ClutchFans Game Thread: Mavericks @ Rockets 4/30/2005 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 4)

I guess the rox are better off being underdogs, they haven't learnt to play like a winner. The team is not ready, I mean mentally. They (t-mac and ming) have to go through things like this in order to mature. They were too cocky and conceited after leading 2-0. Now, the next three games will show what they are really made of. I'm not saying they must win, but they better put up a really good fight for US!!!

 

Somebody please advise me why NBA is not willing to adopt the challenging call system as the case with NFL. Each team could be given 3 times of challenge chance and if you lose the chanlenge you will lose one time-out. This could greatly reduce the mistakes or those malicious calls liked happened today, and essentially NBA is about all fans, all about the spirit of fairplay. Calls like today just sick me to death, let the NBA die, let them go away from life, it is no fun anymore

 

I'm just stating a fact: it's the Mavericks who have won 2 in Houston after losing 2 in Dallas. Rockets, prove me wrong by winning the series!!!

 

I wish Rockets never play in Toyota Centre, they can win all the road games but lose all the home ones, what a weird team...

 

How?

McGrady is better than Nowitzki and Yao is better than Dampier.

Once you get past that, Dallas has it way over us. Other than TMac, We have nobody who can penetrate and finish. Our role players stand there and make 3 pointers - and even then they're inconsistent.

Terry, Josh Howard, Stackhouse, Finlely, and Marquis Daniels are all better than our players not named Yao and McGrady.

It's only because McGrady has been so great, he's disguised our weaknesses.

 

So what? We are tied 2-2 and we play much better at road, let's blame the Rockets only after the series is ended. If you are so pissed at Rockets, please cheer for other team, you will be forgiven.

 

lol loving what exactly????? the fact that he is not in the playoffs in the freakin east? that he had a bunch of turmoil caused mainly by him? that his best friend was traded?

 

It is a strange type of fan who calls on his team to prove him wrong.

 

Our so-called "role" players couldn't hit a shot to save their lives!!! How many shots did we get to extend the lead when we were up by 6 in the 4th???

I say James, Wesley and Barry all miss open shots set up by drives from T-Mac. All of this blaming of T-Mac and Yao is B.S.!!! We were playing 2 on 8 out there for large stretches of this game.

The refs totally handed the 4th quarter to Dallas!! Without the phony offensive fouls on the picks and more importantly when Dirk MUGGED Yao to take the ball at half-court and then Howard smacking T-Mac on that rebound at the end of the game, the Rox and all of their fans were screwed with our pants on!!!

I'm sick to death though of JVG's vaunted defense!! I say let our guys play man up and stop rotating off of Finley and Terry!!! If we leave them open again then this series will be over in 6, and not in our favor!!!

This series is still ours but ONLY if JVG finds some other way to get some offense out of the other 8 players in the rotation. Padgett and Barry and Wesley have to WANT the shots, not just take them when the clock is winding down, and for God's sake, stop double teaming anybody on the Mavs.

The only reason they are beating us if because we're too slow on our rotations... so... Stop the rotations... switch on picks but otherwise stay the f**k home on D!!

If we keep doing what we've been doing on defense, we're going to be toast!! If we just pick ourselves up, get a little humility, figure out we're playing 5 on 8 and to a serious gut-check, we'll be fine!!!

 

Its been such a long time since I've been this upset after a loss. Game 3, I accepted and felt we deserved it not scoring any pts for such a long time.

But this game..man its such a pain b/c we should have had it. I hate talking about officiating, but now its getting out of hand.

The NBA really isn't a defensive league anymore. Perhaps you do have to build a run and gun team now instead of half court teams. If I'm Pho, I'm thinking I have a great shot to win it all this year.

As for us, you gotta at least be glad that we could have won all 4 games, Dirk had another sub par game, and its only 2-2. I still think we can squeeze it out, but I don't need this stress!

 

I'm not going to proclaim the series over like some people are doing, but this is tough. The Mavs now have the clear edge in the series. I just don't understand how we can have our spot up shooters throwing up shots like they were in the 4th. That falls on Van Gundy. How can he let that happen two games in a row?

 

I think you guys are overlooking something very significant. Something that costs us about 8 points a game. Every time Mike James brings the ball up, he dribbles the damn thing with his stupid crossovers until there are about 6 seconds on the shot clock in which case he'll make an ill advised slash to the basket through thick traffic ending in a block, pass it to Tmac who'll have to make the basket under pressure, or shoot up a jumper that clanks. Remind you of anyone? Remind you of anyone?? Sure he doesn't flat out turn it over but his stupid jumpers at the buzzer are as good a turnover as if he had handed the ball to one of the Mavs.

JVG needs to work with James on his basic passing skills and ball distribution. I thought those were the bread and butter of a PG but I apparently don't know anything about NBA ball.

It got so bad that at one point McGrady opted to bring the ball up the court himself and waved James off the ball. TNT showed this on a replay I believe.

 

The Rockets played hard, TMac looked exhausted in the fourth. The game was called better than the other three, but the phantom calls on Mutombo and Ming were ridiculous (they were not offensive fouls). The Rockets made some very untimely mistakes that cost them the game. And Dallas has more guns.

This series is going to be tough to win for either team. If Dallas can win four out of five, they should advance. It is now a three game series. Whoever gets two out of the next three gets to be run out of the stadium by the Suns. I think the Rockets would actually fare better than the Mavs.

This series is the best one going in the playoffs. Major drama. Entertaining basketball. All the games have been vigorously contested and have gone to the wire. I suspect the series will be the same.

 

"T-Mac needs to remember how the Rockets won their first couple of games, NOT by him trying to do EVERYTHING all game long, but making it easier for other guys and then doing EVERYTHING in the fourth. That's what great players do, they don't care about playing great in the first three quarters and then running out of gas in the fourth, that doesn't win games, especially not playoff games."


You're right, McGrady does try and do everything by himself alot cause HE HAS TO. Why?

Name another perimeter player on this team who can consistently create their own shot? Name another good ball handler on this team? Name another player on this team who can come a screen and shoot? Name another player on this team who can consistently finish? How many times did Mcgrady get in the lane and pass the ball only for Yao, or Bowen to mishandle it? The rockets have to run so much screen and roll cause Yao struggles alot to get position. But to utilize Yao effectively, he actually has to be on the floor, and as he completes his 3rd season, he still struggles with fouls. Quite frankly, the team's overall talent level is starting to catch up.

 

The mavs got a lucky bounce with terry ending up with the ball and we got an unlucky bounce when the ball bounced of T-mac's hand. Stop blaming the refs. We are not that much better than the mavs as some of you would believe. I hope rockets can take another game at dallas and then close them out at home.

 

Thanks VanGundy for reminding the team about Choke city....now your dreams have come true. What are you going tell them now?? Hey, after choke city, we came back to win the series!!! Great job JVG

 

I'm glad to see that some of the more level headed posters here don't blame everything on the refs. The Mavs are a good team. Give them some credit.

 

We need a real PG on this team.

When your best player is bringing the ball up court, shooting, driving, playing Dirk Nowitzki, that means you have no team - you have 1 great player, 1 good player, and a bunch of role players who can't do anything other than shoot jumpshots.

Our players cant go to the hole and finish. Our role players can;t defend the opposition and rely way too much on Yao and Mutomobo to bail them out.

Regardless of what happens this series, we need better players.

 

You're right Langhi. IMHO, taking everything into account, the Rockets and the Mavs are evenly matched. Just looking at the gameplay, no one team can ever put the other down for good. IT's always little 7-8 point runs by one side followed by a similar run by the other. And lucky bounces take their effect.

Of course, if the game were officiated fairly, then the Rockets would be preparing for the Suns right now. But the ever present Toyota Center Ghost is always ready to screw the Rockets over by punching Dirk in the schnozz when Yao is within a 6 foot radius of him.

 

"We are more Talented IMO"


The rockets man for man are not more talented than the mavericks. I guarantee no NBA coach or GM would agree with that assessement. The rockets are a team where the whole is greater than the sum of their parts. Van Gundy has a done good job molding this team and trying to harness its strengths and cover up it's weaknesses. He's gotten alot of mileage out of Sura, Wesley, Barry, Padgett, James, and Bowen.