Welcome on Monday gamer been a while since we've had a chance to do this. I think Christmas is the last time and really nice slate of games one that I actually really too that really fascinating but one that has I think a ton of playoff implications that was Houston beating Denver 125 113 Denver stayed in it until about four minutes were left in the first half and then James hard went off scoring 14 of 17 points to end the half and Houston generally led by about 10 4

the rest of the game at that point. I thought the biggest interesting thing though and I know you want to talk about this quite a bit was the way the nugget started off defending James hard which in fairness is basically how they defend everybody else in picture. Right and I'm happy that this existed as an intellectual exercise and obviously it's not to say that if Denver did this every time the same result would happen every time but really what they did in them for a vast majority of the first half until those final four minutes was they made James hard and a passer they were doubling him pretty regularly

when there was a screen they would use the you know the screeners guy and hardens guy would both follow him and then they would bring somebody over to help and then hope that everybody can recover and you know go on from there and so hard and only took two shots from the field in the first 20 let's say 20 minutes of this game

need in play all that but he was only took two shots from the field he could go to the free throw line a few times as he always does and what it led to though was so like you can think about that in a couple of ways so one is you know oh you're forcing the other rockets be you and especially with Chris Paul out that is a pretty good gamble I mean those guys aren't necessarily great but remember you're not forcing them to beat you an isolation you're forcing them to beat you coming off of pass from James Harden who happens to be one of the best passers out of a pick and roll or out of a double that we've ever seen.

Yeah that's something that we talked about extensively after the Christmas game against OKC the guys just unbelievable every pass to the roll man it is on time and on target and now he has great size he's got long arms but he just whether it's looping it over guys whether it's a quick pocket bounce pass whether it's PJ Tucker throwing these beautiful on time on target behind the back passes right to him at the top of the key for open pick and pop three the passage just there.

Every time he doesn't turn it over in that situation usually a more aggressive pick and roll scheme can force guys to turn it over and Harden is just absolutely unflapful in these situations he's seen every coverage he rips it apart and then he does part of it is the personnel you can say oh you make the other rockets beat you but if it's clink of hell it catching the ball perfectly on the move where you just has to take one dribble starting at the free throw line against the back line in your defense four on three because your center is all ready way out on the floor.

Yeah it was to mom.

Yeah and I think you're pretty good job.

Yeah I mean so Jamal Marie I thought I did a decent job being the help guy.

They were remember that happened to Marcus smart no it happened to Isaiah actually a couple of years ago with the Celtics when they were trying to double and then it was just Isaiah standing under the rim and he wasn't

doing anything and Jamal's bigger than Isaiah obviously but it's a similar issue.

Capela I believe it was a career high in points with 31 yes 13 of 18 from the field and also five of seven from from the free throw line.

I don't think he's going to get to the 65% necessary for his bonus but he's getting closer you know he's I think he's over 60% now which is good for him from the

foul line that is from the foul line yeah I'll front and field I believe he's significantly better than that and I thought

Capela did a really nice job I thought that you know one of the huge things and the early part of the game was

hardened doing these drop pass in behind the back passes to PJ Tucker standing at the top of the key and PJ Tucker was just

drilling those threes no hesitation he ended up seven for four threes in the first half or in the first quarter for PJ first quarter yeah from three yeah and then he ended in the

game seven of 11 every single shot he took was a three I think he had a couple from the corner later on but the lot of those were

were above the break in the very beginning of the game and yeah I thought that something else that bothered me about

this and this is a parallel to a criticism I've had thankfully we don't have Haka nearly as much in the league and

me anymore but I get frustrated when a team uses an approach and doesn't think about the corresponding moves here so Denver no problem whatsoever with them if they

want to try this you know attacking system as you said it's what they normally do if you're basically going to double James Harden

...