ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Nuggets 12/26/2003

Forget Mobley's foul...somebody should have rebounded the miss before it.

 

Worth noting....

Francis: 10 assists, 1 turnover


Terrible loss the way it happened, but if we can keep the effort up we will win more than we lose as Jeff said.

 

That's an interesting point. I've been wondering that myself. It seems like the team struggles with fatigue down the stretch. Making crunch time free throws is one of the toughest things to do when you've been playing hard all night. This game must've been particularly hard given the altitude, the back-to-back, etc.

Anthony, depsite not missing anything else, missed one of his right before Steve.

 

Mobley should not have fouled a 3 point man...that's just stupid. Francis chokes at free throw, that hurts also. And lack of execution with 8 secs left is also pathetic. Rox should have won this game. This one is going to hurt. I can blame on other things too...like too many turnovers. But still, the Rox should have won with 17secs left if they're smart. Obviously they're not. When Miller missed the shot, if THEY JUST REBOUND THE BALL, they would have WON IT!! But they didn't...how pathetic is that? So, Nuggets get a 2nd chance and Mobley fouled a 3 pointer....game over. That's the WORST FEELING EVER to finish a game and lose a game like that.

 

I thought the same thing. Funny thing is they got EXACTLY what they wanted. Miller took a HORRIBLE off-balance shot with two defenders in his face. The ball just bounced the wrong way. Plus, Leonard wasn't going to make that three.

 

Kudos to Melo though....but in all honesty...EVERYONE has career nights against the Rockets. Remember Mahmud Abdul Rauf droppin like 50 on us at the Summit??

 

great game! if it wasnt for carmelo in the fist place we would of won (mobely foul also big factor). And moochie is still garabage; playig 13 min and 3 TO.

 

Anthony is good, but BANKING in 2 three pointers just said that the Gods were on their side tonight.

Those 2 shots were garbage.

Still, this was the Rockets game to win....Francis shooting around 50% from the FT line is inexcusable.

And Mobley...ugh...that was just stupid...why even bother...the guy was rushing his shot, and the odds were againts him.

DD

 

that's why the foul by mobley was even more stupid.

 

It was a game the Rox should have won, but I'm pleased with Francis play the last 2 nights. As a team, they toned it over too much and now more than ever people on this board should respect Shaq even more.Why? When you're the biggest player on the court, you will get hit and fouled and alot of times nothing will be called. On the last rebound Ming was fouled,but it wasn't called. Its been like tht for Shaq since coming into the league. They played well enough to win, but sometimes thats the way it goes. If Franics had to play against Boykins every night, he wouldn't have a reebox contract. Boykins really gets into Francis.

 

Yeah, but guys have career nights against all kinds of teams. You may not see it because you don't watch the whole league, but it isn't like the Rockets have more guys with their career nights against them than any other team.

 

Yeah, giving up those offensive rebounds (16) are killing us. Right along with the 19 turnovers.

The Rockets shot well tonight. Dispite the Mobley foul, if this team can cut down on the turnovers and needless fouling (beating themselves) they will win a lot of games.

The denver game juxtapose to the laker game and you see what happens when we beat ourselves versus when we execute down the stretch and dont kill ourselves with giving up offensive rebounds, turnovers and needless fouling.

 

I think the thin air has caught up to the players at the end of the game... that's why moT and then mobley made those mistakes. They didn't have enough oxygen to get their blood pumping to their brains. It happens sometimes.

Carmelo is just sick tonight... and that dunk... I am a yao fan, but that dunk was nasty. He sure doesn't look like his toe is hurting. It is just one of those nights. I have been following his stat since he is on my fantasy team and I am constantly trying to trade him. He never ever shoot over 50% in a game.. but I think he did it tonight.

The rox were playing good except at the end. It got kind of out of control and into the nuggets tempo. Style wins game... the second half was definately nuggets' style, not the rox.

The rox just aren't quite there yet. Maybe the second half of the season, things will be better.

 

It was the little things that cost them this game: MoT dribbling the clock out without taking a shot. Francis missing 2 critical FTs late in the game. Mobley proving that he's a dumbass by making that stupid foul. MoT foulling Carmelo outside of the 3 point line. Add them all up and you can see why I contend that there is really not much that separates the Rockets, Nuggets & Grizzlies. That's why I still feel that these 3 teams will be fighting for the last 2 playoff berths in the West.

 

Denver is going to the playoffs, while Houston will not.

 

but man...that one season still burns me in my memory. that one season when every team that came to the compaq center...kobe dropped like 40 on us...mcgrady dropped 40 on us...iverson dropped 40 on us...vince dropped 40 on us....it was all within like 2 months or something.

i wish sometimes we would have someone that drops 40 on the opposing team....but we struggle to even score 40 in one HALF.

mobley......been playing great all season..but man....lousy foul.

 

Thing is, I thought they did a really good job of avoiding those problems until the fourth. Their turnovers were up, but they hadn't really lost their composure.

I thought the game was called very oddly tonight. Refs weren't calling ANY hard fouls, but if you breathed on a guy when he was shooting, they whistled it instantly. They were fair to both teams in the sense that they called it both ways, but it just seemed like an odd way to call a game.

 

No doubt. For Francis to take it to the next level he is going to have to make a higher percentage of his FTs, especially in crunch time. All the top guards in the league make a good majority of those tough shots.

It sucks when the game comes down to things like foul shots YOU cant make or fouls YOU shouldn't have done. Again, killing YOURSELF!

 

I hear ya. I just try to remember Dream's 56 or Drexler and Olajuwon going for 40 a piece. Hell, if Francis wouldn't have been sent to the showers by that unbelievably HORRIFIC technical in Utah, he may have gone for 50 himself.

I'm just waiting for Yao to go off for 40 one night. It'll happen eventually and, oh, it will be sweet.

 

Hakeem used to have problems in Denver with Doug Moe's up tempo offense, but you must know the game reset. Taylor foul and Mobley foul was stupid or not smart. Francis missing a ft hurt also, but most people overlook th plays leading up to those. Miller takes a poor shot and no one gets the reb. If someone had gotten the rebound, we woudn't be talking about te Mobley foul just like if Francis makes the ft we wouldn't be talking about it either.