No team NBA team with the best jump shooters being JJ and Maurice Taylor should be that good. Watching the Grizzlies shoot lights out showed me that Hubie Brown puts a greater emphasis in putting the ball in the basket than Van Gundy does because the Rockets have serious problems with consistency from the perimeter. Rockets don't get that kind of perimeter showing unless certain planets align. Rockets are similar to the Blazers and Clippers. There's a strong low post presence, and there are a bunch of slashers. However, there is no dominant outside shooter to space the half-court and put fear into opposing defenses who want to collapse into the paint. This team is transforming into the Knicks team of years past that couldn't shoot worth a squat and got blown out by the West teams. The fact is there should be a healthy balance of inside and out. The Rockets championship teams had a great core of shooters anchored by Kenny Smith who shot 43% from behind the arc in 1994 and 41% in 1995. Everyone on the Rockets besides JJ specializes in getting points close to the basket. There is a large imbalance. Noone is afraid of the Rockets' shooters. Everyone leaves Maurice open all the time. JJ always gets wide open looks. Cuttino is not a feared shooter. He got tons of open looks against the Grizzlies. Even Yao is left wide ass open at the top of the key. He's bricking 80% of his jumpshots nowadays. There's no point in discussing Steve's proficiency from the perimeter. What I see is every single team in the playoffs in the Wests except for the 8th seed has better perimeter offenses than the Rockets. I seriously don't know how in the heck the Rockets managed to get such a good record. Rockets have overachieved especially if one looks at similarly constructed teams like the Clippers and Blazers. Whether the Spurs or Wolves face the Rockets in the playoffs, they will make it very tough to get points in the paint. Duncan and Rasho are going to sit right in the paint. Garnett and Kandiman are going to do the same. Rockets' shooters will get wide open looks at the basket from outside. Yao sometimes is a decoy in the low post attracting defensive attention opening up opportunities for his teammates on the perimeter, but great teams need a presence from outside that everyone knows is a badass who can kill them with the 3 pointer. Is it a surprise that Brent Barry coming back to the Sonics has got that team looking like a playoff team? The spacing in the half-court totally changes when there is an SOB out there who can hit a 3 pointer two feet behind the arc. Anyone remember the Kings game when the Rockets played like dumbasses and left Peja open for a number of 3 pointers? Rockets need someone like close to that on the perimeter or else, there is no way this team will sniff a championship.
lol I think the goal is a playoff spot this year. We can start thinking championship after we show that we know what we're doing in the playoffs.
yeah the grizz had a good shooting game. they shot ridiculous. they shot 1-15 from 3pt land the game before. they only have 2 people who shoot better than 35% from beyond the arch. their outside shooters are streaky, the only difference though is that they have so many more solid players that when someone isnt getting it done, someone else can step up if their shot is falling. rockets shoot 36% from the arch. this is mainly due to the inside game that requires a double team and opens things up for our shooters. the last game with the grizzlies was an exception for the grizz. they had hands in their faces each and every shot and they still fell. their team was in the zone. that game reminded me alot of the minnesota game. one game was where our opponent couldnt get anything to fall and couldnt get anything right, the other was where our opponent could do no wrong, and everything they threw up went into the hole.
So what you are saying is that teams that shoot better do better. Interesting observation. Sorry, not really trying to be a smartass, just that lost elephant said exactly what I wanted to say.
its being shown today in the milwauku game. Their just doubling yao cause no one came a shot from the 3 pt line. To many streaky shooters.
So your point is that Jeff VanGundy built this team with complete disregard for getting pure shooters. Charvo, your schtick is old man. News Flash: VanGundy did not build this Team. If you are so sick and frustrated by watching the Rockets, then stop. Memphis was unbelievably hot and we had a bad game. That's it. do we have holes on this team? Yes. does everyone and their brother no what they are? Yes. Can we do anything to fix them during the course of the current season? No. I don't mind criticism's against the team, in a sense, that is partially what the site was built for. Just don't come with the same ragged take (sorry for the Romeism) after every loss or bad shooting game.
I did not say Van Gundy built this team, but it's obvious that the team is a bricklaying team that can dominate the Eastern Conference but is poor against the West. Grizzlies had a lights-out shooting game, but it goes to show that Hubie Brown at least knows what wins in the West, so he probably works on shooting more than anything else. Not only is Jeff Van Gundy concentrating on defense more than any other facet of the game, he is doing it with guys who primarily score close to the basket, and he's using an offense that creates open shots for the perimeter. Is it any wonder why the Rockets struggle on offense? If Van Gundy was focusing on defense with guys who primarily score with the jumpshot like Ray Allen and Brent Barry, the offense would run much more smooth because the energy used for defense would not kill their jumpshot.
New flash, Brent Barry and Ray Allen aren't going to the playoffs, and last I checked both Mobes and JJ shoot close to 40% from behind the arc. It's the offensive scheme. Steve who's, "proficiency from the perimeter", isn't even worth discussing, has just saved us again today. It's a tired tripe argument by now, go to a Seattle board or something, we don't need to hear this anymore.
Pike has been a consistent shooter his entire career, comes here and sucks just like Shanden andersen, scottie pippen and on and on.
