The only way to stop LMA is to make him guard for 48 minutes

I'd probably do this if we lose game 3.

 

We have not thrown everything at him. It's been 2 games and we still haven't given LMA a hard double, for reasons I still can't understand.

 

We haven't been making good on offense so yeah he's going to have the energy to dominate us. The Blazers didn't even look tired in the fourth! We looked gased. It's called run a play... make some passes... cut... throw some picks... take the picks... pass some more to an open man... etc.

 

the problem is trying to stop him....you don't stop him, he's a very good player. He should be getting 27-28 per game in this series. The problem is the Rockets are losing him, plainly just not guarding him, during various parts of the games. It's those wide open buckets that are putting him at 40+ ppg. If it happens early, we can't extend a lead, if it happens late, they take the lead, etc..If the Rockets simply keep a body on him at all times, he'll come back to earth...It's mind boggling how they keep running AWAY from him. He just rolls out and stands there or doesn't get boxed out.

 

He doesn't play 48 minutes.

 

Op is right, and so is JSizzle.

 

we should get him on mismatches trying to show hard on the PnR.
however, we got dwight and harden we aint got time for that.

 

..., sigh, ... it's not like we did all we could to slow down LMA. Hard and early double team is a good start. Crowding him is another strategy. Making him play defense is certainly another way. There are just so much we could try and we haven't done nearly enough. What is clear right now is putting TJones or Asik one on one on LMA does not work, which is all we did. Quit comparing LMA to Jordan. It's the ineptness of defense. Of course LAM was playing out of his mind too.

 

The problem with the double team is that LMA doesn't play on the low block. He plays outside and it's much harder to double a guy like that outside then it is down low. The distance defenders have to travel is farther so the rotations are tougher. Further complicating that is that Portland is a pretty good three point shooting team. You give them open threes and they're going to nail them. We could mix it up but a steady diet of doubles is going to get crushed.

 

Like we are not getting crushed already by single covering him? Lets try it for the sake of getting him different looks. He was in a groove, having a field day with us like practicing. Get him out of the comfort zone, or something.

 

I think the only way to stop him....is by sitting his ass on the bench.

Get him in foul trouble
- force him to start hacking guys in the paint
- force him to take a charge

Hack him HARD to the point we're he feels enough pain to sit a little longer.
- the only guy i see capable of doing this is cisco, get mean and just give him a good whack one time on the arm, shoulder, whatever. Id gladly take a flagrant.

 

put josh Powell in to hack him

 

he guards Terrence Jones most of the game therefore he has it easy all night. Jones hesitate to shoot a jump shot and only wants to drive the paint after a pump fake. His game has become predictable just like everyone else on the Rockets. Dwight Howard is the only person with some kind of creativity to his game now which makes defending the team easier.

 

the Rockets don't have the athletic players to do that like a team like Oklahoma or Miami

 

Put Dmo on him because Jones is one of the worst post defenders in the league. He can't do even right. They either bully him down and get a layup or shoot over him. There's no way Dmo can be worse than him right now.