All of this talk about 'how to beat Utah' got me thinking... How do you think Utah will try to beat the Rockets? What would you do strategically if you had to coach against the rockets? besides, a little self reflection can be very revealing sometimes... I'm not very good at offensive strategies, but here's how I would guard them. I would blitz tmac on every pick and roll attempt, hoping for him to (a) give up the ball, or (b) abandon the pick and roll for one-on-one play where I would have my defender sag off a bit to play the drive and hope he takes jumpers all night. As a change of pace, I might decide to zone a paint a little. keep guys like scola, landry, harris, even deke from getting easy shots. I'd then keep an athletic wing on tmac to keep him from driving, and hope that rafer alston ends up with the most FGA's.
Last time we played Utah, they had more energy. They were diving for the ball. One thing that surprised me, twice happened, somebody stole the ball from Luis after a rebound, that's very unusual. That takes a lot of energy and confidence to do it to Scola. Hustle and play smart. That's the key.
i would double tmac when ever he get the ball make him pass and force the other players to take shot,(still thinking...)
from the last game, sloan only doubled tmac whenever he goes into the post or off the pick and roll. if he isos, it's single coverage. personally, i would just guard tmac with one man and let him prove that he can dominate an entire game. i'll htink about doubling him in game 2.
If I were Utah, I would force T-Mac into jumpers and B-Jaxx as well. The last thing they would want is for Houston attacking the lane and opening up uncontested dunks and layups for Landry and Scola. Force the rockets to basically shoot over the top of me and force Rafer to beat me (at least when he gets back) would be some of my scouting report for Utah. Also attack the basket when Deke is on the bench.
The Jazz have a formula for winning, it is filed under "07." And that is likely what they will do; push, shove, bully, and bang. They are going to play very, very physical. If we match it and hang tough, we got a chance. Scola and Landry are wild cards, they could make the difference. But, of course, if TMac shoots us out of every game, forget about it.
i'd deliver the payoff to the refs on time so that it doesn't have to go to 7 again. that's gotta be tiring for the 2nd round series with the lakers.
simple way to beat houston if i were coaching the jazz. just do what you did last game. pack the paint and make t-mac shoot jumpers. our offense relies on t-mac's PnR, so once you trap t-mac the offense comes to a halt. defend the paint so Landry and Scola cant get easy shots and close out the 3 pt line. jazz already did a good job of all these things last game.
It seems pretty obvious from Utah's game against us the other night as well as their comments in the press that they're gonna guard T-Mac one-on-one til he forces them to change their defensive strategy. So that means if he has Kyle Korver on him, he needs to take him to the basket every single time! That's great if the jumper is falling, but he's been way too prone to settling for the outside shot even when he's have a 4-16 type of night. The other key is to have outside shooters that can punish Utah for packing it in the paint. Guys like B-Jax, Head, Battier, Novak, and Brooks will have to make the Jazz pay.
What about offensively? The Rockets do have a pretty decent defense. What to expect from the Jazz offensively? We're a much better defensive PnR team this year, but that is their bread and butter. I don't know how good Deron is in the post, but whereas last year Boozer really dominated us, I think this year Deron will need to for the Jazz to win.
On offense: Force Houston to pick their poison in the frontcourt. Open sets with Okur and Boozer in the frontcourt if Mutombo is in the game to force him to come away from the basket, opening up lanes for dives and Deron Williams drives off high screen and rolls. Focus P&R play with Williams and targeting Mutombo. Screen setter (Mutombo's mark) stays out high for the jumper. If Mutombo is out of the game, exploit size advantage with whomever Scola is NOT guarding. Houston frontcourt reserves are almost all 6-6 and not adept at blocking their own man's shot. Crash the offensive boards on the weakside to further take advatage of size in the post. Match Korver's PT with Luther Head, and keep him on the strong side perimeter for P&R plays. He will be able to shoot over Houston's back up 2-guards at all times and will be a key 3rd option in the P&R sets. Take advantage of McGrady if he is standing straight up on defense. He can be caught reacting late on cuts often times. Tends to drift off of weakside shooters and watch the action, though seldom commits to help defense. Quick passes to his man on the perimeter should allow for uncontested outside shot. Plays much more effective D if you put the ball on the floor. Scola can be drawn into quick fouls if you take him off the drive (Boozer). If he is in foul trouble, Houston is forced into a very small lineup. On Defense: Be physical with McGrady during any drives into the lane. He is questionable on the line, and is easily discouraged into staying on the outside. When this happens, his playmaking ability drops quickly, and Houston's mismatches at the 2 can be negated. Respect Luis Scola's scoring ability, but exploit his weakness in passing out of double teams after going into his move. Double, but do not double immediately. Good finisher if permitted to get inside. Keep a body on Landry, Harris, and Hayes to keep them off of the offensive glass. Hayes feeds off of weakside cuts to the hole from the high post, but is not strong in finishing alley-oops. Front him on these cuts to discourage the pass from the perimeter. Press Aaron Brooks whenever he brings up the ball and McGrady is out of the game, and encourage him to take quick shots.
This. Plus the secret weapon is the screeching harpie in the 100 section. I heard her yelling the entire last game. Just have her kick the volume up to 110.
cheat like usual by doing your normal "play tough, flow of the game is tough, so fouls are no calls" crap. and also. fllop. and. watch boston celtics defense on the 2nd half of our last game.
attack/penetrate with deron. pick and roll. exploit rookies. that is what i would emphasize if coaching utah. we will lose if in severe foul trouble (1/4/5 positions)
I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure they've got our number. They don't have to change their strategy at all. Keys for the Jazz: 1. Pressure the Houston ball handler. 2. Attack McGrady off the pick and roll, crowd the lane when he drives, take away his first step by crowding him. 3. Run. 4. A heavy dose of Boozer in the high post. 5. Lots of pick and roll. 6. Stretch our D with Boozer from 18 and Okur from 23. 7. Continue whatever it is the hell they do to snag every single long rebound off of a three point miss. 8. Attach our smaller front court crashing the boards with Kirlenko, Okur, Boozer, and Millsap. I hope I'm wrong, but this could be 4-0. Our only hope is consistent offense from McGrady and that doesn't seem likely given his current gimpy-ness.
Put every defender inside the paint. Dare the refs to call 3-seconds on them, which they won't. Make Houston shoot jump shots all night. Go back to the locker room at half-time and apply more butt-grease for flopping.
