He shot 8 for 17. Not sure what else you want from him. I'm not saying he should put up Tmac-like attempts, but there were definitely a couple times down the stretch tonight where I felt like he should have taken the shot.
I take away a lot more positives from this than negatives. I didn't expect us to win this game but we competed and it looks like our group will give teams' fits. It'll be a fun year.
Nice effort to claw back. Heck, we would have won if we'd just hit our FTs, and won convincingly if we'd also avoided some of those dumb turnovers (Ariza, please!). We'll improve those things and win tomorrow. Happy for Portland's long-suffering fans--they have a good team, at long last. I hope Scola's ok. He didn't look his best tonight.
this wasn't it. ab was 0-for-6 on 3's tonight (which i believe made him hesitate on that late 3 he should've taken).
The great thing about this game is that the bench got quality minutes. They played the whole 4th quarter and gained that much needed experience. Andersen got his chance to play and size up bigger opponents. Chase got the playing time when it counts giving him a taste of the game when it matters. Overall, it is still a lost but there are positives to look at.
Why was Bill was so down on Landry? I love Mandry, and what he brings to the table but I think we are overrating Carl just a bit here. He was going up against arguably the tallest and most athletic font line (sans Lakers) in the League. I kind of expected him to struggle a bit tonight. He'll be fine.
Portland actually played a bad game. Both Roy and Aldridge played well below their ability. Still doulbe digits win over Rockets.
I wouldnt, because that means we're DOWN by too many points and he has to start jacking it up almost. I rather he be more aggressive early so he can help us build a lead.
Scola, Ariza, and Battier are used to being role players. They are asked to do more than what they used to do and it will take some time for them to adjust. This was probably one of the worst games in Scola's career and I'm certain that he will bounce back. I'm a little concerned about his health, though. Ariza and Battier being on the court at the same time as the two wing positions is not an optimal lineup. Neither of them is very good at creating his own shot. This is something that must be addressed. I like the lineup with the two small guards a lot better. AB needs to become the go-to guy in the clutch. Whether he can do that will determine how many games we can win this year. No one else on this current squad is capable of doing that. Lowry needs more playing time. He's the only true PG. Our offense flows much better with him running the team. Our lack of size was exposed big time against a team like the Blazers. How many times did we get blocked? And the rebound difference is alarming. Anderson has shown some offensive capabilities, but he is not a defensive presence as Yao or Mutombo was and the rest of our "bigs" are all undersized. The lack of size on the front line will be our biggest problem against the Western elite all year long. One thing that is clear, however, is that the Rockets will not quit. That is the reason why we might just surprise some teams even with subpar talent level. Overall, I'm not dissapointed by the first game of the season. This team will be unwatchable at times this year, but it should also bring some exciting moments. Can you say Air Bud?!!
Positives: - David Andersen's shot was great. - Budinger's movement off the ball. - +8 in fast break points. - Kyle Lowry. - Bad games from Scola and Ariza, but still fought. - 37% FG and 27.8% 3PT... can't get much worse than that. Negatives: - Scola can bounce back, but not sure about Ariza just yet. - Exploited by height (51 to 33 in rebounding). - Defensive lapses.
Yup. The Blazers played about 60% to their potential. Roy was pretty bad and Aldridge was in foul trouble. They should have never allowed the Rockets to get so close late. That's the sign of a pretender, not contender.
For the first three qtrs the team looked unprepared to play this team. Was it the coaching or the scouting report or the talent? The players looked partly unfit and certainly didn't play the uptempo game we had been led to expect by Morey. The one on one defence to say the least was poor! In the 4th Qtr. The Rockets played a decent game on both ends of the court and reduced the 21 point lead to nine points at the close. I was not expecting so many Rockets players to play a game hardly worthy of the NBA. PORTLAND PLAYMAKING ROCKETS- NO PLAYMAKINg
I can maybe understand Ariza and shane since Ariza is still adjusting to the team and Shane was injured for a week, but Scola has more than enough experience being the go to man. Perhaps it was his injury, perhaps it was just a portland thing, but if it's not then there's no excuse for his play tonight.
I don't expect too much from AB. He did fine this game, being the only starter with any offense going. But if AB takes 20+ shots per game, this team is going nowhere, because AB isn't going to be an efficient scorer in a long run., he's not going to be better than a poor man's SF3 at his peak.
WIth all the worrying about Anderson's and Air Bud's defense, it seemed that Scola and Landry's defense (or lack of) hurt as much as their mediocre play on the offensive end. Rebounding is going to hurt this team all season... they don't screen out well and POR also was helped by a number of long rebounds. The Rockets will need to have all five guys crashing the boards this season.
Yes. this is the worst game I have ever seen he played, there must be something wrong with him. hope that he will come back strong tomorrow, we need him play better and better.
Don't feed the trolls, Brooks played great. He was 0-6 from 3pt land, but 8-11 inside the arch... Lowry and Brooks are a good tandom... Our issues are in the Ariza and Battier category, one of them should not start. DD
Look if you get outrebounded by 18 boards you should get blown out by 30. I think the Rockets will be fine once they get the right combo of Players in certain situations. Andersen Landry & Budinger need to be in the game when Lowry & AB are on the floor. Ariza and Battier need to com off of midlane curls to put pressure on Nba Centers an open up layup opportunities for Scola and Hayes, Pops. All -n -all just think when T-mac gets back the Rockets will be crazy dangerous
