Well that puts things in perspective a bit. The way Atlanta was hitting their shots last night they would have given any team a run for their money.
Those victories against Minnesota, Dallas, and San Antonio were all at home. Minnesota and San Antonio both trounced the Hawks when they faced Atlanta at home, and that was before Atlanta put together their current CBA all star team... ...and BOSTON? Newsflash, Boston sucks... I just wish the Rockets would put HALF the effort against the Spurs, Mavs, or Kings as they did in this game...
Its funny that sometimes you get a mix of players that for whatever reason seem to click together...even if none of them are well known or considerd to be good. look at Utah earlier in the season with only AK as someone that is considered to be good. They arent that good...and if we had played our normal level of defense...this game would have been over in regualtion.. lets just hope that we dont have too many more defensive lapses like this. on the bright side....as least we showed the heart to pull it out and never quit fighting. an improvement on the team that would fold in OT last year.
In addition to that, they are the only team in New Jersey's current 13 game winning streak to even give them a battle before losing by 6 points.
If we can dump some bad PF contracts and pursue Boozer or Okur would be ideal as a solution to the PF dilemma.
SamFishy boy... I have no freaking idea WTF you are talking about. You certainly know how to convince, or rather insult, people. "but then clueless YOF's such as yourself are sometimes worth reading as comic foil." --change the S for the Y, wow, totally paradoxical.
As great of a win as this game might be, we have to put things into perspective here. There is still half a season left to go and this will probably be the most difficult stretch for the Rox. What they did yesterday was awsome, but there were many defensive lapses from the team as a whole. Individual players like Yao and SF played excellent defensive on many times, but we couldn't stop the Pick n' Roll or the outside shooters. If this was an elite team from the West like the Mavericks (Rockets killer), Sacramento, or Spurs, then this game would've been over by the end of the 3rd Qtr. The biggest problem is, we lack talent on this team. We have a dominant center down in the paint with Yao. We have great perimeter and outsider shooter in Jim Jackson. But that's about it. SF and Cat are both very special and talented players, but as everyone can see, they hold the team back more than they contribute to its growth. Everyone else pretty much are what you can call mediocre role-players. We need a solid PG like Bibby or Andrew Miller. Yao needs a more dominant and consistent player with him down in the paint like a Carlos Boozer. And we need a versatile and skillful guard like a Stephen Jackson.
A perfect Rox lineup - Yao - C Carlos Boozer - PF Jim Jackson - GF Stephen Jackson - SG Mike Bibby/Bobby Jackson/Andrew Miller - PG
ASSOCIATED PRESS 12:06 a.m. February 23, 2004 HOUSTON – Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets refused to stop playing hard – even with exhaustion quickly setting in. "Feeling tired is a bad feeling," Yao said. "But losing is a worse feeling." Yao scored a career-high 41 points, including eight in the last of three overtimes, to help the Rockets beat the Atlanta Hawks 123-121 on Sunday night in the NBA's longest game since 2000-01. "I was very tired, to the point of being numb," Yao said. "But I had to keep going." It was the first three-overtime game in the NBA this season, and only the second in Rockets franchise history. Cuttino Mobley played a franchise-record 59 minutes and scored 28 points. "I feel like it," Mobley said. "I'm tired as hell. I'm just glad we didn't give it up." After the game, the Rockets still had enough energy to praise their 7-foot-6 Chinese center. "He showed mental toughness," Mobley said. "He's growing up a lot as a player." Yao was 15-of-21 from the field, 11-of-13 from the line, and had 16 rebounds and seven assists in 50 minutes. "I thought we needed every play we could get down the stretch from a lot of different guys," coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "Yao obviously came through with a lot of big baskets." Added Jim Jackson: "He played great, he played big. That's the way Yao has to play for us to win. He makes us a totally different team." Steve Francis scored 16 points, including nine in the three overtimes, but fouled out with 37 seconds to play in the final extra period. "Yao did everything," Francis said. "He rebounded, he scored, he passed the ball and he defended, too. He did a really good job tonight. I was excited to see the way he was able to lead us as a team. He did a good job of that tonight." The Hawks were also impressed with Yao's performance. "He's an imposing figure out there," Atlanta coach Terry Stotts said. "I actually thought we did a nice job on him. He got points off rebounds, he got us in foul trouble and he made his free throws. He did a little bit of everything." In the third overtime, Yao scored Houston's first six points, but Stephen Jackson tied it with one of two free throws with 47 seconds remaining, and Bob Sura scored with 37 seconds to go to give the Hawks a 122-120 lead. Yao then hit a short jumper with 23 seconds left and Mobley made one of two free throws with 8 seconds to play. Yao hit a layup with 32 seconds to play in regulation to put Houston up 94-91, but Atlanta's Chris Crawford made a 3-pointer with 25 seconds to play to tie it at 94. Francis then forced the second overtime, hitting a 3-pointer with 2 seconds to play in the first extra period. Jason Terry, who had 27 points, hit a 3 with 54 seconds left to give the Hawks a 114-111 lead in the second overtime. Jim Jackson countered with a 3 from the corner to tie it with 5 seconds left. "Yao Ming was the difference," Crawford said. "He was unstoppable. He fouled two of our guys out and obviously scored all the points. That's why he's a great player. I tip my hat to him." The Hawks lost for the fifth straight time in Houston, and 11th time in 12 games there. "We had plenty of opportunities to win it, but we didn't seize the moment," Terry said. "I missed a wide-open layup that would have won it." Notes: Houston also won the NBA's last three-overtime game, beating visiting Indiana 127-118 on March 13, 2001. ... Terry has at least one steal in 18 straight games. http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/nba/20040223-0006-bkn-hawks-rocketsfolo.html
Wow, what a game! Yao finally started doing what he needed to do... attack the double/triple teams. He's so damn big and mobile that he can do it. Earlier, he kept kicking it out. That's fine if it gets to the open man and he hits his shot. That gives Yao more space to operate in. But if they aren't hitting (or even if they are), this guy can successfully attack the double team if he gets the ball in a good area. That happened last night late. Again and again and again. It was a thing of beauty! I hope the Rocks learned from this last night. They don't have to throw up their hands and try something else against this kind of D... just keep attacking it. Oh, and we need a real PF in the Elton Brand mold. I know we can't get Brand, but Cato is a center and Taylor is an expensive back-up on this team. He needs to go to the East, where I think he'd fit in. Or somewhere. Anywhere. (and I like him... I just think he's too expensive for a 6th man and doesn't fit as a starter at his position. Not here. It's becoming pretty clear, imo.) CD, get us a beast!
Kevin Cato took a 18 feet jump when Yao had a better position in the paint. So he was replaced by spoon immidately and never came back.
are they serious? there hasn't been another 3 OT game in the entire nba since that incredible "moochie norris is the greatest player ever" game against indy? that's actually kind of amazing. and of course everyone knows we should have 3 triple overtime games in our history. if those damn replacement refs hadn't counted sabonis' jump hook after the buzzer of doublt OT a few years ago, that game would've gone to triple OT. i think that was actually the last call a replacement ref ever made b/c the real refs were back the next game and we were a west coast game that went to OT, meaning we had to have outlasted the rest of the games. b/t that shot, jalen rose's shot last year, and drob's tip in 93, do the refs ever not count shots after the buzzer against us?
zong, YOF is a term to describe those fans that choose to favor Yao over the TEAM! That's the distinction. Are you a fan of the Rockets? Or just Yao? This is a Rocket BBS, remember? There are a few FOF (Francis-only fans too). But not as many. P.S. We also have some PDOF (Power Dancers Only Fans)...but I can't blame them!
Do you point out Yao hater, SOY etc? Lots of problems here. Do you think that some people only love Yao will be a problem?
If you want to love Yao only. That's OK... But, If you want to TALK about BASKETBALL objectively in reference to the ROCKETS. Then, yes. It will be a problem.
Francis will get out of his shooting slump. Despite having a bad shooting night, Francis did dish out 9 ASSISTS, WITH ONLY 2 TURNOVERS. Very impressive. The guards did what we've been begging them to do all along, GIVE YAO THE BALL. We're going to the playoffs. Have faith in that. After we hit win no. 45, fans may relax a little bit. Let's knock the Lakers down to six if we can. That'll show 'em. We will beat San Antonio (our Phoenix circa '94-95) and destroy Dallas (our Seattle circa '87, '89, '93, '96). In two years, wer'e going after that crown and with our young nucleus, see about hanging up a few more banners. HOW SWEET IT IS.
