1. You cannot expect to win missing so many free throws, and Francis hip-hopping to 5 fouls. Francis had them schooled before that with penetration to the middle like never before this year. damn, I'm hurting. 2. They keep sending fresh legs at you. 4th quarter defense wins big games, and Portland has it via sheer numbers, not superior team play. Mo came out of the game in the early 4th...obviously sharing breathers, while they kept throwing big men at us. Rudy was left with KT and Cato to double Wallace while Dream and Mo rested. It is a great luxury for a team to know they will have fresh legs for the ENTIRE 4th. We did not choke aside from Francis sitting with overexurberant fouls; they choked us. Smith gives us the slashing throat sign after his 3. All we can say to Portland is: what happened to this largely unfair advantage of yours in the 4th of the 7th against the Lakers. Portland cannot win it all with a fresh-leg Defense and Wallace having to score big in the 4th. But they can do it when we don't hit our free throws. That's my take. (thx for the Title edit, Clutch, or whoever) [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited February 27, 2001).]
I'm wondering if Mo's go at the whole game last game made him fatigued for this one. Seemed like every one of his misses were off the front of the rim, and will little to no arc.....very Drexler like arc. ------------------ In the end there will be no judges...only witnesses to my greatness.
Just wondering how did Steve rack up those 5 fouls, with the way Stoudamire was scoring i was sure no one was guarding him!!! Why does the opposition PG getting hot cause of No D have to come back against the Balzers!! ------------------ CUT Tino These Heaves are just getting Ridiculous! [This message has been edited by SmeggySmeg (edited February 27, 2001).]
I'm sorry, but Steve driving to the hole is a good thing. He got no calls when he drove, and they even called some BS jump balls on him. Anybody notice how whenever the Rockets got screwed on a call, the Blazers proceeded to capitalize? As for Damon, he torched Mooch for 6 or 8 in a short span in the 2nd quarter. He seems like he's in a funk of late. That really killed the Rockets when Steve went out with 5 fouls. That's just about experience and knowing when and when NOT to crash the boards. The thing I dont understand, is why did Rudy leave him out so long? He didnt go back in until the 4 something minute mark, when Portland had gained like a 6 point lead. I hate the Rockets crunch time offense. Cuttino creates double teams, and though the Rockets think it creates the shot they want, in reality it creates the shot the opponents want. The ball usually ends up in the 4's hands and Mo hasn't proven to me he can knock down that shot, and Kenny can't drive in that situation and that jumper would not be a good shot for him. The Rockets offense is basically playing into the opponents hands. It would be great if the ball ended up in the corner to Steve for a shot, but defenses dont rotate off him, and the Rockets end up taking the shot the defense wants them to take. I wish they would find some new offense, because the one they have right now, IN CRUNCH TIME, is usually a one and done because players aren't in position for offensive rebounding. Everybody was unclutch from the line. Worst two plays of the game would have to be Shandon's pass out of bounds that made me cringe, and Cuttino's foul. I'm not too down on this game. I think the rockets will fight back and go 3-1 on this road trip. I actually think they'll probably beat Milwaukee and will probably have a letdown against Dallas, since they might get too cocky thinking they own them. ------------------
I did not chastise anyone. I said "tough call" for Rudy. Someone was chastizing Rudy. I said to myself in the 4th, "Where is Shandon?" Then I remembered Walt's fantastic first half. All I said is "tough call" for Rudy to make. Why the hell is it that I challenge a Rudy ranter with legitimate reasons that I'm sure Rudy had in his mind, and I get claims of "heypocrasy". Moe, you are on my **** list for the next 5 minutes unless you apologize. .
HeyPee, in this thread, you say that 4th quarter defense wins big games. In another thread, you chastise someone for second guessing Rudy's decision to sit Shandon, arguably our best defender, in the 4th quarter. You point out that Walt had not missed. True, but he only took one shot in the 4th. If he is in there for offense, why not use him? You said if Shandon went in for Mobley, our offense would be sitting on the bench, because of the doubles to Cat. Most of the time in the 4th, when Cat passed out of the double, when he did not turn it over, the Rockets did not take advantage of the open man. You said Mo would have to create his own shot. I think he is pretty good at it. He missed some wide-open jumpers last night. Sometimes, making moves gives you a better rythym to get into a shot. Hakeem was the leading scorer and shot a good percentage, but got very few touches in the 4th. I personally thought that as good as Steve and Cat played against Orlando, they both lost their poise in the second half against Portland. Steve tried to drive to the basket too much and Cat had crucial turnovers and the big foul on the jump shooting Smith with 3 seconds on the shot clock. They didn't try to get the ball to Hakeem, who was playing well for a change against Sabonis. They (Cat?) left Steve Smith wide open for a three when there was still a chance at the end of the game. They missed crucial free throws. If Cat has to be on the floor, regardless of how bad a game he is having, because our offense can't function without him drawing a double team, that's a messed up offense. ------------------
HeyPee, I didn't read your post until this morning, so your 5 minute deadline was totally unfair! I should have 5 minutes from right now to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of being on your **** list. Let's see, I can't think of anything. I'll play it safe and apologize. It was a tough call, but I agree more with your opinion that defense wins in the 4th, and if I were coach, I would have put in Shandon, or at the least, made sure Walt got several touches. ------------------
