3/6 - POSTGAME | Houston Rockets (122) - (112) Oklahoma City Thunder

[ThunderBolt]

Corey Brewer is such a typical Thunder pickup. Lots of athleticism, can't shoot and has terrible basketball IQ. Of course Donovan and Presti couldn't pass on him.

I honestly don't get how Donovan still has a job. His team's offense is still terribly basic and frankly primitive most of the time. There is barely any off the ball movement and barely any plays which use more than one pass. The defense has been in shambles since Roberson went down. He's on course to lead a team with Westbrook and Paul George to miss the playoffs.

And yet he’ll be back next year..

[Pillendreher]

His team's offense is still terribly basic and frankly primitive most of the time. There is barely any off the ball movement and barely any plays which use more than one pass.

Well you're missing some of the things we do. There's certainly more to tour offense than that:

1) Isolate Westbrook while everybody stands around.
2) Isolate George while everybody stands around.
3) Isolate Anthony while everybody stands around.
4) Isolate Grant while everybody stands around.
5) Run a PnR with Adams just to force the switch and not attack the basket.
6) Spot up complete non shooters over and over again.
7) Raymond Felton bailout shot.

I think that's a fairly complex offense.

The defense has been in shambles since Roberson went down.

I like our defense. Constantly switching matchups has really done wonders for us.*

*Cynics might say we do as a way to scheme around Westbrook's unwillingness to actually defend and keep his man in front of him.

He's on course to lead a team with Westbrook and Paul George to miss the playoffs.

He's the best tank commander there is.

[ThunderBolt]

The dudes just don't look like they're all that cohesive anymore. Melo screaming "where the F#ck was the help" was sort of a low point of the season for me.

I didn’t really understand what you meant until I saw it just now. It makes me feel like the players are starting to realize what we’ve all known for a while.

[ThunderBolt]

Just saw the thunder set two franchise records last night. Fewest field goal in the paint for a quarter (1st quarter) and most free throws for an opponent in a quarter (4th quarter).

[NetsWorld]

Rockets just played better basketball and am not surprised they won the game; Harden exposed the Thunder and Houston just completely denied the Thunder any points in the paint. This Thunder team has really mesmerized me this year with their inconsistency. On top of all that, the possibility of falling out of the playoffs is looking more and more likely. What a shame and disgrace of an experiment. Kudos to Presti for trying, but the team just cannot get it together and will not compete with the likes the Rockets let alone the Warriors.

If George comes back, which I think is not happening, the least management can do is try and improve the bench. Roberson going out definitely impacted us, but it is the bench play which has been disastrous all year long.

[EnragedThunder]

The team needs shooters. The only shooters are Westbrook, Anthony, George, and neither are Ray Allen/Reggie Miller types. If George's shot is off in combination with bad Westbrook shooting percentages, we're toast against teams like Houston where you have to produce lots of points.

Abrines, Ferguson, Heustis, Brewer aren't consistent shooters. Billy has George jacking three's just like he did with Ibaka. Presti should strive to bring in at least two shooters this summer instead of the Heustis/Ferguson type's. And I wish Billy would give Collison some minutes, just to tweak things a little and something different for once.

[Old Man Game]

The dudes just don't look like they're all that cohesive anymore. Melo screaming "where the F#ck was the help" was sort of a low point of the season for me.

I didn’t really understand what you meant until I saw it just now. It makes me feel like the players are starting to realize what we’ve all known for a while.

Feels like the team chemistry may be breaking down as the frustration sets in. If this team starts squabbling internally I think we can kiss the playoffs goodbye. They aren't talented enough to just go through the motions and churn out wins. They need to actually be cohesive and execute on both sides of the ball. Something they haven't done basically all season with any consistency.

[hardenASG13]

So it's clear right now that houston and golden State are the class of the league, then there's about 10 teams in the next tier, including okc. No other team is close to them. That said, whether houston can do that in the playoffs remains to be seen.

I know Carmelo is the last guy who should be complaining for a lack of help D, but adams was MIA on houston drives, and rebounding in the first half. He wouldn't leave his man, at all, and houston just walked to the rim whenever they wanted. OKCs offense is a joke, along with their bench, but damn that was far from their A game and they are one of the few teams who actually could perform alot better based on personnel, if they have an offense to unleash come playoff time (Looking less and less likely). Brewer, despite his plus/minus, is at least a solid addition to this group....he looks 5x more confident than any of the bench wings. Patterson stinks. He hits an occasional 3, can't jump or move laterally, what a disappointment. Russ has to get away from the just throw it inside from halfcourt play that always gets stolen, especially if adams can't seal a guard. Their execution(?) and style on both ends simply make no sense. That said I'm far from giving up on them giving one of the 2 elites a good series. They could play so much better stylistically on both ends! There has to be someone within the organization to point this out, right? They will need Paul George to step up consistently (if his jumper isn't falling, what is he exactly), and I think melo will when everything is on the line. Adams jumping for defensive rebounds occasionally wouldn't hurt either, really.

[NetsWorld]

The team needs shooters. The only shooters are Westbrook, Anthony, George, and neither are Ray Allen/Reggie Miller types. If George's shot is off in combination with bad Westbrook shooting percentages, we're toast against teams like Houston where you have to produce lots of points.

Abrines, Ferguson, Heustis, Brewer aren't consistent shooters. Billy has George jacking three's just like he did with Ibaka. Presti should strive to bring in at least two shooters this summer instead of the Heustis/Ferguson type's. And I wish Billy would give Collison some minutes, just to tweak things a little and something different for once.

The bench is atrocious, so no need to even bring them in the conversation. George, however, while he is a pretty good shooter, struggles against good defenses.