April 29, 2025 • 15 mins
Tipping off Game 4 last night down in San Francisco following another phenomenal showdown in their 7 game series, the Rockets fall short in the final moments to the Warriors with a final score of 106-109. Aiming to pinpoint exactly what may be the underlying issue as to why the Rockets continue to lose close games that look attainable for them to punch-in wins, Sean and Dan take a moment discussing rather or not is it too late or can the Rockets recover from this 3-1 deficiency?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, that happened.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Rocket's now on the brink of elimination, down three to
one to the Golden State Warriors and the Western Conference
playoffs following a one o nine, one oh six loss.
But the Astros beat the Tigers saved five in the
opening of their series at dyke In Park, and with
all that we say away we go, good morning here
on the Sean Salisbury Show.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Yeah, good morning man.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
It's uh, it's gonna be tough to overcome for the Rockets. Again,
not great at the free throw line, right, They're okay,
you know, keep watching it. They you know, went on
the backboards and do their thing. But and Shngoon did
his thing. But once again, Jayden Green was not the
three losses. He's been bad. When I say bad, I
(00:45):
mean it's put it this way, the distance between the
extremes between the good and the not so good in
this series for him, his first playoff series, as it mad,
that's a distance between here and Abilene, it really and
look at the result and it's not just one guy's fault,
but it is Golden State. They know how to play
(01:07):
and they did that with Steph Curry scoring I think
seventeen last night.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Yeah, and so watch it.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
They're just you run into something who's got a little
bit more experience and gets it done. And when you're
playing teams like that, and especially going on the road
in a series once you end up going anyway, no
matter when you play in the playoffs. But you get
my point is you got to I mean, I know
it's easy to play at home, but you have to
have your best on the road.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
You just do.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Teams that win championships in all sports you look back
at their like road record.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
I remember when the.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
New York Giants beat those Patriots in the first Super Bowl.
Started off that year, they weren't very good, but they
went on they were so good on the road. You
look when Aaron Rodgers won his first Super Bowl when
they're a wild card team and injured. When I'm going
to road road roads win a Super Bowl, you just
have to be great on the road.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
The team.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Now, I know with playoff in seven games series, well
of course you do, yeah you do. But you know
a lot of teams, if you have home court advantage,
you just win the games at home. You're good, But
that that's not realistic. Mostly it's not usually four to
three and you won all four at your place, and
they won three in their building, right with any of
the and you're the higher seed. So they just they're
they're they're getting valuable experience. But I'm just asn't a
(02:22):
moral victory, you know, Tuesday normally a moral victory Monday
coming out of the weekend for the Rockets. They're down
three to one. Now series isn't over, but this is
tough sledding men. Put it this way, who would you
give a better chance to come back Rockets against Golden
State three to one? Lakers against when they with both
are three to one.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
You know, you would think that the answer would be
the other. But I gotta go Rockets just because of
what Minnesota has with Anthony Edwards, Julius Randall, Dante Devencenzo,
I mean, just a much better team as opposed to
the Lakers, who pretty much it's Lebron and Luca and
I just I feel like.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
Much better team.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
But I think the experience like Golden State, if it
was reversed and it was Golden State Chase and Houston
and the Lakers, I'd give them both of the just
just because of their postseason chops.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
That's my thing.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Do I think that the Rockets are more talented from
top to bottom than than Golden State.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
I absolutely do. But the fact that.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Lebron and Luca have been in it for a minute,
I would give the Lakers a better chance to come
back than the Rockets.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Well, I mean, and you were talking about how Steph
Curry last night was held pretty much in check, Brandon
Pajenski with twenty six points, Jimmy Butler twenty seven exactly,
and then Quinton Post off the bench thirteen points. I mean,
the Rockets have been running a pretty tight rotation of
just three guys off the bench, Tarry East and Jabari
Smith Junior, who was really good last night. Can't take
(03:51):
away from Jabari Smith Junior, who I think actually has
taken a step in this series. And then Steven Adams
was outstanding for you. But I mean, you mentioned a
nineteen of thirty one, that's sixty one percent from the
free throw line.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
You you cut.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
That number by four right there, twenty three of thirty one.
That's still not great. But we're talking about a Rockets
win today as opposed to a three point.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Loss when we started this series. I what did I
say that? Just like in college troops. I said the
same thing. I said, you're going to have to contest
and defend. Obviously, you got to get on the backboards.
When I put rebounding, I'm talking about on the offensive
end too. I kind of put that in with playing defense.
They're rebounding to you know, blue collar hard work, get
in position, grind for right, those things, that's what defense is.
(04:38):
So I kind of put them in the same category.
You're going to have to knock down open look threes,
and I said, most importantly, you're going to have to
also shoot free throws and stay out of foul trouble.
Just basic stuff. And in truth, the basics either get
you beat or get you a victory. And this is perspective.
(04:59):
The Rockets shoot free throws in this postseason like a
center wood that has no touch. Well think no, think
about it now. I mean I'm laughing because you you're
one hundred percent right. But it's also I mean it's
played itself out because that's been alprnching good right, And
that's what I'm saying. It's like you take they take
(05:20):
it on the personality of it is my point. They
shoot free throws when you got a big one all
here comes the seven foot or so, unless it's a
Novitzki or a guy who can fill it right at
the line as an eighty ninety two percent free throw shooter,
right just your normal big not shack, but not abdul
Jabbar who's like seventy two percent from the right at
(05:41):
least somewhere in betwards, a big man who doesn't really
have any touch that you want to foul him when
it's the hack time and send him to the line.
Sixty one percent, that's how they They shoot like a
big man whose hands are too big for the basketball.
Percentage wise, that's what it looks like. Oh yeah, sixty
one percent. You can't And I know some of that
(06:02):
may fall on a guy who is a sixty percent
free throw shooter most of the time anyway, because he
gets to the line more. But the point is is
that when you come out nineteen to thirty one, the
distance was a three point shot. That was a margin
of victory, just in a knockdown three, which, like you said,
if you go five extra free throws and you're twenty
four of thirty one, is that really too much to
(06:25):
ask on a basketball team for it.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Shouldn't be exactly it shouldn't be.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
And you think about all the thing and there's other
things that go into it. I get all that, but
when you go back and look at just the base stuff.
In baseball from little league, if your pitcher isn't any good,
you get beat in high school football, if you don't
have defense, you're probably getting beat in NBA basketball. Just
(06:50):
like in seventh grade Swickly, Pennsylvania or San Diego, California.
In your junior high league, if you shoot fifteen to
twenty eight and they shoot twenty five of twenty eight,
guess who's winning. Usually regardless of what happened on the
court during play, not stop down to shoot free throws
(07:11):
the most elementary of things that your dad took you
to when you were in the fifth grade, and a
free throw shooting contest is what this team unfortunately can't
knock down. But damn open look threes are a higher
you know when you get to the PA and it's
not legit, it's a little hyperbolic, but it feels like, oh,
open look threes or shooting long range jumpers gives you
(07:31):
as just as chat and much chance that it is
to shoot a free throw. While there's a bigger difference.
Nobody's shooting sixty one percent from thirty feet. You get
my point, though, the optics look as if Okay, what's
the baseline, what is the undercurrent of a series? They
played pretty good defense at times in the series they
(07:51):
did I mean a lot of times good stops. They
didn't match it on the offensive end, and they for
the most part, I think in most of these games
they won the rebounding battle, so that that goes to defense.
So I don't think there's any question about the effort
of the type you're putting in or playing smart defense.
Think about this the Oh, by the way, statistic just
(08:13):
shoot tree throws, make free throws. You tell your eighth
grade kids that make free throws. High school, make some
free throws. College, make some free throws. NBA, just because
you can shoot and duck. Guess what you still got
to do make free throws.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
And they didn't.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Well, I mean, it's so much to the point that
Steve Kerr had his team doing the hack hack of
Stephen Adams, hacking Adams, wouldn't you, I mean, why not?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Yeah? Exactly?
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Because I mean I mentioned the rockets were sixty three
percent from the line. You know what, the Warriors were
ninety percent.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Do the math on the distance and just the free
throws alone. Even though I think the Rockets shot more,
I didn't see the total number for Golden State, just
thirty one free throws. I don't think they shot as many.
I think I was going to say twenty three, but
they were like twenty to twenty three or nineteen to
twenty three. Right, yeah, there you go. You just they
just didn't miss, and that ends up being the difference
(09:07):
in a game. Free throws the very basically, we kind
of oh, it's the old by the waystat oh you have,
they're they're good. And then you start even on these
the shows, you know, the talk shows, the pregame shows
and all that, do all this, do all this, do
all this. I'll play defense, can get it to the
big man as shn Gunin's got to run the court,
Jalen Green know you got to stop Steph Currey from shooting.
(09:27):
And you know Draymond Green's antics on the court. And oh,
by the way, that Jimmy Butler would a great addlet
oh yeah, and make sure on it's the outdo door
screen by the coach, not.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
That they do it.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Hey, hey, knock down your free throws, get a few
in and warm ups.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
Nineteen to thirty one.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Well, it's it's it's the special teams of basketball. I mean,
because especially when you get into the playoffs in the NFL,
for example, it's both missed extra points and field goals.
It's missed extra points in field goals.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Off sides to take you out of field goal range.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
You know, a massive hold or or even a return
called back. There you go, or you know, as we
saw the Texans last year, a fifteen yard personal foul
penalty that puts you on your goal line and in
your quarterback, it's sacked in the end zone, the game's over.
I mean, it's it's all of those things. And I mean,
and these are things, Sean, It's not like that they
(10:17):
necessarily had a precipitous drop off in the season.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
They were bad during the season. Oh, there's no doubt.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
I'm just trying to you know, I'm trying to compartmentalize, say, okay,
the trend and they weren't a great free throw shooting
team anyway, which tells you how good they are when
the ball's actually in play, right, that they've really had
a good season. But they didn't shoot great free throws.
But I'm always thinking, okay. I don't like to judge
a team in the preseason in the regular season by
what they did in the preseason. Thinking okay, man, because
you're experimenting here going and I'm thinking, dang, because if
(10:45):
you watch, the trend tells you they weren't going to
shoot good free throws, right, But you're hoping that there's okay,
it's you know, a little more focused attention to.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Detail, whatever it is.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Yeah, raise your game, but I'll be damn dude. You
are what you water and feed. And it's the old
Chuck Knox. He's my coach, my rookie year, the old
school Chuck Knox. You say garbage, he called it gigo
g I g o garbage and garbage out. And if
that's I'm not saying the team's garbage. But free throws.
(11:16):
Missing free throws makes you feel like gar It's like, oh,
that's trout. How do we not do the right You
standing there fifteen feet knock it down and we all
say hell in a pair of shorts and a T shirt.
I can go out there in a baseball cap or
a suit and time make nineteen to thirty one, and
I believe I can't. But then there's the pressure of
the game and all that, right, it all comes into play.
But the truth is is you go through all these
(11:36):
you know, the preparation and all the things that matter
and the basics simple basics of what help you win
and lose games, and you may work. I mean, whether
it's I don't know. I would like to think it's
more important. I mean, you know you've applied special teams,
which a spot on it's almost like small ball bunting
to guy on second. Can you just hit the ball
(11:56):
the right side one time? Or lift a fly ball
to deepen See that's get that second to thirty Whether
it's but I don't care how you do it. Find
a way to move them over the same thing here,
moving runners, That's what I r yes, And this should
you feels like it should be easier because the ball's
coming at you ninety five miles an hour. This one
you're standing there. Nobody's contending you got to knock down
free throws. But the trend of okay, now, it's the
intensity of the postseason.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Maybe that there's attention to detail.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
But think about that, you're going back the simplest thing
that you probably started doing before you even shot jump shots.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
You worked at free throw much. I know I did it,
gets free throw to make free throws. That's where you started.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Move the free throw line up when you were young,
and move it back, kept going and now here you
are and you're the thing that's going to cost you
in this series that you're going to go home is
is if if you don't win it is you're not
knocking down nineteen to thirty one against Golden State and
winning three in a row. I'm just going to tell
you that now, that's basically the point I'm trying to make.
You ain't knock If you go nineteen to thirty one
(12:51):
in one of these three games, let alone more than
one of that that shooting sixty percent from the free
throw line, you will not win three in a row.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
You just won't.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
You may do that against Miami when they're getting given it,
getting beat by fifty three. You may do that with
them or fifty five are you and getting swept, But
you ain't doing it right now with the Golden Sea.
You just not too much experience, because I guarantee you
they they're not shooting nineteen to thirty one for the
free throw line, especially if the point guard's the guy.
You know, if the guard's got the ball but logged
(13:21):
a lot of minutes, they just whatever it is. But
it you don't change your entire coat of armor from
regular season to postseason. We probably should have seen it coming.
That's why they got to put themselves in better position
the other places. But this team, I'm not telling anything.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
They don't know. You just got to be able to
and I'll show it. It's harder than it looks.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Well, probably, But if there's one thing to do where
you know guarantee you're getting a uncontested shot shooting free throws,
you can't go nineteen to thirty one expect to win,
especially when you're playing against a team that goes twenty
to twenty two or twenty of twenty three, whatever it was.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Well, if you hope for championship results, you gotta do
the championship things. Then going nineteen to thirty one from
the free throw line is not championship and.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
It can't be an oh, by the way on the way.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Out, by the way, it is the thing, Well it
starts there, that's the basis of it.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
Then it works the other way.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
It's not the other way where that's not the inverting
the pyramid where the free throws is. You know what
I'm saying they are, that's where the base of a
defense shoot free throws. Uh, be well conditioned and get
on the backboards. Then we'll work from there. I got
those four things in each boom boom, boom boom. Now
I got a chance to go. But you got two
of them and two of them are left out. What
(14:26):
happened to crumbles?
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Right?
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Can't you have to do those things? And I'll be
damned if if you can't move runners over. Hard to win,
can't get the ball the ballpark at times, win runners
in scoring position. Hard to win, you don't pitch well,
it's hard to win. It's really hard to win the
playoff if you can't shoot a free throw.
Speaker 4 (14:41):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
The Rockets have found that out again, down three to
one in the series one nine one six loss last
night to the Warriors in Game five tomorrow night, Jason, see,
you're right there, and we can continue the Rockets conversation
here because the difference is striking when it comes to
the Rockets against the Warriors.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
We'll talk about that here Sean Salisbury Show
Yeah, that happened.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Rocket's now on the brink of elimination, down three to
one to the Golden State Warriors and the Western Conference
playoffs following a one o nine, one oh six loss.
But the Astros beat the Tigers saved five in the
opening of their series at dyke In Park, and with
all that we say away we go, good morning here
on the Sean Salisbury Show.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Yeah, good morning man.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
It's uh, it's gonna be tough to overcome for the Rockets. Again,
not great at the free throw line, right, They're okay,
you know, keep watching it. They you know, went on
the backboards and do their thing. But and Shngoon did
his thing. But once again, Jayden Green was not the
three losses. He's been bad. When I say bad, I
(00:45):
mean it's put it this way, the distance between the
extremes between the good and the not so good in
this series for him, his first playoff series, as it mad,
that's a distance between here and Abilene, it really and
look at the result and it's not just one guy's fault,
but it is Golden State. They know how to play
(01:07):
and they did that with Steph Curry scoring I think
seventeen last night.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Yeah, and so watch it.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
They're just you run into something who's got a little
bit more experience and gets it done. And when you're
playing teams like that, and especially going on the road
in a series once you end up going anyway, no
matter when you play in the playoffs. But you get
my point is you got to I mean, I know
it's easy to play at home, but you have to
have your best on the road.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
You just do.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Teams that win championships in all sports you look back
at their like road record.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
I remember when the.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
New York Giants beat those Patriots in the first Super Bowl.
Started off that year, they weren't very good, but they
went on they were so good on the road. You
look when Aaron Rodgers won his first Super Bowl when
they're a wild card team and injured. When I'm going
to road road roads win a Super Bowl, you just
have to be great on the road.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
The team.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Now, I know with playoff in seven games series, well
of course you do, yeah you do. But you know
a lot of teams, if you have home court advantage,
you just win the games at home. You're good, But
that that's not realistic. Mostly it's not usually four to
three and you won all four at your place, and
they won three in their building, right with any of
the and you're the higher seed. So they just they're
they're they're getting valuable experience. But I'm just asn't a
(02:22):
moral victory, you know, Tuesday normally a moral victory Monday
coming out of the weekend for the Rockets. They're down
three to one. Now series isn't over, but this is
tough sledding men. Put it this way, who would you
give a better chance to come back Rockets against Golden
State three to one? Lakers against when they with both
are three to one.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
You know, you would think that the answer would be
the other. But I gotta go Rockets just because of
what Minnesota has with Anthony Edwards, Julius Randall, Dante Devencenzo,
I mean, just a much better team as opposed to
the Lakers, who pretty much it's Lebron and Luca and
I just I feel like.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
Much better team.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
But I think the experience like Golden State, if it
was reversed and it was Golden State Chase and Houston
and the Lakers, I'd give them both of the just
just because of their postseason chops.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
That's my thing.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Do I think that the Rockets are more talented from
top to bottom than than Golden State.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
I absolutely do. But the fact that.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Lebron and Luca have been in it for a minute,
I would give the Lakers a better chance to come
back than the Rockets.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Well, I mean, and you were talking about how Steph
Curry last night was held pretty much in check, Brandon
Pajenski with twenty six points, Jimmy Butler twenty seven exactly,
and then Quinton Post off the bench thirteen points. I mean,
the Rockets have been running a pretty tight rotation of
just three guys off the bench, Tarry East and Jabari
Smith Junior, who was really good last night. Can't take
(03:51):
away from Jabari Smith Junior, who I think actually has
taken a step in this series. And then Steven Adams
was outstanding for you. But I mean, you mentioned a
nineteen of thirty one, that's sixty one percent from the
free throw line.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
You you cut.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
That number by four right there, twenty three of thirty one.
That's still not great. But we're talking about a Rockets
win today as opposed to a three point.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Loss when we started this series. I what did I
say that? Just like in college troops. I said the
same thing. I said, you're going to have to contest
and defend. Obviously, you got to get on the backboards.
When I put rebounding, I'm talking about on the offensive
end too. I kind of put that in with playing defense.
They're rebounding to you know, blue collar hard work, get
in position, grind for right, those things, that's what defense is.
(04:38):
So I kind of put them in the same category.
You're going to have to knock down open look threes,
and I said, most importantly, you're going to have to
also shoot free throws and stay out of foul trouble.
Just basic stuff. And in truth, the basics either get
you beat or get you a victory. And this is perspective.
(04:59):
The Rockets shoot free throws in this postseason like a
center wood that has no touch. Well think no, think
about it now. I mean I'm laughing because you you're
one hundred percent right. But it's also I mean it's
played itself out because that's been alprnching good right, And
that's what I'm saying. It's like you take they take
(05:20):
it on the personality of it is my point. They
shoot free throws when you got a big one all
here comes the seven foot or so, unless it's a
Novitzki or a guy who can fill it right at
the line as an eighty ninety two percent free throw shooter,
right just your normal big not shack, but not abdul
Jabbar who's like seventy two percent from the right at
(05:41):
least somewhere in betwards, a big man who doesn't really
have any touch that you want to foul him when
it's the hack time and send him to the line.
Sixty one percent, that's how they They shoot like a
big man whose hands are too big for the basketball.
Percentage wise, that's what it looks like. Oh yeah, sixty
one percent. You can't And I know some of that
(06:02):
may fall on a guy who is a sixty percent
free throw shooter most of the time anyway, because he
gets to the line more. But the point is is
that when you come out nineteen to thirty one, the
distance was a three point shot. That was a margin
of victory, just in a knockdown three, which, like you said,
if you go five extra free throws and you're twenty
four of thirty one, is that really too much to
(06:25):
ask on a basketball team for it.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Shouldn't be exactly it shouldn't be.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
And you think about all the thing and there's other
things that go into it. I get all that, but
when you go back and look at just the base stuff.
In baseball from little league, if your pitcher isn't any good,
you get beat in high school football, if you don't
have defense, you're probably getting beat in NBA basketball. Just
(06:50):
like in seventh grade Swickly, Pennsylvania or San Diego, California.
In your junior high league, if you shoot fifteen to
twenty eight and they shoot twenty five of twenty eight,
guess who's winning. Usually regardless of what happened on the
court during play, not stop down to shoot free throws
(07:11):
the most elementary of things that your dad took you
to when you were in the fifth grade, and a
free throw shooting contest is what this team unfortunately can't
knock down. But damn open look threes are a higher
you know when you get to the PA and it's
not legit, it's a little hyperbolic, but it feels like, oh,
open look threes or shooting long range jumpers gives you
(07:31):
as just as chat and much chance that it is
to shoot a free throw. While there's a bigger difference.
Nobody's shooting sixty one percent from thirty feet. You get
my point, though, the optics look as if Okay, what's
the baseline, what is the undercurrent of a series? They
played pretty good defense at times in the series they
(07:51):
did I mean a lot of times good stops. They
didn't match it on the offensive end, and they for
the most part, I think in most of these games
they won the rebounding battle, so that that goes to defense.
So I don't think there's any question about the effort
of the type you're putting in or playing smart defense.
Think about this the Oh, by the way, statistic just
(08:13):
shoot tree throws, make free throws. You tell your eighth
grade kids that make free throws. High school, make some
free throws. College, make some free throws. NBA, just because
you can shoot and duck. Guess what you still got
to do make free throws.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
And they didn't.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Well, I mean, it's so much to the point that
Steve Kerr had his team doing the hack hack of
Stephen Adams, hacking Adams, wouldn't you, I mean, why not?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Yeah? Exactly?
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Because I mean I mentioned the rockets were sixty three
percent from the line. You know what, the Warriors were
ninety percent.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Do the math on the distance and just the free
throws alone. Even though I think the Rockets shot more,
I didn't see the total number for Golden State, just
thirty one free throws. I don't think they shot as many.
I think I was going to say twenty three, but
they were like twenty to twenty three or nineteen to
twenty three. Right, yeah, there you go. You just they
just didn't miss, and that ends up being the difference
(09:07):
in a game. Free throws the very basically, we kind
of oh, it's the old by the waystat oh you have,
they're they're good. And then you start even on these
the shows, you know, the talk shows, the pregame shows
and all that, do all this, do all this, do
all this. I'll play defense, can get it to the
big man as shn Gunin's got to run the court,
Jalen Green know you got to stop Steph Currey from shooting.
(09:27):
And you know Draymond Green's antics on the court. And oh,
by the way, that Jimmy Butler would a great addlet
oh yeah, and make sure on it's the outdo door
screen by the coach, not.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
That they do it.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Hey, hey, knock down your free throws, get a few
in and warm ups.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
Nineteen to thirty one.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Well, it's it's it's the special teams of basketball. I mean,
because especially when you get into the playoffs in the NFL,
for example, it's both missed extra points and field goals.
It's missed extra points in field goals.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Off sides to take you out of field goal range.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
You know, a massive hold or or even a return
called back. There you go, or you know, as we
saw the Texans last year, a fifteen yard personal foul
penalty that puts you on your goal line and in
your quarterback, it's sacked in the end zone, the game's over.
I mean, it's it's all of those things. And I mean,
and these are things, Sean, It's not like that they
(10:17):
necessarily had a precipitous drop off in the season.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
They were bad during the season. Oh, there's no doubt.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
I'm just trying to you know, I'm trying to compartmentalize, say, okay,
the trend and they weren't a great free throw shooting
team anyway, which tells you how good they are when
the ball's actually in play, right, that they've really had
a good season. But they didn't shoot great free throws.
But I'm always thinking, okay. I don't like to judge
a team in the preseason in the regular season by
what they did in the preseason. Thinking okay, man, because
you're experimenting here going and I'm thinking, dang, because if
(10:45):
you watch, the trend tells you they weren't going to
shoot good free throws, right, But you're hoping that there's okay,
it's you know, a little more focused attention to.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Detail, whatever it is.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Yeah, raise your game, but I'll be damn dude. You
are what you water and feed. And it's the old
Chuck Knox. He's my coach, my rookie year, the old
school Chuck Knox. You say garbage, he called it gigo
g I g o garbage and garbage out. And if
that's I'm not saying the team's garbage. But free throws.
(11:16):
Missing free throws makes you feel like gar It's like, oh,
that's trout. How do we not do the right You
standing there fifteen feet knock it down and we all
say hell in a pair of shorts and a T shirt.
I can go out there in a baseball cap or
a suit and time make nineteen to thirty one, and
I believe I can't. But then there's the pressure of
the game and all that, right, it all comes into play.
But the truth is is you go through all these
(11:36):
you know, the preparation and all the things that matter
and the basics simple basics of what help you win
and lose games, and you may work. I mean, whether
it's I don't know. I would like to think it's
more important. I mean, you know you've applied special teams,
which a spot on it's almost like small ball bunting
to guy on second. Can you just hit the ball
(11:56):
the right side one time? Or lift a fly ball
to deepen See that's get that second to thirty Whether
it's but I don't care how you do it. Find
a way to move them over the same thing here,
moving runners, That's what I r yes, And this should
you feels like it should be easier because the ball's
coming at you ninety five miles an hour. This one
you're standing there. Nobody's contending you got to knock down
free throws. But the trend of okay, now, it's the
intensity of the postseason.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Maybe that there's attention to detail.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
But think about that, you're going back the simplest thing
that you probably started doing before you even shot jump shots.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
You worked at free throw much. I know I did it,
gets free throw to make free throws. That's where you started.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Move the free throw line up when you were young,
and move it back, kept going and now here you
are and you're the thing that's going to cost you
in this series that you're going to go home is
is if if you don't win it is you're not
knocking down nineteen to thirty one against Golden State and
winning three in a row. I'm just going to tell
you that now, that's basically the point I'm trying to make.
You ain't knock If you go nineteen to thirty one
(12:51):
in one of these three games, let alone more than
one of that that shooting sixty percent from the free
throw line, you will not win three in a row.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
You just won't.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
You may do that against Miami when they're getting given it,
getting beat by fifty three. You may do that with
them or fifty five are you and getting swept, But
you ain't doing it right now with the Golden Sea.
You just not too much experience, because I guarantee you
they they're not shooting nineteen to thirty one for the
free throw line, especially if the point guard's the guy.
You know, if the guard's got the ball but logged
(13:21):
a lot of minutes, they just whatever it is. But
it you don't change your entire coat of armor from
regular season to postseason. We probably should have seen it coming.
That's why they got to put themselves in better position
the other places. But this team, I'm not telling anything.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
They don't know. You just got to be able to
and I'll show it. It's harder than it looks.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Well, probably, But if there's one thing to do where
you know guarantee you're getting a uncontested shot shooting free throws,
you can't go nineteen to thirty one expect to win,
especially when you're playing against a team that goes twenty
to twenty two or twenty of twenty three, whatever it was.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Well, if you hope for championship results, you gotta do
the championship things. Then going nineteen to thirty one from
the free throw line is not championship and.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
It can't be an oh, by the way on the way.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Out, by the way, it is the thing, Well it
starts there, that's the basis of it.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
Then it works the other way.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
It's not the other way where that's not the inverting
the pyramid where the free throws is. You know what
I'm saying they are, that's where the base of a
defense shoot free throws. Uh, be well conditioned and get
on the backboards. Then we'll work from there. I got
those four things in each boom boom, boom boom. Now
I got a chance to go. But you got two
of them and two of them are left out. What
(14:26):
happened to crumbles?
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Right?
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Can't you have to do those things? And I'll be
damned if if you can't move runners over. Hard to win,
can't get the ball the ballpark at times, win runners
in scoring position. Hard to win, you don't pitch well,
it's hard to win. It's really hard to win the
playoff if you can't shoot a free throw.
Speaker 4 (14:41):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
The Rockets have found that out again, down three to
one in the series one nine one six loss last
night to the Warriors in Game five tomorrow night, Jason, see,
you're right there, and we can continue the Rockets conversation
here because the difference is striking when it comes to
the Rockets against the Warriors.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
We'll talk about that here Sean Salisbury Show
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