ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Sixers 12/10/2007

11 > 8! What a strong statement.

Think about why the rockets are gettingworse every game. It's the coach!!

 

If you think i'm a tracy hater then you're sadly mistaken. i've been one of the most vocal supporters. however it infurates me that he stoped being aggressive after hes start. were not a team that can afford to have our best player play lazy or passive.

We cant rely on yao because he cant lead a team. we need tracy to be better then that.

 

Did you guys watch suns 113 vs 117 heats game? That's fatastic! In the last couple min., Nash made 3 3pts and Hill made 2 3pts., but I think most amazing play is Wade's steal. That is what superstar about!

If you only watch rockets' game, you are missing the beauty of basketball!

 

I don't really know where to start...this was so awful in so many ways.

 

This play sums up the night for me:

A sixer, I believe it's Green, brings the ball on a semi-break, Rockets have at least 3 players back, yet no one stops the ball, everyone avoids the middle, Green slashes right through the middle for a layup in front of 3 standing guys watching hopelessly.

 

It has to stop. Lets send Luther Head and Mcgrady's malingering a$$ to Golden State in exchange for Baron Davis and maybe someone else.

 

Stop being delusional. No trades are going to happen, especially with our superstars. GMs would rather grind their testicles into beef patties before they put themselves in situations where they have to trade their main guy/s. We're stuck with the players we have now. We just suck, and we will continue sucking.

 

The new coach revamp the game plan. Yao/Tmac are not getting it, so they can lose to weak teams, yet they can also beat some elite teams. Why you take temporary fluctuation so seriously? Rox still can make playoff if they work harder. But the pre-season fantasy are crap, just lose it.

 

These past two games have said enough about this team and the coach. I don't know what else you could do to change it, because it is not about the shortage of talents in this team. It is lack of toughness and leadership from TMac and Yao. At this point, I really think we may have to break up this pair of "superstars" who can not lead this team. TMac is proven not a leader. Yao just can't do it, because of cultural and language problems. If Yao is the one to stay in Houston, then we need to trade Tmac for someone tough as nail (such as Mano of Spurs).

If we can't trade either one, let's fire Coach Adelman, who is another one who cannot lead and is not tough enough. Would it be too much losing face to hire back JVG?

 

im thinking...

give the rox a month to get this team figured out,

then judge

we will see

GO ROCKETS!

 

It may be too late to salvage this team in a month... I'm not even sure it's possible to fire Adelman and hire JVG at this point.

 

I am absolutely absolutely ABSOLUTELY GOBSMACKED with this team.

I really have no idea what to expect at times. I do not know whether the team that blew out the Nuggest and beat the Suns in Phoneix is the one that will show up, or it will be the rabble that played the past two games.

To sum it up, the past few games have been an amazing show of inconsistency, lack of spirit, desire, fire and heart!!!

 

I hope rick adelman reduce the starters minutes a lot for next game and play the bench for starter minutes, i rather loose with some effort there than loose by 2 points because of a lack of effort.

 

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/brea..._Sixers_down_Rockets__win_third_straight.html


Posted on Mon, Dec. 10, 2007


Sixers down Rockets, win third straight
By Marc Narducci
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

The last time the Houston Rockets invaded the Wachovia Center, they barely broke a sweat, beating the Sixers by 124-74 on March 18.
Tonight, things weren't so easy against a Sixers team that did more than its share to strike up the revenge meter for the 50-point loss.

The Sixers led by as many as 31 in the third quarter before holding off a late charge to defeat the Rockets, 100-88, at the Wachovia Center.

It was the third straight win for the Sixers (8-13), who last won three consecutive games on April 8, 10 and 11 against Atlanta, Indiana and Boston, respectively.

And don't think the Sixers did not remember last year.

"We talked about it at halftime for a second, just a quick second," said point guard Andre Miller, who had 17 points and 12 assists.

After halftime, the Sixers pulled away from a 14-point lead to an 80-49 advantage with 4 minutes, 25 seconds left in the third quarter after Willie Green hit two free throws.

Actually, last year's 50-point massacre was talked about well before halftime.

"We talked about it before we went out and played," said Green, who had 20 points and has averaged 17.3 over the last three games. "We knew what they did to us last year, and we wanted to go out and play well."

Things are going so well for the Sixers that one criticism is that they have to learn how to play better with a 31-point lead.

Even though Tracy McGrady left the game for good in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle, Houston made a valiant comeback.

The Rockets got to within 94-84 with 1:59 left, but they ran out of gas and time.

"You have to learn to play with those type of leads," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "I hope we have a lot of those."

There was a noticeable buzz at the Wachovia Center. Maybe it was the presence of Eagles running back Brian Westbrook that inspired the Sixers.

More likely, it was a reenergized team that has benefited from Cheeks' new rotation.

The winning streak began after Cheeks expanded what had been an eight-man rotation. Tonight, 11 Sixers played in the first half.

Another major difference has been the play of Miller, who reached double figures in assists for the fourth straight game. In the last four games, he has averaged 15.8 points, 11.3 assists and 3 turnovers.

"He is the person we need most on the team," said Andre Iguodala, who scored 16 points. "He is really attacking the basket, running the offense, and making it easier for everybody."

Miller insists he isn't playing any differently.

"The main thing is that guys are knocking down shots, and that is opening up the game for me," Miller said.

It also does wonders for the Sixers. Earlier in the season, they struggled to hit shots from the perimeter. Now those shots are going in.

A prime example is Kyle Korver, who had been 1 for 15 from beyond the arc in four games before this winning streak. In the last three games, he has shot 8 for 11 from three-point range.

Houston (11-11) has sputtered since opening the season 6-1.

"They were quicker in every area of the game," Houston coach Rick Adelman said of the Sixers. "We made a ton of mental mistakes defensively."

The Rockets also made 23 turnovers, compared with 13 for the Sixers.

With plenty of weak-side help, the Sixers' Samuel Dalembert did a good job on 7-foot-6 Yao Ming, who was limited to 12 points (on 3-for-11 shooting) and nine rebounds. Dalembert finished with 8 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, and some long-awaited revenge.

 

Teams don't trade their superstars to teams IN THE SAME DIVISION, people. Think Garnett -> Celtics; Shaq -> Heat; Iverson -> Nuggets, etc. You wanna' send TMAC to the Spurs, then play'em in the first round, should the Rox make it?!? You can bet yer' sweet patootie he'd have some motivation then. Just a bad, bad idea.

 

That just made me realize how much I would hate to watch the Rockets play against T-Mac 4 times a year, especially when he is on his game.

 

The offense was tailored towards one on one situations. T-mac doesn't have the feintest clue how to function within a the flow of the offense.

 

I beg to differ. T-Mac is actually a highly intelligent player.

T-Mac deserves criticism abou his lack of heart (desire to play and win each and every game) and his brittle body.

Nobody at this point should question Tracy's abilities or his intelligence. With T-Mac, it's merely a question of heart and health.

 

Heart and health for regular season, but for playoff, it's the lack of abilities.

 

Then watch the games and you will actually see how freaking stagnant we are with T-mac in the offense. The only times that t-mac is effective is when he has iso plays... It's the same now, and it was the same when he was in orlando. He doesn't know how to play within the flow of the offense, simply because he's getting by with all his talent. I stand by my opinion.

He's extremely capable, but I really don't think he fits our needs. If he's so intelligent, would you care to explain why he insists on taking ridiculous jump shots instead of taking it to the hole? If he is taking jump shots to protect his body, then fine, he's selfish, and he doesn't deserve to wear a rockets jersey because we really don't need players getting paid $20 Million to play half assed out there.