ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Lakers 12/15/2006

Generally I agree with your point, but I think JVG puts far too much faith in Rafer.....

I would like to have seen JL3 in there a bit more to change the pace....V-Span can create, but until he can shoot, he sits.

The Rockets are just not going to beat quality teams without Tmac.....and they desperatly need a heart transplant......cause they are all playing like the Tinman.

Yao was gassed, but he can not get his shot blocked late in the game...he was settling for the turnaround jumper instead of going to the hole strong.....but otherwise he was magnificent.

Rafer - I really can't believe we traded Mike James for him...this will be the end of JVG's coaching in Houston.....

Bob Sura would fix everything, but I think he is done....dang it....hurry back Tmac.

DD

 

why blame yao? if it wasnt for him, we would've lost by 40+ with the scrubs we have

look at how many times alston missed and all of those idiotic turnovers

and also terrible coaching by JVG!

 

I dunno about that. His body is just not built to play 40+ minutes effectively. I don't think Shaq could either in his prime.

 

Has any NBA team ever won a game while committing over 25 turnovers? Yao is great but he just runs out of gas at the end of games. Alston kills momentum, the boy simply can't shot on any consistent basis, outside, inside, anywhere. Plus, he gets absolutely brutalized on defense. Battier has simply not shot well since coming to the Rockets, very inconsistent. Juan Howard actually had a great game. Wells looked good at times. Luther didn't. The team is playing hard, but, falls apart when pressured. The Rockets are looking a losing streak in the face. Two very, very disappointing loses.

 

That's why coaches make adjustments, if Rafer can't get the ball across the halfcourt, then let someone else do it. It's jvg's job to determine when and how to use the player.

 

I've supported Rafer all up to now. He's an incredible ballhandler but cracks under pressure and his shot along with his shot selection have gone further down south. When T-Mac plays he covers up for these turnovers but man.

 

Dude.....get over yourself. How about if you admit the players didn't play smart basketball. Unless you are an assistant coach you are making presumptuous comments. The team came out flat in the 3rd quarter and blew a 20 pt lead. Thats why we lost the game.

 

Wasn't Yao's fault, he played great and gave it his all.
Wasn't Battier's fault, Kobe will do that on anyone.
Bonzi has half good, half bad. Those second half turnovers where he kept bouncing off his foot or whatever really started the meltdown however. Hopefully he'll keep getting better as he gets more time to play. It'll come.
Was mainly Alston's fault for being a complete moron with the ball and jacking up his own shot when he should have been trying to make plays happen.
Partially Head's fault because of stupid mistakes and turnovers, but not so many as Alston.
Blame Van Gundy for playing Alston ever. We've got to get rid of him(Alston, not Gundy) somehow, hopefully as part of the Iverson multi-team extravaganza that's going to come down the shoot.

 

Well, your post doesn't shed too much wisdom either. If you watch the game, you will find the entire offense are so predictable. Not too much to talk about except Yao. Especially when the other team doubles Yao during the second half, it is always horrible. A lot of times you find that Rockets can not buy a basket over a long stretch if Yao can not put it in. To only blame the players for the offensive inability is just naive. As this happens (blowing big lead late in the game) so often, you have to wonder what is our future with JVG, Yao can not carry this team alone, even Tmac comes back, we need a third option and most important, we need more offensive sets from the coach---you barely notice the absence of Odom for instance.

 

Rockets 27 fouls, Lakers 14. Why is it game after game we get called for touch fouls by our wingmen and our opponents are allowed to maul Tmac, Rafer and Head? Farmar's man handling without a foul being called was ridiculous. And of course in the 1st OT even the announcers called the Brown foul on Yao which the refs ignored.

This just gets so old.

 

Exactly. Someone talk about leadership, but you can't lead as a CENTER
if the pg keeps turning the ball over! Damn, where's TMAC?

 

hah me too. i was screaming for bonzi to get in the first OT. Does JVG not notice that Yao was tired and couldnt hit anything? Yao can't score all the points, give him a break.

 

Rafer is stupid in 15 seconds in 4th qtr which delayed the last clutch shoot.
Jvg was outschooled by PJ. He should be replaced.otherwise, we have no chance to win the title even if we have qualifired players.

 

Exactly! The players on court were running on fumes and he still didnt go to Bonzi. Bonzi was playing quite well at least.

 

I'm just speechless...fking wow...

 

As fustrating as it is to watch games like this I think this will force the Rockets to make the necessary changes. JVG is not the right coach to take the Rockets to the next level in my opinion. Leaving Alston in the game after he was going crazy out there was a big mistake. At least he had Head bring the ball up the court after Smush made Alston's life hell.

Unfortunately the Rockets have bigger problems then coaching we have a player making huge money who we can't count on to play. T-mac's back problems could mean the Rockets will waste Yao's best years and never reach an NBA title.

The Rockets need a go to guy to help Yao and it's got to happen soon. Problem is no one will trade a go to guy to the Rockets for T-mac and his back problems and the draft is our only other option.

 

I agree that players have to execute and the coach is responsible of making changes if they are not executing. This loss is completely in JVG.

 

It was a hard fought game,but Kobe proved once again why he is the best player in the NBA.Hopefully we can beat the clippers...

 

Rafer shot 8-22 and had 7 turnovers to go along with 19 points and 10 assists.

That is shooting WAY too much for a PG, and WAY too many turnovers too.

Rafer Alston...... YOU ARE THE WEAKEST LINK !!!

JVG did a good job with Hack a Kwame but he should have told the team that you can't do that with under 2 minutes to go......that one free throw he hit....well.....

This team is frustrating to watch without Tmac they are good enough with Yao to compete, but not win......

Truthfully if we had a penetrating PG it would make the entire game that much easier.

I would love to play V-Span and tell him to get to the rack, but his outside shooting is so horrendous right now that you just can't play him.......but then again....he probably could not do worse than Rafer....

Oh well.....time for bed !!

DD

 

Sadly Rafer is our best option at this point. Luther is not a good ball handler under pressure, he doesn't have enough confidence in V-span and JLIII is way undersized and would get killed with a trapping style defense.

So who would you recommend he have bring the ball up?