Notice the Clippers paint defense?

[Im Still Ballin]

The clippers have locked down the paint in the half court this last Q

James Harden has no easy dribble penetration when you have another man shading the lane, forcing him astray, and Deandre at the rim

[LoneyROY7]

Uhhh, word.

[Im Still Ballin]

Honestly the rockets got really lucky

A couple putbacks by some scrub

A deep three by the same scrub (whats his name?)

A wrongly called charge

Blake got hacked a couple times late in the 4th

[Genaro]

Rockets scored just 4 points in the last 4:30. If it wasn't for that "charge" Clippers would win it.
CP locked Harden down.

[Biggyd81]

That 'Scrub' is Terrance Jones. Research is the key :coleman:

[3ball]

James Harden has no easy dribble penetration


It's a fact that most plays in today's game are dribble-penetration plays - dribble-penetration occurs more than ever before due to the hand-check ban (http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/04/09/stujackson/index.html) coupled with wider, spacing-enhanced driving lanes.

That being said, anytime a good defense focuses on stopping a ball-dominator, the ball-dominator invariably gets shut down unless they are sophisticated enough to have an off-ball game (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=10862372&postcount=18) they can resort to.

But most wings today aren't, and ineffective ball domination looks like a chicken running around with his head cut off, just like Westbrook looked the other night against this same Clipper team.
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[Milbuck]

^ does anyone actually read 3ball posts anymore?

[JohnFreeman]

^ does anyone actually read 3ball posts anymore?
Who read them to begin with?

[disel]

Rockets have beaten the floppers in the last two meetings without D12. Once he gets back the Floppers got no chance against Htown

[disel]

Honestly the rockets got really lucky

A couple putbacks by some scrub

A deep three by the same scrub (whats his name?)

A wrongly called charge

Blake got hacked a couple times late in the 4th
Rockets led for majority of the game by double digits fool. Houston almost choked the game away not the Clippers being anything superior.

[3ball]

when you have another man shading the lane, forcing him astray


http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2015/0107/Klay-New-03.gif


Today's defensive 3 seconds rule and spacing forces bigs to defend in a flood and shading-type fashion, which means they must come AWAY from the hoop and defend a guard off-the-dribble, as Pau is seen trying to do above.

This is a major disadvantage for the big man - today's game forces bigs to trade in their strength and advantage of taking on smaller defenders AT the rim (paint-camping), for a major disadvantage of contesting quicker players on the perimeter (today's floods and shading).

And clearly, the stats prove that today's floods and shading haven't made scoring or penetration more difficult.. Teams score more today than in the mid-90's and it's a statistical fact that most plays in today's game are dribble-penetration plays - dribble-penetration occurs more than ever before due to the hand-check ban (http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/04/09/stujackson/index.html) coupled with wider, spacing-enhanced driving lanes.
.

[Dro]

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2015/0107/Klay-New-03.gif


Today's defensive 3 seconds rule and spacing forces bigs to defend in a flood and shading-type fashion by coming out AWAY from the hoop to defend a guard off-the-dribble, as Pau is seen trying to do above.

This is a major disadvantage for the big man - today's game forces bigs to trade in their strength and advantage of taking on smaller defenders AT the rim (paint-camping), for a major disadvantage of contesting quicker players on the perimeter (today's floods and shading).

And clearly, the stats prove that today's floods and shading haven't made scoring or penetration more difficult - teams score more today than in the mid-90's and it's a statistical fact that most plays in today's game are dribble-penetration plays - dribble-penetration occurs more than ever before due to the hand-check ban (http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/04/09/stujackson/index.html) coupled with wider, spacing-enhanced driving lanes.
Bro, this is nothing more than Pau Gasol being a sh*tty defensive player....

[Heavincent]

Bro, this is nothing more than Pau Gasol being a sh*tty defensive player....

lol exactly. Pau being a crappy pick n roll defender has nothing to do with the rules.

[3ball]

lol exactly. Pau being a crappy pick n roll defender has nothing to do with the rules.


Whether it's Pau or Ibaka, the big is invariably much slower than the perimeter guard and therefore at a disadvantage - a big man defending a guard on the perimeter is the definition of a mismatch.

The point is that today's game (specifically spacing and defensive 3 seconds) forces bigs to trade in their strength/advantage of contesting smaller defenders AT the rim (previous era's paint-camping), for a major disadvantage of contesting quicker players on the perimeter (today's floods and shading).
.