When Blazers with a hot hand show us by making 100% of their shots, they need to keep shooting until they miss. But the Blazers are not using this valuable advantage, especially in the 4th quarter. In the Mar 20 Rockets game, Mo made 3 of 3 swish3s and all 5 of his FG attempts. After 3 of 3 shooting in the 1st half, the Blazers did not go to him for swish3s in the 2nd half. This is not the first time the Blazers did not continue with the hot hand. For example, last year (17 Jan 2017) in the win over the Celtics Meyers was 4 of 4 swish3s in the first half but was not on the court in the 4th quarter. Blazer coaches need to do what Steve Kerr, Greg Popovic, and others do in focusing on the players with the hot hand to match or beat the swish3s of opponents (like Harden) in the 4th quarter that we should anticipate. If the Blazers would feed the hot hand, which in some games may be forwards or centers who have not missed, late in the game, there will be more wins. When a Blazer has missed 4 swish3s in a row, it is time to defer to the Blazers getting them to fall. In any event, I would use the spread court, flow passing, and screens to get the swish3 hot hands the shots in the 4th quarter.
We made a lot of mental mistakes in the Rockets game, and I hope we don't make the same ones again in the conference finals.
You can't assign Swish3s as of it were homework. Since Moe made 3, they were trading away his three. Moe isn't good at shooting at coming off screens. His feet have to be set before he catches. Also, Houston was taking us out of our flow with good defense that denied passing lanes.
While you have valid points, there are possibilities for drive and kickout passes to Mo that could be used when he has the not hand. It would be a welcome addition to the array of winning strategies to use a few plays that give the shot opportunity to the Blazer who has not missed. Yes, you can't just assign swish3s like homework, but you can find ways to feed the hot hand in his sweet spot and continue the swish3 scoring needed late in the game. I think that the Blazers can do this in the games tonight and through the playoffs and can achieve 29+ point 4th quarter scoring needed to continue the wins.
Problem is, Dame and CJ weren't really able to drive, and if they could during the 2nd half, they were helping off Nurk and/or smothering them with so much length that there's no passing lane out to the perimeter. No plays would've worked, because Moe cant shoot off screens and when Moe's defender helped, they were helping while effectively eliminating the passing lane out due to length and because there were usually multiple defenders helping.
Yes, the Rockets played some determined, effective defense. The passing kickouts were difficult to find. But remember that Chief was also 6 of 8 for swish3s and letting Jusuf find one of the hot hands at a swish3 sweet spot might work.
They are shooting well because they are choosing the right moments to shoot. If you just decide that you are going to shoot, shoot, shoot it kind of takes away that.
Houston's defense was stellar. After that game, I'm more worried about what they might do to us defensively in the playoffs than offensively.
