It seems like the Rockets from top to bottom always say the right things, but I'm tired of the rhetoric. Actions speak louder than words.
I don't care if we come into the playoffs as an 8 seed.. anything can happen. People have to keep in mind that we were a strictly defensive team for almost 5 years and now switched to a motion offense. You can see it when they play.. and why we are still a pretty good defensive team. Thanks to JVG. We're not gonna pick it up against the best teams in the league in 24 games. If we can gell soon and get a few winning streaks under our belt then it might build some confidence. We also have to keep in mind that we HAVE beat some pretty good teams this year.. esp teams that have given us trouble in the past. Which is why I think all this could work if we can do it in time to make the playoffs.
Ok, if he isn't an idiot, then he would go get it checked out right? Then when the doctor says he is out for 3 weeks you would call him a p***y and a quitter. Either case, you will find a way to b**** out McGrady
The problem we've had this year isn't beating the best teams in the league, it is beating teams like Sacramento, Philly, Memphis, Golden State, ect.... teams that aren't that good but we fail to beat. There is no excuse for that when you have tmac and yao on the same team.
that's exactly why I think we are not in as bad of shape as we all make them out to be. If it was the other way around where we couldn't beat a good team but won against mediocre teams I would be worried even more. plus the inconsistency bred by injuries lost a few games for us.
I think we need a good motivational speaker like Iron Mike Tyson to come in and threaten to bite their ears off and eat their children if players don't start playing 'D' and pushing the ball. That kind of motivation typically wakes up the slackers.
I agree to be honest people will always b**** about him constantly. Even Yao doesn't cop as much as T-mac does. I mean if his injured his labelled as soft, weak, checked out of the game etc............has anyone ever thought that he might be telling the truth. Take his ankle injury for example. I have his pair of shoes (TS Lightspeed) and to be honest the ankle support on that shoe is horrible. I wouldnt be surprised if he actually did tweak it. When your down by 30 and you tweak your ankle, do you: a. Mail the game and not risk a 6 week lay off if you do screw it b. Submit to the fan boys and try and win a game 30 down. I've watched the tape of the injury and although it doesnt seem like he did tweak it, those shoes wouldn't surprise me that he actually did. I mean the dude is human im sure most of you play through pain too *sarcasm*
It's T-Mac. First of all, him jogging slowly with his head down is a familiar sight that everyone knows and there is no reason for it. He can go full speed for the length of a game if he feels like it. Why they hell is he JOGGING all the time, and jogging slowly at that! Second, T-Mac plays much worse at home and this is a sign of mental issues. His mind is not in the game at home, but he can focus when he's on the road. It all depends on whether he has focus or not. Remember when the All Star game was in Houston? How did T-Mac suddenly pop out of his funk for one day during that dismal season for him and strain after the MVP award in the All Star game? He just felt like it. T-Mac started this game very young. He does have miles on his body, but more importantly, it seems like he got used to being the superstar T-Mac and that is enough. He doesn't need to win. He can just be T-Mac like he is right now and that's just fine with him.
Thanks for your great insight Durvasa. Your posts are the ones worth reading. Very objective (No surprise there since you do numerical analysis on our player'/team's stats) & very unique. I never thought of it that T-Mac's poor performance could be caused by his knee problems. Combine this with his natural facial expression (laid back look) and it leaves an impression to most fans that he has no heart/desire to play. I do hope that this is the case.
The thing is, under Van Gundy everyone's shooting percentage was higher. I'm thinking about this and have come up with the following. Van Gundy was all about floor spacing, screens and playing inside out. Guys like Francis, James and Battier would thrive in that offense because if the floor is spaced out, there are seams in the defense that gives a guard like Francis/James the ability to exploit. Not saying that the motion offense couldn't work but the guards that dominate the ball and depend on ankle breakers and driving into the lane can't do it now. You got Yao or Scola at the high post and the guards have to cut inside and run the baseline to get the shot. They aren't used to doing this and when they receive the ball, the defense is packed in the lane so if James or Francis or T-Mac tries to take the ball strong to the hole, it's not an easy shot. In otherwords, the defense has shut down the lane and there is no easy shot. How do you beat teams packing the lane? You've got to either run Adleman's offense correctly with cutters getting easy baskets behind the defense or you need to have floor spacing to allow penetration. Either that or you have to hit your three pointers to force the defenses to come out.
Maybe it is because for the past 2 years he has been top 2 in the league in usage rating, which is pretty amazing consdering how bad his back is and how he is so "soft" He goes full speed when there is a fast break, but yes, most of the time he does jog. It gets annoying sometimes, but that is just how some superstars are (Carter does the same thing, as does Bron unless a fastbreak is there). I disagree with this. Last year he was statistically better at home, and in Orlando he was always a better home player. I do not know if it is focus or simply the fact that he does not get the same thrill at the quiet Toyota Center as he does at loud opposing arenas in which there is energy towards and against him...I don't know why he is generally more of a away player than home player. Or maybe because it was an all star game, notorious for teams playing no defense? And before the ASG he had a 28pt game, and the game after the ASG he had a 26pt game. Then back problems hit again and he was not the same. Considering he was in tears after they lost in the first round (in which he clearly gave all his energy and heart into), I truly believe he does care about winning more than anything else. If he didn't he would have been strongly opposed to last year in which JVG used him primarily as a playmaker and 2nd option to Yao most of the year...but he did not complain once. He generally does what he is told.
Right. I just b**** to b****. Good call. You muast be a "TOF." Waaaaaaaaaaahh. Look, I'll call it like I see it, I won't criticize to be critical. And your argument is obviously not valid. When he quit on his team in Philly, he was playing the next game. He's going to play against Orlando after limping around for 3 quarters. The way he acts when he gets an "injury" doesn't even come close to fitting the amount of time he misses...especially lately. But you're right, I'll just continue to b**** about McGrady because that's just what I do. I really think there's more b****ing about people b****ing than there is actual b****ing around here.
Tmac needs a hug...... He is the most gifted player in the league, but those gifts extend from the neck down unfortunatly. DD
