ClutchFans Game Thread: Jazz @ Rockets 4/23/2007 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 2)

Man, good win tonight. However, the Rockets cannot play like this in game 3 and win. They need to start hitting shots. Luther has to be more aggressive as well. Game 3 is a must win. We don't want the Jazz to win game 3 and carry momentum to game 4.

 

Utah's offense isn't scary at all. Think about it: Boozer goes for 41 (on 30 shots!) and they lose. Boozer has a good jumper out to about 20' but in a Jerry Sloan offense (slow, methodical) there simply aren't going to be enough shots to sustain a 40+ point individual game AND a win. Sloan's offense requires balance and ball-sharing so the defense can't focus their efforts in any one place. That's the whole premise of a pick-and-roll and back-cutting scheme.

Let Boozer look at 18-footers all night, I say. The volume of availabe shots in their offense will bite them in the butt.

If anything, having to fight tooth-and-nail for every point against this scrappy (read: dirty) defense will only toughen the Rockets for the second round. I say they come out of the first round banging, grind it out in the second and meet up with the Suns in the WC finals.

 

wheres the post game pics??? pryen????

 

besides head bricking, wassup w/ howard. ever since his hot stretch a month ago, he can't seem to make ANYTHING.

 

the last person i want yao guarding is okur, he is the last guy on the jazz who i want to see get his confidence back. the guy is doing nothing mainly because juwan or chuck is in his grill if he even dreams of putting up a shot.

let boozer get his, he will anyways against juwan or chuck.

i think this has to be more of a pride thing for those who don't like to see yao getting balled up on. big freaking deal, yao plays his game, and i'm satisfied with how he goes about his business, not this crying over dunks, or getting nasty

 

it would take some serious serious meltdown for both of them to be off the whole game at the same time. and it hasn't happened in a real long time

 

What? Why can't I post? Who are U anyway??? What crapxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

u insinuated that he's selfish. if u see how tmac plays, he's the most unselfish superstar in the league.

 

Tmac cant jack up all those shots like that, those shots couldve been more easily made if set up to yao or run through by plays. Anywayz good hustle and energy, thats basically how we won. Were moving to the road now and we better start making shots and keeping this incredible surge of energy. great job rockets!!

 

That was an awesome experience. Two playoff games in three days. I actually thought the crowd was better on Sat nite.

Free throws saved the Rockets. Cant continue shooting this horribly, which makes me think, that they are going to explode during one of these games in Utah.

 

Well, if this NBA thing doesn't work out for Yao and T-Mac they can always take their comedy act on the road. That press conference was just hilarious.

 

Gotta admit, Boozer's jump shot was incredible. Every time when he shot over Yao, I thought it wasn't gonna go in, but it did, again and again.

 

T-Mac is SO MUCH BETTER when he drives to the goal. All that jacking up shots is not necessary. When we were up by double digits and he jacked up those shots, that's what caused the Jazz to make a quick run to get the game within 4-6 points.

Other than that, I loved his aggressiveness and Yao played great, but props goes to my boy Chuck b/c I really think without his performance, this series would be tied for sure without his hustle.

 

One of the final minutes shoots was not that good on shoot selection. T-Mac sometimes should let the clock run to the last second even in risk of a 24 s violation. Jazz just ran out of time.. Please don't jack up a shoot and leave plenty of time on the clock next time when we come with a ~10 point lead for like 3 minutes.

 

One issue for Alston and Head is that they should never try a rebounce pass to Yao when the game goes to crucial time.

 

T-Mac and Yao were not in shape, our 3's shooting didn't work well, our bench players contributed little, but we still won these 2 games.
It's not often when both T-Mac and Yao have low shooting percentage, it's not quite ofen when our 3's doesn't click, Luther will find his rhythm for some huge 3's and JH will also shoot his middle range jumpers, we will win at least 1 game on the road, I have the faith.

 

Please enough with the whining cause what did you expect? Yeah T-Mac is struggling and Yao looks at little off at times but who said this was gonna be easy? Get this in your head that this will be an UGLY series. Yes U-G-L-Y as in neither team is going to shoot lights out and play a perfect game. This is already becoming a tough physical grind it out kinda series. Look at all the fouls and pushing and shoving going on not to mention that scary collision between Deron and Shane. People sorry to say but I don't expect any thing different to happen in the next few games other than what is already playing for both teams. This will be a defensive showcase not some offensive juggernaut like Phonix or Dallas. Plain and simple guys are gonna play suffocating D the rest of the way and a lot of contact and that means low scoring poor shooting kinda games. That is not an indiction of what Rockets might be like against another opponent because this is the style both JVG and Jerry Sloan have played their entire careers.

GO ROCKETS!!!

 

Fat ass Barkley.....please say something

 

I'm impressed with the team... when you shoot 36% and your opponent shots 45% and you still win, that's some accomplishment. I feel a lot better about wins where your shooting is way off than the wins based mostly on hot shooting.

Hot shooting is not sustainable, but efforts in crashing the boards, etc, is.

 

As usual, Big Yao came to Toyota Centre hours before every other Rockets, and sweat it out on his shootaround practice.