ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Hawks 11/16/2004

JVG should have moved Yao to the top of the key and run the pick and roll to free him up.

Let Yao continue to hit those 15 footers...especially if other teams are gonna front him and have a sleeper behind.

DD

 

The numbers support the fact that the guards cost us the game. Lue and Ward were on the floor for a combined 48 minutes and delivered a whopping 4 points (2 points each) while committing 6 turnovers (mostly from Ward), only 5 assists (mostly from Lue) and only two steals.

That ain't gonna cut it. If they had played even decent basketball, we would have shut them down early. Instead, they were able to stay within 10 pionts thru most of the game, and got momentum on their side at the end

-- droxford

 

Those who watched the game, did they even tried this strategy? If he's being fronted in the 4th, this is the next best option for Yao especially if hes hot. I doubted....

 

The key was that woodson puts his finger on his upper lip the whole game, as if he's thinking deeply, and JVG got nervous that someone was outthinking him on the other sideline. So he decides not give Yao the ball anymore.

 

I think Woodson smelled his upper lip and they gave a look of Disgust that made JVG nervous. That's what I think actually happened. Great insight though.

 

No comment? Come on, that was a little funny.

 

Sooooo...is Woodson concealing a "Dirty Sanchez" ?

DD

 

Our PG play is our achilles heel .. it was a known fact during the preseason and its manifesting itself more and more.

I dont know why people are so high on BSura? He is a good defender but he has a crappy outside shot and is a worse 3pt shooter.

J

 

I agree with you rockHEAD. Where was our "tough" defense in the game at all? We can't take any team for granted, and I simply think we really underestimated the Hawks. We deserve this loss. The Rockets didn't take the Hawks seriously and probably chalked this game up as win already. To me it's not JVG's fault or the PGs fault. Simply put, it's the ROCKETS (as a whole) fault.

 

WHat's sad is, this is exactly what last year's team might have pulled (Looking past "weaker" teams)

 

My thoughts exactly. Right about this time, Francis or Mobley would be saying 'we took this team for granted. we know we're better than them ....blah blah blah"

 

We didn't look past them. We dominanted them in the first 3 quarters + 6 mins in the fourth. It was so easy that we got bored and let them crawl back, like Tmac said, when we tried to turn up the intensity again, it was flaccid and we couldn't get it up.

What would have happened last year is we would have never left New Jersey and get blown out. [see: Magic vs Bobcats]

 

In a way TD, that is a sign of underestimating a team. If we were playing the Pistons or Kings, we wouldn't get "bored" and get comfortable.

 

And that needs to change. That doesnt mean we need bruisers though. We just need to be more "athletic" and more active.

 

Not really, that why I feel so sad for Yao. Everybody else well deserves the humiliated loss but he should not.

The team just set TMac as goto guy because it might be a little harder to pass into Yao's hot hand than in the first half. They just didn't even try.

 

You know thats not going to happen-That would require JVG to think of some offensive strategy.

 

You're right. Too easy, underestimating, it's all the same to me, and while it's human nature to have a let down when you're whipping someone so easily, but you have the killer instinct in this league.

In that regard, we showed characteristics of last year's team. And that has to change RIGHT NOW, if we want to compete for a championship, this year, next, or five years from now, and that's a mentality that players have to get past.

 

why did the Rockets lose, they couldn't score for the last 5min of the game. Look at the 3pt %.

J. Jackson 2-7
C. Ward 0-5
T. McGrady 1-6
T. Lue 0-2
R. Bowen 0-1

When you shoot 14.3% from the 3pt line, its gonna get harder to score as the game progresses. Why would they even consider guarding the perimeter in the 4th. But, the Rockets still should of won this game regardless.

 

Meanwhile Boki a .583% 3pt shooter sits on the bench.

Well done JVG.

DD

 

Was it the lack of Nachbar's 3pt skills or that we only took perimeter jumpers when we were cold and didnt try to force the ball inside or drive to the hoop with potential to getting to the line?

Not having Nachbar in the game in favor of Bowen I understand. The idea is that Bowen helps with the rebounding which we are terrible in.

The bigger problem is that we are not very athletic. And I know you agree with that one. That is the larger issue. We need more athletes and we need to be more active in the paint for rebounds and FT opportunities.