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The other day, I read this enlightening article by Matt Moore (better known as Hardwood paroxysm on Twitter) in which he wrote about how coaches don’t like to make big adjustments in the playoffs because the ramifications can be catastrophic if the changes don’t work. For example, leaving a player on the bench in a game could mean that mentally he will leave and will not be ready to play again. Or a new defensive rotation could cause players to question and lose confidence. So while fans are clamoring for coaches to make big changes after losses, it’s generally not in the best interest of the team to review a lot.
That brings me to Houston’s performance in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Going into the game, as it will be against all teams, the story was “Houston’s small ball lineup against Los Angeles greats.” Everyone thought the series would depend on which team would have to adapt first.
It was always going to be the Lakers.
You see houston hypocrisy adjust. They traded their only playable center in Clint Capela. Suddenly they won’t be playing Tyson Chandler for more than 30 minutes a night. It is not happening. Houston is all in on small ball. That is your identity. There’s no Option B. If Houston loses Game 2, Mike D’Antoni won’t come back to the locker room and say, “I wish we still had a 7-footer.” He is going to say, “We have to find a way to deal with the problem.”
There is a general reassurance in knowing that the Rockets as a team will not panic after a loss. They know what they are. They know what it takes. There is a real chance that the Lakers will win the next four games just as they did after losing Game 1 to Portland.
But Houston will still be Houston.
The notice is at 7:30 pm CT on ABC
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