Rafer and Rick

We all watched it carefully. This is what happens when you inbound the ball to exactly the one guy the other team wants to shoot the ball. The answer is to try and inbound the ball to another player. 100% of the players and coaches on both teams knew Rafer would end up with the ball. Only the Lakers coaching staff realized this was good for them and bad for the Rockets.

So much for having a "proven closer" in Rafer. He's a proven disaster for this team and the Rockets better make some kind of deal for another PG. Rafer + AB ain't gonna do it in the playoffs no matter how healthy the Rockets get.

 

Every thread made after a game can fit in the game analysis. People usually do this to highlight something they realized during the game that might otherwise have gotten buried under the other game posts. Creating a thread venting about Rick and Alston is the same as creating a thread wanting AB to start over Alston.

 

Rick's last plays have consistently lead to disaster.

I'm just sayin. Even when we make them in, does anyone else notice it's almost always on broken plays? Battier three after what should have been a Rockets turnover. Wafer three against Boston; Brooks lost his handle and pretty much scrambled it out there. Yao's shot against Portland was a double-teamed, hacked fadeaway that had no business going in. To me, and maybe this is all just subjective, but every time I think "Rockets", "last play", "clutch", "down by one" or "Adelman calls the timeout" I cringe.

and don't mistake me, this is as much of a comment on our players as it is on our coach for being unclutch, but I really think that last plays are where a coach truly earns his reputation, his bread and butter, I mean it's the only play where you know the coach is 100% behind it. So far, I've been disappointed one hell of a lot most of the time.

 

any possiblities to get Nash to our team?

 

That's why you don't want him in at the end of games. If he isn't a good option, he shouldn't be in there.

 

I don't blame Rafer for taking that last shot. It was a broken play, and they were running out of time. He had to do something. Of course, I blame him for missing both free throws. I don't even want to touch how absurd that last play was.

 

i just dont understand why adelman puts too much faith in rafer these days. just because he's the only guy that listens to him?

well, live by the rafer, die by the rafer.

 

Also, Rafer did make the floater before passing to Battier for the 3, so it wasn't like he was doing absolutely horribly. And at that point, I don't think Brooks would've been that much better of an option. He was 2-for-10 today.

 

didnt get to see the game. but id go with brooks since he's a better slasher, finisher around the rim, outside shot and better FT. him or barry. but never rafer.

 

Normally I would, too. But LA did a good job of eliminating him from the offense.

 

When I saw Rafer all alone with the ball, I was like "Oh nooooo!"

You can almost hear what Phil said in the huddle. "Guys, this is simple. Just leave Alston alone. Let him do anything he wants. Just don't let him pass to anyone. We're gonna win this one easy."

 

...even in the games we won like the 100% obvious Tmac ISO to try and clinch the Oklahoma game a few days ago. Everyone in that building knew Tmac was going to do a bunch of fancy dribbling before putting up a very long contested shot(which Jeff Green almost got a finger on). Mac hasn't went to the hole since he dunked on Shawn Bradley in the playoffs a few years ago. So unimaginative. We would have lost that game if OKC wasn't so bad that they couldn't take advantage.

....but I'll bring up another point. For those who complain about Adelman's lack of in game strategy, I hope you all weren't Rudy T fans too. I was in high school when Rudy T was the coach and it drove me crazy how few in game adjustments he made...and I was just some idiot kid at the time.

 

I think that Coach RA is just being loyal to him, that's all.