Are we really playing better without T-Mac?

Are you saying that we are NOT passing the ball MORE this time?

 

You have to be blind to not see that they are moving the ball much better. The ball movement was non existing 20 games ago. They are clearly moving the ball and bodies much better.

 

Exactly, I don't know why people didn't (or don't want to) notice this.

Weak schedule is also a weak argument. Denver isn't weak, Boston isn't weak, San Antonio isn't weak. The Rockets played much better in those games even though they lost, than they did in games they won against weak teams w/McGrady in the lineup like New Jersey and Charlotte.

 

In response to the question: Yes, we are playing better w/o TMac...but we will be EVEN BETTER when he gets back.

When we were sucking, none of the role players could hit an open shot. Now the guys are really stepping up and playing well.

Also, Ademlman seems to have found the right mix for his rotation. I don't think he's gonna be experimenting much unless one of the role players gets hurt or suddenly goes into a horrendous funk.

The Rockets look like they are having a blast playing basketball, and I think it gets better when McGrady returns. I think he'll have more confidence to play within the system because he's seen that the other guys are playing really well.

 

This is actually a very hard question.

Is the team better without Tmac?

Based on individual talent it is a silly thought, but based upon TEAM play it has some serious junk in the trunk.


If the team is playing better without Tmac, then it is ON TMAC to fit in, not the other way around, if Tmac comes back and tries to dominate the ball or the offense goes stagnate, you know the ole wait for Tmac to make his move and decide where the ball goes, then it is time to get rid of him.

However, if Tmac comes in and becomes part of the solution the team would obviously benefit from his talents.

The real question is.....which Tmac are you going to get?

THAT will tell the answer to this question.

The old dominate the ball Tmac = worse

The New part of the team and move without the ball Tmac = Better.

We shall see.

DD

 

The offense is flowing better for 3 main reasons-

1) The team, after a packed first month, has had quite a few 4-5 day rests between games to practice this offense. Because of the little rest beween games, there was little practice early in the season, so Adelman resorted to JVG sets to get everyone involved. Right before T-Mac left the team was running exactly as they are now.

2) The 2 best off ball cutters on the team, Wells and Head, are getting more burn with T-Mac out.

3) The rotation finally appears to be set, with guys like Brooks getting plenty of minutes.


Honestly, if you watched early in the season, specifically the first game against LAL, T-Mac was the perfect fit...he was getting easy off ball shots off of plays being ran for him to do so, and he wasn't dominating the ball a loit or setting up his teammates. I do not see T-Mac fitting into this system as a problem whatsoever, although he will still need to be given his certain number of iso's and pullup jumpers (because with a guy as explosive as he is scoring the ball, you need to give him a good amount of freedom).

 

They moved the ball against so called sperious competition,They moved the ball against boston and against golde state and both games we were ahead in the fourth quarter.We should have held the lead against the celtcis and the warriors but we will learn next time what we need to do to close games out with or with out T-mac.



It aint about serious competition because Boston just lost to the Bobcats at home. This is the NBA and if you don't close games out and play hard everynight yoo will lose and any Team on a any given night can be had in this league.


It's about playing hard and playing together and they wern't doing neither of these two elements with T-mac.

 

The Rockets played well in the preseason without mcgrady also. The 6-1 start happened because McGrady attacked more than he settled.

If the Rockets can get McGrady to slash without the ball or attack more when it's in his hands, they could keep the chemistry going.

But Yao is becoming more of the go to guy in the offense, and it's been working. McGrady will defer to Yao, but he will also try to get himself going as well.

That's why I agree with the poster who started the "McGrady off the bench" thread. McGrady should come off the bench with Scola for Yao and Battier or Head. That way, McGrady keeps the defense working without missing a beat. Plus, it allows him to do his thing with the rock and play more uptempo with Yao on the bench.

 

Your last sentence is the point. Will he stop jacking up jumpers with 20 seconds remaining on shot clock?

 

T-mac dominated the basketball against the lakers then especially the next game gainst the jazz when he scored 47 points and shot 80 % of the filed goals in that 4th quarter when he got hot. Adelman was even saying during the 6 and 1 stretch that he didn't like how the team was playing offensively because they were struggling to get other guy's involved. He said it was like pulling teeth.



You keep talking about one guy playing well the 1st few games but as a team they were playing like crap because after the jazz game for some reason the offense played the same way from that game on and that was isolating Tracy at the elbow letting him go 1 on 5 and when that was shut down throw the ball into Yao and when they took yao out the game with the double front then we struggled to score points. Then it was back to pic and roll spot up stiff jeff van-gundy basketball.

 

I'm saying you are looking at the wrong thing. It's the same shots guys. Same 3s that they are hitting instead of missing. Same drives they are hitting instead of missing.

Pre-Tmac injury, Scola, Hayes, Head, etc. were getting layups from the offense. I remember so many times, "Man, you can see how this offense is going to look this year. It's so much more movement, etc. etc."

It was...until people starting missing once we went 6-1. All of the sudden no one can make shots outside of Yao and Tracy. Guess what? They start dominating the ball. Both, except Yao turns it over more. Let's not forget, we were close in almost every game we lost before Tracy was playing injured and ultimately sat out hurt.

So ok, the ball is moving so great inside to Yao, outside to 3point shooters. An occasional backdoor pass here and there. The "ball movement" is not the reason for better shots, the shots have been there. They are actually just going in...for now.

The majority of the ball movement is the result of hayes setting a pick, rafer passes to hayes, battier and rafer go around, picks, get the ball back, swing it around, into Yao. End result? Ball in Yao, if he can dominate, open shots for everyone. Imagine if Battier starts hitting again? What's the secret formula?? You got it, same shots, different result, he's making.

There are times to analyze and see what's right and what's wrong, and the answers might not be as simple and clear. To me, TO ME, yes, it's as simple as Rafer making the same 3s and drives he's been missing at HIGH rates, and Head making the shots James has been missing. Bonzi stepping up as needed, and Scola and Hayes being so active is a big part to me as well.

I'd be more willing to attribute the current wins to hussle and hard play. not ball movement. It's lower on the "reasons why we look better" list...again, to me.

 

How about incorpating TMac this way?

The main focus is Yao in the low post. Let him work his jelly or passout for reposting or because he is double teamed. If the passee is open shoot it if not start passing it quickly and look for Yao. If the play boggs down to less than 8 secs feed to McGrady and let him shoot or slash. Also if the passee recieves the ball start slashing to the basket to draw the defense end. Let others around the cut to the basket from the weak side. McGrady NEEDS to slash much more and draw everyone to him then kick out. Him and Yao need to play off each other.

When we played Dallas in the playoffs we did well because if slashed and pitched to Yao. We lost when others never stepped up. McGrady can do better but the problem is help and they should not step up only when McGrady is out, they need to do that during the game. They never did that til now.

 

"Are we really playing better without T-mac?" Have you not been watching? It's seem to me it's pretty obvious. I mean "being better" and "playing better" is two different things.

Really, are you just trying to make excuses?

1). The schedule? They've played better as a team, that is a fact. It equals wins.

2). Adelman's Offense? Yes, they are finally running Adelman's offense. Tracy wanted to revert back to the same things that got us sent home lastyear. The old JVG stuff, being the distributor (and the man).

3).Brooks and Scola? Yes without Tracy taking 25-30 shots a game and trying to be the alpha dog, there more room for players to be themselves.

You can call it a coincidence or just a soft schedule if you want (we have been on the road a while, I don't call that too easy). But a win is a win and the Rockets are what they are. A good team without Tracy.

 

Is obvious that the question is, will McGrady adapt and risk (not demeanor but risk) his stats and body for the sake of the team or no??

If he does that he may play a lot like Richard Hamilton, coming from screens and settling for jumpers but with no defender guarding him (if the screen is great or the with less opposition). I think that T-Mac should became this player to succeed in this system, ala Hamilton he comes from screens and can shoot or penetrate.

 

Ball movement moves the defense.If you don't move the defense the defense will lock on to your targets.With T-mac the isolation style of basketball killed open looks because the defense already knew what was going to transpire in the posession. They knew tracy was looking for his shot and if he couldn't get it he was going to kicked it out to the spot up shooters.But the problem with this attack was he was settling for jump shots instead of driving the ball to the basket and when he settled for those shots this led to long rebounds and poor transition defense that leads to teams getting easy buckets out of us.




The ball is moving because you don't have a guy holding the ball over his head for 10 seconds which was allowing the defense to lock in on your targets. The ball is movin and now guys get different open looks instead of the stiff forced open shots that were created with Tracy's jump shooting.You are easy to defend when everyone is standing around but when the ball is moving and more importantly the bodies are moving you get more game rythym looks in the flow.

 

It will be funny to watch them hustling without moving the ball.

 

People say T-Mac is a volume shooter. Well maybe the "scrubs" need to take some volume shots too.

I promise you, taking 20% of shots away from the "scrubs" and giving them back to T-Mac is NOT going to warm up their shooting. They could stay at the same level, but I'd think they will cool off some putting up 20% fewer shots.

Now, is it better to have 20 shots coming from one guy or 3/4 guys? I'd say 3/4. But there are other factors T-Mac brings to the game. Nevertheless, I'd think guys tend to be colder when they take less shots per game.