ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Rockets @ Kings 12/1/2002

Vlade Divac is one person.

 

well, Fred Carter still took us #4 on his western conf power ranking just now.

I say losing to Kings is no big deal. If we can have winning records against 2 to 3 wc playoff teams this season, I call it a successful one.

 

for everyone bashing Kenny endlessly, can I ask you one question?

When the opposing team has the ball, how do you watch the game? What do you look at?

 

You're assuming a.) the Rocket players listen to Rudy as seen by their actions b.) Rudy could come up with an adjustment mid-game. These are both theories yet to be proven. Rudy has yet to let go of Moochie as a crutch. If we can play without a point guard when Mobley and Francis are in the game, why do we have to play a conventional point guard *at all*. So we overpaid him and gave him too long a contract. Admit we made a mistake and move on.

 

We are not ready for the upper level teams, yet. I think we are playoff caliber, just not ready to go deep. We did show some promise though. I could really notice how much Rice/Mobley were missed. No outside shooters (1-6) so the defense collapsed on the inside game.

21 turnovers is not going to cut it. We aren't getting enough shots with 21 TO's. Ming only got THREE shots.
The shooting % wasn't that bad 49% - but it isn't a true figure due to garbage time. 43.75% (21/48) through 3 quarters. Which is ok, but won't beat the Kings in Arco.

The slow starts are killing us. 6 for 14 with 6 TO's (2 each by Ming, Francis, Hawkins) in the first quarter.

- Kenny Thomas is not a jump shooter. Take your man to the hole and give up the 15ft plus shots. Heypartner - not bashing Kenny. The man needs to work on his range or just stick to his game, penetrate. He has one of the best first steps I have ever seen, should be even faster with his weight loss now, but he chooses the outside jumpers now?

- Sac is going to be scary when they get Bibby and Peja back.

 

Sac is already scary, injuries don't really seem to hurt them a whole lot. Sacremento and Dallas are the only two teams in the league that really terrify me when I see them on our schedule.

 

I know you watch it a little different than most people here.

When I am watch us attempt to play D, I look at spacing, where they are playing their man at the top of the key, around the 3 point line. How they are following with their man and are they forcing their way through screens. How do they handle screens, over the top or under? I also watch what happens on the first step, do they trail their player to the basket or could they have over compensated by giving too much space providing the ability to provide a jumper.

On O, I look at a few different things, was someone open? When doing a pick and roll, how did the defender adjust to the pick and roll. What type of ball movement was there and did it create any additional space. If someone drives to the basket what did it create?

I saw KT drive a few times and it was pretty good. I also saw Moochie drive in the 3rd Quarter and even though he made the shots, they didn't provide any threats. Of course we had an issue with shooting percentages too.

I missed the first quarter and most of the 2nd quarter of tonight’s game. But I didn’t see us run our 2-3 which it may not have been the best thing to run but the inept and useless man to man that they attempted was pathetic. Moochie didn’t appear that he could guard a water bucket and Bobby blew by him several times and he followed like a lost puppy looking for a bowl of Alpo. I also know at times like that you have to depend on help from the low post but it also leaves their players open for a follow-up.

Their D was the worst that I have seen all year tonight.

 

IMO, regarding the importance to the team, the following equation seems hold:

Cat+Rice > Peja+Bibby+Tulgou+Pollard

I am not talking about skill level (Peja is definitely better than Rice) of individual player. If both teams is free from injury, we may have lost less points.

KH

 

Check the crack pipe at the door. Sacramento hasn't lost to the Rockets in about three years. I think we needed a player called Hakeem to beat em last time IIRC. When he could run on both legs. 36 year old Hakeem >>>> Rice plus whoever else is on the IR list.

 

Woofer,

I think you get me wrong. I am NOT saying we will win Sac with Cat+Rice back. I am talking about the importance of players to the team. Sac bench is so deep that they suffer less with players getting hurt. Our team suffer MUCH more in offense with Cat+Rice not playing. You got my point?

KH

 

I thought the Rocks was growing as a team after a grind it out win against the Sonics but it looks like they're back to their old bad habits again.

I will not say break this team up yet, I'll patiently wait the year out before making a decision... but this game illustrates the huge gap between title contenders and wanna-bees.

For crying out loud, the Kings had only 8 suited players plus missing their All-Star PG and SF plus a key reserve and Webber not up to full-strength (although he had a good game)...if we can't beat a team down on its luck, it makes me wonder what team we have... infinitely talented and athletic but no idea on how to play defense or hit a jumpshot....

Let's bring back Eddie Johnson, at least he can hit a jumpshot.

 

I'm very very mad with many things. I cannot utter my anger. Oh, I guess my blood pressure is 177/100 now.

 

OK, my bad, sometimes the bile just spills over after these blow outs.

 

Oh man... I was really close on the score tonight... off by a few pts.

Sac is just better than we are at this point. and it obviously showed tonight.

I'm not a big fan of KT. I've always stated that he is expendable and that we should trade him for a guard, who can drive and dunk on people. (Mason, GWallace)

We sucked tonight. I'd be really upset, but hey its the KIngs. At least we beat Seattle.

Bring on SA

 

If I were yall I wouldn't be too concerned with getting our asses kicked by the Kings. They are the antithesis of Rockets basketball and we'll never have a prayer of seriously playing with them on a consistent basis until we see a more unselfish brand of basketball from our guys or that mysterious motion offense (where has it gone?) that Rudy has been working on for 3 years. It's damn frustrating to watch our team play stupid basketball and then see the Kings pass a few times and get layup after layup after layup. Anyways...

Also, major props to RudyT for trying to zone the best passing/shooting team in basketball. That had me in hysterics for about 20 minutes. Brilliant strategy there Rudy.

 

To your point, YES I DID.

He got abused on defense, and did his usual jab-step-mambo and bricking on offense. And if I remember correctly, he had more turnovers than assists. Same old same old

 

I hope nobody was suprised at this outcome. This is why we won't make the playoffs. It's going to be late in the season with the Rockets fighting for a playoff spot, then they'll have to beat a good team in order to get in, get run over like an armadillo crossing the highway, and then lose all confidence the rest of the way

 

The problems of the Rockets show in every game! They illustrate a lack of fundamentals of the game in as much as they have a 90" Center and need to get back to the inside outside game, with the ball being passed to the best open man. They need to drive and pass to the weekside man more than once a game. They need to come to the conclusion that this is a big mans team and once that is accepted they should play like that. While they flounder thinking that this is a Guard oriented Team.

 

Rockets deserved to lose against the Kings

When you have the leading fg% shooter in the NBA on your team and your team can't buy a bucket what would be to most logical thing to do?

Is rudy stupid? I am beginning to beleive we have the most ilogical coach in the nba

Iam still bewildered by what I saw last night. Yao had Divacs in foul trouble early and Webber was in foul trouble early. Even if Yao didnt shoot the ball he would have drawn some fouls and maybe gotten webber off of his game. There are too many selfish players on this team and they will never win this way.

I however did enjoy watching nachbar and terrence morris playing yesterday.

 

Ugh....well at least I got the losing part right.

The most disheartening thing was that the offense was not executed until the game was over and Tito was at the point.

Did anyone else notice the way that Tito PUSHED the ball up the floor?

I wish SF would do that to get some early offense going.

DD