Pardon my French, but who gives a **** if the rest of the world likes us? No one is clamoring to see the Pistons, but I don't see anyone in Detroit complaining with that new banner hanging in the rafters. The Rockets were not exactly the most entertaining teams in the world when they won their first two championships. In fact, the HOU-NYC series was called "Uglyball" on the cover of SI. But, that didn't prevent it from being one of the great moments in Houston sports history. It didn't keep those half a million people from standing in 100-degree heat during the victory parade. It didn't keep thousands of people from swarming the Richmond strip after game 7. Clearly, the city will never embrace a team that keeps possessions low, plays great defense, shoots a lot of 3's and wins games in the 80's. Yeah, that will NEVER happen.
That sucks. No question. My point is that Phoenix has always been an entertaining team to watch, but I bet they would give their collective right nut to have one of the two banners we have in Toyota Center. I'm sure Dallas would too.
Well, I'd like to thank you for your positive outlook. I know we all hope it works out. My personal experience with JVG personality-types is very negative, so I'm jaded. I'm going to differ on the Rockets champs, as that team was built around Hakeem. He wasn't told to do something un-natural for him. He had the ultimate green light. Everyone else was there to support him, at his place, where he was most comfortable. Everyone could embrace Hakeem, the great warrior, finally getting over. It would be harder to embrace a Gundy team forcing Hakeem to go out and set picks on the perimeter for Kenny Smith.
You can say the same thing about the Mavs and their emphasis on offense at the expense of defense. What we need is a good balance.
Winning is all i care about. And if that means lulling our opponents to sleep and ramming it up their asses once they aren't paying attention, so be it. I will be entertained. [Russel Crowe] ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?! *spits* [/Russel Crowe]
Exactly, I've been saying this for weeks. JVG NEEDS to find a way to balance out the offense/defense. Unfortunately, he has no idea how to do this. We can keep a team at 88ppg, I'll take that any night. But it doesn't mean crap when you can't score more than them, and that's what is happening. Nets give up 94ppg-we scored 80. ATL gives up 100ppg-we scored 85.
So, you honestly believe that if this team makes a deep run into the playoffs and ultimately wins a title that the city of Houston won't care because Van Gundy is the coach and because his style of play is boring?
I certainly do not like the product I am seeing on the court. I still watch every game that I can, but I am much less enthusiastic then I used to be. I guess last year, I put up with JVG ball but after a new roster and the same junk on the court, it doesn't look like it will change. I pray for the day that JVG will be fired.
"Won't care" is a little strong. This town bandwagons. It's a fact. However, it is also a fact that even when they are winning, attendance is an issue. I honestly believe that Jeff Van Gundy, and the expectation of sub-90 point games hurts attendance now, and will continue to hurt it throughout the length of his tenure, regardless of the win-loss percentage. I also believe that Van Gundy and his style alienate some significant percentage of actual Rocket fans (myself included). I love the game, I love this team, but more often than not choose to follow it on the radio because watching is borderline unbearable.
I agree. Houston bandwagons like crazy, just like a lot of cities do. But as long as JVG is having his 85ppg games, attendance will be low. What person is going to spend their hard-earned money to watch something that isn't very entertaining? Not that many, I am actually kinda pissed that I payed $170 for LP, there are times where I'd watch the Magic game over ours. But to what Jeff said, IF JVG can get us deep in the playoffs or a title, I don't think the boring factor will matter. But that doesn't mean people will be anymore willing to watch the games.
If you don't watch because you don't like the coach or the style of play, you aren't really a fan. Fans actually pay attention no matter what happens with the team. You follow them through the horrific seasons and the great one's, through the good and bad players, coaches, etc. The Rockets weren't a sellout until after the first championship. That didn't end until 1999 when the team missed the playoffs for the first time in a long time. Attendance has been growing ever since they began winning last season. Even the drafting of Yao didn't make a significant increase in attendance. It takes winning to put people in the seats because not everyone is a die-hard Rockets fan willing to pay to go to games. As to how fans will respond, the same fans who wanted to run Drayton McClane out of town on a rail when the team sucked praised him up one side and down the other when the team won a playoff series. Winning solves a lot of problems.
To me watching the opposing team being shut down at offensive end by us is entertaining. To me a shoot-out without much defense isnt necessary entertainning. To me watch our team wins the game is definitely entertainning. You know there is NBA Live 2005 and ESPN2K5 out there.
On the 5-on-5 thing, I'm not talking about fastbreaking here. You can still play 5-on-5 and just do it more often, thus exploiting that advantage. Isn't getting your big man back on D only a problem when you miss the shot? The idea is to get more offensive possessions and make more shots. Taking longer to shoot doesn't increase your chances of a make. What would Michael Jordan look like on this team? Just curious.
I acutally own Live 2005 but my PS2 is broken. I'm not calling for a shoot-out no defense team. I'm asking for a more balanced team, something JVG doesn't do. While watching our team win is entertaining for us. How many non-hardcore fans are going to jump on the bandwagon or go to games when they see us struggle against the Nets and lose to the Hawks, the 2 worst teams in the East, all while averageing 85ppg.
Excuse me, I *am* "really a fan," and even you have no right to insinuate otherwise. I've been one for thirty years, and continue to be one. Choosing to follow on the radio more often than television, or paying money to go to Toyota Center is a valid choice. I *am* "paying attention," I am here on a bbs posting about the organization. Fandom is not blind fealty to anyone Les Alexander chooses to hire.
umm, while i'm still on coach Van Gundy's side (I believe in his plan with this team and I thought they were overrated going into this season too), A FAN is not a blind sheep, that's a Republican (bading ding!..I kid). Actually, they sold out the 1991-92 season...I think because the marketing department did a great job or something...I was only 11 years old back then, so my memory isn't great. They ended up 41-41 that season and barely missing the playoffs even though they beat the Lakers the last game I think. Maybe they were 42 and 40...but I think Rudy took over as coach for Don Chaney like the last 20 games of the season.
I agree with you that winning is entertaining. But you gotta win baby. Losing to Atlanta isn't winning. Not only that it's not even being competetive. If we had lost to them 130-128 it would still suck only we would be talking about what a great offensive coach we had that didn't have a clue how to defend anybody. But it wouldn't have been as ugly. It would have been more entertaining than an 88-84 debacle. And the truth is that a team that can score in the hundreds and can't defend is going to be more entertaining than a team that can keep opponents under 90 but can't score. The fans could deal with a high offensive output loss a whole lot better than boring, losing basketball. Category 1: boring losing Category 2: entertaining losing Category 3: boring winning Category 4: entertaining winning We are Category 1 after last night's sad debacle. We ain't even Category 2 at this point. By the way, those Rockets teams that got the ball into Hakeem FIRST and then swung the ball deftly around the perimeter for the wide open 3 or the dribble drive were extremely entertaining to me. They executed and they executed a very effective game plan. Boring winning is when we hold the Clippers to 83 and we score 85. Entertaining losing is being able to run up and down the floor with Magic Johnson and those Lakers teams or MJ and the Bulls, and stay competitive in the games until the end. Entertaining winning is executing on both ends of the floor against the highest level of competition.
