Did the front or fouls stop Yao from being a factor in Game 2?

Our spacing didn't help things. I couldn't count the amount of times they were fronting, and not only was he standing there resolving to accept that Gasol was keeping him from getting the ball, not only was no one moving toward the basket in the lanes keeping the defense on their feet and trying to find open looks/options for getting the ball either in the paint or around to Yao, but NO ONE WAS FILLING THE SPACE ON THE WEAK SIDE.

They just looked too worried, the pace was getting to them, and the way the game was officiate/allowed to be played, our team didn't react as well as they could have.

Adelman has his plate full today.

 

I don't know if this deserves its own thread, but apparently there are numerous articles out today that seem confident Artest will be suspended for Game 3, here is one of them: link

I haven't seen that possibility even mentioned here, what do you all think?

 

I just tried to say fronting thing isn't crucial...

In fact, the talent level of team improving means the opponent should front less rather than more. But, we all know the result. Wired!

The blazers were the top rebouding team in regular season, but they were out-rebounded by the rockets in playoffs. I think the big reason is that they tried to front Yao too much! I think this is also the reason why the lakers didn't want to front Yao at the beginning.

 

I think
1) Yao was in foul trouble and simply had not enough court time to do much damage. When he was on the court, they mixed up their defense on him. In the last quarter when they did not bother to double, Yao scored his few points.

2) When they doubled, front and behind, he could not get the ball. They played it differently though, most teams did not play this way against the Rockets. No surprise, we did not know how to combat it.

When we played Portland, the Blazers dropped off from Scola and left him open near the top of the FT circle. The Lakers did not do that.
They had 1 man cover the player who feeds the post. Two doubled Yao, one of them was Scola's man. Scola kept playing the same way like he did before by moving to the top of the FT circle but the Lakers had a man from the weakside moved over to take away his shots. Scola did not understand that yet. He took shots that were not open, even had 1 or 2 blocked.

The Lakers had only 1 men to cover 2 of our guys on the weakside. If Scola moves to the top of the FT circle and gets the ball, he needs to swing the ball over to the weak side.

He can also just flash across the lane above the Yao's double team but don't go out to the top of the FT circle, stay near or inside the FT circle to get the ball. Yao also needs to post lower to make more room.

4) Our drivers, Artest, Brooks, ... also did not recognize that this was not a simply front, they watched Yao pin the guy who fronted him high and hoped to drive the baseline but the guy on Yao back was still there. The lane was very congested. They lost the ball several times doing that.

5) The Rockets just need to find the open spots: Right inside the FT line or the opposite side of the basket (but not if you get there by driving because they collapse on penetration) or the weak side.

 

Just like when they win game 1, it was a TEAM WIN so this lost is a TEAM LOST. Yao definitely didnt played like he should but it wasnt like the rest of the team played a heck of a game either. Brook came back down to earth, Scola was missing shot, batier miss a couple of threes and Artest got ejected. The one person that finally showed up to this game is Landry. He was scrappy, and making jumper. Welcome back Carl.

 

we had 20+ turnovers and they had 10
we missed free throws
they got more offensive rebound
yao was not a factor in game 2.
don't mention the pervert refs.
we can't play dirty.

how we could win?

 

It was Paul`s offense, He injected some **** blood before game.
someone laughth for being "lurker", I don`t get it ,how to change

 

i agree this time.

i felt that Yao didnt anticipate a win last night. everybody else on the floor was struggling to fight and eager a win but NOT YAO

He is the person if he has $10 then he feels satisfied and stops to pursue more money.

 

It was the Lakers defense that took him out the game.
Scola needs to nail those jumpers.

 

I'll go with the fronting, watching that made me sick to my stomach. Your best player get four shots off in 26 mins. of play. Its like we'll never be able to beat the fronting.

 

Why every time someone say something about Yao you have to bring Tracy name in it? We''ll not talking about Tracy this thread is about Yao.

Yao is my second favorite player, but hes not really a superstar hes a very good player that can be great on some nights. Just ask yourself this what other superstar can be taken out of the game so easily.

 

This series seems like a carbon copy from the last time.

Yao goes off in the first game and gets shut down in the second game (from fronting and foul trouble)

Roy scores 40 + and Aldridge goes off. Bryant and Pau do the same thing in game 2.

Let's hope the trend continues. Yao asserts himself in game 3 and 4 and we win 2 hard-fought games.

 

it's obviously FOUL Trouble, maybe we'd call it REFs Trouble.

Yao just played 26mins, including many mins in last quarter when REFs thought LA was safe on score leading.

 

no sir, they dont deserve the win, we were so much in the game had artest not been ejected.

 

Gasol did. Guy is too quick for Yao to guard, it's been a problem all season long.
Yao has to make Gasol a jump shooter, everytime Gasol does his post moves, someone else has to come out for the double team.

 

seemed like the lakers did a lot better with yao on the court..not sure if it was the fronting or yao playing with fouls or just he never got his game going, but landry, hayes and scola seemed to play pretty well against odom and gasol, we'll see in game 3