ClutchFans Game Thread: Lakers @ Rockets 11/13/2004

For some of you, if you don't like our team or any of the players, then just go away from here or cheer other team or owned your owned nba team. Just stop complaning.

Some of you will never satisfied.

 

Even though we lost, they had shown that they can hanging in there with the Timberwolves and the Lakers. I think the main reason that they are able to hang around and could have won both of those games is because the improvement of Yao. He is doing a much better job getting position now and push aeople around and score. If he continue to improve , there is no way anyone can guard him. Last year imagine if Steve Francis is out, we wouldn't be able to hang around with one of the elite team in the league. But with TMAc out, Yao had showed that he had improve enuf to give his team a chance to win. So, overall we lost these 2 games but I think that this 2 games go a long way as far as giving Yao confidence that he can be the man that lead this team to the promise land.

 

Agree, this may be a blessing in disguise. Yao has brought it the last 2 games, if Yao carries this play over when T-Mac returns, look out.

 

well said! But it is odd to see someone score 32 and the team 79... anyways, be positive gusy!

 

32/79 40%!!!

 

IF Yao can bring this kind of game all the time even with T-Mac playing, then these two losses will be well worth it. Yao's never really stepped up in the past when Steve was out for a game and the whole focus was on him. But this time without T-Mac, Yao has been playing much better. I don't want things to change when Mcgrady comes back.

Tracy can probably average 20 pts just playing in the flow of the game. Couple that with Yao getting a couple easy buckets a game because of T-mac's passing and these two can be absolutely unstoppable if Yao keeps dominating. You notice that Yao got 32 points tonight and really didn't get one easy bucket.

And I don't doubt that T-Mac's had his eyes opened by Yao's performance the past two games. He's seen what Yao can do with a bunch of touches. I wouldn't even be surprised if T-Mac comes back with the intention to make Yao into an NBA scoring leader. And Yao's got the skills to do it. He's not quite a dominating defender yet, but I'll take Yao's offensive game against anybody.

 

I only saw on one possesion Yao could have made a short jumper but he passed it out to wide wide open JJ for a 3-pt attempt. I was like "take that shot". But only because JJ missed.

Seriously, would you complain so much if JJ made that shot? The other night, Ward made 2 threes in OT and everyone was saying how much confidence Tmac and Yao had in teamates. If you want to be a leader you have to be able to trust your teammates and make them better. Of course they will let you down sometime, but otherwise it wouldn't be so hard to be a leader, would it?

 

If this team doesn't get TMac back, it is done. The ability to create a shot on the perimeter is a must. JJ's 3 point shooting has gone awry. Ward is now the best 3 point shooter on the team. Lue's 3 point shot surprisingly is garbage. Bowen is a solid roleplayer. There was one defensive sequence in which he guarded Kobe that was like watching a boxer bob and weave. He was able to avoid the obvious attempts by Kobe to create contact on the perimeter.

Yao basically trusted his teammates to make wide ass open 3s. The Rockets have lived and died with the open 3. These are not contested shots. The Rockets missed a lot of these shots against the Lakers. That's the game. If the Rockets make a decent percentage of these open shots, they win.

 

Great game by Yao. It's sad that Tmac is not there.

This team is not gelling as yet but everyone is trying hard.

We got screwed again by ref, actually we should play better and win and not let the Lakers hang around, we are capable of blowing the lakers out of water

 

His minutes should cut back a bit, just to keep efficient when he is on the court. When niether Yao nor Tmac is on the court, we really have NO OFFENSE whatsoever. That is when JJ overplays but I guess he doesn't have much a choice.

 

Sad but true. How I wish we have a Steve Kerr.

 

Some players on our rockets absolutely suck. Besides, this isn't a cheerleader forum, this is a rockets forum, meaning that people are free to discuss their opinions on the rox.

 

There will be games in which the Rockets can't hit anything from outside. For the most part, this was one of those games. Considering it was a home game, this is not encouraging. However, I think Ward, Lue, and Howard are going to have to get some home games under their belt to adjust to the Toyota Center.

 

Have you ever played organized bball? It's amazing how many ignorant fans here. It doesn't matter if you had the highest shooting %, the rule of bball is working for the best possible shot. If someone has a better look, then pass it to him. Yes, our shooters had a rough night, but they still should kee shooting when open. Eventually, the ball will start fall, the law of average always wins at the end.

As for J. Jackson, that's another story. I just cannot stand the guy any more. Wake up, JJ. You are a role player, a bench player, not a star on this team. Don't over step your role!

 

THis game was lost simply because neither Ward, Lue, nor Jackson were able to hit shots down the stretch. We had SO MANY opportunities to just go ahead but the shots didn't fall. THis is why the ROX only need someone who is a pure shooter like Steve Kerr. Without that pure shooter, games like these will cost us, despite how WINNABLE they are.

 

exactly.

 

Maybe the blow to Yao's belly was premeditated,

http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208~25392~2534092,00.html

 

This kind of "trust myself" attitude stalled Jordan from winning championships till his 6th or 7th year in the league. If the guy is a guard in the NBA, you have to assume he can at least hit an open jumper or two. It's why coaches pull their hair out when great talents like AI trust only themselves and noone else. Not bashing you or anything, but a guy who recognizes double teams and doesnt put up forced shots is a person that coaches usually love. Though, if I had Yao's supporting cast right now, I'm not sure I'd trust anyone of them

 

where have the post-game quotes disappeared to on rockets.com? ie where on rockets.com are the quotes located at?