ClutchFans Game Thread: Lakers @ Rockets 4/25/2004 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 4)

After watch the tape of the game,I noticed that at crunch time in overtime when Rockets lead,we were a little bit loose b/c we believed we would win.It's inexperience in playoffs.
Don't worry,we have the chance to beat LA.
Go, Rockets!

 

I know you can't blame the refs for losing, but come on now...I was at the game & a lot of those calls were UNBELIEVEABLE. The Rockets did make a lot of mistakes especially in the closing seconds of the game, but that Kobe steal was a KICK BALL. Just horrible...At one instance the whole crowd started chanting bull S**T after a ref called a supposed foul on the Rockets. Everytime the refs were even on the screen at the game they got booed! Eventhough we lost, I'm still proud of our Rockets team. They showed a lot of heart making that comeback in the 4th. I still beleive & will support my Rockets team til the end. GO ROCKETS!

 

did william hung perform at halftime? and how was it?

 

This may have been said and I didn't see it but, in my opinion, there was one play in OT which cost us the game. It was a Rockets offensive inbounds play from the baseline from out of bounds when we were up by 4 points. Whomever was passing the ball in was blind on that inbounds play unfortunately. Steve had cut around everyone and was right near the basket wide open yelling for the pass to come to him. There was noone covering him. The whole time whomever was inbounding the ball failed to recognize that Steve was there wide open. It was like the person inbounding the ball had tunnel vision or something. It was amazing how open Steve was. So, he inbounded to a covered Mobley who promptly shot a baseline jumper which he missed. If that pass goes to Steve, then it's an easy lay-up and/or shooting foul right at the basket and we win the game.

I wanted to jump out of my seat into the TV and b****slap the person inbounding the ball on that play. I knew that this play was going to cost us dearly and, sure enough, it did.

Of course, you can point to Steve losing a turnover and other plays that supposedly cost us the game but if that pass goes to Steve in the play above...we would have more than likely been up by 6 and anythign after wouldn't have mattered.

The sad thing is the Rockets are good enough to win this series. However, they make crucial mistakes at the most inopportune times to cost us the game. It's unfortunate. The Lakers are very fortunate their not down 3-1 and, even with their all-star cast, we are proving that we can play with these guys. This has been anything but a cakewalk for the Lakers contrary to whatever they say. They can say all this hub bub about how experience won them those close games. However, I think that is bs. They got luckier than hell is how I see it.

 

The officiating is terrible in ALL of the playoff games so far. Last night I saw Tim Duncan just get jobbed and he's Tim Freakin' Duncan! Saturday night I was at the Mavs-Kings game and I saw more phantom fouls than you could shake a stick at - on BOTH teams. These guys are calling fouls that they THINK are about to happen rather than letting the action occur first and THEN calling the foul. I agree with you that the 6th on Yao was questionable as the contact was minimal at best compared to what had gone on before.

But the sad fact is that even though Yao was fouled out, they still had a chance to win and they let it slip away.

 

If anyone has tape of game 4 can you please email me, I'm in need of a copy for editing and posting.

dls2@houston.rr.com

 

I saw this as well.... me and my friends was like wondering why the hell did the inbounder (most likely JJ I suppose) pass to a covered Cat instead of SF who obviously cut in to the baseline and was standing there alone.... watching cat force up a challenged shot and eventually lost the possession.....

 

Yeah, exactly. He should have been sent to the showers long before his 2nd half open set shots (oh, so impressive!).

And if I have to watch on-trial Kobe put his head down, hook his defender, pogo off of one leg, and toss up double-pump nonsense ugly-as-Fred-Durst garbage and then go to the free-throw line smirking that "my-lawyers-rock-and-I-own-the-refs" smirk one more time... I will tear out my own eyes.

Man oh man, do I ever hate that team.

 

I am very satified with rockets now. fakers have been considered # 1 hot team to catch 2004 title. Rocket could easily to get 3-1 in first 4 games if they has a little experience. DO not count them out yet. I will be very interested in seeing rocket playing against wall. It very much will influnce post season trade.

 

I don't understand why some people are so infatuated about Yao only getting 7 rebounds. Cato was one of the leading rebounds per minute player last season and he also only grabbed 7 boards while playing 10 mins more than Yao in this game. I think actually it was the game plan by design that our big men would concentrate on boxing out their big men so the other guys could get the rebounds. Is it really that difficult to see that's why our small forward could get 20 boards? Afterall, we outrebounded the Lakers 48-43. Is it really that important to you which of our players get the most boards? I personally don't care Mark Jackson get 90% of our boards if we can outrebound the other team by 5 boards in every game.

 

I know we lost, but Im proud of how our Rockets played. They showed heart and determination. Lack of playoff experience is whats killing us. Right now we are gaining that experience. We have been right there tooth and nail with the lakers for the whole series. It will be VERY interesting to see how the Rockets respond in an elimination game. I think tempers may flare, bring it on!!

Why did Boki not play after the first half? I think he is a firestarter off the bench.

Down 3-1 in series, backs against the wall. Brings back some wonderful memories doesnt it? Lets see if we can make some new awesome memories, starting Wed. night.

The old championship squad is gone, but we will always be...

CLUTCH CITY.

On Wednesday night, i hope the Rockets show the world that moniker is not dead.

JUST WIN BABY!!!! I BELIEVE!!!!!

 

PLEEEASE let me post first in the game thread.. i promise the rockets will come out with the win!

 

Inexperience cost us the game but I am very very proud of how the Rox fight back in this series. Give them a few years and add some role players then we will be one of the elite team!! Go Rox, win or lose, I am proud of my team.

 

Right.But we still have three games left to beat La. I am sure Lucky is for everyone instead of someone all the time b/c we have two important experience of playoffs.

 

What hurts even more is that JJ didn't know the game was tied last night, or else he would have shot the ball instead of holding it for a couple of secs.

After the scoreboard briefly flashed the wrong score, Jim Jackson held the ball with five seconds left in regulation instead of trying to score what would have been the winning basket. He had looked up moments earlier and seen the Rockets were leading 82-81. He did not look back after the scoreboard was changed, correctly, to 81-81.

"If I'd known it was tied," Jackson said, "I would have driven to the basket."


http://bbs.clutchcity.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=76792

 

I was at the game and remember that change.

 

unfortunately lucky is not all it takes. what the rockets need is the experiences of playoff games, especially the crucial moment of the games. well they'll get there but i'm afraid not in this series.

 

ESPN just said that Kobe should be back to play "some" basketball against the Rockets in game 5, but that he would miss most of the game.

 

As long as he doesn't come in and pump up the crowd at a time where the rockets are kicking the crap out of the Lakers.