Just a little something from last night's game. Sorry it took so long to post, but better late than never, right? http://blogs.houstonpress.com/ballz/2008/04/rocketssuns_shock_and_awe.php Hope everyone has a great weekend. JCF
Yep..once again most of the media = r****dation.. The NBA players and teams recognizes the passion, the hustle, the skills. They know that the Rockets are going to make them work for every second of every game in the playoffs, and what team would hope to play a team like that? Once again great article!
One word "coaching". No Yao, no problem; no T-Mac, no problem; no Battier, no problem. After Yao went down, the Rockets still win with T-Mac's average plays in a consistent basis, that's called coaching. Things about Adelman are: he doesnt whine about his players are injured; he doesnt b**** his players in the press; he doesnt claim credits. All he does is he keeps doing his job and coaches his players. With the most successful regular season of the Rockets since 97, Adelman still gets less than a buzz in this Rockets forum. That's not strange. That's just the Adelman way.
Another thing about this is T-Mac hasn't played particularly, in fact he has been very average and mediocre at times. Adelman is probably the biggest reason the Rockets, so successful...I don't think he will win COY, because of Boston and New Orleans. But he is a great coach for this good team..
The media's continual disregard of this Rockets team parallels a rather loud debate I found myself in yesterday with my hoops buddies at my neighborhood park. I was hyping the Rockets (and Houston sports teams in general) and harping on the never-ending East Coast crap we hear every day from the BSPN experts. One of them asked me point blank: "Do you seriously think the Rockets are a championship caliber team?" Me: "Hell f***ing yeah I do! How many teams have won 22 games in a row?" My answer was met with howls. "Dude, they got really hot. They never win in the playoffs. They don't have a superstar." Me: "Uh, this isn't last year's Rockets team. JVG is gone and they have these other guys you may have heard of named Scola and Landry. And oh yeah, McGrady. They have one of the best defenses in the NBA." I'm not saying the Rockets will win the title or that they're the favorite to do so, but anyone who denies that they're a legitimate contender just proves how the entrenched media bull**** causes cliched thinking by the average NBA fan.
ROFLMAO hahaha i loved Raja Bell's response: Raja Bell essentially echoed that sentiment, just with fewer words: “If you underestimate them, you’re stupid.”
I don't understand why media can't ever understand that good team is good team...and you don't need superstar names all over the court. Good teamwork, great execution on both sides of the ball along with good coaching can go along way.
the rockets success this season without yao and/or mac really shows how dependant jvg's offense was on those two. running adelman's offense allows them to score regardless. this season would have been a disaster with jvg. thank god for adelman.
I don't know about the "OF" part, but to disregard the defensive influence VG has and continues to have on this team is folly. Adelman and the players have repeatedly attributed the core defensive philosophies from previous years as what they use every night this year...all they had to do is tweak it up a little to compensate for the weaker defensive players. That is the big difference between RA and JVG Adleman is not afraid of using players who arent quite up to par defensively, whereas VG would not use those players unless he was forced to. Fortunately we have so many good to great team defenders that a weak cog can be covered for without losing too much defense.
You don't have to point farther than the 2004 Detroit Pistons as an example of a team that can win in spite of the criticisms your friends made. And the ultimate irony is the superstar team they dispatched in the Finals that year. We know those Pistons players now far better than we did then...and far less so than we knew Shaq, Kobe, Payton and Malone...who they beat in 5. I wonder if everyone will know Scola's and Landry's names in June?
Yeah you are Stupid! But if my truth be told I thought if a lot of breaks go our way, and we come out the gates firing and the crowd really gets into it and Rafer doesn't suck and TMac plays 48 solid MVP minutes and Battier's foot heals miraculously and wehold Amare under 30 then we have a chance to pull out a very close game. Well Rafer did suck and Tmac did enough but not MVP stuff, and Battier didn't even play and Amare went of for 37 and 11 and we didn't just squeeze out a victory we blew them off the $#@king court!!! And we even spotted them 11 points right out the facking gate! Call me STUPID 2
Yes, JVG is still influential to this teams defensive, but make no mistake, this is Adelman's defense. This team uses it's defense to score points. Last year, that concept was unheard of. The team takes more risks on defense and they mix up the style. The JVG defense never really changed. I'm fine with saying that JVG influenced this defense, but Adelman is a good defensive coach too.
