I definitely see many positives from the game tonight: 1. We got T-Mac 2. 14 rebounds from Yao- good job! 3. Barrett- man, that guy is fast! Definitely should be the back-up. 4. Sura hustled and showed some attitude- good! 5. We got T-Mac 6. Fast break points! 7. Overtime with the Mavs- we fought back! I think things are looking up. We're looking at an upcoming winning streak. Go Rockets! I STILL BELIEVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AMEN. GO ROCKETS! I believe there are many pessimists here. Oh, what the hell, I am watching the game again on 51.
The thing is, people are ecstatic that we showed some heart, but we still LOST. It is nice to see some hustle, but winning is all that matters. DD
True dat. I'm getting tired of all the moral victories the last six or so years. Winning is all that matters! Fire Gundy!!!
It is hard to win when Dirk breaks off 10 straight points to start the overtime. We got a decent look at the basket in a tie game with the shot clock turned off against a better team. That is not a bad game as far as I am concerned. I would have liked for them to win, but this is not a doom and gloom scenario to me.
If we played how we played today in the other losses, we would have won those games. I see some improvement with some quicker point guards. Maybe all this team needs is an enforcer. I still think JVG can get behind Yao on all those stupid calls the refs make and maybe yell a little bit or do something. Guys just run up to him and bump him, boom, foul on Yao. That is horrendous.
I feel the same way. Moral victories are for teams that are traditional losers and have no hope sorta like the Vanderbilt and Baylor football teams.
DD, we'll take what we can get right now. With this team it clearly is one step at a time. If they can focus on just showing that kind of effort every night then the wins will follow. We all know that winning is what ultimately matters. But this team should be lauded for their effort tonight. I hope JVG does that.
Very well said. We looked very good tonight, though I am REALLY tired of the refs letting teams maul Yao without a call while he fouls out on VERY questionable calls. Personally, I think Yao and JVG need to get a few technical fouls by letting the refs know exactly how crappy their calls are. Yao has had some issues with committing fouls by jumping instead of standing straight up, but last night, he was very good about keeping his feet planted. This isn't to say that Yao is blameless in our troubles lately, but Yao actually seems to be getting LESS respect from the refs this year than last, something I didn't think was possible until last night. Still, this team is clearly improving and I fully expect us to make a nice push. If we can pick up some momentum against the 76ers and Hornets, we can easily win eight out of the next ten games, which would put us at 14-13, over .500 and right back in the hunt. We are entering a weak part of the schedule and if we play with the kind of effort we saw last night, we will make up some serious ground.
Last night was the kind of play and the kind of effort and the kind of coaching that we need. There was nothing to fault. And if that continues the entire season we will win as many games as possible for this roster. Until we make the next upgrades to the current roster (however long an upgrade will take) We should all be satisfied with the heart and soul that was displayed last night. Especially from Yao and TMac. Those guys were stepping up in emotion, focus and determination. Yes, Yao got a couple bad fouls, yes Yao missed some shots he should have made, yes TMac should have made that last free throw in regulation- But if we can possibly keep that kind of play going we will win our share. Yao was giving it all. TMac left it all out on the court, he spent himself last night. The role players are not that good and I don't expect that much more from them. That will get addressed as time goes. But I think we should all realize we saw the future last night. If they keep it up. That effort will get you wins most nights.
I agree. Although a Tech lastnight would have been too costly to take in the 4th. There is no reason why JVG shouldn't lash out at the Press Conference after the game. Get a fine or something. You know Yao's not going to do it, let refs no that they made a Bull**** call. UP & Down, double dribble, and a charge. Riley was the king at this, Phil has done his share, Don Nelson does this quite a bit as well. Let officials know that they aren't reffing Yao fairly.
I don't agree with the notion that a W is the most important thing. I believe in playing up to your potential, and if you do then the W's will come. Although we saw a better mentality last night, many of our players still did not play up to their potential. Tmac's performance shadowed a lot of our mistakes, but overall it was definitely a step in the right direction. I'm not expecting an overnight transformation, so I'll take it!! Anyone else getting tired of hearing and seeing JVG scream in disgust EVERY SINGLE PLAY (especially at Yao)!!! Let the players play and try being a little more positive. Also, I agree that if Yao isn't going to get a T for the poor officiating, JVG needs to, but it seems like he's trying to make Yao stand up for himself. Hopefully it pays off in the long run.
I think you mean it is hard to win when you allow Dirk to break off 10 straight points to start OT and 53 for the entire game.
Those 10 in overtime were not "allowed". He was triple teamed at one point, threw the ball in the air and it went in. What can you do about that? He could have hit shots from Frisco the way he was shooting. If the Rox play like they did in this game every night, they will win a lot more than they lose. There were some silly fouls in the 2nd that allowed the Mavs too many free throws. Out side of that, I think it was a great move to make sure that T-Mac is the first option and let him control the game. He isn't going to score 48 every night but the threat of it is there. If Yao shoots closer to his normal percentage last night, he is at 20 points. T-Mac needs to continue being the first option and have everything work off of him.
Yeha i agree. These "moral victories" are not going to help us in getting to the playoffs. We need Ws.
This made me feel a bit better today-- Mike Kahn from CBS Sportsline http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/7957611 4. Item: The Houston Rockets continued to slide deeper in the Southwest Division with their fifth loss in a row, which leaves them a shocking 6-11 after a 113-106 overtime loss at Dallas Thursday night. What it really means: Actually, if ever there was an encouraging loss, this was it. Tracy McGrady had his first breakout game for the Rockets, with an extraordinary 48 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, three blocks and two steals. It also produced the first double-double for 7-6 center Yao Ming in two weeks, with 13 points, 14 rebounds and three steals. Only the career-high 53 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks from Dirk Nowitzki allowed the Mavs to pull the game out. Consequently, this was reason enough for Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy to take the shackles off and encourage this team to run. This was only their second game of more than 100 points, the other an overtime loss to Sacramento. But just because they run doesn't mean Van Gundy can't still be a defensive-oriented coach. He is a marvelous coach, but he has to adjust to his talent, and for this team to play at snail's pace is killing McGrady, Yao and everybody else. It's early enough that they can straighten this out, and the superb show on Thursday night was a great example of how to do it.
