of flat-screen TVs scrolled through the team's statistical ranks on the season, including their defensive efficiency rank of 13th. Harden focused on the Rockets' defense as their downfall in Game 2.
"I'm not worried about my offense, I'm worried about our defense -- our defense as a team," Harden said.
A few minutes later, the questions stopped coming, but not before Harden, evidently still aggravated, circled back and spun the questioning to the aforementioned reporter, taking issue with his basketball credibility.
"You've never seen someone shoot 29 percent in two games? You must not watch basketball."
The longtime reporter responded that he'd watching basketball longer than Harden had been alive. And that Harden should be held to a higher standard because he is All-NBA.
"Weirdo," Harden said, before walking out of the room once Houston's PR staff stepped in.
Despite his defiance, Harden has never been this bad. He has missed 33 shots in his past two games, the most he has ever missed in a two-game span in his career. In the 2012 Finals, Harden infamously shot 18-for-48 (37.5 percent) in five games, but he wasn't the focal point of the offense like he is in Houston.
In Game 2 on Wednesday, Harden missed 13 shots, which is more than he attempted in any of those five Finals games.
As Aldridge terrorized the Rockets' defense, it's clear that Harden and Howard aren't on the same page. Harden is the up-tempo, downhill star who wants to get out in transition and slalom his way to the basket. On the other hand, Howard prefers to slow it down and play back-to-the-basket, grind-it-out basketball. The two styles have been incompatible so far in this series.
Howard is one of the most devastating pick-and-roll threats in the NBA, and yet the Rockets oddly avoid that play call with Harden, who is an artist in such actions. In this series, Howard has just one made basket directly coming out of the pick-and-roll, according to Synergy video tracking. And it came in the third quarter of Wednesday's game, with Harden throwing him an alley-oop lob. That's the only one.
After the game, Harden said he'd like to see more pick-and-rolls with Howard.
"We don't have our same flow, our same mojo that we had throughout the season," Harden said of his on-court chemistry with his All-Star. "We don't have our same swag that we go out there and just play and have fun with it. We have to get that back."
Jeremy Lin, who missed four of his five shots from the floor after battling with the flu in recent days, was asked whether the Rockets have fallen into an identity crisis in the style of play.
"It's a good question," Lin said. "I think there's always a balance. We have a great, dominant post player, so I wouldn't say we should neglect him and run away from him. But we also have other weapons, and it's a balance."
The balance hasn't been easy to find. It's hard to push the ball, taking the ball out of the basket off Aldridge makes.
"Dwight played unbelievable," Lin said. "He had a great game, dominated down low, getting high-percentage baskets. That's not a bad thing at all. He did everything he could to keep us in the game, but it's about finding a balance and finding ways to get him and James [Harden] going at the same time."
Rockets coach Kevin McHale noted after the game that the Rockets finished with just 16 assists on 39 field goals.
"We have to move the ball and attack," McHale said. "We can't hold it. And we have to have play better pace and more flow. James will get it going when we get going. When we get up-and-down, that's where he's at his best. But we need to get up-and-down."
The Rockets' defensive game plan on Aldridge clearly did not work. Houston tried to go big with its so-called "Twin Tower" lineup with centers Howard and Omer Asik on the floor at the same time. Asik usually got the assignment on Aldridge, and the Rockets tried to push him away from the basket.
Here's the problem: That's where Aldridge thrives. To push Aldridge into the midrange area is like handing a dog a rib eye. It was a curious adjustment from McHale and his staff.
HOUSTON -- For hours in the wake of their Sunday loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Houston Rockets watched film. Clip after clip, the team watched all 46 of LaMarcus Aldridge's points in Game 1 with one goal in mind: Don't let him do it again.
After three long days, the Rockets watched Aldridge again, this time live, scoring 43 points on 28 field goal attempts in Game 2. Aldridge becomes the third active player to score 40 points in consecutive playoff games, joining Kobe Bryant in 2001 and LeBron James in 2009.
So much for that.
On Wednesday morning, James Harden called Game 2 a must-win and vowed he'd play better after shooting 8-for-28 in Game 1. A few hours later, Harden missed 13 of his 19 shots and turned the ball over five times.
So much for that.
The Rockets are scrambling. After securing home-court advantage in the series, they're now down 0-2 backpedaling back to Portland and searching for answers.
Dwight Howard put up 32 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, thanks to a conscious effort by the team to get him more post touches. And yet, both coach Kevin McHale and the Rockets players used their postgame news conferences to talk about how they were out of rhythm.
The team is clearly on edge. That was no more evident in the Rockets' newly renovated, state-of-the-art, $7 million locker room where Harden had a contentious verbal exchange with a longtime media member who asked about his 14-of-47 (29.8 percent) shooting mark in this series.
Harden flatly said he wasn't worried about his offense.
"It's basketball," Harden said. "You're going to miss shots. It's basketball, that's it."
The interview session moved on, Harden calmly answered additional questions from other reporters. The Rockets' line of flat-screen TVs scrolled through the team's statistical ranks on the season, including their defensive efficiency rank of 13th. Harden focused on the Rockets' defense as their downfall in Game 2.
"I'm not worried about my offense, I'm worried about our defense -- our defense as a team," Harden said.
A few minutes later, the questions stopped coming, but not before Harden, evidently still aggravated, circled back and spun the questioning to the aforementioned reporter, taking issue with his basketball credibility.
"You've never seen someone shoot 29 percent in two games? You must not watch basketball."
The longtime reporter responded that he'd watching basketball longer than Harden had been alive. And that Harden should be held to a higher standard because he is All-NBA.
"Weirdo," Harden said, before walking out of the room once Houston's PR staff stepped in.
Despite his defiance, Harden has never been this bad. He has missed 33 shots in his past two games, the most he has ever missed in a two-game span in his career. In the 2012 Finals, Harden infamously shot 18-for-48 (37.5 percent) in five games, but he wasn't the focal point of the offense like he is in Houston.
In Game 2 on Wednesday, Harden missed 13 shots, which is more than he attempted in any of those five Finals games.
As Aldridge terrorized the Rockets' defense, it's clear that Harden and Howard aren't on the same page. Harden is the up-tempo, downhill star who wants to get out in transition and slalom his way to the basket. On the other hand, Howard prefers to slow it down and play back-to-the-basket, grind-it-out basketball. The two styles have been incompatible so far in this series.
Howard is one of the most devastating pick-and-roll threats in the NBA, and yet the Rockets oddly avoid that play call with Harden, who is an artist in such actions. In this series, Howard has just one made basket directly coming out of the pick-and-roll, according to Synergy video tracking. And it came in the third quarter of Wednesday's game, with Harden throwing him an alley-oop lob. That's the only one.
After the game, Harden said he'd like to see more pick-and-rolls with Howard.
"We don't have our same flow, our same mojo that we had throughout the season," Harden said of his on-court chemistry with his All-Star. "We don't have our same swag that we go out there and just play and have fun with it. We have to get that back."
Jeremy Lin, who missed four of his five shots from the floor after battling with the flu in recent days, was asked whether the Rockets have fallen into an identity crisis in the style of play.
"It's a good question," Lin said. "I think there's always a balance. We have a great, dominant post player, so I wouldn't say we should neglect him and run away from him. But we also have other weapons, and it's a balance."
The balance hasn't been easy to find. It's hard to push the ball, taking the ball out of the basket off Aldridge makes.
"Dwight played unbelievable," Lin said. "He had a great game, dominated down low, getting high-percentage baskets. That's not a bad thing at all. He did everything he could to keep us in the game, but it's about finding a balance and finding ways to get him and James [Harden] going at the same time."
Rockets coach Kevin McHale noted after the game that the Rockets finished with just 16 assists on 39 field goals.
"We have to move the ball and attack," McHale said. "We can't hold it. And we have to have play better pace and more flow. James will get it going when we get going. When we get up-and-down, that's where he's at his best. But we need to get up-and-down."
The Rockets' defensive game plan on Aldridge clearly did not work. Houston tried to go big with its so-called "Twin Tower" lineup with centers Howard and Omer Asik on the floor at the same time. Asik usually got the assignment on Aldridge, and the Rockets tried to push him away from the basket.
Here's the problem: That's where Aldridge thrives. To push Aldridge into the midrange area is like handing a dog a rib eye. It was a curious adjustment from McHale and his staff.
So much for that.
On Wednesday morning, James Harden called Game 2 a must-win and vowed he'd play better after shooting 8-for-28 in Game 1. A few hours later, Harden missed 13 of his 19 shots and turned the ball over five times.
So much for that.
The Rockets are scrambling. After securing home-court advantage in the series, they're now down 0-2 backpedaling back to Portland and searching for answers.
Dwight Howard put up 32 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, thanks to a conscious effort by the team to get him more post touches. And yet, both coach Kevin McHale and the Rockets players used their postgame news conferences to talk about how they were out of rhythm.
The team is clearly on edge. That was no more evident in the Rockets' newly renovated, state-of-the-art, $7 million locker room where Harden had a contentious verbal exchange with a longtime media member who asked about his 14-of-47 (29.8 percent) shooting mark in this series.
Harden flatly said he wasn't worried about his offense.
"It's basketball," Harden said. "You're going to miss shots. It's basketball, that's it."
The interview session moved on, Harden calmly answered additional questions from other reporters. The Rockets' line of flat-screen TVs scrolled through the team's statistical ranks on the season, including their defensive efficiency rank of 13th. Harden focused on the Rockets' defense as their downfall in Game 2.
"I'm not worried about my offense, I'm worried about our defense -- our defense as a team," Harden said.
A few minutes later, the questions stopped coming, but not before Harden, evidently still aggravated, circled back and spun the questioning to the aforementioned reporter, taking issue with his basketball credibility.
"You've never seen someone shoot 29 percent in two games? You must not watch basketball."
The longtime reporter responded that he'd watching basketball longer than Harden had been alive. And that Harden should be held to a higher standard because he is All-NBA.
"Weirdo," Harden said, before walking out of the room once Houston's PR staff stepped in.
Despite his defiance, Harden has never been this bad. He has missed 33 shots in his past two games, the most he has ever missed in a two-game span in his career. In the 2012 Finals, Harden infamously shot 18-for-48 (37.5 percent) in five games, but he wasn't the focal point of the offense like he is in Houston.
In Game 2 on Wednesday, Harden missed 13 shots, which is more than he attempted in any of those five Finals games.
As Aldridge terrorized the Rockets' defense, it's clear that Harden and Howard aren't on the same page. Harden is the up-tempo, downhill star who wants to get out in transition and slalom his way to the basket. On the other hand, Howard prefers to slow it down and play back-to-the-basket, grind-it-out basketball. The two styles have been incompatible so far in this series.
Howard is one of the most devastating pick-and-roll threats in the NBA, and yet the Rockets oddly avoid that play call with Harden, who is an artist in such actions. In this series, Howard has just one made basket directly coming out of the pick-and-roll, according to Synergy video tracking. And it came in the third quarter of Wednesday's game, with Harden throwing him an alley-oop lob. That's the only one.
After the game, Harden said he'd like to see more pick-and-rolls with Howard.
"We don't have our same flow, our same mojo that we had throughout the season," Harden said of his on-court chemistry with his All-Star. "We don't have our same swag that we go out there and just play and have fun with it. We have to get that back."
Jeremy Lin, who missed four of his five shots from the floor after battling with the flu in recent days, was asked whether the Rockets have fallen into an identity crisis in the style of play.
"It's a good question," Lin said. "I think there's always a balance. We have a great, dominant post player, so I wouldn't say we should neglect him and run away from him. But we also have other weapons, and it's a balance."
The balance hasn't been easy to find. It's hard to push the ball, taking the ball out of the basket off Aldridge makes.
"Dwight played unbelievable," Lin said. "He had a great game, dominated down low, getting high-percentage baskets. That's not a bad thing at all. He did everything he could to keep us in the game, but it's about finding a balance and finding ways to get him and James [Harden] going at the same time."
Rockets coach Kevin McHale noted after the game that the Rockets finished with just 16 assists on 39 field goals.
"We have to move the ball and attack," McHale said. "We can't hold it. And we have to have play better pace and more flow. James will get it going when we get going. When we get up-and-down, that's where he's at his best. But we need to get up-and-down."
The Rockets' defensive game plan on Aldridge clearly did not work. Houston tried to go big with its so-called "Twin Tower" lineup with centers Howard and Omer Asik on the floor at the same time. Asik usually got the assignment on Aldridge, and the Rockets tried to push him away from the basket.
Here's the problem: That's where Aldridge thrives. To push Aldridge into the midrange area is like handing a dog a rib eye. It was a curious adjustment from McHale and his staff.