Haven't seen this posted yet. JVG gives a brief opinion on the amount of 3's being taken, Tracy says how he's just happy we have the record we have, and Battier says we need a balance. link. Dec. 1, 2006, 12:39AM At 10-5, Rockets are enjoying the ride Record after first month of season is a satisfying start By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle After so many bumpy rides along the way, with wins that came the hard way and what-could-have-been losses, perhaps the Rockets are wise to have developed a bottom-line perspective. They finished the season's first month 10-5 and worlds removed from last season's 4-11, injury-wrecked November. So rather than quibbling how they got there, the Rockets were happy with the destination. "Oh, gosh, 10 wins in a month? Unbelievable," Rockets guard Tracy McGrady said. "Wins are hard to come by in this league. When you're in the West, shoot, I'll take 10 wins in a month every month. "I'm happy with where we are." But winning 10 games each month will get tougher. The Rockets' wins have come against teams with a combined record of 58-91. They played two back-to-backs in November, but have five back-to-backs and the longest road trip of the season awaiting them this month. Measuring progress But if the Rockets' record is the only measure of what they have accomplished that matters, how they did it might indicate what will come next. "To be determined," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said when asked what the Rockets have established. "Obviously, health and improvement are huge issues to any team. I've been pleased with how we played some games, other games, like the Phoenix game, I was not happy with how we went about our business. "Can we improve individually, can we improve as a team and can our core play with consistent energy and intensity." The Rockets' health, though not nearly the issue it was last season, could be better. Kirk Snyder is out with a broken wrist, and Bonzi Wells does not appear close to returning after two early-season cameos. The Rockets' improvement has been marginal. Their energy has dipped dramatically the past two games. They have been solid defensively, but not spectacular. Though they allow the fewest points in the NBA, 89.3 per game, and are fourth in field-goal accuracy allowed, 43 percent, teams are making a healthy 35.9 percent of their 3s against the Rockets, which ranks 24th in the NBA. Offensively, the Rockets have been turnover-prone (though with signs of improvement the past two games) and are remarkably reliant on 3-point shooting. The Rockets launched 38 3-pointers in Phoenix on Wednesday, the second most in a game in franchise history. Many of those were the result of having to come back from a 22-point deficit and in the final minutes when trying to come back again. "You can't pass up great shots and that's what they were," McGrady said of the Rockets' 3s against the Suns. "We just didn't make them." Asked if the Rockets took too many 3s, Van Gundy said, "depends if you're making or not. "That's what some of our guys do. If they're open and they don't shoot, I'm not sure what else they would do. We're not a great finishing team." If the dependence on 3-point shooting fits the talent on hand, it might not be the best way to become more consistent. The Rockets average 24 per game, the second most in the NBA behind Phoenix. But they don't take anywhere near as many shots per game as the Suns do, with 32 percent of Rockets shots coming from behind the arc. Question of balance "Obviously, we'd like a better balance of getting paint shots with 3-point shots," forward Shane Battier said. "Part of that is personnel. Part of that is understanding just who we are as a team. We have good drivers. We also have very good 3-point shooters. People are very confident in their 3-point shooting. We understand we're going to win a lot of games with 3-point shooting. "We also understand we're going to win a lot of games driving to the basket, getting fouled and making free throws." Yao Ming has continued to increase his production, averaging 25.7 points and 10.1 rebounds. But McGrady, while producing as a playmaker, has struggled as a scorer. More than dipping to 18.7 points per game, he is making just 40.2 percent of his shots and 30.7 percent of his 3s. "We've played some great basketball, and I think we've played some basketball that has left a lot to be desired," Battier said. "When we put it all together, and we're playing stout on the defensive end and playing aggressively on the offensive end, we're a very good team. When we're not doing those things, we struggle. "I think we've shown a lot our first 15 games." They've shown more good than bad, with plenty of both. jonathan.feigen@chron.com
I also think we are taking way too many three pointers. Sure, a lot of them are open shots but it wouldn't hurt to penetrate the Defense and take it to the hole when they're open like that. Once we get the D off balance, it'll be easier to score.
Is it me or doen Jonathon Feifen give T-mac a free pass quite a bit concerning his struggles. Even after the Phoenix game the sub headline stated 'Yao Struggles.' Don't get me wrong, I will take a 10 win month too, but as you can tell from the board, something isn't right with T-mac. I am not calling for a bash T-mac article but you have to imagine if this where in another city it would be huge news. You almost wonder if it really is a confidence issue and Fiegen is cutting him a break so he won't press??? That sounds rediculous though, but who knows?????
I don't think Feign is giving T-Mac a free pass, for he did state T-Mac's shooting problems. JVG is right though. While driving and finishing is something Snyder and VSpan can do, one is injured and the other doesn't play too much. Bonzi will get shots too, and most of them will come inside, but that's not for now. So when you look at Rafer's shooting and see that's he's .342 on all layups and .361 on all 3pters, then it's not that bad a philosophy. Rafer this year has been a much better jump shooter and terrible finisher. Does that mean he should exclusively jump shoot? No, but it's no wrong to have a majority of jumpshots if that's what you do best. I have no problem with the live and die by the 3 philosophy. I think there are other issues that they have to shore up first, like turnovers, rebounding improvement, and t-mac's shooting. Once the other issues are taken care of and the 3pt shooting is still not going at efficiently has it should, then you start looking at personnel change. The Rockets championship teams were not the best 3pt shooters in terms of %, but they did jack em up like crazy. Of course, they had Dream, but the point is, most shots were either Dream or a 3pter, and I believe that it could still work today.
Well, there's only a couple of guys that can do that on the roster. Tmac, Rafer, and Vspan. Head to a very small extent. I feel fine with the guys takin the 3. We shoot a very respectable percentage. The PHX game, not so much. You can't win them all. Oh and as far as giving Tmac a free pass. It'll be the first time ever that's happened if that's the case.
Regarding the first sentence, if the Houston media will not pay attention to the Rockets or provide good press for the Rockets or praise Tmac for his great performance in the 04-05 playoffs, then they have no business publishing bad press about the Rockets. Regarding the second sentence, I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to understand that T-Mac's confidence is waivering. At the same time, there is no question in my mind, that he will find his groove. I don't like T-Mac's game right now, but there are some facts that we are omitting when talking about T-Mac's offensive production. First, he is not being put in scoring positions as many times as he was in the past due to the offense being Yaocentric (not a bad thing, but a justification). Second, JVG with his 2 page offensive playbook has no plays for him other than the curl around 2 screens, where Tmac can either shoot or drive and score/dish. Second, he has always had the ball in his hands as the first offensive option and he is a rhythm player. He is supremely greater when he sees the ball go in the hoop. He's having to adjust to a different role and he is being put in unfamiliar scoring position. Third, this is T-mac's fault. He is too passive and too content to do only what JVG requires him to. He's also tentative, lacking confidence and making bad decisions on when to drive or shoot. He also used to be very good at getting himself out of a shooting slump. Now, his idea of getting himself out of one, is taking a 360 fadeaway. As smart as he's playing in terms of being a point guard, that's how bad he's playing in terms of being a SG. His ball handling is the worst I've ever seen. His handle has always been (even last year) one of the best in the game. His bad play is due to 2 factors 1) I think he's not working as hard on his game now that Yao is the man. 2)He's coming back form an injury and lacking confidence 3)He's not in great shape for whatever reason Fourth, did I mention, JVG's offensive genius is tremendous. Tmac gets no wasy points. I understand that we want to slow it down, but how can we not get the man a dunk every game on fastbreaks or on set plays? A dunk can do wonders for his confidence and his performance that game. Do you guys remember how last year, JVG started a couple of home games (Clippers and Sonics) with a set play to give Tmac a dunk from a Rafer pass? Tmac played great the rest of the game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=marnKGcpuic The year before the first play of the game would be working Wesley around a screen for a shot. This year, it's Rafer shooting from a Yao pick. Ok, I feel better now. Having said all that, expect "Revenge of the Mac" coming to a theater near you December 06.
