ClutchFans Game Thread: Celtics @ Rockets 1/3/2025

TheRealist137 · Jan 4, 2025

PackerNation said: ↑

Whatever helps you sleep at night kiddo.

I guess the Bucks were trolling when they absolutely steamrolled the best team in the West for the Cup.

Odd that you claim to have put me on ignore, yet still cry about every word I type.

Too friggin' funny
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I never claimed to put you on ignore buddy, you got someone else in mind. I enjoy trolling you back

cheke64 · Jan 4, 2025

Team is bottom of the barrel without Amen.

Joe Rocket · Jan 4, 2025

This guy has the right idea. Im just gonna pretend this game didnt happen.

PackerNation · Jan 4, 2025

TheRealist137 said: ↑

I never claimed to put you on ignore buddy, you got someone else in mind. I enjoy trolling you back
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Good, I appreciate that. However, I don't consider either of us as "trolls." Yes, I am an a-hole when I clap back at the actual trolls here. They whine and then pretend they put me on ignore, because I am apparently a mean & scary Packers, Badgers, Bucks, and Brewers fan. As well as a very casual Texans fan.

The Bucks and Rockets play in late February in Houston. I may come down for that one. The wife hates Houston, but we have friends in Austin, so she will deal with one day in Houston and love a few in Austin.

FEAR THE F'N DEER!

Stephen_A · Jan 5, 2025

J.R. said: ↑

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6036812/2025/01/04/rockets-celtics-jabari-smith-jr-out/

…But for such a poor offensive output against the world champions — the Rockets converted just 36 percent of their field goals and 27 percent of their 3s and scored 30 points in the second half — Udoka’s postgame discussion oddly wasn’t laced with anger or vitriol. “Disappointment” was a more apt description of his mood, almost like he had anticipated struggles he’d seen on so many nights this season.

He cited several “selfish” offensive possessions, bemoaning Houston’s nine assists and failure to make simple reads. A large portion of credit should go to the Celtics’ defensive setup that confused the Rockets, mixing in zone coverage with aggressive pressure for 48 minutes.

According to Cleaning the Glass, the Rockets scored just 79.5 points per 100 half-court plays, which is somehow worse than their typical output but understandable, to an extent, given their slew of absences.

According to NBA.com tracking data, the Rockets run the eighth-most isolation possessions (8.2) per game yet score just 0.82 points on such plays, which places them in the 20th percentile in the league. By contrast, the Celtics are in a class of their own, the 100th percentile, scoring 1.05 points per isolation.

“We only had nine assists,” Udoka said. “You’re obviously not passing the ball to open people. You miss some, obviously, but it was just two on the ball, not getting off it and creating an advantage. We were just trying to do it on our own.”

One name in particular that should register intrigue is the Brooklyn Nets’ Cam Johnson, whom the Rockets have expressed interest in previously.

Johnson, a 6-foot-9 combo forward, is amid a career campaign, averaging a shade under 20 points while shooting an eye-popping 43.6 percent from 3 on more than seven attempts, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Johnson is neither the rebounder nor the defender that Smith is, but his elite floor spacing would solve many issues the Rockets run into nightly. Udoka’s screen-heavy system is in desperate need of a release valve, and there are few better out there than Johnson, who’s lethal from any spot on the perimeter and could work off Fred VanVleet, Alperen Şengün or Jalen Green.
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Yes. Same thing I said. They aren’t finding shooters. Sengun Green and Fred biggest culprits. Then Cam plays like an idiot going against 4 players on the break. This is unacceptable. Every play every possession counts and countless times the Rockets kill their own momentum not converting on a fast break or dribble drive when they have shooters open. Just poor basketball. I hate the term basketball IQ but Rockets don’t have many guys with it including Sengun. It aint there

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ClutchFans Game Thread: Celtics @ Rockets 1/3/2025

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