ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Celtics @ Rockets 1/13/2003

Apparently they are all bangwagoners. Amazing!

 

If we play stupid and selfish like today the entire season, we will be as a .500 team at best. Period. Our ourside shots just happen to be hitting today. Some of you please open your eyes and quit looking at stats.

 

hmm that is a good question. cuttino doesn't do it all that often and steve isn't always a sure thing. i wanna say they just did it to milwaukee but if they didn't then i'm putting my money on last february. or is it only starting backcourt, like moochie counts when steve was out last year. makes it tougher. i still say february, it can't happen often.

one of my favorite moments tonight had to be baker trying to drive straight into yao and try to shoot over him only to get it swatted straight back. newsflash to vin, YOU CAN'T JUMP! what the hell was he thinking.

another amazing moment was steve's block of bremer on that fast break. steve just hung back so he could time it perfectly and jump as high as possible. i can't believe bremer didn't realize this and use the rim and lay it on the other side. but damn what a block. gotta suck to have a 6'3 dude pin you on the backboard about 11 feet in the air.

 

Everything I predicted came true tonight! Assists, team ball, a win..... My eyeballs must be made of crystal

 

yeah it sucks when the stats make them look like they have a good game and we win b/c then y'all have to be more creative about what you're going to b**** about and have to say stuff like "it's not the stuff that shows up in the boxscores" and stuff. it's easier when they just go ahead and shoot 5/17.

 

if you can throw a ball into a basket ten feet high, why is it so hard to get it to someone who is 7'6" and is clearly taller than everyone else on the court? i got flashbacks of the dallas mavs game when the guards couldn't throw it to yao with najera on him. DAMN FREAKIN' NAJERA! he's almost a foot shorter than yao and they couldn't get him the ball.

maybe yao has some kind of anti-guard deodorant that deters the guards from getting him the ball. he couldn't get it when he plays for china and it seems he can't get it on a consistent basis here either.

i'm not a yao-only fan either. i just think the offense runs much smoother when it's going through yao. the rockets seem to have a great shooting night one of out every five games. it helps when yao draws the defense and dishes out for WIDE open shots.

 

At this point, Yao should be more of a role player. He doesn't have to show the world why he is so special. He is a Rookie anyway. And we all have seen enough of him to say he is special.

The most important thing is a W. Francis and Mobley have more shot attempts because they have more experience and they are not such a bad shooter either. Their veteran status and good stats should earn them more shot attempts at least at this point in time.

Plus, Yao did not go to the summer camp. Right now if Rudy wants to change everything they practiced over the summer by giving the ball to Yao (running the offense through Yao, whatever you want to call it), it's difficult.

 

you didn't watch the games or you must be blind not to see the difference.

 

Christ, I can't believe some of the complaining going on after the win. They tried to get Yao the ball several times, and it got turned over because they tried to force it into Yao. Not only did they front him, they had a weak side defender double him before the pass. This means Yao can't back up to catch the lob, and since he isn't a great leaper by any stretch of the imagination, the fronter can often get a hand on the ball if the entry passer tries to pinpoint a pass. I will take a high-percentage open look vs. Yao being doubled as soon as he has the ball, if it doesn't get turned over.

But when a team doubles Yao like the Celts did tonight, this means that somebody is open, and they moved the ball well tonight, except for the 3rd quarter. Yao still changed the game, even without the ball. How many players are capable of that? How can some of you not be happy with that?

And while the offense runs great through Yao at times, I don't think he's quite ready to become the focal point of the entire offense. In fact, I think it would be a mistake to play away from one of the Rocket's strengths, beating people off of the dribble. The zone has cut down on its effectiveness, but being able to go to another strength when things aren't working one way is going to keep defenses on their toes and open up opportunities for others.

 

I has supported the Rockets since 95 so I am by no means a Yao-only fan.

Do you honestly see us winning games against quality West teams (namely Lakers, Spurs, Kings etc) with Francis and Mobley taking 40 shots and Yao playing like a role player? I rest my case.

 

Great players make a great team. Great team makes great players.

While hoping Yao doing great why shouldn't we mind Rockets' losing?

Of course we'll go to ************ board later. But why should we get out of this board, which cherish very much?

I suspect that you are a Yao-hater. Isn't Yao part of the Rockets team? Are you a true Rockets fan?

 

All I am trying to say is don't just see points as the only contribution by Yao.

I think Rockets can win over great Western teams even if Yao put only 13 pts, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists. His contribution is only only what the stats shows. His mere presence in the court which alters many opponent's shots and make the job much easier for his teammates is a huge asset.
Now, do I think Yao is only capable of those numbers? Of course not. Yao's potential is who knows what.

 

Cuttino had a great game.


But Cuttino should take a long hard look at two of his teammates.

James Posey, and Juaquin Hawkins.

They play within the confines of the offense. They let the game come to them. If Hawk could have just a quicker step and better J hed put Mobes on the Bench. Too bad he doesnt.

My problem with Mobes tonight isnt the production. Its the way he has to get production.


WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY to many times he resorted to clearing team mates out and ISOing. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many times he passed up a wide open Ming underneath to drive the lane. Regardless of weather or not he makes the shot, its DUMB Basketball. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. Dunks are better for the team than driving into 3 defenders and fading away from 15.


And why are we calling Mobley a good shooter this year. He is very close to hitting the 20 percent mark on his three's and is close to becoming a .410 shooter.

How does this qualify as shooting well?

 

Great.

Now Yao-only fans label people who don't bash Francis, Mobley, and Rudy Yao-hater.

Chance, I think you should really compose a new song, as VesceySux suggests, titled "TradeFrancisBenchMobleyFireRudyGiveMingTheBall."

 

I would agree with that. And I know that Yao's contribution isn't measured by pts. I also think Francis and Mobley did well today and won us a game. But I want to see our game plan evolve more to a correct direction. Because I think for the Rox going to another level e.g. winning in playoffs and utimately championship, Francis and Mobley taking 40 shots is not the answer no?

 

No, but neither is Yao taking 40 shots an answer.

The answer is balanced attack, smooth ball movement, which Rockets has not mastered completely yet, but still has a somewhat winning record to date.

 

Just got back from the game. It was nice to get a W against a quality opponent again, but we're gonna need to play better to beat the upcoming teams on our schedule. A few points:

1. The ball movement was better today but not where it needs to be. I too was frustrated by the inability to get it into Yao, but you have to give Boston credit for doing a great job of denying the entry pass. Unfortunately, we don't have a Robert Horry on this team who can feed the post effectively. I noticed that the Rockets were trying to get the ball into Yao, but if they couldn't get an easy pass in, they quickly went away from him and swung it around the perimeter. It was frustrating that they didn't bother to look back at him becasue he was frequently open after the initial entry pass denial as we swung back the other way. I think the entry pass from the top of the key as Yao sweeps into the lane would have worked effectively.

2. Fast break. We definietly did a better job of pushing the ball up the court and getting some long outlet passes to streaking guards. The alley-oop to Posey was nice, and Stevie was able to make a number of free throws after being fouled on the break. I wish the guy (usually Steve, cat, or Mooch) would use their court vision though and dish the ball back to the tralier a few times. There are so many times when we have a 3-on1 or a 4-on-2 break with a trailer ready to jam it home. Instead, the lead guy on the break forces the action, going staright at the defender for a difficult shot.

3. Shooting. We had a nice shooting night all around. 50% shooting nights don't come along very often in this city, so I guess we should enjoy it. I'll take Steve and Cat shooting above 50% anyday. Besides a few stupid shots by Cat, I thought our shot selection was decent.

4. Defense and rebounding: Early on, Boston as killing us on the offensive glass. Luckily, Twoine and the others were having a tough time converting around the basket (hmmm, could it be Yao?) It was nice to see the Rockets correct that, esp. in the 4th quarter. On D, they made another scrub look like an All-Star. That would be JR Bremer. We should have done a better job getting out on them tonight knowing that their a team that lives and dies by the 3-ball. They got way too many open looks outside the arc.

5. Focus: You could definetly see how this team is much more focused when they play a "good" team as opposed to those that they are obviously superior to. They came out sharp tonight and generally kept the pressure on the Cs. I don't doubt that they'll keep it up tthis week, but I wanna see that game in and game out, no matter who we play.

Overall, nice game, but no time to rest on our laurels because Phoenix and the 2nd best rookie are coming into town. Let's snatch that 3rd spot from them.

 

damn internet connection made me double post

 

Ha Ha, good getting back, cmellon. I would like to give my 2 cents on your previous post though.

The problem with not feeding the ball to Yao when he is wide open underneath the basket is next time he might not roll to the basket when he is supposed to roll or he might not play aggressively on the defensive end. People can say all good things about Yao, but don't forget he is no Saint. For example, have you seen Yao Ming running hard in a fast break in recent games? I remember at the beginning of the season (when League pass was still free), Yao Ming was usually right behind the guards in fast breaks, now how many times do you see that happening? At least I didn't see that many times on the limited rocket national games.

The point is not about whether to pass the ball to Yao or not, the point is to do the right thing which I don't think Rocket guards have done. What is more mind-boggling is not much progress has been made after 1/3 of season.

Shrimpie

 

I totally agreed with BALANCED ATTACK. But I wouldn't call the Boston game (the guards shooting twice more than the frontcourt combined) a balanced attack and correct game plan. It is simply not the way of winning championship.