But T-Mac was not a decoy in the beginning of the season, he was a brick layer who shied a away from contact. I have no problem if T-Mac is the primary option on offense, even though I strongly prefer playing inside out. But if that means he going to take some of the same questionable shots he took tonight against a team like the Mavs or Spurs, we are not going far in the playoffs. Both sides need to lighten up, YOF, TOF, JVGOF, VMACOF, BOF, HOF.
Let's see, you put up a strawman argument, and you're namecalling. That loses you the debate right there. We're all talking hypotheticals here. Yao is on his way back and soon he will be back to 100%. What will we do then? Just because I think McGrady has some questionable shot selection doesn't mean I "resent the fact that he's the main focus." Maybe I think that it's better for the Rockets to have a better balance when both stars are healthy and at their best? You probably think that if making Yao #1 option causes the offense to stagnate, then this should be changed, does this make you a YOH? I should hope not. We have differing views on how the Rockets should run their offense, and while of course JVG won't go into specifics, he did make a point that both stars need to be at their best, while 2 years ago, I'm pretty sure he focused on McGrady's performance while Yao was a bit of an afterthought. This seems to imply that he agrees with me. If you want to find a McGrady-hater, look somewhere else. Go to Orlando and Toronto, where they hate him. I'm fine with McGrady, I'd like to see McGrady, Yao, and the Rockets win a championship.
Guss, it's good to see the Duo star of Rocket in a hot night. Bring me back to memories when Rockets hot streak after all star in 2004-20005. Both of them will be the beast to any team now.. and this time they have a better supporting mate... Hoping this time, tmac and Rockets will fight through first round..
these last couple pages are funny!! Nothing like a good newb argument to temper the happy feeling of victory. if we are losing the fury is directed at the team, the coach or players. If we win alot of us choose to turn on each other. i dream of the day all current YOF's and MOF's can come together and join us ROF's, where the harmony is a sweet and beautiful thing. i mean c'mon fellas. Tmac and Yao watch Brokeback Mountain together, and you guys can't co-exist Time to start puffing the peace pipe.
YES a win. From what i read ( didn't see the game ) the rockets came to play Rockets ball just like against the Celtics. Anyway we send the Nets home with a http://www2.filehost.to/files/2007-...st.to/thumbs/2007-03-10_02/122706_deke1_s.gif NOT IN OUR HOUSE
This team is better with mac being the primary offensive option. just look at the records with tracy and yao out. we lose alot more with tracy out. it seems that Gundy has also reliased this. tracy tonight and celtics game demonstrated how much better we are with the ball in he's hands. he single handedly kept us alive without yao. noway yao could have done the same without tracy.
you forget one thing, T-mac is NOT god, remember how high T-mac was when he was in Magic, however, he win nothing. check heat's game, you will know how important a dominate center is. T-mac can not win a title without yao, just like kobe can not win the title without shaq. Can you say D-wade win a title without shaq? look at the last game with spurs, you knew how important the inner force (by TD) it is. do not forget the first game we win mavs, it WAS yao set the tone!!! this team is built around yao, t-mac must realize that, otherwise, there is no hope.
Tell me again what is our record without yao or tracy?bottomline, we lose more without tracy then yao. this team was built like you said, but it seems gindy is starting to see that we win more with the ball in mac's hands.
They are probably the reason WHY Yao Ming had this mini-eruption in just 3 quarters of play.....His parent & girl friend Ye Li came to rave their support for Big Yao !!!
I guess I just don't get it. A great win for the Rockets, Yao has returned and puts up really nice numbers despite wearing a brace and having his fingers taped together, TMac showing MVP type qualities, Rafer and Shane playing solid defense, and all we hear, "TMac is the first option...No, you're stupid Yao is the first option." Maybe there is NO first option. Maybe it is simple as this - EVERY game is different, every opponent offers different challenges, every decision comes within the flow of THAT game. What you do against the Suns and what you do against the Spurs are entirely seperate. Even what you do againist individual teams are dictated by specific game circumstances, foul trouble, mathups, a dozen different things. Ever thought about that? No - so back to your bickering about nothing and keep on thinking that you can solve all the game strategies of games not played from the comfort of your laptop. LOL
Tell me again why that record should be a factor in this stupid debate about first option? Tracy and Yao are the first option. Not one but both. That record you keep boasting as proof does not mean Yao is not a first option player. It's not Yao's fault when McGrady was out this season that the second options (Rafer, Luther) sucked horribly in decision making in the fourth quarter of that second Lakers game or that we were beaten at the buzzer in Golden State by Baron Davis. Yao's worth as a first option player should not be measured by the record without McGrady. Right now Yao is focusing on getting in game shape but as soon as he gets to 100% you will see equal shot selection by both like earlier in the season. Bottom-line we win more games when both first option players play at a high level.
Of course, this just shows what many have been saying all along, JVG is a tool on coaching offense. Anyone that knows anything about the game knows you get the ball to your big man, you keep running it hrough him, BUT your big man can only get the ball IF the guards set him up. Look at how Riley coaches Miami with Shaq and coached Lakers with Kareem , how Jackson coached Shaq with Lakers, how Popovich coaches Spurs with Duncan, how Rudy T coached Hakeem with Rockets...... THEN look at how JVG coached Ewing with the Knicks and now Yao with the Rockets. Magic Johnson has said this OVER AND OVER AND OVER and JVG and so man "expert fans" here refuse to see it. Magic has been saying for over 2 years now, use Yao and T-Mac the way Riley used him and Kareem and the Rockets cannot be beat. But JVG simply cannot grasp it. He supposedly spent the whole summer watching tapes of the 80's Lakers, wo he understands this, but he just doesn't seem to be capable of executing it as a coach.
The debate gets more idiotic everytime I hear it. The bottom line is that the Rockets need BOTH of them to win. Sure, they may have been able to keep the ship afloat a little better with T-mac dominating the ball because of how great he is INDIVIDUALLY at creating for his teammates, as well as getting his own shot whenever he wants it. I don't think anybody should debate that T-mac is as important as anybody to this team... he's the PG, playmaker, and scorer all-in-one... and he's still one of the top 5 overall talents in this league. But, to win... they need to have Yao there. He makes it so much easier for everybody by drawing attention down low. He also cleans up the mess around the basket, has become a formidable presence on defense, and has the ability to get the highest percentage shots on this team. Clearly one cannot coexist without the other... Just Yao and this team (as constructed) would be hard-pressed to beat anybody simply because its pretty easy to double-team/triple-team the big man. Its a little harder to do that with T-mac, but eventually it can be done (especially since the only other option is 3 pointers by Battier and Alston). They both need each other... we're fortunate that this is the most healthy/high-performance they've been since the end of 05... and you guys whining about it are missing the chance to get excited about this upcoming stretch.
I like all the "Who's the #1 option talk", but in this unusual case it's McGrady. It's not everyday when you have an inside-outside combo that the outside guy is #1. This is not like Shaq/Kobe and/or Wade. McGrady is more of a decision maker and floor general than either player, and is more experienced than Yao. Where as Shaq was the clear leader and more experienced with his tag team partner. But there is no doubt that Yao must be established every game. I would like to mix it up but at the same time milk the hot hand at all times.
This whole pages of arguement of who should be the go-to-guy are just stupid and dumb. The Rockets is at its best by playing inside out, with Yao Ming dominating in the low post, and Tracy McGrady doing his play-making, assisting, dashing, penetrating and taking his long range bombers. Let the other team pick their own posion. If they double-team anyone of them, the others will take over. Plays start with Tracy, but ball passed to Yao Ming............ This is well manifested in the following 1Q action sequence....... 3:47 HOU - T. McGrady made a 25-foot three-pointer from the top of the arc. Assist: Y. Ming You chose to double-teamed Yao Ming.....then ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip, Yao Ming tossed the ball to TMAC for a trey !!! If you chose not to double-team Big Yao, then boom......one-on-one, and Big Yao will punish you with his point-blank > 55% dunks, lay-ups, hook shots, jumpers, fadeaways. Good things happen whenever the ball is with Big Yao !! The bottomline.....let stick to what the Rockets play best....True manifest of the power of the Inside-Out game plan !!!
look at how the heat are doing w/o wade. look at how the lakers w/ shaq did w/o kobe. look at how this team does w/o tmac. it aint like the heat right now have better players than the rox. they're built the exact same way. tmac is more of an overall playmaker than those guys despite wade's assists. tmac is more experienced than yao as compared to shaq is more experienced than those guys. obviously we need yao to win b/c we know what we're gonna get from tmac. a 30+, 7, 6 guy in the playoffs. if yao can be as dominant in the playoffs, we have a great shot. and i can't wait.
