Rafer plays 28 minutes, shoots 2-10, 1-6 from 3pt distance, 4-4 at the line, 5 RB, 2 Assists, 2 Steals, 2 Turnovers, 9 points total Mike James plays 21 minutes, shoots 2-10 as well, 1-6 behind the arc, 0-1 at the line, 5 RB, 5 Assists, 0 steals, 1 Turnover, 5 points Our PGs shoot a combined 4-20, 2-12 from 3, 10 RB, 7 assists, 3 turnovers, 14 points total. Bonzi really saved our asses tonight along with a great game from Yao and timely buckets from McGrady. But need better play from our PGs, shooting 20% from the field is pathetic.
I'm pretty much sure with more experiences, Yi will be able to stop Dirk at the defensive end and crush Dirk at offensive end since Dirk is not a strong player at all.
Poor game... Bonzi = great. Shane/T-Mac/Yao = good enough. Rafer/James/Scola = HORRIBLE! As far as Luther goes, I'm having a real hard time believing he was out there for 15 minutes tonight. All I remember him doing was one three off the front of the rim and one airball, both late in the 4th. Hopefully they get it together.. or Steve does... Oh and I'm also on the Yi bandwagon. That kid's potential is unbelievable. You almost forget he's seven feet tall with how nimble he is.
Next up the Bobcats, which won tonight by beating the Pacers. I hope this team will not continue to play well against the Rockets. Do they have a better record on head to head match up against the Rockets.
Hope Coach A is not as stubbon as JVG, treats steve like JVG did to Bonzi last year. It will cost us a title!
Once again, another god awful performance from Alston. I'm not too worried with James cause we know he can shoot, he just had a really bad off night. It's good to see that T-Mac got his shooting touch back and Yao and Bonzi works perfect in the post together. If Bonzi can keep it up, then he will make a case for 6th man of the year.
Funny thing is, the more I see of Dirk, the less I'm afraid of his abilities as a Franchise player. Yi definitely has the foot speed and length to keep up with Dirk. His jump shot also looks a lot better than Dirk's signature one legged fall away jump shot.
I don't understand how Steve couldn't see any minutes tonight. I mean Rafer and MJ looked really bad and they shot the ball horribly tonight. Yao and Mac look like different players under Adelman. Where is Yao getting all the extra stamina? He's become an even better defensive center he's been rebounding well and blocking a lot of shots. He's playing almost 40 mins per game you have to ask was JVG's system and fighting in the low post on every play the difference and why Yao seems so tired last season even early in games. T-mac looks like the old Magic T-mac he's throwing down dunks like the old Mac. Mac also looks fresher on the court. The Rockets haven't learned Rick's offense that obvious they are winning with their defense. Mac is not having to create all the shots and he looks great. I wish Scola could get into the offense more. We are not taking advantage of his ability to score in the post at all.
A sweet win. 5-1. What a performance. Yao 39min 28pts FG44% FT100% 10reb 3ast 3blk T-Mac 37min 21pts FG0% FT50% 8reb 8ast 1stl 1blk Yi 34min 19pts FG50% FT75% 9reb 3stl 1blk Scola who?
Photos of Yao Ming and his little brother Yi Jianlian before the game. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF YAO & YI TOGETHER
Getting post play from Bonzi at the SF/SG position is turning out to be a GREAT compliment to Yao. An option we did not have last year that's given the offense a completely different dimension. With Scola playing ineffectively, we again played a large part of the game without a traditional power forward, namely Yao and four "smalls," with Battier at the PF. It's proving to be effective, but I still wonder if it will hold up in the long run. Anyway, great to be 5-1 at this juncture so no complaints from me.
It's getting into shape and learning the plays. Like I said before. If Steve can study the films and learn the plays so it's like second nature to him, he'll play. He does need to study, walk through the plays during practice. He does that and he'll get playing time. Franchise's handles are on par with Alstons. If he plays smart which is key for him, he'll get some playing time. It's just going to take time. Right now it looks to me like Alston is playing himself right out of the rotation. James had an off shooting night. Lucky for us we have many options at guard. We can play Bonzi instead of James. Luther Head didn't do much tonight either in limited playing time. Wonder if we will ever see Brooks and Landry? I think it'll take an injury to see them on the court though.
