ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Lakers 4/18/2026 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 1)

Sengun is part of the problem.

 

Gee, you guys complain all the time. It is always doom and gloom after game 1 losses

Best of 7, remember

 

doesn't mean anything

 

He is a 23 yr old 2x all star he is one of the least problems.

 

Adams has been healthy for the majority of a season once in the last 5 years… and he played 14 minutes a night that year.

He is very important- but too unreliable health wise to plan on.

 

McHale benched Harden and at least made a conference finals with a bunch of old washed players, role players, and out of prime Dwight. He had Chris Finch on that staff to help with the offense and defense. Will Ime put his ego aside to allow a Chris Finch type of coach for the offense?

 

Again I've totally lost the thread but the common theme appears to be you think the Rockets are a sleeping juggernaut but for Udoka, I see a poorly constructed mix of role players and a 37 yo superstar, the fact that the Rockets won the tiebreak for the 2 seed last year is not really all that persuasive here.

 

I remember how we lost to Warriors last year.

 

it does when we shot 38% and they shot 61%

 

I don't really disagree, he was bad tonight, but he's a 2nd year player that's taken a pretty huge leap. He gets some grace for that, especially considering he's barely played his first season.

Like it's more fair to get on players we've had here for a while still making the same mistakes then get on Reed about it. He didn't get to play PG much in college so his PG skills are average at best so I feel many of us want to see him play through the mistakes and learn, since you learn by making mistakes right?

If he's still making these same mistakes and looks the same year 4 and 5 and 6 then yeah, you can start to go into "This is just who he is" but he's far too young for it.

I see many of the 'Reed Stans' as they are being called criticize and say when Reed has bad games, some of his biggest fans here realize when he has bad games. I think many of us just see potential in him and realize its more worth it to see him fail here then possibly be traded elsewhere and break out so we want to see him given the chance to fail and learn and grow just as much as Green or Bari or Tari or Sengun or Amen has had. That's all.

 

He is a poor defender- he doesn’t offer any real rim protection and he is a poor perimeter shooter. That puts a lot of pressure on the players around him and limits his Coach. I would deal him straight up for Clingen. At least I get a rim protecting center with length, that can finish on give and go and I can more easily put players around him.

 

The statement by Stone was if Reed wasn't available at 3, that would mean he got drafted 1 or 2.

 

Luke Kennard has worse defense than Reed, but Ime didn't use that weakness.

 

I thought Tate didn't play a bad game...the refs terrible foul calls in the 3rd quarter flipped the momentum in favor for the Lakers.
Tari played better in the the 2nd half - he was almost non-existent on offense in the 1st half.
If Kennard is held to his 8ppg average we would've won.

 

He was a fake late notice All-Star this season because so many other real All-Stars got hurt. I think most basketball fans including Rockets fans know he didn't really deserve it.

 

Nothing wrong with that and a chance at the lottery.

 

Any time Luke was on Jabari they should have punished that matchup.

 

i just want to remind yall: we not a part of the team. none of this matters. touch grass.

 

Comeon you and I both know Jabari is took weak and soft to take advantage of smaller players.