ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Mavericks @ Rockets 1/29/2003

Hey, the Mavs just got hot from the 3-point line. It's hard to defense that kind of shooting. However, I'll say again. Michael Murphy's story in the Chron this a.m. did not help the Rockets tonight. I was afraid it would light a fire under the Mavs, but I didn't think it would be the kind of bonfire aggies would run.

 

Cat is the one who should be traded. He brings little value to the team. On defense, he is a liability.

 

do the rox even know what they're REALLY doing wrong? it's like they're totally oblivious to what commentators/fans are saying about them. i think rudy needs to take a long, hard look at every post in all of the past 6 or so game bbs boards here. yeah, yao started off hot, but i don't think it was because rudy finally realized that he needed to utilize him

 

is that a sarcastic remark or do you really think we can win the next two games against dallas?

dallas won the first 3 games decisively. why do you think rox have a chance in the next two games?

this team is a pluke. they should start shopping mobley, norris and taylor if they want to at least have a chance to get in the playoffs. and by the way, get rid of that stupid coach.

 

The Rockets problem tonight was Yao was not setting picks 95% of the time on offense. They will correct this for the next game because he is way too tired to post up all the time.

 

We had this game won.

I'm telling you, all you have to do is take away the Mavs' 3s.

Simple.

We can off-set their 2 pointers with our inside, outside game (some 3s) anb solid FT shooting.

But, we can't compete with 3 after 3 after 3 after 3. If you give that to the Mavs, they will take them, and if they make them, we lose.

Taking away their 3's make them a 90- point team.

Give them the 3's, makes them a 100+ team.

 

EXACTLY!!! BULLSEYE!!! NEED WE SAY MORE???

 

If I get up in the other team's faces on all 31 of those shots and they make 15 of them, I understand it's their night, but when I let them take the majority of those shots uncontested, there is no excuse. If you don't play legit defense, you have no excuses for not winning.

 

Beside losing to the Mavs so completely, I'm also upset about the Rockets' failure at milking the hot players. Before it's Mo Taylor before injury, who regularly scored 10+ quick points in the first quarter, then disappear in the following three Qs. Tonight it was Yao Ming, who managed 16 points in the first half on 6-6 shooting, but only 4 points in the second half. The inability to milk the hot players is surely confusing.

 

Trash talking never wins a game. The Mavs are much better than us. Excellent ball movement from the Mavs and the mismatches that they had with Dirk,LaFrentz,and Finley was too much.Bradley really played good defense tonight which slowed Yao down. I think the Rockets should have gone either with Yao and Cato together on the floor with Taylor and Griffin struggling.I also feel that putting Collier and Ming might work in some situations too,Collier and Cato could muscle in and Yao could shoot from the outside. The defense today was horrible and unfortunately poor spacing and ball movement led to few easy shots and even then nothing was going down.
We need another shooter along with Rice to stretch defenses and get some points from the outside.

 

I hope your gut feeling is on the money because I see us going on a long losing streak.

Don Nelson definitely outcoached Rudy tonight. When Dallas went on their run in the third, Rudy should have called a timeout and slowed down the tempo.

I enjoyed the first half of tonigt's game. It gave us hopes that tomorrow will be a better day.

 

No...no... I mean Rocket's next two games against Wolves and Kings.

 

The Rockets seriously have to sit down and figure what their system is. Right now, I don't understand why they continue to play to the strength of the opposition. That one long transition exchange in the third quarter sums it all. That kind of transition game leading to Nash' layup is exactly what the Mavs want. It's THEIR TEMPO. Instead of playing their nice half court sets and slowing the game down, the Rox choose to go straight at the Mavs in Mavs style... only to fail miserably.

Dallas B-Ball is a page from the old Golden State Warriors B-Ball in late 80s early 90s
The only difference is that DonnieN now has a shot blocker in a big Shawn Bradley. Instead of Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond, he has Nash, Finley and Nowitski. To beat the Warriors then was to exploit their soft belly in the middle and to SLOW THE GAME DOWN. The Rockets are not playing smart basketball when they try to go basket for basket, let alone 2s for 3s, against a prime offensive team.

LaFrentz going behind the 3 point arc DEMANDS that we go ZONE
When LaFrentz started floating back there, Yao is left confused... and noncommmital... does he challenge the 3? or does he protect the hoop? If the Rox would just give up their defensive ego trip and go ZONE, we'd have at least a hand in LaFrentz' face. In fact, for all the three point shooting of Dallas, we'd at least be able to "extend" the D and INVITE DALLAS TO DRIVE into Yao. But do we try zone? NO Instead we like to play our man on man game and get hosed!!!!



Why Aren't we Seeing more Cato AND Yao???!!!!
The dearth of big men in the league has led to teams building franchises around other positions. Therefore, you see 7 footers like Nowitski, i.e. nontraditioal forwards, bringing mismatches into the game. The Mavs have those unorthodox players AND they have a shotblocker. Why aren't the Rox more resourceful and bring in CATO to counter that 7 foot Nowitski??? Nowitski is a tall order and demands a mobile tall defender. And why do we persist to go to our stupid second unit, absent Yao, when the Mavs are using Bradley inside?

Ironically, the Mavs gave us a taste of what should be OUR STRATEGY
It should be OUR STRATEGY to play to Yao when the Mavs pull LaFrentz out behind the 3 and bring in their 3 and 4 guard sets. The first half was ALL ROX. Why couldn't we learn from our strengths and NOT play as the Mav's do??? Until this Rox team learns it's identity, we're going to have continued difficulties with teams like Utah and Dallas who are solid system teams.



disappointedSAGE

 

That will make them predictable as ever. The problem was they went away from the outside-inside game. I guess...no...I know the coach did not have any other play but isolation.

 

Everybody outcoaches Rudy these days.

 

If reality knocks at the Rockets door long enough they will have to let "it" in...

no room for talking smack after this one.

 

got it. but still the rox need to play almost a prefect game to beat those teams. don't be surprise if they again get a 3 game losing streak. i gues that is good so the owner will finally realize to fire the coach.

 

Sage,

I seriously recommend you to replace Rudy T as the coach.

 

Poise and the Lack Thereof
What is wrong with Posey??? I understand getting frustrated but the stuff that was going on on the court was simply inexcusable. For all the garbage that was going on down there, the Rox need to learn more POISE and MOVE ON with the game. Outside of Rice, Mobley, Yao and Eddie Griffin, I get the sense that this team has a fragile collective consciousness. A team like the Mavs DEMAND that we be mentally in the game for a full 48 minutes. There is a high penalty for a lapse in attention and that's exactly where the Mavs are so punishingly good at applying.

The game is NOT 24 minutes and all too often we come out of halftime looking flat. Why the complacency??? Where's the positive energy??? So much energy was spent running up and down the court and lofting bad shots and getting into arguments that I seriously think there wasn't an ounce of Gatorade getting into the players' heads. In front of our bench, we need ONE BIG WHITEBOARD to help illustrate everything we need to do. Losing like we did tonite just isn't right.

Players getting paid $1Ms of bucks and the fans only get to see 24 minutes of good basketball. What a ripoff.



angrySAGE

 

the only consolation is i think the rox will do better in the playoffs than dallas. playoffs is an inside game and dallas do not have that. the rox have it. unfortunately, the rox will not get in the playoffs.