ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Mavericks @ Rockets 2/21/2003

thacabbage:- You must not be a student of the Game if you are so easily pleased!

 

Okay, so what you're saying is you believe Yao can play more minutes. Now I ask, how do you know this? It doesn't matter how young he is, the guy gets tired quickly, period!

You know if Rudy took out Yao early in third quarter so he could play more at the end of the game, you all would be complaining too.

Rudy plays him about 33 minutes a night, which is probably just about all he can handle, and yet all your complaints are directed at Rudy. What you should be complaining about is the pathetic play of his teammates for not being able to pick up the slack when Yao needs to rest.

 

There's no way in hell we can keep pace with the Lakers. They don't lose to sub .500 teams.

Our goal are the Suns, Jazz and others.

 

all i have to say about this game is....here comes the lakers.

IT'S OVER!!!

 

Yeah, that would be some great perimeter defense especially against the mavs. What is Rudy thinking?

 

A-Train doesn't want anyone running with scissors!

He's a trained professional!

 

see the post right above yours. don't worry about the lakers.

 

enfuegos:- I am not funny I am a very serious fan and analysist of the Rox. You criticise my analysis of Bradleys fouling I wonder what your Game is? My analysis was saupported by another poster also!

 

When rudy took yao out in the 2nd half we were down 8-9...when he came back we were down 18 or something with about 6 minutes to go. Don't you think he should have put yao right back in when the mavs were running up the score? It's obvious without yao in there...they have no post presence and all they do is revert to isoing and becoming masonry masters.

Rockets looked like they were building a new arena out of bricks out there at the beginning of the 4th quarter.

Masonry is forever.

 

Yao Ming played the entire second half in the game with Pacers. And he got 11 points at the 4th quarter.

 

I don't think the rotation was the major problem tonight. If the rockets had kept doing what they did in the first 5 mins of the game, they could have actually win it. Bradley had a very good game tonight, you have to give him credit for that. Yao had his own problem tonight.

 

By the way, who saw Avery Johnson play? That's why I want him as a coach. He never gives up, and he's smart.

A.J. only played 10 mintues but got 3 assist.
They guy plays mean like Calvin, but is smart like Isiah.

Sorry Calvin. You're a great player. But you're wishy-washy, like Walton.

 

Anyone can tell me
"who can make open jumper?"

This is the big problem of Rox...

 

Tough loss. Especially the way the Rockets were playing the first quarter. It was a lot like the last Mavs game where the Rockets played well for the first half and then just wilted.

2 points here....

1) The Mavs can just plain shoot the ball. They come in wavs, including off the bench with Van Excel. Hey, many of the shots the Mavs made, the Rockets had the same type of shots and missed. Sometimes it is that simple. The Rocktes could not match the offense that the Mavs put up, especially when our bench unit comes in the game.

2) I very rarely get on officials at the game or make a big deal about them. But holy crap....that was one of the WORST officiated games i have seen in quite some time. Just atrocious! Yao Ming was absolutely RAPED in the paint tonight. Everytime Ming had the ball in the post and would make a move Bradly was all over them. It was like the Mavs conviced the refs to go easy with the foul calls because Raef picked up 3 early ones in the game and sat the rest of the half. Everytime Yao had the ball and made moves he was fouled. Yao was visably frustrated in the game. Rudy picked up one T but I still thought he should have been more boistrous to stick up for his guys that were getting jobbed by the refs. The Rockets at HOME got horrible calls!? I am not saying it cost them the game but at the time some of the more dubious calls were made the Rockets were within a few points of the Mavs and then the damage was done and the lead was up to 10 points. Then the bench unit comes in and the lead bulges to 17 points. Frustrating.

I honestly think Yao took more abuse tonight then playing against Shaq! This will definitely be a learing experience for Yao. He seemed to adjust to the more physical contact and make plays in the 3rd quarter but by then it seemed like it was too late. It was time for him to come out for his break for the 4th quarter run. It is quite obvious that Dallas learned a lot from the first meeting with Yao. In that first game Yao dominated but in the 3 games sense then they have made a HUGE effort to pound and punish Yao. And tonight they got to do it and weren't whistled for it. Real shame!

We can only hope that Yao learns from this and tries to take a more physical approach from the START. I can tell you that other teams will notice this tactic that Miami and Dallas took with Yao in being physical. The onus is on us and Yao to adjust and take advantage of it!

Chris

 

Good for you. I agree too.

 

We could do better in certain areas, like going inside more (even without Yao, we should still go inside out with Mo or EG rather than go 1-on-1 on the perimeter please), sharing the ball and finding the open shots more. But overall I think we played hard today. Couldn't fault our boys too much. Mavs are just a more talented and experienced team. I am not worried too much about this loss. I think the upcoming games against the likes of Memphis and Boston are bigger tests and true keys of making the playoffs.

And 1 more point, I think we desperately need to add a consistent 3-pt shooter (a younger version of Glen Rice with a little more defense would be ideal) more than anything else in the summer. There was a long period today when we just couldn't hit any outside shots at all. Then if Ming and EG progress nicely, we will be a very good team next season.

 

Yetti, no offence, but you have no idea what a stupid comment that was.

 

This is what I found funny. I thought maybe you were exagerating just a bit. That's ok though, everybody has a right to vent after a big loss.
I agree that the refs missed a few calls, but you have to admit Bradley frustrated Yao most of the night. He played solid defense.

Maybe there will be a thread on how we should trade Cato for Bradley in the offseason?

 

Yao have to take some responsiblity for tonight loss. I think he didn't take Bradley seriously at the beginning until after he was blocked several times and got angry.

 

Yao was hecked, no doubt. Good to see him get angry and be physiccal. I sense the team is growing through all this.....painfully.