FRONT ING coming!....

Bench Yao and some Rockets "only" fans will be happy.

 

From a non-biased basketball fan perspective I'm very excited to see how Portland executes their defensive plan and how the Rockets respond. These teams know each other fairly well so I'm sure Adelman is already drilling the Rocket players on how to counter the fronting. Of course, Nate McMillan knows this so I'm sure Portland is going to throw a mix and match of defenses at how to keep him and the other Rockets off balance.

*puts homer cap on*

I think Battier will have some nice looks at the 3 point line because of all the attention Yao will get. I'm expecting to see Shane have a nice night offensively. I also think the scrambling defensive by Portland is going to open up some seems for Wafer and Lowry to attack the rim. Portland is an athletic, long team but outside of Roy they are not a particularly bright team so as long as the Rockets are active and decisive on offense I think they have a chance to get out of Portland up 2-0.

 

I think RA has a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to Yao being fronted. I think the best defense I've seen on Yao was the weak side defender coming over from the baseline to double him. Lakers are the only team that really did that often though

The way I see it is that Yao didn't play much at all in the 2nd half and had to ride the pine yet we still managed to win by almost 30.. I think we have a good chance of winning game 2 by double digits *knocks on wood*

 

if ron will just run the damn offense when yao is fronted then we will be fine. he can't panic and do something crazy. just work the ball around the perimeter and allow yao to post on the other side.

 

It isn't gonna work as well because Oden and Przybilla are not fast enough to do it well. They may be able to deny him the ball a few times but they will not make him TO it all the time and prevent Yao from being a factor.

 

If the role players show up, we have nothing to fear. Most teams can't front Yao for the full 48. If we push it to Yao early and often, and then when we see increased defense kick it to the rest of the team we're fine. Fronting isn't bad when everybody brings their A-game. The biggest set back we have is when we are fronted we tend to put up shots that we have no rational taking (see Ron Artest). If we can get in it early, we should be fine. The key is like Yao said, be the team that takes a 10 point lead then push it to 20. We tend to take that 10 point lead then squander possessions away with poor point guard and role player play.

 

I think we are going to see the Blazers go small..with Aldridge at Center and fronting Yao. Yao will not be able to guard Aldridge on the defensive end either.

 

Yao is done. Expect like 7 points 5 rebounds in game 2?

 

Portland doesn't like to do that. It works at denying the ball to Yao, but they get destroyed on the boards. Scola and Yao own the Aldridge/Outlaw frontcourt. Aldridge is simply too poor a rebounder to be giving Yao position.

 

agree with tsunami! yao is done game two. I say we bench him game 2 and play deke!

 

fronting frustrates yao and rocket's offense. when yao gets pushed and pushes around all game he wont be able to make shots because it takes a toll on his arms. he is not particularly strong with upper body. i'd say if we keep scola attacking rim along with brooks and wafer, we will be a good shape. rest Yao til maybe fourth quarter.. when everyone starts to feel tired, bring in the wall to finish 'em off. Rockets bench players need to step up big time this game. if we get a win it's a 4:0 Rockets. if we lose this might to go game 7.

 

This the truth. Most teams can't front Yao for 48 hours. Make no mistake about it the Blazers had every intention of fronting Yao in the game. Like most team there intention was to save for the 4th quarter and then slap it on big. But the game was over in the 3rd and Yao didn't even play in the 4th. So that defensive strategy went out the window! All these articles about why the Blazers didn't front Yao are just stupid. No team has fronted Yao for 48 minutes. Most of them turn it on in the 4th or sometimes at spurts in the 3rd. Which the Blazers had every intention of doing. They never got the chance. Yao steamrolled them and by the time they got up it was all over. No fronting needed just a good cry.

 

Basically the only way they can front Yao effectively is to double one on top and one below...swing passes will expose them, but in our favor this will allow scola to tear up their bigs

 

That is a little absurd and a little true. The Blazers are in desperation mode and will probably coming out fronting from the get go. But the Rockets know this and our working on it as we speak. Yao is not playing video games he is watching tape. And Battier and Scola and Brooks are Doing the same. Ron Ron is eating sushi and playing pickup games somewhere.

 

Aldridge can not guard Yao...he's simply not strong enough. He won't be very effective in utilizing the front either as the best people that front Yao are shorter/bulky/powerful pf's such as Millsap, Boozer, Brandon Bass, Maxiel etc. Greg Oden and Joel are too slow and aren't coordinated enough to front and continue to front effectively.

The best way to defend Yao is to play him straight up and bring help from the weakside the way the Jazz did it with Kirlenko flying in from the side or back. Blazers gotta do that with Batum and Outlaw if they want to have any chance and I fully expect them to do that. This means our 3 pt shooters need to be on point. Especially Battier and Artest.

Yao needs to get position as deep as possible that way even if he does get fronted he'll be right under the hoop for an easy bucket once he gets the ball or he can do a spin move when the defender is on him to regain frontal position and pin defender behind him.

 

exactly, I don't think there are many players that possess both the strength and quickness to front Yao when he's fresh. Portland definitely have none.
The only viable option for Portland to deny Yao is to double him all game. So other guys need to make open shots. It's that simple.

 

Play both Deke and Yao as The Twin Towers…. while Deke has his elbows swinging Yao will get open for some easy lay-ups

 

Mutombo is going to step up and wreak some rebound havoc.

 

Actually Yao is playing CounterStrike as we speak.