That +12 in rebounds I guess is what helped to offset the 17 turnovers the Rockets committed. The Suns usually will win games when their opponent commits at least that many in a game. For this game, the Rockets basically won the game on the boards by limiting the Suns to six offensive rebounds while holding them to 41.5 percent shooting.
Rebounding differential doesn't purely measure dominance on the boards, because it depends on how many field goals the opposing team missed. Instead, compare OffReb% for each team: ORB / [ ORB + OppDRB] That's a more accurate picture of which team won the rebounding battle. In this case, the Rockets won it 18% to 13%.
When we win the rebounding differential it is a great thing because it means that we usually are getting more offensive rebounds which means more second chance points. And this is something that the rockets should be doing more and more since rick adelman stresses offensive rebounding and second chance shots whereas JVG preferred that his team would rush back on transition defense and not worry so much about second chance buckets. IMO one reason i think the rockets did so well when yao was out last year was because of the fact that they were getting more offensive rebounds which means more second chance opportunities.
Whoever says Yao sucks at rebounding needs a brain scan. Yao is a pretty good and above average rebounder if he is motivated and hungry for the ball. What irks me is that sometimes he doesn't seem to go all out to get the ball.
The formula to beat the Suns is to beat them up in the post. They are an undersized team by all means. If you find a way to pound them inside as much as you can, you can beat them. This is how the Spurs beat them in the playoffs.
