How Hard Was It for Stotts Not to Double Howard in the First Half?

Then they come out with the late double in the 3rd quarter. What a coaching job. Really, that was a masterpiece.

 

I think he likes to sit on it for a while so the other team doesn't have time to prepare for it. If he waits and throws it at them in teh second half, they have to deal with it on the fly.

 

Not as hard as it was for Robin. That had to suck for him.

But in the end, it's scoreboard, baby.

Go Blazers

 

I absolutely agree with this. I think in time out, I think he reassured Lopez they would have his back. It was a masterpiece!

 

OMG you're right! He totally trolled Houston! Let Dwight dominate because he was gonna anyway, stay close, then shut his ass down in the second half!

Totally agreed: it was a master stroke. It was artistic coaching. Our adjustment was pretending we couldn't adjust.

 

I can't remember where I heard it, but someone was talking about how Nate had a good track record against Dwight in Orlando because he would let Dwight do his thing and score 40, but he would shut everyone else down and win in the end. That seems to be exactly the plan.

 

I liked that aldridge took over end of first, gave his teammate a break. Lopez has busted ass all season for la and aldridge had his back when he was in over his head. Aldridge is finally a real leader.

 

I think Howard came out so jacked, he wore himself out. He missed a bunch of bunnies in the second half.

 

Actually, I will say that LA played some amazing defense on Howard. It was some very Sheed-esque defense.

 

LA is a really good defender, but it's sneaky. You don't notice it most times. But he plays Howard perfectly, forearm and hand, and is long and fast enough to keep him off balance.

 

LA made him miss his final four shots of the first half once he switched to him.

 

So true. Vastly underrated.

 

The biggest thing is that Howard perceives LMA as a mismatch and decides to use his back-to-the-basket game to try and bully LMA. The problem is that part of his game sucks and LMA doesn't back down and he's more difficult to shoot over. At least that is what happened tonight.

 

Stotts is hellaciously intelligent. You can just see him out processing McHale on the sideline.

 

Good gameplan. Let Howard do his thing and just focus on the other players. It stopped any type of rally that Houston got on.

 

BTW. Not that his team has given him any reason to be. But McHale doesn't look real healthy.

Hope everything is alright for him in that department.

 

Howard got some stupid fouls far from the hoop, and started conserving himself for later. As for this thread's two theories, it wasn't Stotts, or more laughably, Aldridge's defense.

Similarly. Lopez was a sieve all night to delay his inevitable foul trouble.

Both slowed themselves down due to fouls.

 

He was like that even as a young player.

 

Hope it's just nothing. But there is a pale, malaise look about him