Key Issues and Matchups with Jazz

I actually wouldn't be too surprised if the Rocks put T-Mac on Okur if Okur gets hot. T-Mac is 6'8"-6'9" with a 7'3" wingspan. He might be tall enough to give Okur some trouble while he's shooting. I doubt he plays him for the whole game, but I could definitely see T-Mac on him occasionaly.

 

i wouldnt be surprise if Battier is assigned on Deron at some points in the games.

 

and for goodness sake hope Kirilenko is still hampered by injury

I know his form hasnt been quite up to scratch, but the wingspan alone is gonna be a problem for us on offense. And if he pans out for them much offensively he is what i'd like to refer to (amidst all the Boozer, Williams, Okur talk) as the "forgotten headache".

 

I was thinking exactly the same thing !

 

I don't think we'll have much trouble scoring on these guys so long as Tracy continues the type of play that he has been showing us this week.

We could have some problems defending Okur and Deron Williams for sure, but I think Jeff will figure something out over the course of the 7 game series.

It'll be a hard fought series, but we have two guys that can explode for 40 when they want to, and they just don't have dominant force. If any one of our various role players is hitting shots, we are extremely tough to beat.

 

why not the whole game since AK47 is useless. not whole b/c we need tmac to guard their other perimeter guys who can play a lil (harpring, giricek...).

but mac on okur is good b/c okur is not really a post player. if he does post up, he'll just fall away like dirk so mac can handle that.

yao can only guard boozer on that team b/c boozer is the one who plays closest to the basket on that team.

biggest advantage for utah is deron. we might try shane/tmac on him late in games. i think their size can disrupt his vision off th pick and roll

 

Player size will be a huge issue in this match-up, but ultimately we are more than capable of pulling away with a win and I really don't think 4th quarter collapse will be a problem in playoffs for Rockets for many reasons but one main reason is HUNGRY TMAC!!!(wanting to get out of first round) and when tmac is hungry our TEAM is hungry which means YAO is hungry! we have all seen it, when tmac is on fire or is playing like TMAC our team feeds off of that and responds! but the ONLY player im worried about is deron williams, he can get hot and easily get 12+ assists if he wants. I think the only way to really stop deron is by playing good or great TEAM defense which we are known for but not consistent at!!

 

the thing is will tmac avg 43 minutes for the playoffs again like he did 2 yrs ago?

i hope not b/c u dont want 43 mins on tmac's body. 38-39 is ok

 

I totally agree. The difference between 43 minutes and 38 minutes is actually pretty large in a 7 game series. 5 minutes more per game for 7 games is 35 minutes, so it's like you're almost playing an extra game.

 

kobe played ALL 48 min vs. clipper today, and went 2-8 in the 4th (5-6 for the 1st). They were up by like 10 point at the end of 3rd, then went on a total metldown like the Rox vs. portland.

I hope JVG manage yao/tracy playing time wisely, and make sure both of them have enought rest before the start of the 4th.

 

Yeah... because I'm sure playing 4 or 5 less minutes will make all the difference in the world. IT'S THE PLAYOFFS! What are you worried about? Back spasms? Well don't. $hit happens. T-Mac could throw out his back sneezing on the bench.

Not only is T-Mac going to play 40+ minutes, he might go all 48 if it's a critical Game 5 or 7.

 

That's an interesting predicament, you know why?

Kobe was on fire early, so he can't waste that by resting and messing his groove, but if he's not wise with his energy, he'll be tired late in the game and brick it up and be completely useless sometimes. Sometimes. Sometimes, he never gets tired, but it got to him tonight.

JVG knows that even if it costs a little momentum, T-Mac has to get his breathers.

T-Mac is good at conserving energy because he's going to need it more and more as the playoffs roll around.

Notice the difference between the playoffs McGrady and the one even you've seen lately, it'll be noticeable.

 

4-5 min will make all the difference! give yao 4-5 min rest before 4th, and he'll dominate just like the first half.

I'm pretty sure T-mac can play all 48 min too, just like kobe if he want to, but hes gonna be dead in the 4th just like kobe. (and may ending up costing us a game)

 

But his time was up 10+ point for pretty much all of the 3rd, he should have gotten some rest.

But then again, maybe he was going for another 50+ point streak? lol

 

One possible slight tiny tiny advantage that Luther might have in defending Williams is the 3 years they spent together at Illinois. Sometimes some players have issues matching up against people who know their games inside and out - Kobe has talked for years about the toughest defender he's ever played against being a 6'3" guy from Philly he played against in high school (I think the guy went on to play Div. I but no further) - just because Kobe and the guy were high school rivals.

It's a tiny advantage - because so much of Utah runs through Williams - I mean if Williams shuts down Luther, it hurts, but it's not the key to the game - but in a 7 game series little things might make the difference.

 

Not only is #4 not the biggest issue, it should be disregarded. In the Jazz game, Head was not playing and T-Mac was playing with a stiff back. In the Portland game, the Blazers were able to come back (oh yeah, WE WON THE GAME) because T-Mac was on the bench. That won't happen in the playoffs.

I'm not worried about #1. Alston did a good job against Deron in the last game, holding him to 12 points on 5-15 shooting. The pack the paint defense will prevent his penetration. In other words, the team will guard Williams.

#3 is the biggest issue. If they do pick and rolls consistently with Deron and Okur, we're going to be in trouble. Yao is going to have very... mixed results. He will be dominant on offense, but a liability on defense. How do you stop the pick and roll with Deron and Okur? You don't. You hope Okur's shot is off. And no, we're not going to play any kind of zone defense, so don't bother with suggestions like that.

If Okur goes off and continues to go off, I'd just put Yao on Boozer and put our ultimate defensive stopper, McGrady on him. Okur might be 7 foot, but T-Mac's long arms will challenge his shots. Yao is a great post defender, so Boozer will be forced to shoot jumpers. He can make them, but a good defensive strategy on great players is to completely take one part of their game away from them.

And let it be noted that V-Span could not help us with any of the problems.

 

You are severely underestimating our superstar. He's 0-5 in the first round. He's highly motivated. He won't tire. It's called adrenaline. I'm only talking about T-Mac. Of course Yao can't play 48 minutes. I don't want him playing 48 minutes.

 

Okur is my main concern. Nothing more frustrating or annoying than having the opposing teams center/big man hitting 3's or faking the J and then driving in for a layup and possibly a foul or and one situation. It'll be like Sam Perkins all over again if the Rockets don't address this.

 

Nah, when you're a bad defender, you're a bad defender. I'll take Rafer, thank you. Deron is much improved from his college days. Stopping the pick and rolls will be much more important than stopping Deron himself.