I'm working on positive reinforcement and staying away from all negativity. I did like the following * RA recognizing early struggles of the 3 on 5 offense with Rafer and Chuck in the game and quickly going to a scoring unit. * MJ and Scola looked good hitting jumpers. MJ's shooting ability has improved. * Giving Luther a look see and putting him on the bench quickly when he doesn't perform. Get ready Steve * Steve showed some enthusiasm off the bench, reacting to Tmac's offensive explosion. Check the ESPN website of Tmac and watch Steve at the end of the bench. * Scola snatching boards down low and scoring. Chuck would have blown the layup and free throw * Not needing Yao to score a million to win. We actually can win without him scoring big * Tmac going to the bucket, shooting free throws, and dropping the jumper. * RA's decision making, espcially timeouts when Utah was making a run. * Rafer hitting bit 3's down the stretch.
and we still have potential to be better: Bonzi and Scola can play bigger role down the line. Head's shooting and SF's all around game are not used so far. princeton offense is not there yet.
So true and it brings thoughts of greater hope that we can still move up at least two notches, remember Yao was not himself in last nights game so that also means a lot!
this 3 on 5 thing is getting old, you could say this about any team in the league, kirilenko, brewer? do the jazz have 5 offensive scoring juggernauts? there is individual offense and there is team offense 3 on 5 is for bball fantasy players. it holds no water in a real bball game. but i don't think this is the point, as if the 3 on 5 is the sole reason why alston should sit his butt down. if alston is going to sit, it's going to be because he is not playing well as a distributor... 3 on 5 is proof for nothing
I'm happy tha defense hasn't fallen off. I really thought with JVG not there and RA uptempo style that our d would be average at best but hus far its still there. We're still gettin blocks and our hands are active. A lotta steals thus far.AND a lot of forced turnovers And tha thing i like tha most is tha more uptempo style of offense. I mean look at how many fast breaks pts we're gettin its crazy. ITs great to finally see these guys utilizing their athleticis One thing tho we need to work on is transition defense. And also our resiliency and poise. We've been down early by dbl digits pts in both game, but have come back to get dbl digit leads of our own.
I noticed we actually have a bench to bring in that score and bring energy to the court; something we did not have the luxury of the past few years. The thought does cross my mind though what JVG could have done if he had a bench to use...
I like the fact we got 2 wins, Tmac is flying... again, bench is good The fact I DONT like: Yao's turnover Yao's TURNOVER YAO'S TURNOVER Francis acts like an azhole, not cheering for teamates(at least thats what i saw in laker game) we are not running cut hard enough
From the looks of it, it seems that Yao is having a tough time adjusting. RA moved him back to his favorite position in the low post, but foul trouble kept him from getting into a rhythm (due to Boozer manhandling him). Is it just me, or did they keep running the same play for Yao over and over again. I think they need to move that guy from the strong side to weak side and swing the ball to get it to him. They just gave it to him in the same spot and let him work, but it looked like Utah was always ready for it since it took so much time to get him the ball. I hope Yao gets used to this offense soon, the Rockets can't afford many nights like that if they want to challenge the elite teams.
What i liked: MJ, Bonzi, and Scola playing great. i said before that they will CARRY this team to wins. T-Mac playing like a superstar, but where was this in the playoffs? Francis on the bench where he belongs What i didn't like: Yao getting owned by Boozer repeatedly and his inefficiency on the offensive end. he still picks up silly fouls although that was a blessing in disguise last night.
As big and skilled as Yao is, it seems like he's havin trouble scoring when he gets a one-on-one opportunity.
I just can't wait for that solid princeton offense (i'm not even sure if Adelman will employ it for this team) which made any player an effective scorer/distributor of the ball in the great (or really good, I don't know if you can be great and not win a ring) Kings offenses of past. That was a beauty to watch and a nightmare to defend against. It made the game easier for all 5 players on the court, it's just difficult to learn and use effectively. But what I liked is of course T-Mac playing like T-Mac...the explosivness, quick first step, elevation and arc on the jumpshot, and taking it to rim and finishing. And our bench has been amazing, Scola is fantastic, he's like Chuck Hayes but with better offensive moves and he's bigger. I can't even express how happy I am for having Mike James on this team and him playing how he is. I'm lovin' it, and I don't mean fast food.
Not quite sure what to think about this quote.... correct me if I am wrong but wasn't Utah in the Western Conferrence Finals last year?? I didn't see the game but not every player is gonna be on his game every night. That is the luxury of this offense though. If Yao or Tracy have a bad game we will still have players, and an offensive scheme, that will allow this team to continue to score. IMO this is what makes an "elite" team, having a lineup that contributes.... not like last year where we were totally depndent upon our superstars. Think aobut Coach A's kings. There were no superstars (not like Yao or Tracy). Just a deep lineup of solid players who bought into a system and all contributed. We not only have a solid lineup but we have the luxury of having two superstars on our team. I can't wait until we become more familiar with this style of play. The sky is the limit for this team. Lets just hope the cards fall our way. No injuries.
all very good points. the importance of this overview should not be overlooked in the general complaining that usually goes on. right now, in 75% of the plays, they are pretty much winging it. Ive seen a very small percentage of plays I recognize from Adelman's Kings days so far. When they get more of it going, they will be truely scary.
Yao will be fine..it's just one of those games where his shots just wasn't there. Just take time and be patient whenever we play the Jazz and he should be fine. Tracy was impressive and so are the bench of Scola James Bonzi...everyone actually...even Head who create some turnovers.
