Would extensive use of the zone work against Utah?

Yep. We're not quick enough to get away with it. We just have to beat the jazz at their own game. We have to be more physical than them. Hopfully the refs don't end up deciding this game, but something tells me they will play a huge factor in the outcome of the game.

 

Agreed. Zone won't work. What will work is a taste of their own medicine. What's cost us in years past are the little things--T-mac constantly getting pinned by Harpring on cuts, Yao's inability to hold Boozer/keep him off the glass, guards getting outworked on the glass, etc. The Jazz rebound well on both ends. They execute their offense. They set hard screens and play steadfast defense.

What will beat them, and in the long term the only thing that will beat them, is our team issuing a collective "f#$k you" and deciding to dish it out instead of just taking it. We have to outwork them AND out-execute them.

I think this year, more than ever before, we're equipped to do so.

 

It's always a very evenly matched game when we play the Jazz. It comes down to all the little things when we play them. Effort plays, deflections, box outs, rebounds, blocked shots, steals. It's the kind of game Artest and Chuck Hayes were built for.

 

Add Battier & Kyle Lowry to that list too as Jr members.

...subtract Luther Head's shooting performances that single handedly lowered our shooting percentage by 5% on the series.

 

#2 and #3 are reasons NOT to play a zone. its very hard to defensive rebound when your in a zone because players first have to find a man to box out when the shot goes up. you also answered your own question during reason #3. they will find open spots for cuts.

*i want to see yao on boozer turning him into a jump shooter and not a post player.

*i want to see deke play 6 minutes to help shut down the paint.

*i dont want yao to commit to showing on the PnR. they'll abuse his lack of quickness. he should do a quick hedge out but stay with his man (boozer) let williams get chased over the screen and have someone from the wing rotate over.

 

What are you smoking?

Okur is lights out from Three at 47%, Bargnani is around 35%.

 

If Boozer bring his J then you adjust if not let him take all the jumpers he wants, just don't turn the ball over, no easy layup and attack them they love to foul and Houston FT shooting is a great weapon.

 

I have the same thought before I took a look at the stats. Okur shoot 46% from the three this year.

 

The only thing is he had a 2/13 against us thanks to Scola's hounding defense, but Okur has been hot, and you have to get on him.

 

As physical as the Jazz are, the Rockets have been just as physical in years past and this year, the Rockets are arguably even more physical with the addition of Artest in place of McGrady.

It's going to be a good game. Rockets need to be concerned with shutting down the paint and force the jazz into taking contested jumpshots. The Rockets will need to be very active defensively and crisp on their rotations. This can be done as the Rockets have shown recently against the Cavs.

Even at ESA, I'll live with Jazz jumpers over a layup/dunk drill. They can't/won't stay hot forever from the perimeter, even at ESA.

 

i usually smoke camel lights.

i didn't know okur's 3 %, but again, ron ron has been shooting the 3's for better than 50% in the last couple of weeks. okur has the range, but he doesn't shoot the volumes as bargnani and that should explain the % discrepancy.

 

no. With the amount of shooters that jazz have(Korver, Okur, Deron, Brever, AK), its just dooms day for any zones.

 

remember we beat Jazz when Boozer scored 40 points? I would still let Yao guard Boozer one on one and shut down other players. Let Boozer shoot semi contested mid range jumpers, Okur and Scola will be at 3 point lines all the time, so it's very important for Artest and Battier to protect the paint and get rebounds. They should be OK because they have the size advantages.

Also we should go to Lowry and Hayes early to mess up D Will and Boozer's flow if they get really hot.

 

I just don't see the Rockets matching up with the Jazz very well. Coming off a back to back and playing the Jazz at home with 3 days rest? Not to mention the Jazz have been on a mission as of late. I also remember last year Deron Williams TORCHED Aaron Brooks and it wasn't until Rafer got back that the Rockets were competitive. That match up will be key to watch as well as Yao on Boozer (I think we have the advantage as Boozer is still hurt and only playing 25 mins.) The question then becomes what do you do when its Paul Milsap/Okur on the floor at the same time. Yao cannot guard either player as Milsap will hit an 18 foot jumper and Okur pulls Yao out and either hits Jumpers over him or goes around him. One very interesting match up to watch will be Von Wafer Vs Brewer. As I feel we have the advantage overall but Brewer has been killing people the last 3 games. We also have an advantage at the 3 spot as Cj Miles is soft and our 3's should tear him up.

 

Zone is not a good idea with their shooters. If we want to win this game, less minutes for Yao, more minutes for Hayes to guard Boozer.

 

we were getting killed when Yao was manning bosh or bargnani...our zone looks and runs pretty effectively...obviously yaos foot speed is exploited with these range bigs...but thanks to the guards who buy into the zone hustle their butts off to make nice recoveries when running zone

 

Actually zone is the only way to beat Utah, and we can beat them easily if and only if we apply zone all the way through. Yao is not at his best this year(I wouldn't say he's on the decline, cause he just pushed himself back from injury and never got rested).

Last night's game clearly shows that without a zone, we are simply suiciding or we can only 'pray' the shots won't fall. Besides, when yao come out we are severely undersized to any team on interior defense.

With zoning, we essentially take out their inside game and harass their outside shooting to a certain point. And nobody has the ability to attack the rim(yao) with any consistent success in this league(even lebron can't).

The biggest benefit though is yao will be fresh enough on the offensive end.

 

Yao can guard Okur one on one, no doubt. The issue with guys like Bosh or Boozer isn't that they're bigs who can shoot, it's that they're bigs who can shoot and are mobile as well. Yao can't play them too close because they're way too mobile for him. When the choice is between a jumper and a layup you can go with the jump shot every time.

The real issue with Okur is that traditionally the Rockets have been unwilling to lose Yao's defense in the paint by letting Okur pull him out to the three point line. A couple things to note: Scola's gotten a lot, lot better at D, Landry's gotten better and the Rockets are a much better defensive team overall with Artest and Battier on the floor instead of McGrady.

 

agreed.

but are you saying we should play man-to-man defense tonight while put yao on okur wherever he goes?

 

You downplay the very essence of the matchup problem Houston has with Utah. Their offense becomes the most effective when they are able to lure opposing centers away from the paint with a range shooting big like Okur, thus opening up the paint for backdoor cuts and screens designed to get layups. Scola is improved at D, but that has to be tested against their pick-and-rolls. That's their whole idea. Their 3 point shooting is to keep you honest, but really their offense is all about getting easy layups or short jumpers. And when those don't fall, there's always someone going for the offensive board because either their screens have prevented the defense from boxing him out or the opposing big man is too far from the paint, or both.

The problem with the zone in this scenario is that
1) You entice them to shoot 3s, and they have plenty of shooters who are capable of making you pay
2) You fail to solve the problem of giving up offensive rebounds (and might even make it worse).
3) You probably stymie the greatest strength of your defense, which is individual man coverage on the perimeter.