ClutchFans Game Thread: Mavericks @ Rockets 3/15/2006

If Lamp is over 35 years old and he is an ex-Knicks ,he will get to play! Dont be happy if we get a first pick next season because no matter who he is ,no matter how good he might be , he will not get a chance to play under JVG.

 

With all the injuries we had you cant expect our role players to do well when they have to play outside their roles. Bogans nor alston were brought in to take shots and score, but they have to now due to the injuries to wesley and tmac, even though they cant put the ball in the basket if their lives depended on it. It was only a couple weeks ago when half the board was praising/satisfied with how alston and bogans were doing because they were playing their roles, which is to distribute the ball for alston and to play hard, tough defense for bogans. Theres noway we can win if they just do that.

Just look at our starting lineup we are putting out right now, arguebly yao is the only person who would be starting on a different team. You cant blame the role players when they have to play outside their games.

 

It is hard to remember that championship team after tonight's performance. But you're right, my bad.

Yeah, that hesitating is what pisses me off the most. That one split second of indecision costs us so many points.

 

you ppl still didn't realise cd/jvg/les has already given up the season by pulling wesley out. (broken rib, what a joke. ppl saw him laughing, jumping up and down in the lock room with a supposingly broken rib)

 

Rafer acts like he's started smoking Mary Jane the last month or so. He was playing really well when TMac was in there. Now, he looks baaaaaaad. he can't defend a fence post and he can't shoot and now his playmaking and ball handling have gone in the tooilet. Those holes in his game disappear when TMac is shooting bombs and helping on defense.

I like Bogans heart and his size, but that dude needs to spend the whole summer shooting the basketball. Otherwise, he is doomed to a Ryan Bowen role in the NBA. I think he's got the talent. He needs to work on his skills so his shot is automatic. You can tell he has to think about all the mechanics of his shot. Way too much hesitation and not nearly enough confidence.

 

Random stats of the game: R Alston: 4 ast, 5 TO.

Random thought of the game: Why is it that Yao becomes the elephant in the room every 3rd quater of games?

 

Look at the rockets next four opponents, SAS, LAC, Mavs and NOC, the possiblilties as of now for the rockets lost all 4 games is HIGH!!!

 

Well i think much of this is due to the fact that he became our number 2 scorer in the game when that is not his traditional role. He was forced to penetrate and go for teardrops and layups because no one else could hit a shot the entire game. His assist numbers will naturally go down when everyone but yao is incapable of making a shot.

 

Silver lining: Rybo played where he's most effective -- on the bench.

 

FIRST!

 

Can we trade tmac for some draft picks? lets face it, this guy is never going to be healthy and we will continue to be the third best NBA team in Texas. That is not a good feeling considering how much I HATE dallas. I say we rebuild around Yao, and get rid of this guy, he will never be the player we think he will

 

Missed the game last night. Checked the boxscore this morning and thought I clicked the wrong link. Yao with 36 again and Juwan 3-11 and Bogans 2-12 again. Unfreakin'believable.

 

Sorry a playmaker Point Guard does not give up his role to make others better in this situation, infact he should br doing more of it not less!!

 

Man, this sucks....it's over.

Bring JJ to HOuston! Go Rockets! TANK TANK TANK!

 

I don't know why you guys are hating on Rafer so much. He had 18 points 6/14 3/5 from 3. He gave some guys some open looks and they missed wide open shots. He consistently passes to multiple times in a possession, I suggest yall watch the games more closely and realize one of the reason Yao has been so effective. Alot of it has to do with Alston and if you think otherwise then I don't know what to tell you. THe only thing you have to b**** about with Alston is the 5 TO's, other than no reason to criticize the dude.

 

like i said we should officially be done with 5 more loses. i bolded 3 of them. i am sure theres 2 more somewhere in there.

Code:

Mar  Opponent
[B]  Sat 18 San Antonio [/B] 
  Mon 20 L.A. Clippers 
[B]  Tue 21 @  Dallas [/B] 
  Thu 23 @  NO/Okla. City   
  Sun 26 Cleveland 
  Wed 29 Seattle   
  Fri 31 Washington    
  
  Sun 2 @  L.A. Lakers  
  Tue 4 @  Seattle  
  Wed 5 @  Portland 
  Fri 7 @  Golden State  
  Sun 9 @  Sacramento      
  Mon 10 @  Utah  
  Wed 12 Minnesota   
  Sat 15 Memphis  
  Mon 17 @  Denver  
[B]  Wed 19 San Antonio [/B] 

 

His defense has been non-existent and he along with Bogans and Head are still not getting the ball in to Yao quickly enough and efficiently enough. His play is "eratic" and has been "eratic" for that last month or so. 6 for 14 isn't exactly lights out shooting and it's probably the best shooting game he has had in a month too. Most nights he's about 4 for 14. And now his assist/turnover ratio has gone in the dumper.

If it was just one end of the floor, well, I could understand a little bit. But he is stinking it up defensively and he is a non-factor offensively. Whether it is him or Brunson in the game makes no difference. We get the same net result out of either one because Brunson can't defend either. That shouldn't be.

 

Defense is not an individual effort. Defense is a TEAM philosophy that everyone must be on the same page in order for it to work effectively. Most guards in the NBA can beat their man one on one, but the reason they do not score is because there is a team to help him. Other than Bruce Bowen and Ron Artest how many others are there that are lock down defenders as well as good ball handlers, shooters, rebounders, etc. There's a reason that people double, triple team off of screens. People get beat all the time, but defense is about recovery, the time it takes for you to regain the balance again. The best defenses in the NBA are not lock down individually, but they work as a unit to recover from each others defensive mistakes.

I understand that in order for us to have a good defense is for the players to be defensively sound in the first place, and Skip needs to work on his defense in a major way. Lockdown defenders just dont come overnight, nor does Team Defense, shooting, rebounding, etc.

Other notes that I want to comment on but cant find the quote to: I read a post where why Rafer doesnt pass it in the post immediately once yao gets position or why yao sets high screens thens go to the post. The Van Gundy offense, as lacking as it is, is a game of misdirection and hesitation. The Yao high screen on one side, means the ball is going to swing to the other side and into the post with yao. I kinda think that this often disrupts the flow of the offense and throws everyones timing off. If you watched the Mavs offense, it is very free flowing, always moving, crisp passes. The same reason the suns are great shooters is because they're always in rhythm with their offense, you can almost see them tapping their feet to the beat of the game. The same way a symphony is always in harmony, the same must be done for the rockets offense. There is a certain feel and flow to the game and offense that you can feel, and I dont ahve that feeling watching the rockets games. You can have a low post game and still have the rhythmic flow to an offense (ala 93-94 Rockets Season). I am a big VG supporter and I trust that he knows the problems and is trying to fix it.

Thats my rant, I may have missed some points and are wrong about some things, but this is what I see.

 

here is a thread about Rafer Alston.

 

after reading the ABSOLUTE HIGH LEVEL OF CRAP posted in this thread...I almost clicked away.

I can not believe so many of you are pissed cause Yao didnt get 50 pts.

OMG...are you people on DRUGS???

anyway...Im gonna do what I came here to do...then Im outta this hellhole(GARM)


this video does feature several shots of the Red Alert section...
Rockets vs Mavericks 03/15/06 highlight torrent