Now I understand what "4th quarter collapse" means

Too bad the Rockets starters ran out of gas as the bench sat idle in the 2nd half.

JVG has got to start trusting others at least to give some of the starters a rest.

Alston plays FAR too many minutes...he needs about 32 a game...any more than that and it is diminishing returns.

DD

 

I think the guys who got us back into the game where the only ones doing anything....

Maybe the guys need to start learning how to beat good teams - reaching down and getting better.

 

After tonight, who on our bench can really hold down the fort when our starters are out? Billy has potential but Novak is a blackhole on D while JLIII is so damn little that he can't even pass the ball on the perimeter. Though if Snyder were playing tonight, things would have been a helluva lot more interesting.

 

In before the lock. /i think this stuff is mostly game thread stuff, maybe that's just me.

 

Who would lock a clutch crew's post?

 

BOTTOM LINE: TOO MANY OUTSIDE SHOTS, NOT ENOUGH PENETRATION OR TOUCHES FOR YAO. UNTIL TMAC STARTS HITTING HIS SHOTS, YAO SHOULD JACK UP OVER 20 SHOTS A GAME.

 

it means:







HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!!

 

yeah, fourth quarter collaspe usually means the rockets won, I'll take the big lead, collaspe, and eventual win also.

 

We are clearly missing Kirk's penetration. The only other guy who is willing to do this is Billy but he didn't see a lot of action there. Billy could have guarded Nash in the 4Q run better.

 

I happen to agree with DaDa on this one.

If Van Gundy insists on playing such a small playoff-style rotation for the entire season, the core group can't help but run out of gas. Of course your best lineup is going to build up your best lead while they still have energy. Whether our starting lineup is the "best" lineup or not is debatable, but since Van Gundy believes it is, that groups is getting the most repitition and practice together, and we're seeing pretty good results with them on the court. But clearly we're overexerting the core unit.

Guys like VSpan, Novak, and Padgett, not to mention Bonzi could be contributing more. Maybe your short-term results take a hit, but you help to preserve your top 6-7 players for the 4th quarter. And in the long-term, you keep their stamina up for the second half of the season and the playoffs.

It's not surprising that now that Van Gundy is going to the bench more that the 4th quarter collapses may be going away.

But that also means the 20 point leads in the 3rd quarter might be a memory as well.

 

Can't stop laughing. heheheh ahahah hhohooho

 

I was surprised V-Span didn't see more action against Nash. He is the only guy on the Rox who could guard Nash.

 

Heck, I think it's great that they came back. That showed me a lot about this team. That the game was ever in doubt after the first half is a credit to the Rockets.

Let's be honest here... how many thought we would really win in Phoenix after travelling from a game the previous night? Even during the comeback, it was almost a done deal... you knew we were going to run out of gas sometime in the 4th. A win would have been special and a loss drops our record against winning teams a bit more, but I think this was one of the few losses that really is a moral victory. Suns played their game for 2 1/2 quarters, the Rockets played their game for 1 1/2 quarters. Each team won their games. It's clear to me the Rockets can beat the Suns and it should be clear to the Rockets as well. Yao picked up some incredibly stupid fouls... on his fourth I was yelling at the TV for him not to come out on D and stay in the lane... I think he will hear me next time and play smarter. On a fresh night, we make more shots. Paradoxically, I think it's easier to fall prey to the mindset of running with the Suns when you are fatigued, as the first thing to go is always your mind... I think on a fresh day, the Rockets control the tempo a bit more and take better, less hurried shots.

As the Phoenix paper put it this morning, the two teams are like a Ferrari and a Hummer racing. Unstated was the idea that the regular season is a fast track while the playoffs are a brutal cross-country journey. After this game, I like our chances.

 

I was thinking (and previously warning) of the same (but in this case we both have to admit that the Suns are a streaky offense-oriented juggernaut; by definition they build leads but cannot defend them).

 

We are lacking of someone to hit the cold blooded shots in the 4th. When I was watching T-mac missing shot by shot last night, I really missed Mike James. He was the key to the blow out win in Phoenix couple of years ago. Anyone remember that game? We were losing by 20 in first half and beating them by 20 eventually. We really had great shooters to support Yao at that time, like Barry, James and a normal t-mac. Did you see last night that the Suns gambled to triple team Yao and let our perimeter players shoot those non contested 3s? We should have let them paid.

 

The same thing was running accross my mind too. Phoenix had all their horses. The rockets played without the old Tmac, Wells and Snyder. This team hasn't touch on what it can become, and that my friend is scary good.

 

Let's see.

Second night of a back to back

On the road

Against one of the league's better teams (albeit struggling a bit right now)

Who were not playing a back to back (2 days of rest actually)

And who built a 20 point first half lead against our slow starting Rox

Just to see the game naughted up going into the 4th period

But pull away to win in the end.


Houston, our fans have a problem. Tip of the hat for coming back from a huge deficit to make a game of it.

 

I think the game plan is simple... the other teams dictate what happens in the 4th...

on defense they shut down the paint and dare the Rox players to... shoot the ball

with tired legs in the 4th and our guys tendancy to like to lauch long balls...

on offense we go away from our bread and butter... in the middle and start taking open shots but low % ones..

all our guys need to work on being in the paint in the 4th quarter...

your either going to make the shot, turn it over, or get fouled...

everyone is guilty

the killer instinct we are looking for... is for our guys to take it to the hoop... like most other teams and players do...

instead of settling for jumpers...