I'm not normally a pessimist, but I am pretty much at my limit. It is one thing to be out-played, but to be outsmarted is just unforgiveable. How many times can you pound the ball and then dribble into a crowd? How can you take a shot with 5 seconds left on the clock falling away with a hand in your face when your team is down by 2 and you have already shot 4-11 for the night? How many times can you screw around with the ball until the shot clock goes down under 5 seconds only to fire up a ridiculous shot? UGH!!!!
What's even worse is that there were 12 seconds left when Mobley took the ill advised shot. That was a shot they should have "settled" for rather than being the first option. Oh well, Mobley's done it before and he'll do it again.
You know I can take playing with effort and losing to good teams like the Spurs, but when you start coughing up games to crappy teams like Memphis and the Knicks then you have serious problems. The fact that the Knicks had to pull off heroics on their home floor against a depleted Rockets team tells me the Rocks didn't have a clue how to put their foots on the throat of a bad team. God, you can't lose games like this. This team shouldn't have lost to Memphis, or New York who isn't any better then Memphis. God.
I liked coming from behind and falling just short a little better. The offense ran so well until about the last 3 minutes for the massive choke job. Does anyone else think Griffin should be getting some of Willis' minutes at center? Griffin was again extremely effective in controlling who comes into the paint, and rebounding. I know I had a smile when Shanersn was rejected.
This one is on Rudy again. Moochie is obviously tired by the time the game is on the line. He needs to give Mooch a rest so he can run the offense without being tired.
Mike Newlin on the post game show just called it. He called the dribbling and lack of ball movement a "virus" saying that the less the ball moves, the less the players move and that infects the offense. He added that the problem isn't the dribbling but rather the lack of movement away from the ball. He said it causes teams to lose their rhythm. AMEN!!!
This was really on the players. You could see them tighten up out on the floor. On several occassions I saw Rudy mouthing for them to move the ball and shaking his head. You can tell the guys to do it but they have to have their head in the game enough to know that the lack of ball movement is what is killing them.
i think rudy lost this gam. im just wondering, how many more games is eddie gonna play a great 2cd quarter but not play at all after that?
That's right Jeff. Even when the Knicks made their run the Rockets were still scoring and would have won the game but they kept dribbling the ball the last 2 minutes and the Rockets couldn't buy a basket. There was no ball movement or anything, and it was frustrating. Tired or not Moochie should know better then that. You don't need fresh legs to move the ball around.
You can never confuse the Knicks offense with the Kings,Bucks, or Dallas, but did anyone notice the picks Spreewel and Houston were getting. Basically the 4,5 men were on the ft line and spree and houston would start on the left or right shoeblock and run cuts off those guys and the rockets would be trailing the players, thus those two guys were getting wide open looks. Torres was getting killed bt those picks. Rice had a good game, but he was giving it up in the fourth qt. With or without Francis we must bet better shots in our offense and that doesn't mena form 25ft
Rudy T has to take the blame. Not the players, except Mobley who I could see from the local tv that he was upset withsomeone onthe team. Rudy went to Rice too much. He forgot about his best player the last week who was having a great game, OT. He is just insistent on going with Rice and the old men. Somehow he thought Rice was playing at such a level that he would go to that play so many times. Rice was just one of many rockets who were having a good game and he just needed to have the imagination and creativity to utilize the players. Rudy has only survived on the heroic performances of his stars. He in my opinion is yet to show that he can take a bunch of talented players and have them play five on five basket ball. Rudy is best when four of the guys are doing nothing. Who else to blame but RUDY T>
Rock: You can blame Rudy for a lot of things, but blaming him for going to Rice when Rice was the best option on the floor is a mistake. Rice and Thomas were the only players on the floor who were hitting shots. Torres was hitting shots but he cannot create his own. He relies on ball movement and weakside picks. In crunch time, you live and die with the players who have the hot hand. Rice and Thomas were it. If you want to criticize him, call him out for not giving Griffin time against Camby at center or giving it up to Mobley so many times when his shot was obviously off. That's more reason for blame.
Good news. Though we have lost 10 of 12, the Rockets have been victorious morally in 12 of their last 13 games.
Jeff, Didn't New York use weakside picks and ballmovement to get open shots down the stretch? You don't live and die by 1 on 1 players. Torres should still get plays down the stretch even if he can't create his on his own "1on1". Torres is clutch, period. Everytime we have needed a basket, he has made it. Down the stretch, I'm not sure if it is legal to shoot the basketball from the bench.
Rudy was right to go to Rice, he was hitting the big shots. DLS everytime we needed a shot Rice was hitting shots. He was hitting threes, he was going into the post hitting shots and he was setting up shots. He's a veteran and he was feeling it. Rice WAS NOT scoring one-on-one people were setting him up in the paint. Obviously Torres should be in there to but have him as the main option is dangerous because his shot is unreliable. To say Torres is clutch isn't right. He has some good games but he hasn't shown to be clutch. It's tough to go to a rookie in key points of the game like that when a veteran is feeling it. Rice isn't a one-on-one player and he was hitting the shots and it would have worked if Moochie and company hadn't stopped passing the ball.
I have absolutely no problem with Rice shooting, no problem. I have a problem with the substitutions and the lack of playing time and shots for Torres. 18 Minutes, 4-5, 11 points. 20+ the game before, impressive numbers two games ago, impressive playing the past week. 18 minutes, 4-5. 4 out of 5, 18 Minutes, see my point?? If there is any positives it's Torres, Thomas, and Griffin. Negatives, Rudy won't play Griffin or Torres.
Just got back from the game......don't know if anyone else noticed, but Francis was so pissed w/ the team that he left the bench way early and went to the lockerroom w/ abt 10sec left in regulation.
