since yao went down we have averaged 15 per. Our season average is 22 per. This worries me a little... Against dallas we only shot 6 free throws. In the playoffs freethrows become even more important because they are free points. I remember against Dallas in 05 the freethrow difference between us and them was huge and I felt that was one of the biggest hurrdles in us advancing...
Weve won the past few games by 10+ points and we're draining shots... I could see how your a bit concerned but I dont think its a big problem
definitely agree. the reason why we're playing so well since yao when down is because everybody's been hitting perimeter shots. there's no longer a dominant inside force to throw the ball into when shots aren't falling so the burden falls on perimeter play. the way we're playing right now is like how the bulls of last year played. Heavily reliant on perimeter play. It worked out against the heat when their shots were falling, but against the pistons their usually reliable shot failed them. we gotta get to the rim. it worries me that we only have one good penetrator/finisher on this team and thats tmac, who we all know can sometimes fall into a spell shooting just jumpers.
yes we're draining shots now, but sooner or later the outside shots stop falling. it's defintely concerning because it shows how little we penetrate. this team only has two guys capable of attacking the basket: t-mac, who never attacks, and rafer alston. we need to penetrate and get to the line if we want any success in the playoffs. you live by the jumper, you die by the jumper.
In both our championship years, Rockets were 5th worst in FTA per game. As long as we can shoot well from the field, limit turnovers, and offensive rebound, we should be alright. Besides, with the group of crummy foul shooters we have on this team, I don't think I want them attempting a lot of them.
T-Mac's been driving a lot more now since the lane's open, and he's been finishing the drives. If he starts missing, the refs will probably give him the benefit of the doubt and call the foul; he's still a superstar, after all. In short, keep attacking the rim, Mac!
are you guys seroius??? we've always shot an high amount of threees, even when yao was around. and we're perimter oriented rihgt now, but we stillg et points in tha paints. thats where most of landry, hayes and scola points come from..... tmac isnt tha only penetrator. Bj, Rafer, and Head(to a minimum) all penetrate too. and yeah we need to get to tha line more, but one positive about low free throws is it keeps tha game goin at a high tempo, which plays into our hand now
How long can we keep it up though? Will Rafer's hot streak come to an end? T-Mac is shooting well above his average now, but most likely his fg% will go down.
Scola and Landry can post and score around the rim after a penetration by Rafer or Mclady. Not worried and feel Tmac cango to the post to give us a presence
the thing about free throws is that they keep you in the game when your shots arent falling, but if you dont get free throws and your shots arent falling you can quickly find yourself down alot.
Yeah i guess one game means he is a natural attacker T-MAC better attack in the postseason or i'm gonna stop being a homer and defend him. im basically obsessed with him and need counseling. T-MAc is still my favorite basketball player and this is his team. It will only go as far as he take and if he wants to shoot 20 jumpers, its gonna be tough to watch.
Wow, wow, wow, I COMPLETELY disagree. The charity stripe is one of our greatest weaknesses! Low FTA usually translates into higher FGA!
agreed, outside win you games but they are not reliable, right now we are on the streak and full of confidence, but what if on some night you just can't swish your shot? we need inside presence with penetration and slash. otherwise when we meet some good denfense team we would be schooled. the extra concern of me is the FT %, ROCKET is 22nd in that ranking and I see no good in it, especially after one of our best FTer was down, guys must work on it