At halftime he said that Yao is 7'5" and sometimes plays like he is 5'7" lol. What did Steven A Smith say about Yao after the game? I did'nt get to see it.
Actually he tried to slow down the tempo as you could tell from the multiple USELESS timeouts he called. What he did NOT do was guard the perimeter. So basic yet so difficult for JVG to conceive.
What if Amare had played!!!!??? Ming looks like he is ready for retirement, a really heartless performance. I like Head. Anderson's shot is back, but he attempts some stupid ones. Swift had a double-double, and the Rockets really really look like a lottery team.
a double-double for the kid. im a head fan. not a team fan, but a head fan. at least until mcgrady gets back and makes this a team again.
Yep despite some ill-advised jumpers and not passing in to a WIDE OPEN Yao on several occasions, it's forgivable because Head seems like the only Rocket that is actually playing at an NBA level right now.
Luther Head stat line: 15 points 10 rebounds 4 assists Yao stats: 8 points 8 rebounds 1 assist Rookie guard out performs 7'6" center in every category....WTF!!!!
I'm starting to come to the realization that as long as one of our franchise players is so slow and immobile, we're just never going to match up well with teams like Phoenix that are full of long, quick, athletic players that play at a fast tempo. His physical limitations were so greatly magnified against the Suns. The Suns offense is so fluid and all their players are constantly moving at a fast pace and Yao just can't keep up. On the defensive end, the Suns have so many quick players that can stay in front of Yao and slap passes away. It's just one of those problems that I'm not sure will ever go away.
You know, if T-Mac can come back and the Rockets' fortunes change in a similar manner as it did last season, then I honestly can't see how he wouldn't be league MVP. But I think unless McGrady is healthy before we reach the 20-game mark and starts playing effectively (not hobbled by his back again), then this season is most likely over, and what remains will be to see whether or not we can pull some trades and make adjustments to get ready for November 2006. It's OK though, I am still not going to give up on these guys for now, especially since it's hard to tell if the losing skid is due to playing superior teams or if we are a .000% team without T-Mac in the lineup, period (although to be honest we lost to both Orlando and the Hornets without McGrady). On the bright side, the T-Wolves lost to the Hornets tonight, so may be if they keep losing and we keep losing, then the KG-for-Yao is more than just a pipe dream
When Yao fails to dominate, all his wonderful physical attributes become liabilities This offense is for better or for worse tuned for Yao. It is designed for Yao. So when Yao doesn't set the tone and play BIG, everything falls apart. In a battle of wills, the "will" of the Rockets starts with Yao and if Yao plays soft, the team falls apart. That's how I've come to see it. theSAGE
[11.23.05] Rockets-Suns Game Recap Rockets’ Downfall Continues as Suns win 100-88 11.23.05 When Moochie Norris has become your most reliable, stable player, you know you’ve got issues. The Rockets’ struggles only worsened Wednesday afternoon as the explosive Phoenix Suns came to town. Without Tracy McGrady or Rafer Alston yet again, the Rockets again failed to find any rhythm offensively, or defensively, as Houston found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard for the fifth straight game, falling to the Suns 88-100 before 18,059 at Toyota Center. Phoenix jumped out to an early 17-7 lead midway through the first quarter and never looked back. Sparked by fourteen transition points, Phoenix abused Houston’s defense due to the speed and unselfishness of Steve Nash (who would finish the half with 10 points and 9 assists) and the athleticism of Shawn Marion (14 points and 8 rebounds in the first half). The Suns held only a 25-19 lead heading into the second quarter as the Rockets’ managed to stave off any threat of a Rockets rally on behalf of two early 3-pointers by Luther Head. The Rockets’ bench was able to close Phoenix’s gap in the second period. Derek Anderson scored four points, Stromile Swift accumulated 8 points and six rebounds, and David Wesley hit a 3-pointer to close to within three points midway through the quarter. Unfortunately, Phoenix snapped back to their racehorse style of play as Marion hit a 3-pointer and Boris Diaw scored four points to jump the Suns’ lead back to ten, 56-46, heading into halftime. A few key statistics were glaring at halftime, and evident of the poor play of the Rockets on both ends of the floor. Phoenix had 20 assists on their 22 baskets, and outscored Houston 15-2 in transition. Yao, who was being guarded by the 6’8” Diaw most of the first half, only finished with 2 points on 0-2 shooting in 11 minutes. In the third period, Yao finally hit his first field goal of the game with 8:15 remaining. An early flurry of points by the Rockets (led by Head’s five points and Ryan Bowen’s six points) enabled Houston to force a tie game at 63-63 due to a 15-3 run on 8-10 shooting from the floor. But the Rockets are a team that can play well in spurts, but not sustain that momentum throughout the course of a full game. James Jones hit consecutive three-pointers, and Phoenix closed with a 12-2 scoring run to secure a 75-65 lead going into the fourth quarter. That lead was never in jeopardy as Phoenix was able to thwart any chance of a late Rockets run. Former Rocket Jim Jackson and Raja Bell each hit 3s late in the quarter to push the lead to as much as fifteen, and eventually ended up winning the game 100-88. Head continued his string of spectacular games by scoring 15 points, grabbing ten rebounds, and dishing for four assists. Anderson finished with 23 points and nine rebounds off the bench, and Swift compiled a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Phoenix’s 14-27 marksmanship from 3-point range was just too much to overcome as the Rockets never could establish consistent scoring on offense, and defensively, they struggled with their rotations and contesting open 3-point shots. The aforementioned Norris only played 9 minutes and accumulated 4 points and an assist, but Van Gundy mentioned how he is their most stable guard and how the offense is more organized when he is in the game. With Alston’s injury unknown, and McGrady said to be out anywhere from a week to 10 days, Houston must find another offensive threat other than a rookie guard. Houston travels to Memphis to play the Grizzlies on Friday night in a contest that surely will not alleviate any of their pains. ROCKETS RECAP · Yao finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds on 3-7 shooting in 27 minutes on the floor. · All five of the Sun’s starting five scored in double figures: Nash (15), Jones (19), Bell (11), Marion (19), and Diaw (17). Nash also contributed 14 assists, and both Marion (12) and Diaw (10) snared double-digit numbers in rebounds. · Houston’s bench outscored Phoenix’s bench 46-19. · After playing only 10 minutes in the first half, Juwan Howard did not see any floor time in the second half. · Phoenix finished with 33 assists on their 38 field goals. http://www.nba.com/games/20051123/PHXHOU/boxscore.html
