ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Lakers 4/19/2004 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 2)

What's the problem with cato?
It looks that he doesn't want to play the game.
3 fouls in 3 minutes. Take jumper after jumper.

 

Yao needs to step up. I wish that he demanded the ball like he does sometimes. Needs to do some damage when Shaq is sitting on the bench in foul trouble.

Those free throws killed us. I don't know if the rockets are still nervous or tired but they need to make them.

Steve Francis had a great game but too bad the rest of the team couldn't go with the flow.

Oh yeah and I hate Doug Collins. I hate KNWS video quality. I want Calvin Murphy back!

 

Disappointed that it's 0-2 now, but realistically i am happy if we go 2-4. Houston is still 2-3 years away from being a contender with Mobley and Yao, possibly Steve. This is simply a learning opportunity and a preclude to off-season move.

Don't feel too bad:
1. lost to a great team
2. Put up a great fight
3. no Fisher or Rush on the team
4. With a better bench we are going to be competitive next year with the same team starting.
5. with off season move, we will be better.

 

when laker's bench shoot high percentage 3 pointers and Kobe shoot unbelievable shots, beating them is almost impossible. Anyway, we will take them at home.

 

Hey Yao Pao, considering the fact that this isnt the Houston Rockets, this is the New York Rockets, or Houston Knicks, Patrick Ewing coaching in the same town that Hakeem played. name me something more disrespectufl, other than keeping this team intact. How about John Starks, yeah he really respected the town, we should sign him to coach steve. Oh well its not like YAOPAO was a fan before we got that seven foot six soft no good complaining hes tired doesnt want to lead the team doesnt have the mentality to be a champion that this team needs doesnt have the will or desire, yes i mean you werent a fan before Yao was on the team so go f**k yourself

 

I saw Cato getting skinnier than ever before, and he's trying to do his job with defense with passion. But, his passion leads him to foul trouble when he faces a big man like shaq!!

And about the Cat....he's really terrible for this series...I didn't like him for last couple years, and I will hate him after this series...:<

 

Thought about starting a new thread but:

I believe that once this series is done with and the season is over, we need to get JVG to sit down for a couple of hours in an invitation-only chat and "discuss" coaching, transactions, and ideas/improvements for the future. No one here has ever coached in the NBA so why not give him a chance when you evaluate his first season as the head coach.

 

Some observations. Today when the lakers made their run that put them up big MoT was on the court. After taking a look at espns scouting statistics for the playoffs MoT has the worst +/- stats for anyone in the rotation. His net +/- for points when he is on the floor is -66 and -6.7 per 48 minutes. You would expect this to be higher, not as high as Yao and SF who have a +/- of 207 and 192 repsectively.

When we still had plenty of time to comeback MoT was still in the game and we went down by further. What makes teams able to come from behind good defense and timely defensive stops, which isnt MoT expertise. We have plenty of offense in our starting lineup.

From the kings - mavs game yesterday the mavs are 0-21 when losing by 8 in the 4th quarter. They are the only team to not comeback from that defecit in the league since they have no defense at all.

 

In 3rd quarter, lakers began to double and front Yao, that's why Rox used Yao for a lot of pick and rolls, but it did not work.

 

I agree with this so much. This is the type of mental breakdowns that cost Houston so much this season. Overral, Francis, once he decided to make a move he did it well. Mobley killed the Rox tonight. When Rush was in the game, that would have been a good time to play Pike.

 

This one doesn't hurt as bad as the last one. We played better offensively and we even still played decent defense. Just that we need to learn to gaurd the perimeter better (stop those damned painful 3's), and Yao needs to get off his damn ass. I have no excuses or complaints - we just got beat on the offensive end.

Steve played brilliantly.

 

It was, but not for the reason you might think. After that play, JVG sat Cat for about 4 minutes and the Lakers stretched the lead to 17. You can't take out your best perimeter defender when you need desperately to get stops.

Reason #1 that we lost was the Kobe Rules (a new strain of the Jordan rules). Every time that somebody breathed in his direction, Blowme was on the foul line. On the other hand, he ended the game with 1 or 2 fouls.

Reason #2 that we lost was not going to Yao in the second half. In the first half, Yao started off struggling, and they kept going in to him. Eventually he got Shaq in foul trouble and got around 50% shooting, the whole team shooting in the high 40's. In the second half, everything was from the perimeter, especially in the second half of the third and throughout the fourth (think Steve crossing over on Kobe who has a big grin on his face, Cat throwing up a jumper while fading away and double teamed, and Jackson dribbling around like a chicken with his head cut off). The tempo changed, and despite what Doug Collins thinks, a fast pace doesn't help the Rockets. That led to big shots from Rush and Fisher, accounting for 15 or so points.

Reason #3 that we lost, the Lakers are a better team right now. They got Payton and Malone for chump change and they are geared to win the title. Their top three players are the most dominant center in the league in years, the guy the refs treat exactly like Jordan, and the #2 scorer in the history of the NBA. Our top 3 guys came into this series with 4 combined games of playoff experience, and the best of them is a second year center that hasn't learned to keep the ball up where other players can't slap it away.

 

Now all of sudden everyone wants to commend Stevie on his amazing play....just because the guy did not turn the ball over 10 times does not mean he had a good game. The game was fine till SF decided to "try" to be the man in 3rd quarter...yep...dribble, drible, dribble, dribble...ahhh bad shot!!!! And the play of the game belongs to the Putty Cat....fouling Kobe at the end of 3rd was the dagger....think about it this way...if he doesnt foul, Kobe more than likely misses the shot. We get the fall in the 4th quarter down by 7 with a chance to cut it to 5....but now, dumbass putty Cat decides to commit an idiotic foul. As for Cato...ugh, I have that mother*****. He does not want to play....he is just one lazy SOB....might as well not even play except to come in to foul Shaq!!!! As for Yao....Yawn!!! to damn inexperience and is way to scared to take his game up another notch. Look, if we cant beat the Lakers with Shaq in foul trouble, then we wont win a single game at all......what's your next excuse when Diesel puts up 30 points on Friday night.....Its time to break up this team....try to bring a McGrady, Carter, Allen.....to complement Yao....fudge Stevie and Cat....they suck A$$ and Ball$!!!

 

Well, Yao looked very tired in the 3rd Q and missed all his shots. He was 0-5 in that period and did not have any rhythm. Yao is the person who took himself out of the game.

 

Steve Francis played a fantastic game! He is definitely playoff ready. That is why Steve is our best player. Hands Down. A triple double in the playoffs against a team that has unbelievable NBA Talent. This game will probably be our most important game in the 2004 playoffs.That is the bottom line. If I ever read another 'Trade Francis' post, I will never believe that person is a rockets fan. That person is just watching the playoffs and hoping to see him fumble. That person is just trying to find a place to take out his/her anger. They stumbled upon the Rockets. Screw em. Go STEVE! GO ROCKETS! Great Year!

 

I really have no qualms on how Stevie played today, he played as good as u can, especially in the playoffs. The only mistakes he made were those dribbling between the legs for 3 times and then jack up a shot, those I can do without.

 

You want Yao to get off his damn ass to do what? Outscore Shaq 30 to 7? Hey you know what even if that happened we still would have lost.

 

Your sig is true. Here's a story. One day I came home from college and opened the door from the garage to find my parents' kitchen on fire. The flames were crawling up the wall, just about to get out of control. The first thing I did was run in a circle in the front yeard. Don't asky why, but that's your first response when you walk into your kitchen and it's on fire. Then I remembered the fire extinguisher right next to the door and put the fire out. No scream tho.

 

Rock101, dude, you sounded pretty desperated. I agree Mobley's dumb call is the biggest blow in the game and we pretty stunk it up in the second half. However, Stevie played great and there is no reason to bash him. I mean, the poor guy just had a triple double (18-11-12), 55% FG, 2 Tos, 3 steals.

BTW, all your three dream players are sitting their asses at home watching playoffs.

 

How about getting more than 4 rebounds in 40 minutes?