ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Rockets @ Nuggets 11/1/2002

We are talking about the Nuggets. The worst team in the league. We have one of the youngest, most talented team in the league. We are bound for the playoffs, but we need to beat teams like the Nuggets. The Pacers are a great team. SO what if they are in the East. They are 2 deep at every position. They beat us because we didn't play well. We didn't shoot well, or have any assists. We jacked up shots and bricked then couldn't get a rebound (other than Cato's 17). It happens. That doesn't change the fact that we are a great team. Chill out people. We have a better team than Nuggets in case you people didn't know. Indiana... well... We were missing Taylor (10pts.5reb.) KennyThomas(10pts.5reb.) and Rice(7pts.2reb.). We would have beaten the Pacers if we would have had a healthy frontcourt and could matchup with their size. I hope Ming gets at least 20min. so that he can get into the flow. Cato is playing tough on the boards though. Still a lot of basketball left.

 

That's good. Let me repeat, we have a history of blowing large double digit leads. It's the way most NBA games are nowadays anyways - the cliche is only the last five minutes of the fourth quarter matter in any given game.

 

Blowing a big lead against Denver would be sad.

 

Well, this thread could go on and on about what i would like to see and what not. I will just start like this.

Destroy small ball!!!!!!

Anyone who watched last night saw what happens when big skilled athletes play against small skilled players. Moments in the 3rd qt when rudy was small, Deke went big with Mercer,Artest,Harrington,Oneal and Bender. It made francis and company adjust their shot and they killed us on the boards at the same time. I'm still wandering why a jorneyman got more time than the first rd picks.

Run the Offense:

I could care less about Francis 39 pts or Mobley's 20pts. Evereyone will look at Griffin and Cato's numbers and say they sucked at shooting which is partly true, but how many possessions went by when they didn't even touch the ball at all? It was spans in the game when It was either Cat or Mobley shooting and no one else was even considered. What makes me think this will change when the other players get back? The last 2 preseason games looked just like the 1st regular season game and people just shrugged it off. I hate to bring it up, but i watched Miller(15pts 14asst without brand) and Davis(21pts and 10asst) play and they are still light yrs ahead of Francis as far as controlling the game. Francis is more of a scorer than the others,but getting players good shots and control tempo and flow he is way behind.

Play the young players:
Nachbar and Ming got nothing out of last nights lost.Cato played good last night and he always show a glimpse of the talent, but then he'll revert to the same cato.No way in hell was Collier and Hawkins were suppose to play before Ming and nachbar. In fact, Nachbar should have started and Moochie coming off the bench. If Rudy and company are worried about busting the kids confidence, then they drafted the wrong players anyway. They are not china dolls, they're grown men.Nene and Skita played last night and i see no reason why ming and nachbar should play just as much.

I just hope Rudy has plays to exclusively get ming the ball in the lane rolling to the basket because if he doesn't its going to be tight on the rockets.

 

When healthy, the Rockets ARE a good team. Even good teams have bad games. The Rockets had one yesterday, and they certainly weren't healthy.

If Kenny and Rice return, the Rockets will do what any other good team would do, and crush Denver. If not, they will still win, put probably by only a few points.

When Taylor returns to the Rockets, they will be an excellent team. Small ball doesn't win, and the Rockets won't be playing small ball when the bigs return.

This team lacked depth yesterday, and the Pacers just wore the Rockets out.

Francis-Norris
Mobley-Hawkins
Thomas-Rice-Nachbar
Griffin-Thomas-Collier
Cato-Yao-Collier

or


Norris
Francis-Hawkins
Mobley-Nachbar
Griffin-Collier
Cato-Yao


Big difference.

 

Well, what is done is done!! It's only one game and all of as true ROX's fan should'nt PANIC, cuz it's a long season!! My only main concern was that they didn't play Yao Ming or Boki more, i kno that they looked lost at times,but more playing time should remedy that.......but sitting on the bence and keeping it warm won't help their progress!! I was happy 2 see Boki out on the floor and playing....until he was yanked out of the game and 2 NEVER heard from again Yao Ming I thought looked a little nervous and was thinking TOO much! But he will learn from gettin' his feet wet! I see big things from these two!

 

It was a roster spot for the summer league. Jimmy King won it, but didn't get invited to camp.

TheReasonSF3, I can see you're a real beacon of wisdom.

Good thoughts all around guys, but don't think small ball will work against us. We don't really have a true SG on the roster, so we have Poz over there most of the game, and he's 6'8" (if I remember correctly). Add our 7 foot small forward (who is quick enough to guard smaller players) and our 6'10" frontline, we have some serious size.

The best way to beat Denver is to attack. Be agressive, be relentless. It's a young team that can get discouraged easily. MAKE THEM DISCOURAGED. I love the comments about "Denver sucks" without backing it up (*coughTheReasonSF3cough*). We're inexperienced and raw, there's a difference.

I think tomorrow's gonna be a lot better game than you guys think. I'm looking forward to it. I'm still not sure who's gonna win (I like the Nugs odds just because of home opener), but it's gonna be one hell of a game. And I'm going to be there.

 

http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets_200203_Injury_Report-55410-34.html

Glen is still questionable... Kenny is probable.

 

What the hell? What about that stupid chronicle article? Glen was supposed to be ready YESTERDAY!!! This is pissing me off royally. I do NOT want to see Moochie starting for the rest of the season.

 

I second that. Not that I think moochie is that bad. Small ball just makes Cat play to far out of position. He is too small to cover most 3's in the league.

 

I don't care how big the Nuggets are the Rockets should destroy them Friday. At worst they should win. At full health this isn't even and issue, and the Rockets are 2-0. But right now this team is banged up, but I still expect them to decimate the Nuggets. Having Rice and KT back would go along way towards that happening.

 

This team at full health is a good team. This team should make the playoffs at full health and have a ton of weapons. This team also played some pretty good in the preseason and I think at full health they will show that. People are ripping this team's defense as if they gave up 120 points last night they didn't. This team did a pretty good job on the Pacers and held them to 71 points the first 3 quarters. Then lack of size and depth killed them. A healthy Rice and KT should help a ton, and if Rice is going offensively the Rockets could blow the doors off of the Nuggets. Take a good look at ZRB's post. There's a major different in depth, and team style when this team is banged, and when they're healthy. When they're healthy they'll hang with the big guns in the league, and destroy and little guys. At full health the Rockets roll past the Pacers. If this team is reasonably healthy going into Friday, meaning everybody but Mo and T-Mo are available, and KT and Rice produce then the Rockets should beat Denver easily.

 

Did you ever think you'd be saying that?

 

Don't ever put the Dream and Karla Malone in the same sentence.

 

This might belong to another thread, but I have to say it here. Some of you say Ming didnt play well at all, even though he was in for only 11 xxxking minutes, so Rudy couldnt give him any more playing time. That was bull. If Yao fouls out, so be it. He will learn from it. With Eddie's 1 out 10 shooting, maybe Rudy should have benched him earlier in the game. I guess Ming's shooting % is much worse, zero. Please let the big guy play. All these shooting guard oriented offense will get us nowhere. I also want to say this. If you dont play Yao and Eddie more together, dont expect those monster number on blocks from Eddie anymore. He needs big guys like Yao in the paint to slow down the other team, so he could get those blocks from the weakside. Ming didnt play bad, cause he didnt really play at all considering the circumstances. Our coach never really gave him a real chance to prove (IMPROVE) his skills. If Ming gets to play at least 20 minutes tomorrow, he WILL have a good game. And Eddie WILL benefit from it. Then we'll have a chance to win our first game of the season.

 

Can we all agree that YM should play at least 20 minutes?

Raven

 

Nachbar does not need more minutes, that's for sure...the other thing that is for sure is that Kenny should not be playing the 3 over Rice. Only a moron would base their judgements of Rice's game on last season...that man was hurt and hurt bad...he has been playing with ease in the preseason and dropping baskets like the guy we thought we were getting in the first place. If his knee stays healthy he is going to be the ideal 3rd option for this team. Just becuz KT could score 15 points on a ****ty team last year does not make him a third option. Take all of his shots and Griffin's shots and give them to Rice...Once Francis sees that he has another scorer on the team, one whom he doesn't wince at after passing the ball to, he'll let it go easier. If I was Stevie, and was out there with the guys I was, I'd have kept hoisting it up too. Oh...and for God's sake play Ming more.

 

For all the panic-ridden folk out there, have you noticed that the Rockets are ahead of the 0-2 Lakers and the 0-2 Jazz in the standings?

 

It's not the standing that concerns me. It was the way we played. The so called motion(LESS) offense. My prediction is MING will have a good game today because he'll get more PT. Rudy will play him more because he knew he should have in the last game.

 

Ming is a project and his development wil take time and have to be doen in an incremental fashion. It will do him no good to give him lots of minutes and watch him get torched by the B players in the league. Rudy knows this and will bring him along slowly. Thats just the way its going to be. Hopefully KT will make it back tonight and provide depth at the 4.

What I would like to see from this game is a strong commitment to defense. Defense wins playoff games and championships.