ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Rockets @ Blazers 3/19/2003

This is the reason I didn't even watch the game after the first 2 minutes, I switched over to Fox News and it's been there ever since.

 

There were some positives to take away from this game need to watch game tape...

 

Hey Miguel if you gave up on them that soon you are just a fair weather fan!!!

 

Repeat it again, Mobley's trade value is VERY low, not many teams want him, period.

 

Is it possible that Smith hates Yao btw? Every time Yao can score, he benched Yao immediately.

 

March 20, 2003, 1:30AM

Blazers leave Rockets sputtering
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle
UPDATE
• Wednesday: Trail Blazers 94, Rockets 83.
• Boxscore

• Playoff watch: 35-32; No. 8 in Western Conference, tied with Phoenix.

• Yao watch: 11 points and nine rebounds in 31 minutes.

• Friday: At Golden State, 9:30 p.m.

• TV/radio: Ch. 39; KILT (610 AM) and in Spanish on KYST (920 AM).


PORTLAND, Ore. -- There were times Wednesday night, usually after the Portland lead reached double figures, when this whole make-the-playoffs thing really seemed to be a big deal to the Rockets.

But as has often been the case, that feeling and the play it inspired did not last. The Rockets fell back to the too-familiar patterns of the season, rarely moving the ball, committing unnecessary turnovers and playing with only occasional defensive intensity.

When the Trail Blazers finished them off with a tidy 94-83 win at the Rose Garden, the Rockets were back to lamenting all the same failings that have tormented them through the season.

"To constantly keep doing the same thing over and over -- yeah, you get frustrated," Rockets forward Glen Rice said. "You would think at one point you would get fed up with it and go out there and do what it takes to win. Right now, it's like having a hardheaded kid. You keep telling him over and over. You have to punish him or put him in time out.

"It's ... it's ... it's just frustrating."

The Rockets made a few interesting runs, even taking a one-point lead a few times. But when it was time to start or finish Wednesday's game, about the best the Rockets could do was inspire the Blazers to pull away as easily as Seattle did the night before, leaving Rockets assistant coach Larry Smith to try to choose which shortcoming was the most damaging.

"Both teams (the Sonics and Blazers) shot over 50 percent, and that is not good at all," Smith said after his second game of guiding the Rockets while Rudy Tomjanovich recuperates from a biopsy. "We've got to play better team and individual defense. The unforced errors contributed to that, because they got (25) points unearned. That really hurt us.

"Right now we are just trying to do too much, and it is costing us. We've got to trust each other and make the extra pass. So far, the last two ballgames, we have not done that. Until we do, we will continue to struggle."

With the Suns' loss to Utah on Wednesday, the Rockets remained tied with Phoenix for eighth in the Western Conference. But for a second consecutive night, they rarely looked like a playoff team.

The Rockets did have five players score in double figures and shot 48.6 percent. But as with the 100-94 loss in Seattle, they rarely did anything to slow the Blazers, especially when the Rockets made their brief run.

Derek Anderson led Portland with 21 points. But whenever the Blazers needed scoring, they had little trouble finding it wherever they looked.

Steve Francis led the Rockets with 17 points and six assists, but he had five turnovers and blamed himself for too often dribbling into trouble needlessly. Maurice Taylor added 14 points.

For most of the night, the Rockets played from behind, unable to slow the Blazers' offense.

"The last two games are like we are back to where we were in the beginning of the year, where we were before we won those five games," Taylor said. "We're not coming out with intensity. We have to fight our way back. You can't live like that if you are trying to make the playoffs. You can't just spot somebody 10 points and try to work your way back into the game.

"The turnovers are just ridiculous. You can't just give the ball away."

The Rockets quickly fell 10 points down in the second half. Over the next six minutes, they outscored the Blazers 21-10 to take their first lead at 62-61. Yao Ming, 0-for-3 in the first half, made all four of his field-goal attempts in the third quarter. Francis, without an assist in the first half, collected five. Cuttino Mobley, who had two points in the first half, had eight in the quarter.

But Portland needed 15 seconds to regain its lead and outscored the Rockets 11-4 in the final minutes of the quarter. When Anderson beat the buzzer with the Blazers' fourth trey of the quarter, the Blazers had rebuilt their lead to 72-66.

When the Blazers hit their next 3-pointer, they led by nine points with less than nine minutes to play. With six minutes remaining, they still led by 10, 83-73.

As in their late fade in Seattle, the Rockets never made a move and wasted chances to keep it closer. Taylor missed two free throws and a jumper. Mobley threw the ball away and had a running four-footer rim out.

Two games into the road trip that began with a five-game winning streak, the Rockets had consecutive losses in which they could not keep the score close down the stretch.

"Tonight was bad," Francis said. "The effort is there. But I think intensity as far as execution is not there. That's the complete difference. Look at how many turnovers I lost myself. Other guys lost the ball.

"There are times you go into a lull as a team. We have to stick it out. The games we have left will keep coming. We have to find a way."

 

the game was so frustrating. its killing me when i watching it. luckily i had something else to flip chanel for, something even bigger. but each time i flipped back i got more frustrated.
i thought as a .500+ team we had different game plans and whenever one of them was working we automatically stick to it. but no, it was not the case. its more frustrating than when you dont know what works. its like instead using a missle you pulled out a knife and got killed. - sorry about the bloody picture if this offened anyone. i just cant think of anything else as of right now.

 

I really hope you're kidding.


As much as I love the Rockets, I am glued to the news once something happens. Especially with the risk of a cousin that I grew up with going overseas.

I was going to flip back and forth between the game, but I wasn't interested in the game and about 1-2 minutes into it, I turned to Fox News and for the last 10 hours, it's been on Fox News

 

This is truly one of the most dysfunctional, boneheaded, selfish, spastic basketball teams I have ever seen, at any level.

Hey, Steve, those no look passes to nowhere, and those behind the back dribbles (for turnovers) were really niffty! You really, really don't get it do you?

 

I found an old article on Chron. Talking about irony.

 

Since Yao's FT was off, teammates might think he was
cold.

 

What's wrong by calling him "little Ming"?

 

Gee, thanks for the rhetoric lesson...

Ming sure played well last night. The Rockets should definitely try to get Ming more involved in the offense, but Ming needs to be more aggressive around the basket. It's also hurt the Rockets that Ming hasn't blocked any shots the past two games....

 

I really hope Rockets not make playoff. If they do, they will be very happy and not make change. And every year they will struggle on getting into playoff.

 

Dude...

Where do I begin...

Mr. Mean my azz...He has no emotion or passion...

The team follows their leader (e.g. Coach shows passion and desire, team follow suit...)

Last night was horrific...Let's hope they show up to play with GS as Rudy will be coming back...

Like I said, they'll probably go 2 - 3 this road trip and 1-1 after that...

 

Yao turns over the ball way too much lately, at least 2 of his passes last night were directly to the blazers. This is probably why his teammates don't give him the ball and his minutes are down.

 

Yes, they played like a bunch of elementary school kids with no sense of bb fundamentals. Only Yao cares to do screens in the offense. We often see one player doing iso and others as spectators, eventually bad shot selections and TO the ball. Too many times Yao's open but was ignored, except in a brief moment during the 3rdQ where he drained 4 consecutive shots to keep the Rockets close - but his teammates stopped passing the ball to him and he was benched.

Very frustrating. If the Rockets continue playing with all these stupid mistakes, its definite they'll be 0-5 in this road trip.

 

that loss sucks.

 

Yes, trade him.

 

hmm... which team is ready to accept that Chinese guy on their team...