ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Spurs 11/16/2007

So I guess when the game is on the line we should put the ball in MJ hands and not t-mac.

 

Yao can handle 20+ shots a game. If they are like they were at teh end of the Spurs game where he is posting up with his man on him back. Yao moving hard trying to get he ball tires him out and he won't be able to handle that many touches. He will turn the ball over.

 

so tmac will have no impact on whether they advance or not?

tmac has closed out the jazz/bobcats/bucks and should have the grizz. that's a good rate already. james hasn't closed out any games.

tmac has been MAD clutch this yr. and he'll get more confidence to close out games and gain a killer instict as we go along b/c we have a better team.

 

Uh. He is pretty slow and unathletic compared to other centers in the league the media and us often compare to (in terms of who being number 1 center in the league). His hands arent that great either. If he is fast like u said, i would think he would dominate on the board..
However, he is the best shooting center. I guess we can't have everything.

 

Yes, i think that whenever a team tries that strategy on Yao. It would be best for him to come up and try a pick and roll. A lot easier than passing around looking for a passing angle to put the ball in Yaos hands.

 

No. He's not improving. I don't know what you're seeing. His usage rate being lower is bad, not good, it means he isn't being fed enough. McGrady's usage rate is still at a career high level. He is now down to 23/10/3/2.3 in 5 more minutes per game, and the extra assist a game comes at the expense of more scoring down low i.e. he is becoming less efficient, not more efficient. His best moment this season was SA game #1 but he has been pretty mediocre since then. He has been arguably worse than the injury-slowed Yao we saw in March and April and significantly worse than the guy who was putting up 35/15/7 games in November and December.

Yao has nagging injuries but they are not nearly as serious as the knee injury. Where is the problem? The problem lies with Adelman. He is not putting Yao in a position to succeed, and the team isn't exactly succeeding either. After 10 games I can see a trend and I don't like where it goes.

 

WTF has Francis done? You lost all credibility when you brought him up donkey

 

i have never seen yao this clutch EVER. why? b/c he has never had the energy/legs to finish the 4th. that's not an improvement?

JVG rarely went to yao in the 4th b/c he was fatigued. but this yr, vs the spurs/bucks/spurs, he actually dominates in the 4th.

and again, a lower usage rate is GOOD. thats why it's bad for tmac to have such a higher usage rate b/c we still depend on him so much.

maybe w/ this game, the role players improving and running our offense properly, tmac won't have the ball as much and thus can focus on scoring.

 

No it's not an improvement when he isn't producing as well during the rest of the time on the court. I want the guy who put up 35/15/7 back, and by all rights since he is relatively uninjured he should be back. Adelman insists on him standing around at the elbow and doesn't have the team commit to feeding him. Obviously he'll have better legs late in the game when he isn't producing the rest of the time.

By the way.... we're 6-4. I've always said if it's helping the team win, it's fine. Well.... it's not helping the team win.

 

I think specifically this game the reason he was fresh is Adelman saw what they were trying to do with him and let him sit on the bench more. Also they moved the offense away from him, and used him as a decoy to get Scola some good shots.

 

One big reason we lost tonight was wide open 3's by SA. I blame most of these on Battier, Bonzi, and James. We know SA is great at getting these shots, but we have defended them better in the past. If we don't allow wide open 3's then we win this one.

 

um, i tmac played, we woudl have beaten the lakers and win this game.

and that grizz game was resting tmac too much.

so essentially our record is pretty considering everything has happened and we haven't executed our offense one damn bit.

and damn, you only care about yao's stats?

u do know the only way yao will get 35-15-7 if he does everything and everything revolves around him right?

 

I obviously am a huge Yao fan but I am willing to watch Yao play worse if it helps the team win. We are 6-4, same as last year, and with many of the same problems. I don't see progress at all, and Yao could be playing better and is not injured. That's why I blame Adelman. His adjustments for Yao are not helping the team do any better than it did last year.

 

but I AM SEEING PROGRESS from this game. and i saw it from OUR ROLE PLAYERS. i see scola breaking out. i see battier getting his shot back. i see our guards penetrating FINALLY. i saw a ton of positives.

but obviously, u don't care about the progress of our other players but just yao.

look man, when our role players get better, the fronting won't come as much. tmac will get more room to operate. our stars will get better if our role players get better.

just think about that.

i know you're a yao fan, but the only way yao will get respect is if he wins. and if our role players don't get better, yao can get 35/15/7 and we won't win (he did that in 2 games last yr when tmac was out and WE LOST).

stats are not everything. yao is getting better. this was his first bad game of getting touches since the dallas game. the lakers was just his fault of struggling.

 

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree and see how it works out, although I have a feeling you'll be thinking differently after we get crushed by the Suns tomorrow. If the Rockets beat the Suns I will be shocked. I was not surprised to see us put up a good fight against SA but the Suns might triple team Yao off the ball.

 

no i won't if we lose to the spurs tomorrow. i expect a loss. but if our role players keep progressing, we'll be fine.

again, WE'RE PLAYING WITHOUT TMAC. we could beat the suns w/ tmac believe it or not w/ the way he's playing (and how he destroyed phoenix in the last game last yr).

so relax. sacrifice the stats for the team. we lose now (b/c tmac is out) but we develop a bench/role players that will be criticial down the stretch of the season going into the playoffs.

 

Actually one game wont make anyone change their mind. If the ball movement is there, the cutting is there, and the offense generally looks good(sure it will have some hiccups) but the team loses(much like tonight) thats not necessarily a bad thing. The Suns will probably be fronting Yao much like the Spurs did. So lets see what Adelman comes up with knowing that Yao is likely to see that kind of scheme.

 

give steve the ball so he can drive to the hoop. The only point guard who can actually get foul calls and make the basket. Luther head is such a turnover prone. The guy can't make entry pass to yao nor can he dribble the ball.

 

Head and Steve dont play the same position. Just because Head is short doesnt make him a PG. Francis is turnover prone and thats one reason he hasnt gotten any playing time.


And Rafer had the first 6 points for the Rockets in the 4th quarter from attacking the basket.

 

But the thing is a wiiiiiiiiiiiiiidddddddddddde open 3 for Rafer is automatically a TO right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!