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Defense - Breakdown on the layups...your analysis Spock !

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by DaDakota, Jan 7, 2009.

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  1. DaDakota

    DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

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    For reasons I can not explain I decided this morning to watch the game again and chart all the layups, putbacks and points in the paint last night and what happened on each play.

    Here we go, this could get ugly, please hide the children before reading this....EAR MUFFS....EAR MUFFS...

    9:14 in the 1Q AI scores at the rim after driving in on Von Wafer - Scola and Yao attempted to help but AI waited for them to commit and then jumped as they were coming down - 2 points. - Fault - Wafer has to be stronger here, and Scola can come support but should stay on his feet.

    8:40 1Q AI drives in the paint on Wafer, Yao comes out to stop drive, AI dishes underneath to Ratliff for a dunk....Fault - Not sure there is one, it was just a good play by the 76ers

    7:16 1Q, Miller trapped on baseline, Tmac leaves his man to go closer to ball, Willie Green sees Tmac leave and cuts down the lane for an easy 2, Yao slow to rotate on the cut, but Tmac was not guarding ANYONE....Fault: TMac was standing around watching, and his man slipped behind for an easy 2.

    6:12 1Q. Tmac drives stripped by Andre Miller - fast break, Willie Green scores on missed layup. Fault: Tmac careless with ball drove into double team and was stripped.

    SWA commerical - look the controller mimics my movements, toss in a pitch to me like you do outside - guy throws controller, hits flat panel hilarity ensues. Back to the game.

    3:03 1Q- layup Andre Miller on fast break. Scola goes into the lane on a post up, to his right (big shocker) and makes a wonderful slip pass to Yao, who promptly bobbles it away to Miller for a fast break. Fault: Yao has got to catch those passes.

    2:03 1Q - AI blows by Tmac for an easy jam, missed ball caroms to Thadeus Young out top and he waltzes down the middle for an easy put back jam. Fault: Oh man, so many..Tmac not playing D, Landry nor McGrady not stepping up to stop Young - they both could have challenged.

    End 1Q - sloppy D but still up 27-24.

    -------------------------End 1st Quarter --------------------------

    10:50 2Q - Brent Barry with a horrible pass to Tmac, steal Speights and a fast break layup to AI, over Barry who stood there trying to take a charge while AI went around him with ease. Fault: Barry berry quite contrary.

    8:39 2Q - Royal Ivey (are you kidding me) goes around Brent Barry - Landry attempts to challenge Ivey scores over him. Fault : Landry has got to come out harder than that, he just stuck his arms up...come on make him earn it.

    6:52 2Q - Evans put back dunk on Mo Williams drive. Brooks gets picked, and Landry gives VERY weak support, Mo goes around Landry, misses the shot, and Chuck Hayes does not box out Evans who goes up and over for the jam. Fault: 1st Landry again failing to help D correctly. 2nd Chuck should have boxed out, rudimentary basketball fellas come on....

    5:51 2Q - Mo Williams guarded by Rafer (and I mean barely guarded) goes around him like he is in cement, Yao comes over (and I mean barely comes over) and Mo Scores an easy layup. Fault: Rafer should stay in front but sometimes you are beat, Yao has GOT to use his height better, that was HORRIBLE support for his teamate.

    SWA commecial - Short fat guy "Wanna dance?" ...tall ebony chick "Show me what you got"...fat guy breaks off amazing moves busts up DJ table...hilarity ensues....

    1:27 2Q - Willie Green layup. TMac gets marginally picked, but fails to recover, and Willie Green blows by him for an easy layup....Fault : Pure Tracy, he should have stopped that simply by moving his feet.

    Halftime : Houston 55 - Philly 53 - What the heck? How do we have the lead when our defense is basically playing so horribly.....amazing.

    ---------------------Half Time -----------------------------

    Halftime show - nice feature on Rafer Alston and him being a Youth coach - AAU coach in New Jersey - Rafer may be a bad shooter (and you can remove the May be portion) but he is a great guy.

    11:05 3Q - Thadeus Young dunk layup. Tmac flat out gets beat on the leak out and Young dunks. Fault: Tmac again...sigh.

    9:53 3Q - AI layup around Tmac who stands and watches - Fault: Tmac again, I thought he was giving effort tonight....?????

    8:30 3Q - Thadeus Young put back at the rim. Willie Green around TMac who gets picked, Scola stops the ball on the switch, Tmac trails the ball and let's Thadeus Young all alone on the baseline, misses first attempt gets ball back and lays it in. Fault: Come on Tracy, trailing the play is not going to help, if Scola picks up your guy you have to pick up his, trailing is the worst possible thing to do there.....TMac....AGAIN.

    8:04 3Q - AI leaks out after a Wafer make, and Tmac rotates over to get Green rather than stopping AI's leak....AI takes advantage of Von getting back late into the play and scores an easy layup as Von never got back in time. Fault: TMac has got to stop the guy leaking out, he is at the 3pt line next to AI as the play starts and Von scores at the rim. The first thing you do, is pick up WHOMEVER is closest to the rim...Tracy hung Von out to dry on this play.

    7:01 3Q - Andre Miller all the way on a fast break layup. Rafer is yelling stop ball to Scola and Yao as they come down the court...hello...Rafer...you are already there...YOU STOP THE FRICKEN BALL !!!!!! Fault: See comments about Rafer.

    6:37 3Q - Backdoor layup Willie Green. Both Tmac and Von pick up AI...Tmac is supposed to be guarding him....but is closer to AI on the break. Fault: Poor communication betwen Von and Tmac...if Tracy is going to switch, then he has to tell Von to switch too....mostly Tmac, if he is going to take someone else's man he needs to let them know....immediatly.

    5:03 3Q - Backdoor dunk by Dalambert. Fault: Yo - Yao....YO....YAO....well wake the frick up Yo Yao !!!!!

    4:27 3Q - Thadeus Young dunk. AI drives screen by Young (who is guarded by Scola)....Scola stops drive forces shot out...Von Wafer who was guarding AI should have rotated to Young, did not....2 guys guarding AI, Young all alone on baseline...slamma jamma ding dong. Fault: Von if you get picked, and your teamate picks up your man, you have to guard HIS man....didn't you play junior high ball, where this was taught?

    3:58 3Q - We stop their fast break, Rafer to Yao all alone, and he goes up with one hand gets fouled and shoots FTs....ok, this does not technically fit in this thread...but come on Yao...go up STRONG...2 hands...this is aggrivating....he should know better....

    Back to our regularly scheduled defensive lapses meltdown.

    2:58 3Q - HOORAY we stop a fastbreak without fouling, it is a miracle. AB steps in front of Miller to draw a charge...WHAT? A guard getting back and stopping the ball on defense? NO WAY...what a novel concept.

    End of 3Q 79-71 Philly, only 16 points by our squad in the 3rd, if you are not going to play defense then you danged well better play offense, the Rockets played neither in that period and it hurt them badly.

    ------------------------End 3 Quarter ----------------------------

    10:21 4Q - AI layup. Rafer drives left side has it poked away for an easy layup going the other way. Fault: Rafer has to protect that ball better.

    9:59 4Q - AI twisting layup on fast break. Yao gets his shot stuffed twice by Ratliff by going up softer than the stay puffed marshmallow man leading to a fast break the other way. Fault: Yao has got to play to his height if he is going to play like a 6'8" non jumping forward it is not going to work...PUNISH THE SHORTER PLAYERS YAO....get tougher.

    9:08 4Q - Speights layup and fouled. A missed AB jumper, pass out to wing Andre Miller who immediatly tosses to Speights for an easy layup. Landry trailing. Fault: Uh, I think I said..Landry trailing......

    5:05 4Q - The KILLER.....AI shoots a wide open corner 3 after the Rockets had gotten it to a 6 point game. Why is this important, well, for a couple of reasons....AB was picked out top by Scola's man, Scola came out to double but did it at the wrong angle and allowed Miller to split the double and TMac rotated to stop the ball...leaving AI wide open for an easy 3....Fault: Scola has got to contain that if he is going to step out on the high side, you can not let the guy have room to split that double team.

    4:23 4Q - Evans layup at rim, a carbon copy of the above play, except Mo Williams get doubled by Landry, and AB and Landry both stay on him allowing the screener - Evans to get to the rim uncontested. Fault : sloppy doubling by Landry.

    96-92 Philly ball 2:30 left -still in this....sorta.... ;)

    2:23 4Q - AI 2 footer at the front of the rim, Landry's man sets a pick on Tmac, and AI goes around it down the lane....Landry does a piss poor job of first stopping the ball, and 2nd contesting the shot. Fault: Come on Carl...I thought you could jump.

    1:39 4Q - Speights put back dunk. Rotations get ball to Thadeus Young at the top guarded by Scola, Young goes left...Tmac leaves his man to support (Not needed), Carl rotates to Tmac's man, leaving Speights all alone on the baseline. Fault: Bad decisions = bad luck...can't fault anyone for this, everyone made a call to help, it just didn't work out...Tmac did not need to help, but can't blame him, and Carl switched to the closest player in the paint...so everyone did their job...it just didn't work out......

    FT battle from here on out...Rockets lose.

    --------------------------Game over -----------------------------


    Well that was about as painful a defensive display as I can stand to watch.

    Conclusion : The defense is a mess, no one is helping, their rotations suck, people not rotating on switches.

    Fault: Players and coaches, it looks like the players don't help each other, or make the wrong decisions, and the committment to the defensive end is just not there.

    All this team needs to do is commit to playing better sound system defense and they win these games....but they can not continue to make these types of errors...sloppy doubling, wrong rotations, not calling out switches.....

    These are things you learn in JR. High ball that the players have done for years......to me it looks like they are not playing with a purpose on D...a plan....

    Hopefully they sort it out.

    DD
     
    #1 DaDakota, Jan 7, 2009
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2009
  2. DaDakota

    DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

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    For those scoring at home:

    Whose fault was it:

    Tmac -9
    Landry - 5
    Yao - 4
    Wafer - 2
    Rafer - 2
    Barry - 1
    Chuck - 1
    Scola -1


    DD
     
    #2 DaDakota, Jan 7, 2009
  3. Hayesfan

    Hayesfan Contributing Member

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    I am going to have to watch it again but that sounds about right. I was hoping to get to watch it at work today, but I can't do analysis while I work, as much as I would like to just watch it for work ;)

    Wonder how I can get a job with the rockets! :p Think they need an accountant with an eye for on court details?
     
    #3 Hayesfan, Jan 7, 2009
  4. DcProWLer277

    DcProWLer277 Rookie

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    I see your point but it's already January. If this team doesn't start getting healthy quick and gaining chemistry we may miss the playoffs.
     
    #4 DcProWLer277, Jan 7, 2009
  5. Jeff Who

    Jeff Who Member

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    It was a great night for Philly. They had a dunk contest.
     
    #5 Jeff Who, Jan 7, 2009
  6. tim562

    tim562 Contributing Member

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    I'm sure all our teams know our team sucks in the interior when yao goes out...
     
    #6 tim562, Jan 7, 2009
  7. DaDakota

    DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

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    But it is not just when Yao is out, I was more interested in our rotations, as you can still force your man to shoot over you even if you are shorter, the team's rotations, particularly from the wing players...Tmac, Von, Barry, and Landry were Horrible.

    They just did not do a good job......of playing team defense.....I did this because of my Battier thread, I wanted to see if Battier really did make that much of a difference, and it is clear by the horrible wing play on D that he does.

    DD
     
    #7 DaDakota, Jan 7, 2009
  8. durvasa

    durvasa Contributing Member

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    Thanks for taking the time to do that, DD.
     
    #8 durvasa, Jan 7, 2009
  9. tim562

    tim562 Contributing Member

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    I wonder if RA shows this to his players or if he just lets it go......its glaring out there...
     
    #9 tim562, Jan 7, 2009
  10. DaDakota

    DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

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    Durv,

    You are welcome.

    And it was painful to watch, and to pause it to diagnose each play, just ugly. Lack of communication from everywhere, no one talking...the only one even saying anything was Rafer.....

    Everyone should be communicating out there, playing together.

    The only way the team overcomes this is to committ to each other and play as a team.

    Also, the GARM needs more actual BBall discussion, I think.

    DD
     
    #10 DaDakota, Jan 7, 2009
  11. RocketsTerps

    RocketsTerps Member

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    Not just when Yao goes out, they take it right to Yao too. We need someone down low w/ Yao at times that invokes a little fear so guys pull up. I'd love Camby but would settle for Sean Williams or Ryan Hollins.
     
    #11 RocketsTerps, Jan 7, 2009
  12. RocketsTerps

    RocketsTerps Member

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    Good job DD ...5 STARS.
     
    #12 RocketsTerps, Jan 7, 2009
  13. MayoRocket

    MayoRocket Contributing Member

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    Well done DaDa.

    TMac never plays much defense until the playoffs roll around, but he has been particularly horrible this year. Combine his relative disinterest in defense most nights + slowed by his knee= predictable results.

    Landry is god-awful on defense. He's only interested in rebounding and offense by all appearances.

    Yao had one of those inexplicable nights were he's extra slow in spite of a couple days of rest.

    50+ pts in the paint
    nearly 30 fast break points

    Completely inexcusable. Honestly that is the worst defense I've seen from the Rockets in, well, YEARS.

    Still, this is an anomaly. But God knows we need Battier and Artest back ASAP.
     
    #13 MayoRocket, Jan 7, 2009
  14. northeastfan

    northeastfan Member

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    Great summary, DD.

    I was at the game it was very obvious that TSlack and Landry were the scapegoats on a huge number of defensive lapses. TSlack isn't often posterized because of his mistakes or laziness (getting posterized is Yao's job) so he doesn't get blamed as much as Yao.

    Another obvious aspect is that Airballston's defense is way over-rated. He will get a steal or two a game at the expense of generally marginal defense. (This is like his offense: he'll hit one or two threes but he'll miss 70-80% of the rest of his shots giving the appearance of positive contribution).

    I called this game amazingly at half time. We were extremely lucky to be up 2. I said that if the Sixer went on a run, we'd be done. That's exactly what happened. They went on a run and because we couldn't stop them on D, we never caught up. End of game.

    I also predicted a losing streak a while ago ... but people ignore me as a hater. I'm sorry, but even when we were winning, we weren't playing well. Go to 82games.com and look at FG%. No, don't look at the top of the list, look at the bottom ... you'll find our most prominent FG takers there (other than Yao). A team cannot continue to defy gravity with such poor execution and efficiency. Now that the defense is gone too, we're going to be in for a painful spiral downward into the depths of the lottery.
     
    #14 northeastfan, Jan 7, 2009
  15. HeyDude

    HeyDude Contributing Member

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    Few reasons come to mind for this mess. First, I think this was something like our 7th different starting lineup in the last 12 games; players just dont know who should rotate where. 2nd, our best help defender, Shane was out. Our best 1 on 1 defender, Artest (arguably), out. Our best post defender, Chuck, has earned a bench spot cause he's only effective when TMAC is on the court, or else he's an offensive liability. With TMAC a shell, Chuck, unfortunately, is quite useless for now. Add to all this that TMAC was just terrible defensively last night. His 10 and 10 on offense were negated by his defensive play. And for all the hype about Vafer, which is well earned, he's quite terrible defensively.

    Our defense will come back though, but it'll take a little bit of time. Once Shane comes back, and healthy, our help D will take a bouce back. Help D is contagious, and players who are slacking right now, like Rafer, and Landry (OMG), will fall back into team D concept. They're just out of it right now. Artest coming back healthy wont hurt either. But the key here is Shane. Also, Chuck will make a comeback if TMAC ever returns to form. Chuck and Battier will be a key to a solidified defense.

    BTW, great work Dada ! :cool:
     
    #15 HeyDude, Jan 7, 2009
  16. durvasa

    durvasa Contributing Member

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    Yeah, 3 seasons ago I was attempting to do a detailed defensive breakdown for each game. That lasted about 5 games or so. It's too difficult for me to rewatch entire games when we lose.
     
    #16 durvasa, Jan 7, 2009
  17. nyu3

    nyu3 Member

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    Hats off to you. I wouldn't be able to stomach watching that game again.
     
    #17 nyu3, Jan 7, 2009
  18. rhester

    rhester Contributing Member

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    Great work DD,

    Fellas, do you realize how much our defense carried this roster the last 5 yrs?

    About 70-80% of our wins were ugly defensive scrapes.

    Right now I think the JVG influence is history...

    He and TT were borderline psycho on emphasizing intense defense, the little things DD pointed out.

    TT has had a huge impact on Boston's defense.

    We still have a roster of players who can get stops.

    We do need Shane.

    TMac- we know, we know.

    Might want to get a good defensive asst. coach on the bench (not JVG or TT)

    someone they might recommend though.

    I do think only a return to intense and effective defense could salvage this.
     
    #18 rhester, Jan 7, 2009
  19. rocketshopeful

    rocketshopeful Member

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    well done and much appreciated. you actually do spit some facts every once in a while. ;)
     
    #19 rocketshopeful, Jan 7, 2009
  20. Marsarinian

    Marsarinian Contributing Member

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    DD, can you do some tactical analysis instead of just blaming it on specific players e.g. what kind of play were they running, how the defensive rotation should have reacted, who let them through the screen etc. The problem is with our TEAM defense and not just individual players. The defensive plan has flaws.

    I appreciate your effort but you're now officially the biggest T-Mac hater on the board.
     
    #20 Marsarinian, Jan 7, 2009
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