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00:00Last night, what would be, and text line, you can participate, 713-5724-610 on the base
00:08power text line, what would be the words you would describe last night's performance on
00:13national television, again, on Peacock?
00:16What would you describe the Rockets' performance last night?
00:23Embarrassing.
00:25I would, embarrassing on a big picture, big scale, for all to hear, personally, disappointed.
00:34I was sad.
00:36I was sad to watch.
00:40Yes, it was rough.
00:42Everything that you said you wanted to see, you wanted to see how they react down, if the
00:49game is tight.
00:51They, what did they say yesterday, them clutch games, which is that the game is within,
00:55I believe, five points in the last five minutes.
00:59The Lakers went on to 19-6 this year, I think the best record, and now the Rockets, who play
01:06a lot of them, they're 18-19 now after yesterday's loss.
01:10And this is a game that was tight.
01:12When you say disappointing, embarrassing, just a couple of headlines, they scored 12
01:19points in the fourth quarter.
01:20We sucked.
01:21Of a game that was close in their form.
01:24I'll be honest with you, the Lakers, they couldn't hit the backside of a barn either,
01:27or the front side, or the side of it, or wherever.
01:29They scored 17 points.
01:31But you scored 35 second-half points as an NBA team at home against what I would say,
01:40many people would say, the Lakers are the NBA's version of the Dallas Cowboys.
01:45Just an amazing offense and an awful defense.
01:48And you couldn't do much at all against them.
01:52And they just stifled you with double-teaming Kevin Durant.
01:56And it just seemed like they had no adjustment, didn't know what to do.
02:01Kevin's trying to figure it out himself.
02:02It was just, it was a tough watch.
02:06I saw an analyst for ESPN text out, Clint, do the Rockets practice?
02:14Like that's fair question.
02:15Very fair question.
02:17That is, that fourth quarter, when they started double-teaming, that was an indictment on
02:23Udoka.
02:23That was sad and tough to watch yesterday.
02:26Look, as you said, that was precisely what I wanted to see in the Rockets-Lakers game
02:32last night.
02:34And unfortunately, the result was exactly what I hoped did not happen.
02:38And that was the Rockets fell miserably.
02:42But it's why I wanted to see it.
02:43I wanted to see who they were.
02:44I wanted that game to be tight.
02:45I don't care how they got there.
02:46I wanted that game to be tight down the stretch.
02:48And I don't even care about the clutch staff that's out there.
02:52We're there, one of the worst teams in the last five minutes of the game with five points
02:56or less, blah, blah, blah.
02:57I'm not even worried about that.
02:59It's the time of the year when superstars start playing, good teams separate themselves, and
03:03teams hit stride to get ready for the playoffs.
03:06And I wanted to see what the Rockets could do versus a contender that we knew, we know in
03:12a tight ballgame, they're going to at least have a plan.
03:15Now, last night it was ugly on the Lakers side, as you mentioned as well, but they at
03:18least got dudes out there that have done it at an extremely high level.
03:21The question for me was, what's going to be the Rockets' plan?
03:26And I'm going to tell you, it's simple.
03:28They ain't got it, Houston.
03:30No, they don't.
03:30The Rockets ain't got it.
03:32The coach ain't it?
03:33You want to talk about an indictment?
03:35I mean, to not have a simple answer for when teams double-team the only superstar that you
03:42have, the only pure scorer that you have on this team.
03:45They appear to be funneled.
03:47Forget all these stat lines.
03:49Amin Thompson's not a pure scorer.
03:51I mean, he's an athlete that's out of control a significant amount of time, and he gets to
03:55the rack and can get rebounds and can get putbacks and can build a little bit of a stat line.
03:58He's not an elite scorer.
04:00He's not even an above-average scorer in the NBA.
04:03I mean, you look at, I mean, I like the supporting cast.
04:07I don't want to hear anything from anybody about Shingun wasn't there either.
04:10He wouldn't have pissed a drop.
04:12When you look at what M.A.
04:15Doka did last night, it was an absolute joke to not have a plan for something that the commentators
04:22are sitting there talking about happening before it happens and what you need to do and how
04:27simple it is to break down the Lakers' defense.
04:29The fact that you and one of the greatest scorers all time, Kevin Durant, don't have a plan
04:37in the first place.
04:38You don't have a plan in the first place, clearly.
04:40You were surprised by, in crunch time, when the game mattered the most.
04:46I don't think they were surprised.
04:46I just don't think they knew what to do.
04:48Okay, you didn't have a plan.
04:50You didn't know what to do, right?
04:53And then, on top of that, at some point, it was clear that y'all decided that when they
05:00double-teamed, which, by the way, the commentator was saying the whole time, when they double-teamed
05:04Kevin Durant, when he gets the ball, which you could dictate that double-teamed, just give
05:07Kevin Durant the ball.
05:08They were going to do it, right?
05:10And to throw the ball somewhere around the free-throw line, and you got cutters, and you
05:14got shooters, blah, blah, blah, the whole deal.
05:16The commentators were talking about it.
05:17But when it's obvious that that's the adjustment you're going to make, you're two guys that
05:22are cutting to the middle or looking at each other like, hey, should you go or should I
05:25go?
05:25The guys you have on the floor couldn't even execute it.
05:29I mean, you are rolling guys out there that have no clue what the hell they're doing.
05:35And then, I'm assuming you or Kevin Durant, somebody said, hey, let's get this planned.
05:39They can't execute what you then tell them to do when you adjust.
05:44I mean, that was an awful, awful game by M.A.
05:47Doka.
05:48He just, at the end of the day, that ain't it.
05:51And then when you get to the players, man, four points in the final six minutes of that
05:54game.
05:56Four points in the final six minutes of that game.
05:58It was terrible.
06:01I mean, KD, they couldn't even get KD a shot in the final three or four minutes of the game.
06:07It was terrible.
06:08And again, I look up, and obviously, if they're going to double and take the ball out of Kevin
06:13Durant's hand, somebody's got to take over, and somebody's got to feel comfortable with
06:17the ball in their hand.
06:18Eason and Thompson, those were the next two guys that they leaned on, at least the two
06:23guys that touched the ball more than anybody down the stretch in that particular moment.
06:27Ron, they look lost.
06:29I mean, with the shots that they did get up, literally, Amin Thompson catches the ball around
06:34the free throw line and is looking, panicking, trying to figure out where to throw the ball
06:38next.
06:38And then he's like, well, I guess I'll shoot it.
06:40And he throws up a shot.
06:41Luckily, it goes off a Laker and out of bounds, and you get another shot.
06:45And then Reed Shepard misses what was a pretty well-designed three-point inbounding play.
06:50And then the next couple of possessions, you get Tari Eason.
06:54He looks like he's running around, out of control, lost in the most critical moments of the game.
06:59And I just, the players ain't it.
07:02But Eme Udoka ain't it, and this team ain't going to sniff a series, winning a series in
07:07the playoffs.
07:07Yeah.
07:08I think.
07:08Forget about it.
07:09I think the two were interlocked, right?
07:12Like, I think a better coach could have come up with something.
07:18That was, and I don't think Eme Udoka's a bad coach, but that was awful last night.
07:25That was just, that was terrible.
07:26And the worst, I mean, Kevin Durant, I'm not going to let him off the hook, but I think
07:31a part of it was because, as you said, they don't, they do not appear to have a plan that
07:36makes sense.
07:37And it's a, it's a double team.
07:39It is easy.
07:40He's coming across the court.
07:42It is telegraphed.
07:43They're just running two people over.
07:45He sees it.
07:46No, he sees it.
07:47And then like, it's, and like one out of five or six times, they would, they would have something
07:52that makes sense.
07:54And they would get an easy dunk.
07:55They got a dunk from Smith off, off one.
07:57They've got shooters and it was, it was, but, but most of the time it just worked.
08:02It was turnover.
08:03I mean, Kevin had an eight second count because he was trying to, he was trying to figure out
08:07what he wanted to do.
08:08He had a, he, he had a back court because that double team ran him up and then nobody was
08:13there to come get it.
08:14It was, it was firing the ball over people's heads and everything.
08:18It was like, I mean, Ron, but I'm sitting there watching it and I'm going, I mean, clearly
08:23your best score in, in terms of even now, I mean, we, I didn't know, I didn't know if
08:28he could or not, but even now he's more comfortable than any of the rest of them.
08:30Bart Jabari Smith is more comfortable dribbling the ball.
08:33He's more, he's obviously a better shooter.
08:35How, how I need some, I need all these basketball heads out there to help me.
08:39How is this not as simple as get the ball to KD?
08:43You know, they're going to double him bar.
08:45You get your ass to that, that, the, the, the free throw area.
08:48You catch it.
08:50If it's open, you shoot it.
08:51I mean, he was, he's, he is lights out when he gets a good look, man.
08:55And he's not afraid to put it on the ground.
08:57They should be getting good looks when people, when teams are running at you to double team.
09:01Right.
09:02You should get a good look.
09:02But what I'm saying, how did the ball all, every single time down the stretch, the ball
09:07went to Amin Thompson or Tari Eason and the, and the commentators talking about everybody
09:10talking about Tari Eason, man, he's typically a good shooter, man.
09:12He's off, man.
09:13He's been, he's been in a drought.
09:14He's off.
09:14He made one, he made one shot last night and they're, they're literally how, how given
09:19all of those circumstances, how is it not Reed Shepard or Bari coming to the free throw
09:24line and catching that ball immediately after out of Kevin Durant's hand?
09:28How?
09:28Well, I mean, I think a thought could be as you want those two guys to be
09:32finishers, them in the corners to, to shoot the ball and the next pass, get there.
09:36Many times that first pass didn't get there.
09:39Like many times they weren't even able to.
09:41Well, but Bari and Amin Thompson are looking at each, stand on the outside, looking at each
09:45other like, are you going or am I going?
09:46Are you going?
09:46No, there was, there was confusion.
09:48It's unbelievable, man.
09:50There's a lot of middle midgets.
09:51There's a not, there's a lot of things.
09:52Well, it's not just that, but they're not being coached.
09:54Well, like they're, they're not, they're not, I agree.
09:57Two things can be true though, Ryan.
09:59If me and you ass would have been out there, I'd have told everybody else, Hey, I'm going
10:02to get, if I was Kevin, I'm getting this ball and don't nobody touch that free throw line
10:05except Ron to show you, period.
10:08And that's what we're going to do.
10:08They, they, they, they go down there possession after possession with no plan.
10:13That's, and I agree with you.
10:15I agree with you that it's like you're, it's a shame you're in that position.
10:18But you, but you can look out there and see like, all right, these guys, they don't fully
10:23know exactly what they, what they want, what they want to do, what they should do.
10:26That's what's got my blood pressure up right now.
10:28Why does Kevin bring the ball up every time?
10:30Agreed.
10:30If you know he's going to get done, listen, do you have Katie?
10:33You have Katie because this right here, Tyler, Katie spoke last night and you, this, his,
10:39his speaking is an indictment on you, Doka, because Kevin's just, Kevin's just coming up.
10:44You can hear Kevin Durant and feel they don't have a plan on how to attack a, like a double
10:52team that is running at you in the middle of the floor.
10:56You're the middle of the court.
10:57So you should have more space to be able to get off.
10:59He's seven feet tall.
11:01You should have every, here's Kevin Durant talking about the issues they had last night
11:06with the way the Lakers were defending.
11:08I just feel like, uh, it just makes a statement.
11:10I mean, when I come across half and then, you know, they wait on me to drive, but I know
11:14they were, they come in a double sauce way to split second.
11:17Like, I just think the whole process is too slow.
11:19And I just think that it's all on me because the team, when they see me, it just feel like
11:23one on five, to be honest.
11:25You know what I'm saying?
11:25Because I see two guys coming up out the corners to help at the elbows and guys at the boxes.
11:30It's almost like a zone when I get the ball up top.
11:32When I try to post stuff anywhere, it's going to be double teams, you know?
11:35So I'm just trying to find out ways to open myself up and my teammates up.
11:39And it's looking like being a screener, better screener, spacing the floor, catching and
11:43shooting and not dribbling so much to help the team out.
11:45And we've seen some good stuff with our men going downhill and Reeves coming off the pick
11:50So we got to utilize that a little bit more.
11:52And then once they do double, we'll just be confident in knocking down our shots.
11:56He just brought up like 15 different things that they could be doing.
12:01The scary part about that, Ron, is that you can tell that this wasn't just about this game.
12:05No, I mean, yeah.
12:05This has been in his head of like, I don't know.
12:09Like, what are we like?
12:10Here's what they're doing to me, but I don't know.
12:12Here's what we're doing.
12:13Like, he's calling out exactly what is happening there.
12:15But that should be in the NBA with Kevin Durant.
12:20You know it's going to happen.
12:21But I'm just saying, NBA players, that shouldn't work.
12:25You should have a wide open shot for them to stop doing that.
12:30I mean, the Lakers weren't even being coy about it.
12:33They're running back and leaving.
12:36They were running defenders, double teams, and leaving Luka with Reed Shepard to having
12:42the guard, Reed Shepard and Jabari Smith on one side of the floor every time.
12:45And they could never get the ball over there.
12:47Oh, my God.
12:48But if you listen to KD, and KD had turnovers where he should – KD is trying to figure
12:55it out on the fly.
12:58Him and the rest of them are trying to figure it out on the fly.
13:01And they should be getting easy shots all the time.
13:06And yesterday, they couldn't do anything.
13:09Ron, I said it yesterday when we were talking.
13:12And you pushed back and said they need to split at least.
13:16I don't give a rip if they lost that game last night.
13:19I really don't.
13:20I'm with you.
13:21I would have rather them won.
13:22But what I saw, I would have rather them had them, hey, just tooth and nail, miss a couple
13:28shots late.
13:29Hey, man, it didn't work out.
13:30Last night was a this ain't it type of loss.
13:34That's exactly what I was afraid of.
13:36It just – you have no chance.
13:38Remember when I tell you that story, man?
13:41And, again, I remember it so vividly, man, when I went to Memphis and watched Kobe with
13:45the Lakers play the Grizzlies.
13:46It was a little back-and-forth game, kind of like last night, a little back-and-forth game.
13:49And then at the five-minute mark, Kobe stood up off that damn bench, yanked them old snap
13:54back in them tear-away pants they used to wear with the snaps down the side.
13:58He yanked them joints off, pulled that sleeve off, and said, all right, boys, let's go.
14:03It's time to finish this thing and go to the hotel.
14:05And he went out there and just – I mean, he performed surgery on the Grizzlies and just
14:12put them to bed.
14:14And it was just – you could see it in them.
14:16And I feel like that's what happens to the Rockets.
14:19It's just – and I know last night was ugly as hell, so that wasn't necessarily a great
14:23comparison, but that's just what I feel like what happens is, like, when it comes time
14:27for Kobe to get up off that bench, the Rockets ain't got a damn chance.
14:32Last night was scary to me because it was the worst case.
14:37It was not just that they lost to a Lakers team that's a good team, but they – the reason
14:47why they lost, you could look at it and see was based off confusion, not knowing how
14:52to do and adjust to very simple things.
14:57Like, it wasn't like, damn, man, shoot, man, Reid, Reid – I mean, Reid had a tough
15:01night shooting, but it wasn't like, man, Reid just missed open – like, last night
15:03for the Lakers, if they lost that game, they're like, you know, Austin Reeves couldn't hit
15:07a – he ain't going to be that bad.
15:09He was 0 for 8 from 3.
15:10He air milled a 3 like Eason did.
15:13Just, like, you could look at that and say that, right?
15:16Like, oh, he's going to struggle.
15:17Yeah.
15:18Last night was – oh, my God.
15:21They don't know – they can't get the ball over half.
15:25They can't execute a simple –
15:27Don't have a plan and don't have the ability to adjust.
15:30That was – that was the thing that was scary about what we saw last night from the
15:35Rockets is, whoo, they don't – like, that was just an execution thing.
15:41The Lakers – I bet J.J.
15:42Redick was like, all right, guys, hell, I can't believe this is working, but hell, let's
15:46just keep running them out there.
15:47Let's keep running Marcus Smart up there with his hands up in the air and then, oh, my
15:53God, we just got a backcourt violation.
15:54All right.
15:55And just turnovers.
15:56Because the Lakers' half-court wasn't great, but they got to just go out and run because
16:00they just turned the ball over.
16:02But they threw one over to the elbow and then they cross-courted that bad boy to the
16:06sixth row.
16:07I was just like, my God, guys, what in the hell is happening?
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