5 Hot Questions: Houston Rockets Playoff Preview Edition #1

Mar 17, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale talks with forward

(5) and forward Terrence Jones (6) during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Magic 107-94. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

BONUS Q&A SESSION: Do you think our coaching staff can surpass other coaches come playoff time?

Salman’s (@rednation_hoops):

This is a fascinating question to me because when we usually think of playoff match ups, we think of rosters, player-match ups, and compared bench strengths but we tend to forget about the guys with the clipboards on the bench.

Now I’ve talked about my doubts about McHale before (refer to answer to 1st question) and my main concern heading into the playoff this go-around isn’t defense anymore, it’s McHale’s unorthodox use of substitutions and the sometimes absurd loyalties he has towards long-tenured Rockets (Patrick Beverley) and veterans (Jason Terry).

So to answer your question, I believe if favorable match ups are placed upon the Rockets (Dallas, San Antonio, etc..), coaching becomes a much smaller factor as these rosters have a tough time matching up with Houston in the first place (Ironically, these two teams have arguably the best coaches in the Western Conference in Carlisle and Popovich).

My biggest concerns with McHale as the guy to lead Houston to the promise land were with his inability to produce a great defense even with Dwight Howard. (Obviously, that’s not a problem anymore)

Alykhan (@Rockets_Insider):

The Rockets’ coaching staff has done an unbelievable job managing the injuries and the constant lineup changes. Houston has had 14 different starting lineups; forcing the coaches to institute different rotations and adapt their schemes to fit certain players’ strengths.

In the playoffs, it’ll come down to which team’s make the proper in-game adjustments and how the players respond and execute the game-plan. Coach McHale has come under increased scrutiny after the addition of Dwight Howard, and he’s answered the bell this season. He and the coaching staff redesigned the Rockets defensive scheme, making it more opportunistic. They’ve added the double-team of wing players towards the sideline, trapping primary ball-handlers with lengthy defenders, picking cheat spots off pick-and-rolls, and other strategic fixes. Coach Bickerstaff came out earlier this season and said that he went back to Dwight’s Orlando-2009 team and tried to find ways to play a similar style defensively. Not just on defense, but the coaches have also improved the offensive scheme. They’re adding more pick-and-rolls and tailoring the scheme to players like Ariza and Brewer who aren’t particularly great ball-handlers.

Dec 17, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Houston Rockets assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff talks with center Dwight Howard (12) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Rockets won 115-111 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, until the Rockets win a playoff series and move deeper in the playoffs, the coaches won’t be given the benefit of the doubt. But from what I’ve seen this season, there’s no reason to not be confident in the coaching staff and in their ability to lead the Rockets organization to a championship.

Again, we just took the top 5 questions for this installment of the Q&As. We will be doing another one of these before the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Stay tuned!

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