Amen, I thought our season was over in the first half of the game. People on chat were going nuts, LOL.
I had very expectation of him coming into this season. I have been impressed that he is not doing those over-dribbling of the past. I saw him run up and down the court numerous times without showing a loss of concentration or mobility. Well maybe I am being a little too optimistic or maybe I set the bar way too low for him. I do not really like looking at the "actual game" during pre-season - I prefer looking for intangibles that will likely still be there come regular season. For example, what I saw Rafer and Head do fundamentally show that they have great promise.
LOL! I know. I am intruiged to see how Bill and Matt will dance around that all season long, it should be fun
I guess I still have a high school mentality but everytime I read one of these lines I can't help but laugh.
Yep, we need to start calling him by his first name Luther or its going to be a long season. Luther made the difference tonight, there were like 16 ties and the Rox and Philly were just going back and forth until the kid took over. I know this is only preseason but these new guys Baxter, Head, Alston and Anderson really make this team better than last years team and we haven't seen SS yet.
All I can say after watching that game is "Wow." This is going to be one hell of a year. The defense looked god awful. I'm not worried in the least bit because we all know that all JVG teams lock it down by the start of the season. What I was concerned about going in was the offense. I know it's early, but alot of my worries were put to rest. Rafer Alston was amazing. Ran it down court full speed every time he touched it. The ball movement was crisp and a thing of beauty. It seemed like no player held onto the ball for more than like 2 seconds. Derek Anderson was very nice on the perimeter. He would pump fake and get inside the defense. Yao looked much more agressive out there as if someone told him to shoot more. He put it up almost every time he touched it. Very nice. I turned it off by the 4th quarter so I didn't get to see Luther Head. Same old McGrady. But Rafer Alston - wow. I honestly didn't know what to expect from this guy and hoped for the best and prepared for the worst. I had no idea he was going to run the team like that. Setting Yao up better than anyone he's ever seen - McGrady included. They have put a premium on running as well. I think we have found our point guard of the future. Oh and P.S. - Moochie looked just as awful as always.
I was very impressed with Luther Head. He's extremely quick and displayed good court vision and awareness. He forced a few turnovers from Philadelphia and generally made good things happen while he was on the court.
This game was filled with positives for the Rockets. Don't have to worry about T-Mac, Yao, Wesley, Mutumbo, Juwan, etc. We know how those guys will perform throughout the season. Rafer was a perfect fit for this team if he continues to play like this. He pushed the ball every possession and knocked down an open three when he got the chance. He will have to learn to shoot more (just nerves and being new to the team) but look for him to average 8-10 assists a game. Baxter looks like a better Bowen, hustling everywhere, good putbacks, even an over-eager goaltending. Luther was filled with energy and played some quality minutes, I wouldn't be surprised to see him getting 10 minutes a game near the end of the season. Can't wait to see how Stro does tomorrow (hopefully).
Very impressed with Head. Head probably made CD more comfortable in trading Mike James because he is exactly what Mike James brought off the bench except he seems to be a better defender. I liked the defense Rafer put on Iverson. He is ultra quick and very under control at the same time.
The defense was much better in the second half. Lots of double team collapsing guarding the lane, Mooch had a couple of steals from the backside, Head was pretty active, ended up with 2 steals but had his hand on three more. Baxter had some solid rebounding. Yao, Juwan and Tmac were very solid. Rafer started off slow I thought, but I expected it, but he didn't disappoint me. I hope to see a whole lot more drives down the lane. You could see he was focusing on setting up every one else tonight. He passed up a lot of open shots tonight. wesley was dependable but his shot wasn't outstanding tonight. I was very pleased, but I was hoping to see Stro in the game. Tomorrow night I guess!
