Because you crawl before you walk, and you walk before you run. Maturity and growing-up doesn't come overnight. It is a process. Let me leave you with some of my favorite quotes (not just for basketball, but words to live by, really) by Michael Jordan: I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Here are some more words to live by from MJ: I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying. I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don't do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results. If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen. You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.
The Rockets shooting has just been terrible lately, something like 41% the last 5 games and only 23% from 3-point land. We've failed to score 86ppg 5 of our last 6 games. I believe fatigue is beginning to take its toll.
Good point. But this team has proven they can beat the Suns so I guess I just expected a win regardless. I really hope the Rockets can make a solid push in the playoffs. I REALLY REALLY hope we don't see the Rockets during the New Orleans loss in the playoffs....
Those are great quotes. The part about "putting in the work," that's the part that I personally felt was lacking in streaks during the season from the Rockets. If the effort was always apparent to me, I wouldn't be too hard on the Rockets.
T-Mac and Wesley have been in a mini-slump and when you add that to the fact that Yao missed a game, Barry was out tonight, and Howard has been missing as well then thats alot for this team to overcome if its going to win games consistently especially against teams like the Suns.
I disagree. They should take their shots when they are open. Our star players work hard to draw double team so their teammates can be open. If they don't take the open shots, the star players' work is totally wasted. The last thing you want is the players lose their confidence, star players or not. Like JVG said a couple days ago: great team believe in the system, they live or die by the system. they don't panic because their shots didn't fall. I think the injury, age are catching up with Rockets. Still, I believe Rockets have the guts and hearts to suck it up in the playoff. I don't think they can win it all this year, but I do think they will fight as true warriors in the playoff. P.S. How is Jon Barry's back? The back spasm can be a b****.
Couldn't agree more, I ave made this point earlier in this thread as well. You MUST keep taking those open shots, hoping that the next one you would make it. JVG in the post-game conference said as much. You just can't stop shooting those open jumpers, which a lot of them were and have been the last few games. The Rockets just won't have a good chance of winning the games if they don't hit their open shots, which are a LOT since we have two star players who are double-teamed nearly the whole time they are on the floor (see T-Mac tonight, and the collapsing defense on Yao because we were not making shots). The "making the shots" part is CRUCIAL and CENTRAL to the whole system that JVG designed for this team. The WHOLE idea is for our shooters to be snipers, and make those shots to make teams pay for doubling T-Mac and Yao. Otherwise, you see the results.
I agree they should take the open shot. But the open 3 is not the only thing they can do. For example, if they don't have it, they can drive to the basket, take one step in or swing the ball around for an even better shot. They don't have to stand at the 3pt line and pull the trigger every time the ball comes near them.
We are overdependent because of our lack of youth and depth on Yao and T-Mac. T-Mac mentioning that tendinitis of his knees taking a toll on him is very concerning. Yao is also hurting and morale is going down. We need to regroup quickly. Memphis and the Nuggets can overtake us.
Tough game for the Rockets. It was obvious TMac and Yao aren't near 100%, especially TMac. I guess you can't afford to sit them and risk not going to the playoffs, but at the same time they won't have any chance of going anywhere in the playoffs if they don't heal up first.
so how is it that phoenix can get away with playing illegal defense the entire game without one violation whistled? not f#$king one? i just watched it on tivo and i must have paused it ten times in the final quarter with richardson guarding no one. you can play almost any defense you want now but you certainly can't do what they were doing legally. it was as bad as seattle in the old days.
I never think one player should take a wild open 3 if it's there, no matter what situation you are in, even that guy is MJ. Those are NBA players, not programmed applications. Even if you are open, but if it's out of your range, if you are off, if other players are "hot", if you are on fastbreaks, if ... and if..., you can always pass a wild open 3. Yes, wild open. It's not a crime to do that. Let me put it this way, if Cato stands wild open behind the arc, will he shoot? Probably not. Why? because it's out of his range. Same thing should apply to players when they are off. I always like take Eric Snow as an example, he's not a great shooter, he knows that. If he's open behind the 3 pointer line, he will try to get closer and get his ugly mid-range jumper. Yes, Barry and Wesley are shooters. You could argue that they could make the next one. But still, if it's off, it doesn't hurt to look for other options first. Is Sura a famous shooter? Probably not, he doesn't have to take a 3 every time he gets it. Same thing applies to TMac. He doesn't need to. Shooting 3s are easiest way out, but it is not always the better way, even it's open. Yao is so far 100% from the 3 point lines. Shoot those 3s when he's open? Hell no! Why? There might be better options. Great team believe in their systems, yes. But the system is NOT as simple as kicking out and shooting 3s. Otherwise, Lakers wouldn't have won 3 titles, with Shaq and Kobe. Every system has multiple sets and plenty of variations. When Shaq kicked out, those guys did more than shooting open 3s, especially when they were off.
I agree. When you are off, it's hard to get back touch in a sudden, you may drive to basket, go to FT or you may find Bowen (someone). You may find you are open, but not at the position you are the most comfortable with, then, try to go there. By the way, how many these shots were clearly wide open?
Wide open 3s in game are not really high percentage shots. How many games we complain the players couldn't knock down open 3s? At some points we should recognize a team couldn't live or die with those 3s. We need some players to drive to the basket or dump it down to Yao when those "wide open 3s" are not falling.
Agree with you. Also agree with this: The "making the shots" part is CRUCIAL and CENTRAL to the whole system that JVG designed for this team. The WHOLE idea is for our shooters to be snipers, and make those shots to make teams pay for doubling T-Mac and Yao. Otherwise, you see the results. So, are they contradictary? No. IMHO, it's up to JVG making adjustments in the games. First, our shooters should take "wide open 3s," AND some players from time to time drive to the basket or dump it down to Yao. This is more a game-time call. Well, when TMac is not himself (knee problem, etc.) Sura not in shape, and MikeJ... Did I name all our "drivers?" Can we say the other way -- If our drivers can't drive, our shooters must take AND make "wide open 3s." Well if those "wide open 3s" are not falling, we lost to the teams playing better. That's it, folks.
