ClutchFans Game Thread: Lakers @ Rockets 11/14/2007

Good news is, Yao showed how great playmaker he is in the 2nd half of this game.

 

Yao sucked and chocked uncharacteristically; Rafer sucked and chocked characteristically. I don't even think any GM would give up a perfectly good bag of chips for Rafer.

 

I don't know how we go from storming back from an 18 point half-time deficit, to not scoring a single field goal in over 5 minutes of play.

Rafer was finally playing a great game, and then two missed three pointers and a 10 foot no-chance-in-hell floater erased all good.

Bonzi was finally putting his mark on our offense, and then he starts shooting jumpers with less than 2 minutes to go and misses his free throws.

Yao was establishing himself even with his shot not falling, and then 91% 35 free-throws in a row misses many in the clutch!

Everyone else (but Chuck) was frustrating as hell too, but those three kept us in the game on a night where it looked like we had no chance, only to come up terribly short at the end.

9th game of the season, but damn it hurts.

 

seriously...why in the world was Rafer in during that last foul shot and not Mike James!!!!!????? what the **** was Rick thinking??!!??

 

On the brightside coach A said rafer is starting because we were still 6-2. Hopefully when we get to 6-6 (looking at the schedule), rafer will not be starting ne more.

 

I swear, this isn't a whine, but WTF is rick doing as the rockets coach? Does he even know our personnel? FFS, he has reefer, bonzi, and shane out there. I mean I can understand shane, he does decent with the 3s, but why fkin bonzi and reefer when we needed some real shooters out there? He could at least put mike james and luther head out there. COMMON RICK, are you trying to piss off the rockets fans to death? This is not the fkin sacramento kings, we don't want to LOSE. GET YOUR ACT STRAIGHT AND LEARN YOUR PLAYERS STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES YOU A$$H)LE

 

Maaybe Francis should have gotten a look...
As well as maybe Aaron Brooks,
Or Kirk Snyder..
Or Carl Landry even....

SERIOUSLY, besides a great win against the Spurs, everyone besides McGrady, Yao, Chuck and at times Bonzi hasnt done much of anything.

 

we've got to trade and make adjustments
a tough schedule is ahead of us,a losing streak is about to start

 

Anyone care for some Rudy Gay?

This team is still in desperate need of scoring options.

 

I cannot believe how pissed off i am.

first game shown here live in Australia all year.

took the afternoon off work to watch it. Shouldnt have bothered.

We looked exactly like a JVG coached team.

Scola looked pretty good in the 1st qtr - was giving us a jumpshooting threat alongside Yao...and then he sits for the rest of the game - WTF?

(man, im slamming these keys sooo hard right now)

Cant blame Rafer for not making that last shot.

what about all the free throws missed in the last qtr by Wells and Yao, granted we wouldnt have got near it without them otherwise, but still.

TMac injured aswell. Great...Next time they play on TV im staying at f--king work.

 

Well, we are not talking about a well-oiled machine here. This team has regressed since the first three games. Even the fundamentals are disappearing.
Is it just me or did Yao look disinterested a good part of the game? Are you impressed with Aldeman's rotation, his substitution patterns, his play calling, anything? It is clear now that Francis has a committed a major felony against the coach's family. The term "doghouse" doesn't even begin to describe how he is never, and I mean never going to play. If TMac doesn't return soon this is going to get ugly. I don't even want to talk about Rafer, unbelievable.

 

Snyder should have gotten some minutes in the second quarter. I just dont understand the mentality of playing the same guys the whole half. Give those guys a rest near the end of the third. Bring in Scola and Snyder... why not Steve? Battier and Rafer are struggling with their shot big time. MJ is playing mediocre... sigh... head coaches can be so stubborn about their rotation its just annoying.

 

Yao didn't get his touch tonight, and our 3s just suck, especially a PG called Alston who could't even make an open shot.

 

Wow, that's BS. Look at this Rockets Shot Chart. We got almost no low post shots and a whole lot of bricking from the three point line. Compare that with the Lakers. We got nuthing like I said of players who can create, penetrate and finish.

http://www.nba.com/games/20071114/LALHOU/gameinfo.html

 

rafer did alright today. he shouldn't be gettin criticzed so harsh.

but on tha last play, why didn't we bring in head. he's made to hit those last minute and especially considering that Alston is shootin so horribly from tha three point territory this season he shouldn't have been in on tha final possesion. it shouldve been head, battier, james, bonzi and yao when yao went to tha free throw line.

 

Well Yao's shot was off, but I thought it was good that he kept fighting and working. He didn't allow himself to be rendered a non factor, those 20 free throws came because he kept fighting.

I am still stunned that Yao missed those free throws in the clutch. Stunned. He does not do stuff like this. I have no idea what happened.

 

I'm pissed the rox lost this game, especially b/c they came out terribly, played no defense for the first half(which made 6 consecutive quarters of no defense) and then rafer is still getting big minutes, oh, and shane can't find his shooting touch.

BUT, the second half made me feel somewhat better, the defensive intensity picked up, yao came out on the pick and roll but unlike last year he didn't trap it, he just played kobe tight enough not to give up an open jumper.

The one thing that will have to change with tracy out, another playmaker will be needed on the floor, right now its bonzi and yao and that it, well steve is the logical choice for the extra playmaker. steve will get an opportunity at some point in the next two weeks or so, its just a question of his defensive intensity and whether he limits his turnovers(hitting open shots isn't what is going to make and break his chance, b/c as rafer shows us, you don't need to hit open shots to get minutes).

this team's year will probably be determined by how they grow offensively in the next few weeks w/o tracy, if they diversify then when tracy comes back it will be about plugging him back into the system and then the team can get rolling.

I still think the rox will be 6-6 at the end of the week.

 

We got back into the game with our defense. That's why.

 

here is the question: how bad can we be?

 

Thats a very good point and not a whine.

This wasnt the only time they didnt strategize for the 3 at the end. Seems Rick Adelman would rather get the sure 2's then rely on fouls to catch up