I would normally just enter my litle rants into another thread, but I didn't want to derail another person's glory. Some of you are some of the biggest crybabies after a game that I've ever seen or read. Every post game loss is the same. Its either the officials, yao no getting shots, now the new one is brooks. I know after a game people are emotional and want to write in to the league, but I guess being objective isn't part of being a fan. First off, Utah is a very good team. They stayed afloat with grea coaching and execution until they got healthy. Now that they are healthy, they're looking like that team no one wants to play because of their athleticism, coaching, and execution. Its hard for any fan to accept that on this board, but truth is, they are a good team with some matchup problems for a lot of teams. That said, lets look at the real issues pertaining to the rockets. Winning covers a lot of things, but when you lose, the cologne is off the doo-doo. The same problems the rockets had when they were winning were the same issues that popped up in this loss. Defense, size, athleticism, and lack of versitility. Defense. That includes rebounding which is the final step to completing the defensive circle. The rox have struggled all year despite the pts per 100 possession my good friend Durvasa like to pull up. Again, another team shot 45% or better. Again, teams are getting more possession because we're not securing rebounds. Those problems have been there since earlier this year and haven't went away. Its going to continue to be a problem. I can lump size,athleticism, and versitility into one. All actually feed off each other and are end results. I have no problem with Brooks being smallish. There are 4 big pg's in the league so that's not a issue. He will have problems against Williams, Billups,Miller, Baron, but who don't? I think a bigger issue is our 4/5 in terms of size,athleticism, and versitility. I like scola and I like landry, but when Yao goes out, the team really shrinks. Even when Yao is in there, the team is small because scolandry are terrible defenders. If the goal is to offset the other teams big time 4, then that's cool from pts and rebound perspective, but they give up as much as they get. So lets say its a wash. The major issue is just like last night that Yao goes out and everything is now going to the basket. The rockets aren't good enough offensively to outscore good teams. Now that may work against Minny or Toronto, but the really good teams will get stops. Not to mention, the rockets as a team are volume shooters. If the 3 ball is going, the offense looks good, but when they're not, they're doomed. Also, neither of these guys compliment yao defensively. Neither is quick or long enough to contest shots at the rim. Neither can guard dribble drive types. Neither can shut down a player the other has struggled with. So adelman has to bring in hayes who just killed your offense. Lack of athleticism. All of our best athletes are smaller guys. To a man, a team like utah is much more athletic. Also a team like utah forces our role players to step up. Utah isn't a good shot blocking team at the rim, but the rox don't have enough slashers to actually take advantage of this lack of someone to challenge the rim. Other than brooks,lowry, and wafer when he plays, we have standstill players. Artest can be the bull in the china shop when he's not in love with the 3 ball, but he needs to have that mentality early and often. Battier played 41 mins and did nothing. Didn't attack the basket, couldn't defend brewer, nothing. I guess utah has found a way to bottle up the intangibles. Bottomline is brooks and lowry equaled Williams offensive production, not team command. Okur cancelled out Yao, scolandry cancelled out boozer milsap and brewer and artest cancelled out each other. After that, it was a couple plays,rebounds and ft's that decided the game. It wasn't stern in new york or some alien from out space. If Battier scores 10, the team grabs 10 more rebounds or the rockets hit 5 more ft's, we're talking about a different result. As usual, people are whining and crying about the officials again which is all to common now days.
Let's forget about points allowed per possesion, if you like. You look at defense as allowed FG% and getting defensive rebounds. That doesn't really cover everything. Good defensive teams put an emphasis on denying 3-point looks. Keeping teams off the line is important. Forcing turnovers has to factor in some how. There are more elements to being a strong defensive squad then just FG% and defensive rebounding. As for the defensive rebounding, the Rockets are actually one of the better teams. You say we don't secure rebounds, but in fact we are 5th best team in the league at securing missed shots on the defensive end. That's what the evidence shows. In my opinion, evidence matters. Battier was not guarding Brewer. I'm pretty sure that was Artest who kept losing him or wasn't boxing out while staring at the ball. Battier did more on defense than any other player on the team (other than Yao with those numerous blocks and intimidations .. but it's hard to say he had a strong defensive game when he allowed so many jumpers to Okur and Boozer). Battier was active in help, contesting shots, and getting deflections. It wasn't as noticeable as in most games because the Jazz don't have a wing who dominates the ball. You need to ask why Adelman left Battier on the floor for 41 minutes if he was, as you say, doing "nothing". Our coach must be a real doofus, I guess.
Thank God someone besides me sees this... Shane Battier is a good player yes, but when it comes to big games or time to make somethin happen situations, he becomes another Luther Head in the playoffs. A vanishing act. His new nickname should be "The Magic Man" Now you see me... now you don't!
coach can be a dufus sometimes but yeah he makes a good point, scolandry can be all hot offensive but if they give up the same amount of points if not more, whats the biggie
I think you are a crybaby, crying about the crybabies. Before you start dogging people, how about looking in the mirror for once?
I do agree with you that in the end usually the better teams end up winning. The Rockets still need to drive the ball more and force the officials to call the foul. Lowry is really the only player we have that can do this and he's not even a starter. And I do agree that a lot of people here are moaning and whining, but some are actually making valid points. I firmly believe that officials take advantage of Yao's nice-guy attitude and his enormous size. They're more willing to swallow their whistles for those reasons. However, a foul should be a foul no matter how big you are, no matter what skin color you are, etc. It officially states in the rulebook that two hands on the back of a offensive player is a foul. No if's and's or but's about it. And I think that most people who are griping are pointing to this reason. Refs shouldn't be allowed to bend the rules in favor or in the disfavor of certain players. I've been watching many Orlando games and Dwight gets superstar calls that Yao could never dream of having. Dwight rarely gets called for offensive fouls or travels as much as Yao does. It's unfortunate that this is the reality of the NBA. The fans need to realize this and so do the Rockets. They have to know that the NBA will never fix the flopping problem or the benefit of superstar calls and we need to accept that. Thus offseason priority #1 is to acquire a slasher, a fearless driver to the rim that gets to the line, that's the only way we can push ourselves into the upper echelon of teams. Problem is, those types of players don't grow on trees exactly.
You know, your right. Last night was not about the rockets doing bad, it was about the jazz just shooting the light out. Boozer almost never missed and deron was pretty much the same way. As they say, good offence always beats good defence. The jazz just would not miss, and unlike the cavs game we had no chance if they don't miss. I think I counted 2 times boozer missed and deron maybe four times since the first quarter. Only thing you can blame the rockets for was poor freethrow shooting. The officials were bad, but not THAT bad. The truth is that the jazz just played out of their mind as far as shooting, and whe a team plays that well, not body can beat em. Nobody. Its just a same people can't realize sometimes a team can play better and win when another teams plays good themselves. Last point, the rockets played well but the jazz just played better, except for the freethrows which was disgusting.
I just wish Chuck Hayes could do anything on the offensive side. He's the perfect defender for Carlos Boozer, but Chuck is also a liability on the offensive end. Damn you Chuck, learn how to put the ball in the basket.
Chuck would not guard Carlos Boozer. This whole issue about not having PFs who can guard Boozer is irrelevant. The Rockets will not put Yao on Okur. Coach Turner mentioned it before the game -- having Yao guard Okur is not going to work. Van GUndy didn't do it, and Adelman isn't doing it.
The officiating could have been better--no doubt. But that's not why we lost. The Jazz are a very good team and extraordinarily difficult to beat at home when they are healthy. The Rockets were solid and played a gutsy game, but I agree about Battier. Chuck Hayes doesn't play anymore because he does absolutely NOTHING on offense in spite of his spectacular defense. Battier is doing a Chuck Hayes impersonation on offense these days. We have no answer for the Okur/Boozer combo. Yao can't guard either one, and they do a great job of keeping Yao from punishing them when the Rockets have the ball. Bottom line, they are a bad match-up for the Rockets. I just can't see us beating them in a 7 game series.
Durvasa, ur my man and really was joping u would respond because we do have good dialogue. The rockets have normally been a good defensive rebounding team, but oppoenets are getting a lot more shots at the basket than the rockets. Also, I agree with contesting 3, but a team like Utah doesn't shoot a lot of 3's. You stated in another thread about how they're such a good rebounding team. You know why? Its because they're offense is centered inside the arc. So they have more bodies inside and the don't produce a lot of long rebounds. There rebounds are withing a players range and they have good enough athletes to track thos ball down. Maybe its just me, but it seems like lately the rockets have given up a lot of offensive rebounds which equals more opps possession which leads to a poorer fg%.
How about you stop trying to act "objective" all the time. Nobody said Utah is a bad team, but the fact those jazzholes flopping like they were on broadway shows are facts, too. The outcome of the game is highly affected by how the refs call the game. Especially both teams are around the same level. And the ref still buying in all that bs is what makes it more frustrating lost last night. The only thing fans can do is make a few "crying" threads here to let off some steam. So.... What's the big deal MR.objective? If you want to be objective, go to the jazzholes.net or whatever and tell them they are a much better team then the Rockets, they beat us fair and square. It has nothing to do with flopping.
You make an good point. You may be right about our defense being less effective against teams that don't put a high priority on 3-pointers. I'll have to look into that.
stop crying? notice fans don't usually whine about the officiating so madly after each loss. it's usually after a game played against the jazz. i see no one saying the piss poor officiating was the only reason we lost. but that's part of the reason. denying that fact is just idiotic. remember you don't get extra points for moral comfort. not to mention the op didn't get all the game facts straight. utah's strategy is to play physical (well, that's their term), ala foul, each and every defensive possession - knowing the refs are incompetent to call them all. and for all the terrific pick and rolls, at least half of those are moving picks. again, they know the refs will only whistle on a fraction of them. it has been like this under sloan for ages. unless you wear golden and purple, you are already facing a big disadvantage before you step onto the court in salt lake. denying this fact shows that one is either ignorant about the history of the jazz or is just simply blind and in denial. no one is crying. so stop preaching. we've got some important games left to play.
Man sometimes I forget battier is even playing....Have you ever watched a rockets game, and shane hit a 3pter in the 4th quarter, and you thought, "Wtf?...when did shane come back in the game".. Shane seems like he plays defense, then disappears in the hard wood floor and stays gone for the offensive possession until the ball is back in the other team's possession....then when the rockets are back on defense, then he reappears out of the floor again
Shane was far from the main problem last night. The reason we lost Missed Free Throws Some horrible Officiating on Yao. Yao not being aggressive enough in the 4th (probably due to the refs) Couldn't stop Boozer and Williams in the 4th. Both them kept making key baskets in the 4th.
The Rockets don't run plays for him, and he'll rarely attack the basket or shoot when a defender is somewhat near him. He's too passive, but then maybe that's for the best. He doesn't shoot well with a guy right in front of him, and we all know he is a terrible one-on-one scorer off the dribble. He's better off trying to do what he can to get the better scorers on the team the ball and stretching the defense. I'd like him to be more active on basket cuts and looking to get post ups when he's got a little guy switched on to him, though. He's been doing a better job of that the last few weeks.
not to the extent we've seen after last night. and yao speaks out for the first time in his career. what do you think? all the fans along with yao all of the sudden became nuts?
