ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Mavericks 12/2/2004

This was a unique game, though. When you have a guy going off like T-Mac was, you give him the ball over and over and over. He carries you. It isn't indicative of a change in the offense, just the wise move to put the ball in his hands when he is feeling it.

I thought T-Mac took this team on his shoulders tonight and forced his will on the team. That is a big improvement. I wish JVG wouldn't take the ball out of his (or Yao's) hands when he is going off like that, though.

 

Agree 100%. You've said everything that I wanted to say about this game.

 

You NEVER run a zone when your team can't rebound because the zone leaves players out of position for rebounds and makes offensive rebounds more likely. You also don't run a zone when your guy in the middle isn't a shot blocker or is foul prone like Yao. The seams in the zone invite pentration funnelled directly at the big man.

Zone concepts work against poor shooting teams and when your team has great rebounding, but the Rockets are a poor rebounding team making them a bad choice for a zone scheme.

 

i actually don't think they embarrassed anybody tonight. this is the first game i actually feel better after watching -- despite the loss. jeezus, dirk was simply unstoppable. i thought it was a pretty impressive effort by a team i had basically written off for dead. i'm not sure this "puts us over the hump," but i completely enjoyed myself watching the 4th quarter -- something i haven't done in a while.
just my .02.

 

NINETEEN MORE FREETHROW ATTEMPS FOR DALLAS NINETEEN

Very questionable to say the least.

DD

 

I saw it on 51. Don't tell me 51 is now NATIONAL?

 

Yes...yes....YES !!!

He needs to get his butt thrown out of a game, blow a corpusal make a stink.

It has sure worked for Cuban....

DD

 

Just got back from the game, although it was heart broken, but T-Mac showed us he can take us to the promise land if the rest of the team will work with him.

Yao was more aggressive tonight, but his shots just aren't falling.

 

game was nationally televised on TNT.

it was on 51 too...

 

Not really.... Dirk drives to the basket every time somebody guards his shot close... and he creates contact.

With the execption of McGrady, none of the Rockets make a move towards the basket... and when they do, they will get a few foul calls here and there.

Nothing is going to be handed to us. We need to take everything for ourselves.

Yao can't whine to the refs if he's going to fumble away point blank shots. It sucks, but the refs will call fouls for you or against you, based on how you're playing in that game (or if you're a superstar, how you've played in your career).

Dirk is hitting shots from all over the place... he's a stud, and the refs see that.

 

Did anyone else groan as Yao went up from 1 foot away with a weak layup attempt that was blocked by Stackhouse or Daniels..one of their guards?

I mean why can't Yao figure out that if you are that close go up and FLUSH THE DARNED BALL !!!

Everyone in the NBA can meet you at the rim, you are 7 FOOT FRICKEN 6 ....Cram the ball down....

He has to be more aggressive going to the hole...or he will never reach his potential....be nice to people in the interviews after the game....

We need YAO MEAN !

DD

 

Why was Spoon playing in the final minutes? He looks lost, doesn't box out, is short, and his jersey is ill fitting.

 

I heard the refs gave Dirk more free throws after the game was over..................because he was fouled several more times going to the locker room!

I am not one to blame the refs for a game, but this notion that certain superstars (not all) get every foul in the world and some that never occur, but are rarely called for any is ridiculous.

It is about time to take names of the jersey and call a foul a foul fairly for everyone..........

alright enough of my ranting, back to your regular scheduled program.


But in all fairness overall I liked what I saw out of the Rockets tonight - if they can build on it things will turn around.

 

Nothing else needs to be said - this is the key to greatness for this team.

 

Mo Taylor playing defense:

 

Mo Taylor is a joke on defense and on the glass, has there ever been a bigger waste of a big man's body than Mo Taylor?

He is softer than a babies A$$.

DD

 

The way Dirk was abusing Mo (or any of our PF, for that matter), Mo should foul him hard a few times and see how is Dirk going to respond.

I mean just do something to save some pride.

Besides, Dirk is getting to the free throw line anyway.

 

I think Yao would like to do that - if he could. Yes, he's 7'6", but he only has like a 3 inch vertical. How many times have we seem his dunks get blocked by the rim itself. He can only dunk when he's wide open. Any dunks in traffic will just bounce back out. That's why he goes for the lay ups.

 

One thing that orlando didn't have is a defense nut like we have in JVG. I'm not saying T-mac should assume the same role he had last year in Orlando, but I think he should have the majority of FGA every game, with Yao comming in second, or visa-versa. T-mac can take over a game in many ways and not just scoring. Like I said, I want him to do what he wants whenever he wants. Saying that to T-mac means he will find the open man, hustle for boards and steals and of course score and get to the FT line offensively. If Yao didn't foul out I'm sure T-mac would have had 12 ast tonight, going down to Yao in the final minutes of the quarter for easy dunks.

 

NOT VERY FUNNY. Mo had 5 fouls on that one...