Ok, it is not a big achievement to beat Grizz in OT. But could we have beaten them, if Hakeem still dominated the ball at the end? ------------------ Rockets' biggest problem is not player talent levels, it is the coach's ineptitude.
I thought it was a huge acheivement. For maybe the first time this season, throughout the 4th quarter and while he was there in OT, this looked like Francis' team. He had the ball in his hands and was creating for others. That is how offense should be played! Once he fouled out, the Rockets continued with the guard attack, letting Mobley have at it with Dickerson. Hopefully this will keep up. And no, we definitely would not have won if we had dumped it in to Hakeem last night. Francis was making things happen and getting guys involved. At this stage, Hakeem can't do that very consistently.
I would say if Hakeem was in the game, he would have a monster game, like 30 pts, 10 rbs, 6 blks, since Grizz didn't have a quality big man to guard him down low. But would we have forced the OT? I doubt it. Remember in our close games this season, we very often dumped the ball in in the 4th quarter. And how many of them worked successfully? I think Hakeem's pride has been the biggest reason why he can't accept to adapt to a lesser role (Should I have said a "different" role?). On the contrary, Charles did show his willingness to adapt to the new offensive plan, as evidenced by the number of times he posted up last night. Maybe only 4 or 5 times. Not difficult to understand Dream's resistance to the new offensive plan. How about the 2 rings earned by his post-up game? Here's hoping Hakeem realizes that his post-up game is no longer compatible with this 1999 Rockets, not that he is of lesser use by the team. Dream, are you the one who said "we need to work togehter"? Here's the chance for you to show that you walk the talk. And, as you can accept a different role for you, here's the chance for you to possibly win one more title.
