Not a bad game for Alston. I think he got the message from CF.net. Let's see if he can do it consistently. He did make a couple of boneheaded moves in the 1st quarter after hitting back to back 3's. Yao saved his day. Many of Alston's assists came after the game was blown away for the Mav. When you have nothing to worry about and basically play for fun, you more likely play your best.
Great game for Rafer. We need to see more of this. 12 assists and 0 TOs is awesome and shows why he's our starting PG. This game also answers some questions about his jumpshot. When his feet were set he drilled 'em. The nonsense about how he doesn't find Yao in the right position is just that, nonsense. Thy guy knows how to dish and take care of the ball. However, I want to see how he responds in crunch time of close games. Along with his shooting, that was my main gripe with him last season.
Y'all got nothing to say after this game. Rafer did it ALL. 14 pts, 12 asst, 8 reb, 0 to, 4-6 3p, 4 steals! That's a sick statline no matter who you are. Near triple double. Plus he shut down Terry defensively.
I was at the game tonight. And Rafer, who will have plenty of bad games this season, did play great. I do think, he will finish the season with more than 7 assists per game. I like him. We pushed hard in this game and times and he was great with that, and hitting his shots.
Rafer had a good game against the Mavs. Let's hope he can keep it up. If he does this night in and night out then I have no complaints. Let's break it down a bit more. 4-10 FGM/FGA - 40% overally fg % is still a little short. However I liked the fact that he had only 10 FGA's. 4-6 3-ptrs - now that's what I'm talking about. When you have to knock down that open 3 you have to punish the other team. Rafer basically played within himself and knocked down the open shot when he had to. 12 Assists - true, that's a little inflated because the 4th quarter. However Rafer had 5 alone in the 3rd period that were important to keep the offensive momentum going. Defensively he did well on Terry. I didn't see the whole game but seems like he chased Terry around effectively. Not sure if this is a function of the improved athleticism on the Rockets or not at the 2 and 3. My hunch that it is so that the Rockets can hold their own "D-ing" up mono v mono vs. having to double because of matchup issues. Keep it up Rafer! I'm happy to be WRONG about saying you're an offensive and defensive liability! Now do this the rest of the season!
Apparently Yao himself agrees. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap;_ylt=Ar32zL0VgsuEi.mF9MVHB.28vLYF?gid=2006110410&prov=ap
I've been saying for a long time he's a better shooter than people think, he just got in a slump last year probably related to all the injuries on the team and he himself wasn't healthy. But every time you say that you get attacked by numerous other members. Hopefully Rockets fans will start to cut him some clack and start to realize he's not a good FT shooter and he's just adequate really in efficiency BUT he is a pretty damn good 3 point shooter. And please stop with the "the stats show otherwise" crap. In Miami Alston was able to knock down 3's under pressure in big situations and was able to make shots in bunches. Playing with a healthy yao and T-Mac his old form of 37% should be more like 40+
Maaaaaaaaaaan, Alston shut A LOT of mouths tonight I can't wait once McGrady and Wells start playing like we know they can. But Rafer is only proving that last season was an aberration. Like I've always said, he's the best PURE point guard the Rockets have had since Lucas. With a healthy and complete squad, people are gonna see that Alston is the ideal PG for this team.
Skip knows what he has to do this year and he payed the price over the summer working on his catch and shoot rhytthm...it shows and he's got an excellent form going. There are going to be some nights that the 3 point shot is not falling but he'll have to keep shooting and stay within himself. He's not going to turn the ball over and you know defensing will begin pressing him more attempting to get the ball out of his hands to disrupt out offense. This kid can get 8 dimes per night and 10-14 points...we have to hit our shots as he distributes the ball. We DON'T NEED A SHOOT FIRST point guard...Skip will do just fine!
To me it looks like he is playing with much more confidence - he looks more comfortable. I think he will have a good year and end up showing us what he is - an above average NBA PG. He is not great, but for us he doesn't need to be. BTW, that move he made in the second half was sick, I just wish Hayes would have made the layup.
bwahahhahaha. The Rafer haters base all your knowledge on how he played last season which was a disaster by any measure. Rafer was asked to do too much. I've said ALL ALONG that you gotta give Rafer a chance with the full compliment of players around him. Mike James can suck it. He's showing in preseason and he showed last night that he is FINALLY ready for a career year ...which is what I've been saying all along. Just as Lopez stated, Rafer ain't perfect but he'll be PERFECT for THIS team.
He played great defense and he had also 4 steals. Rafer was just spectacular player last night. Hope he will emerged this season and take his game to the next level.
Whenever your point can dish out 12 assits and manage to hold his turn overs to ZERO. You can put a W down for the game. Nice work Alston glad to see all the hard work during the summer paying off!
Outstanding game by Alston! He even had FOUR assists to Yao Ming and played like a WINNER! Hope he has the same intensity for the rest of the season.
