ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Jazz 4/26/2007 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 3)

Getting worse is always possible.

Let's just hope it's improbable.

 

if the bench and role players don't show up AGAIN for the 4th straight game on saturday, my goodness.

i don't care if tmac and yao scored 80 pts together, 0 pts from your bench ain't gonna cut it.

my goodness, howard missed WIDE WIDE WIDE open 15ft shots. what happened to him?

luther seems to have lost confidence on both ends of the court.

 

It looks like Van-Gundy and McGrady are not on the same page. I had noticed it toward the end off last season as timeouts are called and TMac just hardly listens when VG is talking to the team. I think he is probably getting tired of VG approach to the game. This is not fun to watch at all.

Yao Ming played a great game tonight minus the turnovers, some of which were mostly rafers fault on the entry pass, but again IT IS SO PREDICTABLE, goodness! Except Yao puts on 20 - 30 lbs more muscle he will never be the dominant player we believe he is capable of being. You cant get pushed around in the pain by smaller guys and living by jumpers. If he ever learns to establish deep paint positioning and he gets the ball quickly he would make his shots 80% of the time, and with his free throw shooting, could easily average 30 -35ppg. Again great game by the big man, he has showed up each night and held his own.

McGrady is really disappointing. His body language during the game was really sad. I know he was trying to remain loose and not tense, but common, you have to have some emotion and be a team leader! urge your players to keep their head up high when the going gets tough, not be nochalant! 2 time scoring champion not driving the basket in the 2nd half and shooting silly jump shot after jump shot, where is the BB IQ of this superstar. Kobe is carry his team again the Suns right now to a possible win, emotionally, being a floor leader, vocal and very agressive to basket. Mcgrady performs a disappearing act and quits before the game is over. where is the McGrady that put his stamp on the game again New Orleans when we needed a win....If we dont get out in the first round of this series,T Mac might never make it out in his career, at least not as a team leader.

Shane,Rafer and Head cannot put the ball on the floor and create anything, can drive to basket, can beat a play of the dribble and create a shot, this is just plain ridiculous!!! You just live and die by the 3, and have only 2 guys as the focal point of your offense! wow. We cant beat Dallas, San Antonio, or Detriot with our current group of guys. Head will be Ok, just rookie jitters but JH needs to be traded or waived. The guy is finished!!! he is not getting any lift in his legs anymore

Having said all this, Van Gundy has really destroyed this team and frankly killing the players as well if you ask me. Its time for him to go. Other than bringing defensive intensity to the Rox, he is just not a smart coach. The offense is too stagnant and predictable. JVG seems to have run out of ideas..
And his stubborness has cost us the development of your rookies and younger players. Look at Boki in New Jersey. JVG has ruined the ROXs future. He needs to go!!!

 

it takes five. not four.

 

Sun lost to lakers today.

This made me feel a little better. We are not the only team choking on the road.

 

sick ass game glad its on nba tv and I didn't watch it

 

That Game 7 was termed "the most lopsided Game 7 in NBA history". You tell me.

 

All the guys who played above the mark to keep us in the playoffs during the season are now being caught up to by that vixen called averages.

 

Here's hoping this butt-whooping lights a fire under the Rockets' collective keister. I'm just about as sick at this game as the rest of you, but I'm hoping/praying that it proves to be the wake-up call the team needs to snap out of its shooting funk.

I'm just wondering which genius slated Game 3 to be a full three days (game day included) after Game 2. Makes me wonder if the comparatively long layover might've contributed some to this atrocious outing.

Ah, well. It's over now. On to Saturday.

 

Thoughts in no particular order...

Similar to the Dallas series two years ago in that there is no clear leader on the team.

McGrady started well but had water thrown on his fire by Yao getting stripped of the ball about 4 possessions in a row in the first quarter. Yao has played in the NBA for 5 seasons now and he still hasn't solved that problem. Also, he has trouble getting good position for such a big man and tonight his turn around jumpers were a bit out of his range for most of them.

As mentioned by others, without a third scoring option -- be it a Bonzi Wells or whomever you'd like to plug in that fill-in-the-blank -- this team will struggle in these playoffs.

The Jazz gave the Rockets about as much chance as they could to take this game in the third quarter when the Rockets were only 4-6 points behind. I think they missed like 7 shots in a row but the Rockets could do no better and squandered the opportunity.

If McGrady showed little passion after such a good start it might just be because he was playing in the game we all suffered through and knew without help it was a lost cause.

Kevin Eschenfelder said he was hearing that the Saturday game would be on FSN, instead of any national network, which means for many (and areas like the Austin area) might be out of luck to get to see game 4 because FSN (639 on DirecTV) is usually blacked out in that area. Bummer.

I'm all for being optimistic when it's realistic to be so. I don't know if it is after the three games we've seen so far. The onus is on the coach and team to prove otherwise at this point. If a rebirth of Clutch City is going to happen there has to be a leader and the followers have to follow.

 

oh man only 4 player scored. I felt sorry for them, hope rockets can find themselves in following games, win or lose please don't shame fans with 30% shotting.

 

Pre-inury December Yao would have torn up the Jazz defense tonight. They're playing him one on one with Okur which is just a freaking insult. He should destroy him.

They're doubling Mcgrady and leaving Yao one on one. C'mon Yao, come out and give us one of those 38 and 12 games like I know you're capable of.

 

why isnt yao facing up to the basket more often and shooting over Okur. throw in some pump fakes and okur will foul him all day.

 

Cockiness, and arrogance got into their heads after 2 - 0. It always happens, without fail. They may sound humble but they are not.

 

Since Yao came back, JH has been off.

Head is useless when ROX play against Mavs, JAZZ, Hornets and SUNs,etc.

For such a game as tonight, we need players like Wells. Span will be better than Head as backup PG. Even if Span could't shoot 3pts, but he could penetrate and defend.

 

yea sloan put more emphasis on tmac in the 2nd half. it was a hard double whenever he was isolated, but man, he got no space to operate. that's compounded w/ sucking role players.

 

I don't think anyone was seriously expecting a sweep. This game was just a dreadful performance.

 

Yao's jump shooting percentage is about 40%. I don't think that JAZZ need to double-team YAO. JAZZ is doing very well in defending ROX' perimeter shooting.

 

Yao needs to work on his vertical.

 

I just don't get it why Tmac's jumpers are gone. In the second half, he tried a lot at just around 13~15 feet away from the rim but couldn't hit them. Basically, those jumpers were single covered and the defender didn't even have time to jump before Tmac missed them.