ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Mavericks 1/12/2005

It sure takes a genius to give the damn ball to T-mac

 

I have to admit... although he had a great game... I was a little ticked that Howard tried to go up for that dunk as well. It wasn't wide open... it took no time off the clock... and to top it off, he complained that he was fouled after it (he probably was), and it could have led to a transition bucket (which I don't remember if it did or didn't).

Just a little tough love... but once again, tough love breeds killer instincts which breeds winning. (provided your players are mentally tough, and don't need babying.)

 

No, I didn't see (on TV) nor hear the announcers mention it. I hope to hear more about it in the papers.

 

Its possible, the TV crews did not even see it. I was on the 5th row, directly behind the Rockets bench. From the time Howard missed the dunk, to when he finally made it back to the bench, Van Gundy was yelling. Then Howard started yelling back and Keith (?) the trainer started pushing Howard back slightly. Not a major fight, but pretty wild to watch.

 

Considering Howard was the main reason we won, I would Grumpy would cut him some slack. This is why I hate the man. He's a giant ass and somehow manages to taint a great win for me.

 

TMac must have a thing for Dallas. He would have had more than 11 assists if Yao had caught some of the tough passes through traffic that TMac somehow gets there. If Yao gets better at that, that'll add at least a couple easy dunks a game.

 

The last several game he's slowly incorporating a lot of little wrinkles and designing some great decoy plays with Yao and T-mac on offense to create many easy scores away from the ball. The ball movement has been incredible and so have the movement/picks away from the ball. Give credit where credit is due for crying out loud!

 

All right. If you think Van Gundy is coming up with all this stuff, then let's give him credit. I sure hope you are right and I hope the offense continues. I don't want to go back to snail ball with Ward walking it up. TMac is a gunslinger, shoot it son.

All I can say tonight is, "Wow".

TMac reminded me of Magic Johnson tonight with about 8 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, demanding the ball, bringing it up, and making sure we got a good shot. He put this game in his hip pocket and didn't let the Mavs have any opportunity to make a big run. Wesley looked good on both ends of the court and Barry was impressive with the team play and good passing. I sure hope Mr. Van Gundy doesn't do anything stupid and suspend J. Howard for whatever it was that he felt was wrong. Juwon was obviously fouled on that dunk attempt.

Van Gundy can do a lot to help me and others get back on his train if he continues to let the offense roll and let TMac do his thing. If he goes back to "control" mode and starts slowing us down, and trying to direct every pass and shot, I am going to lose it. It is so obvious that this is how we should have played from the start of the season with TMac on this team.

It is also obvious that with the rule changes regarding touching the perimeter players that perimeter play is at a premium in the league this year. The teams with good shooters and passers on the perimeter will be the teams that are in it at the end.

Go Rox!

 

Considering how well prepared we JVG our guys and is the main reason why we won and have been so fluid on offense lately, I would layoff on JVG and cut him some slack. This is why I hate posters like you. We played so great as a team and yet somehow posters like you turn something so positive into a negative.

You have no frickn idea what went on. You don't know what was said or the exact context the argument.

Do you see T-mac yelling at Motumbo? Sometimes arguments are good for a team...it shows fire and passion and the love for one cause! I LOVE IT! YOU GOTTA BELIEVE! GO ROCKETS!!!!

 

Beautiful.

It'll be interesting to see how the talk here shifts if this keeps up.

 

Let's keep up the momentum.

Go Rox

stuart

 

For the benefit of educated speculation, I believe the main reason tmac did not go to the foul line was mainly because of his hurt big toe (and in small part the refs missed some calls in his favor).

It is really hard to be aggressive with a hurting toe or any part of your leg. You could vene see him wincing every time he jumps up and lands on it. So he had to settle for the mid range, long range shot plus excellent play making.

Great signs of the team coming even further together and stepping it up.

 

If you honestly think Van Gundy "controlled" this team on every shot and every pass before (when they were bad)... and all of a sudden (because they're good) he's not, you're suffering under a very flawed stigma (IE - its his fault when we lose, but not really his doing when we score well and win... much like the SF3 argument last year).

His offense has always been pick and roll oriented, hitting wide open shots oriented, and making sharp quick passes oriented. Tonight, the passes were there and the shots went in... if they had missed half those wide open shots (Howards), everybody would be complaining about the offense, him, etc.

For now, lets limit the credit to the defensive matchup adjustments he made on Dirk, and not to things like "he's letting them open up the offense." They'll tell you themselves... JVG didn't all of a sudden open up his offensive playbook... the team is just simply executing right now.

When you combine amazing execution (60% shooting) and playing a subpar defense, you'll get 124 points.

 

Good post. Your right if Howard misses most of those shots, then many (including myself) would say that he shot the ball to much. When the team shoots 60% it has more to do with players just getting hot than with coaching.

 

Damn that was pretty freaking close (R124/D114). Nice call, baby.

What a sweet game for the Rockets. Lotsa folks with nice contributions, including Howard and Wesley. You expect 20 from Yao and 30 from McG (11 ast?!? Yes!) most nights, but the role players were nails tonight.

Thank God for DVRs; I fell asleep watching the game in the 2nd, but I'd set the DVR to record it. So when I woke up at 1am, I got a helluva treat when I watched tonight's spanking of the Mavs.

I think the word I'm looking for is "Booyah!"

 

I agree. I think JVG's learning that this is not the type of team that responds well to court micromanagement. IMO he's getting the hang of allowing the game to flow and to intervene only when necessary. It's against his coaching instincts, but he seems to be adjusting .

What's more, as you said, he's using what works better, rather than taking his previous "round peg, square hole" approach. The high screen-and-roll with Yao and TMac is quickly becoming one of the more effective two man game combos in the league.

I really liked what I saw tonight and hope to see lots more of it.

 

I'm sorry but it should be plain that early in this season and for the greatest part of last season, Van Gundy was slowing down the offense to a snail's pace and the players were constantly looking over their shoulders while they were on the court for his play call and critique. For those "team guys" like Sura to stand behind Van Gundy is the right thing for them to do. It shows that they all aren't really the selfish, stubborn, lack of effort players that somehow we acquired to play for this coach that won't do what he wants them to do. How many players that played for Van Gundy gotta say it before we believe that Van Gundy has a tendacy to micromanage his team on offense? No, the players that are here aren't gonna tell you that their coach changed and opened up the offense. But those that have played for him in the past will tell you that.

No, it's not all his fault when we lose. But the other side of the coin is true as well. He shouldn't get all the credit for when we win and none of the blame for when we lose. This is his team and we have turned over almost the whole roster to get the Van Gundy roster. I know we're a couple pieces short, but the players that are here are players that were selected or traded for to make him happy save Mo. So, Van Gundy has got to produce with this team and he has woefully underachieved in his coaching of this team until recently. The team is executing a whole lot better right now because they eliminated 2 of Van Gundy's pet players in Ward and JJ, and they are now relaxed and firing up the first good look that they get, not throwing the ball around the court 29 times a possession, so that they can wind down the shot clock and see how many different ways they can come up with to turn the ball over.

Doesn't it say something when 2 of the players that Van Gundy preferred to have on the court so much that he stated it publically and even gave a 2 year contract to a player that no other team would even give a 10 day contract to are either gone altogether or not playing? He's changed the way that he runs this team whether he is too stubborn to admit it or not. And it's for the better and it needs to continue. Give TMac the ball, let him fire away, and make decisions on the court, and limit the amount of control that you exert on the players on the offensive end. I'll give him credit, he has changed his offensive game plan. All I'm saying is I hope it's for keeps and not a temporary move designed to win us a couple games and get the media and the fans off his back and get his players more upbeat. Yes, he needs to continue to work on them defensively because they can do better and he is an incredibly good defensive coach. If he can build on what he has seen now that he has loosened up on the offensive side, then he could become a great coach.

 

Nothing personal Rockbox, but I really disagree with this statement. More specifically, I think it is the type of statement that is systemic to mediocracy.

"You did good, so now it is ok to slack off" is why we can't put teams away.

"You did good, but make sure it is your best and make sure you bring it 100% of the time" is the attitude that leads teams to win championships.

I think back to Derek Jeter making an impossible play to get Giambi out. Giambi plays as hard as he can 100% of the time A's beat the Yanks. He didn't play any harder than reasonably necessary and it opened the door for an incredible play. Incredible players will take advantage of that oppening. At the level we hope to see the Rockets at, we have to go hard and smart all of the time.

No possesions off.

 

Excepting the part wher he would be on hte sidelines waiving his arms and yelling Go! Go!

 

i'm finally starting to see what CD had envisioned. before when we had JJ, we were a very slow methodical team.

now, with TMac permanently at the 3, and some duo of barry/sura/wesley running the court with him - we now have the manpower to get out on the break and actually fastbreak, get easy buckets.

wesley is starting to feel comfortable and is knocking down his shots, as is jbarry. both of these have had incredible ball movement and play tough, scrappy D. did anyone else see wesley dive for that loose def rebound with about 45 seconds left when the mavs were still within 8? that ended up being a big play and allowed us to seal the game, and not even give the mavs a whiff of a chance to come back on us.

we're really starting to gel, and everyone please get off of JVG's back. can't we enjoy these wins when we get them?

as if it hasn't been stated enough, this obviously is t-mac's team with yao as his sidekick. and personally, i think playing sidekick better suits yao's skills and personality.