ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Rockets @ Magic 1/8/2003

I am positive the Rockets get feedback from this BBS.

 

People should show more love and support to them during games. Then they would realize that this unselfish way is what the fans love as well as win ball games. If you cheer loudly for a Francis pass, I am sure he knows it and will then do it more often.

 

YAO: take it easy, baby

 

yao hookshoot 90%
jump shoot 75%
fadaway shoot 50%

 

en!We 're moving to a better direction!

 

Yao: I like your hair-style....where did you get your hair cut?

 

or -

Yao: ....ooops,sorry.... thought this is the BBall..

 

Good game. Here are a few of the things I noticed:

1) This is the first time I have seen this team run the offense through Yao. Bravo! I listened to the Magic broadcasters and they could not understand what was going on. They said that the Rockets barely broke a sweat. It did look effortless didn't it? Yao definitely changed about 10 shots. The broadcasters believed Orlando gave Yao too much respect. They felt Yao just wasn't challenged enough. They settled for too many outside shots. That sounds familiar, huh?

2) Posey is starting to get more minutes, at the expense of Rice. Posey is the man on defense and is UNSELFISH!

3) Cuttino still believes he is the first or second option in every play. Very rarely does he give up a shot, even if his teammates have a better shot. This in my opinion will change by the playoffs. Also, the Cats maturation process will make us very dangerous in the playoffs. Cuttino has improved his defense.

4) Moochie takes too long to get across midcourt. The play is doomed before it starts.

5) I am starting to like the play where EG and Yao double pick the opposing player that is guarding Steve. That is perfect for Yao but we cannot use that play when Cato is in the game. He simply doesn't have the offensive moves. We lost three possessions before we moved to another play. This is the kind of mistakes that will be eliminated once we learn more about this team.

6) When are we going to set our rotation and stick to it. Hopefully, sooner than later! I don't think the players on this team have a clear understanding of their roles. Rudy needs to sit down with each player and explain to them their roles. I don't think Steve, Cat, Yao, Mooch, EG, and Mo have any idea!

 

OH crap!! The Jazz won.. we would have been 3rd if they lost

 

The refs should have called a technical on YAO for putting the ball on the floor and driving to the basket. That was sick.

 

Tremendous comeback for Yao.Very impressive. He posted up beautifully and shot well too.Did he dunk today too?
Eddie Griffin getting points in the paint and rebounding is highly encouraging.I want to know if he scored any points while posting up. Hopefully Mo can get consistant with his shooting but I think It's going to take some time as his fitness improves.
Too many turnovers is bothersome and luckily we didn't get hurt. Having another shooter off the bench would be nice,16.7 from 3 point land isn't good but when the big guy is scoring the shooters aren't probably getting enough looks for their shots.
Assists sometimes don't tell the whole story how a point guard is playing but how did Steve Francis do today as a playmaker?

 

BOTH of them played 37 minutes tonight.

PLAYER POS MIN FGM-A 3GM-A FTM-A OFF DEF TOT AST PF ST TO BS PTS

YAO MING C 37 8-14 0-0 7-7 4 7 11 0 3 0 2 2 23
AMARE STOUDEMIRE F 37 2-5 0-0 9-10 3 1 4 1 2 1 3 1 13

 

if he dunk that ball..it would have been the number 1 play of the week..darn !!! grrr..Yao needs to dunk more..i don't care what other says..a dunk is still 2 points...

 

Fits the pattern again. Yao shot well in a "tired" game. My theory that Yao shoots better when he plays more frequently looks more and more plausible.

 

CY02 was clearly joking. Or he is having super high expectation for Yao, like Yao himself?

 

It was sick! His drive is like effortless and the layin near the basket was like piece of cake. He didn't even have much elevation on that lay in!

 

Great Balance + Great Tempo = Great Win

I loved most every aspect of tonite's game. I won't even bother talking about Yao as he was just phenomenal. But I find a lot of other things are worth noting about burgeoning team chemistry.

Minnesota and Orlando can talk all they want about a shooting "off-nite", but IMHO, I credit Houston's defense for simply baiting opponents into settling for the perimeter game, i.e. mid-range jumpers. Layups will likely remain the statistcally higher percentage type of field goal. Take more layups away, and you're encouraging your opponents to shoot themselves into a statistically lower perimeter game.

On this note, hats off EG who had a monster game on the defensive end. How many teams have not one but TWO great shot-blockers? EG is such a prolific shot blocker that the presence of Yao PLUS EG is enough to deter most guards and forwards from even daring to drive down the lane. Trading KG was one of the best regular season moves i have EVER seen a team make. Not only did we get EG more minutes, but we also got another kind of defensive genius in Posey. EG and Posey are fast becoming the defensive stoppers that we sorely lacked early in the season and their impact totally shows.

Offensively, I absolutely love how much more involved Cuttino has become by utilizing hard cuts. Unlike SF, I feel that Cuttino is more "streaky" and needs to be sparked from time to time. While SF can create his own game, Cuttino sometimes is at a loss when the perimeter game ain't working for him. Solution? Get him easy layups. Every time I see Cuttino cut and receive the ball, I hear the nice "CHA-CHING" in my head. His contributions today, on both ends of the floor, was fantastic.

Collectively, I love our bench and how "productive" and "efficient" they've been. TMoT, Cato, Mooch, and Posey's recent performances are exactly what you want from a bench. And IMO, many if not all of our bench players are legitimate "starters." Bringing MoT, Cato and Posey off the bench to face the second stringers of the other team is more often than not, ADV: ROCKETS. In recent history, our second quarters have been very good and I like what I'm seeing in our bench energy.

Lastly, with respect to tempo and team defense 90s vs. 80s is exactly where I'd like to see future Rocket scores leading to a W in the Win column. This speed, this style, this pace is RIGHT ON THE MONEY. Defensively, there is no reason why we can't hold teams in the mid 80s. With EG's shot blocking and Posey's pickpocketing abilities, it' amazing what kind of pooled talent we have.



happynewyearSAGE

 

I don't want to open a new thread, so I'll post some interesting comments from Orlando Sentinel about Yao after the game.
Complete story: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...09,0,1547695.column?coll=orl-sports-headlines

Obviously, Yao's Orlando unveiling was a happening, a chance to witness the most innovative thing to hit the NBA since Chris Webber's grand-jury testimony.

Funniest sight of the night: Magic point guard Darrell Armstrong guarding Yao. For one brief moment, Armstrong knew what it felt like to be Taiwan.

Yao finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and three Magic big men stuck to the bottom of his shoe. Yao played like Far Eastern conqueror Genghis Khan; the Magic looked more like Chaka Khan.

 

Damn, we traded Kevin Garnett for Posey. We really got the shaft.