ClutchFans Game Thread: Blazers @ Rockets 2/13/2005

The guys on ESPN news did not understand why Wesley missed the freethrow on purpose.

"I could see doing that if they're up by three, but...."

Lol, what a bunch of morons. Why would he miss it when up 3 when a make would seal it? I guess he doesn't understand that the miss kept the blazers from being able to throw a grant hill pass. It was a very good idea, but it would have been better if he missed it in a way that a big man would have had to grab the board. Too much to ask for though.

 

And it builds butterflies in my stomach!

 

A big factor, the team got a lot of wide open looks and none of them went down, in addition we missed a lot of free throws that also helped Portland.

Hey, the team won while playing mediocre, that is a good thing.

We won...let's move on to the Wizards.

DD

 

After tonight it seems the Rockets are closer to the 3rd best record in the West than the 9th. Who would have thought that for this season at the All Star break?

 

These blown leads have become a little too repetitious. We've been pulling a win out of them so that is a good thing. But we need to be able to keep the lead and get some guys some garbage minutes.

TMac looks flat out tired out there. Hopefully we deal for DA which could give TMac some much needed rest.

 

Good teams find the will to win games they should have lost, the Rockets are becoming a good team. Your main guy shoots 30%, you shoot 60% at the FT line, you miss all your threes and you still win, that is a good team.

Glad the D is back, props to the team for getting together and figuring that out. I hope D an O are not mutually exclusive because if they can put both sides together the Rox will go deeper in the playoffs then many expect. Lets make it 8 before the break, rest and recover and get numero nueve.

 

Sounds like us last year.

 

word.

 

The patented Yao Ming Rebound. Kidding, of course.

He's actually gotten a lot better on the boards lately. At least it seems like it.

 

Maybe Tmac should take a rest on All star weekend.

 

No, I think it was Chauncey Billups. I never thought of it untill I saw he did it, and I was thinking "Damn, that's smart!"

 

Here's some game quotes about loosing the 18 point lead and winning the game.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap;_...k1ODYxOTQ4BHNlYwN0aA--?gid=2005021310&prov=ap

"We got the win but when you have a team down like that you've got to keep them down,'' said Houston's Tracy McGrady. "We shouldn't have been in that situation. It was ugly. I don't want to actually say what it was because it was too ugly.''

"We don't have a good feeling about that win,'' Houston's Bob Sura said. "We were able to sneak out that win. We will certainly take it, but we have to play better than that.''

"Winning subconsciously softens some teams up and some players up, but winning can also make your hungry for more,'' Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "If you've watched the last two to three games, instead of being hungry for more, we've been softened up by the result of winning.''

"It wasn't the final two minutes, it was the final 24 minutes,'' Howard said. "Our defense was terrible. Tracy McGrady hit a lucky shot and without that shot our backs would have definitely been against the wall.''

"We obviously put very little into the second half and we got very little back,'' Van Gundy said. "In the first half we were awful. Do not be fooled by the score. We looked like we were very satisfied with winning six in a row.''

"We have to play forty-eight minutes,'' said Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks. "We put ourselves in the position where we have to make miraculous plays to win the game.''

 

hmm... even if it's a loose ball, can't wesley just throw it up and everyone run for their life?

-- surely it's easier to run away and try to avoid being touched without the ball than with the ball?

 

They should have rewinded their tape a little where you could clearly read JVG's lips where he tells Wesley to miss the FT

 

I can't believe the ESPN guys didn't get this. He didn't miss the first on purpose, but once he did, at home I was saying "miss the second."

What good does a 2 point lead do you when the other team is likely going to only get a desperation 3 either way? Better to make them secure the rebound and then get it to a shooter.

Great coaching move by JVG.

 

well they said the all the right things. looks like they will treat this win as a "loss" and hopefully that will up their intensity for next game.

like dd said finding themselves while they win is awesome and such a better experience then the last 4 years when we were always fighting out of holes. not everything has gone right and we've still found a way to pull out 7 in a row. just looking at tonight, we most likely won't see a game again this year with as bad free throw and three point shooting yet it still goes down as a w. i just think about how shockingly good we look when everyone is clicking and it seems like that happens alot lately.

 

Przbyilla looks pretty good now. if i remember correctly, th rockets drafted this guy, but traded him for jason Collier on draft night.

 

Another example of "Big Mac Point Shaving" at it's finest

How did Portland go from 28 pts in the first half, to 52 pts in the 2nd!!! Thats nearly double what they scored in the first half!!!

JVG, needs to do something about this rotation, we are blowing BIG leads far too often!!!

Strickland is GARBAGE!!! I rather see Gaines or Barrett. At least Barrett can hit an open jumper

 

I guess having the lead and fighting to hold onto is better than coming from behind all the time. These are great wins no doubt. The thing I like is that the rockets are not satisifed with the wins at all. They are treating it like losses and are not content with just getting by.

Hopefully they will get it right and be able to close out a little better. Even still they are a joy to watch. No harm in getting the blood flowing a little bit right guys?