I thought Sura was supposed to be that creator? I've seen him do it in certain games..... He really should have and should in the future penetrate more every game. That penetration technique you used to describe parker and manu doesn't impress me to the point where it's rare. I mean Sura can do that also....i'm just wondering why he DIDN"T.
I was just watching ESPN and they had a preview on an interview they will have by Stephen A. Smith with Allen Iverson. In it Iverson was basically telling Kobe "you got what you wanted, now we will see who you really are as a player without Shaq. That is what I have been dealing with for my whole career, Welcome to my world!" Ahh, at least I can still take pleasure in knowing Kobe and the Lakers are suffering
In my opinion, MANU is for real, Parker doesn't scare me at all. He has quickness but he can be contained. Manu is more dynamic and HE is the reason that makes the spurs backcourt so dangerous. Parker is not that good, seriously.
ok here's a question for you. At their best, which Defense do you think is better, ROCKETS or SPURS? Before you answer the SPURS hastily, think about the Rockets for a second. The Rockets have proven this season to be a VERY respectable defensive team. Consistency has been lacking but just forget about consistency for a second.
Sura is a stiff who is a pretty slow guard, and to compare him to a player like Parker (who is very quick) and Manu (who is quick AND tricky) shows a lack of understanding of what each player brings (i.e. abilities). I think that there are ONLY two quick players on the Rockets: T-Mac (who is limited this year due to his injuries) and Mike James (who just doesn't think much about passing, so the penetration-and-dish is not really a huge part of his game)
Well, actually I think no big man except SHAQ can play along with A.I. He just too good and ball in his hands most of time
Sura is not as slow as you just portrayed him. He's a tenacious defender and he's got some speed..come on man.
We lost this game because T-Mac got cold in the 4th, Barry/Sura/Wesley/James gave us very little, and because the Spurs did a great job defensively on Yao. Don’t blame this loss on Yao, the Spurs were constantly double teaming or fronting him and when the guards can’t hit their shots it makes it easy for teams to send help to Yao's defender.
AI is clearly the world's biggest ball hog, but I can't blame him since he has NEVER had a serious star play along him (Webber may be if he gets his health back). He has to do what he does for the team to be successfull. I think if he stays healthy though for another 2-3 years, that kid Iguadola will be a SERIOUS, serious player that can help him out a lot. I still think he will be one of those greatest players to ever play the game without winning a ring.
The worst thing to do is to try and make a point (and wanting to be taken seriously) while blaming the loss of the game on a player that was NOT supposed to even be out there, and yet he was, and showed guts and effort that was not even expected from him while being VERY productive, and thinking that this player who was the ONLY reason the Rockets were even in the game caused the loss. It really ruins any credibility you have.
I think JVG simply got outcoached in the crucial moments of the game. During the 4th quarter when San Antonio began making their run, we should have had Deke in to limit interior shots and maybe Ryan Bowen to bother Brent Barry. And he has obviously told Mike James not to look for his shot, because he is overpassing, IMO. On the other hand, Wesley and Jon Barry are really killing us with their dismal shooting. They really need to get in the gym to get out of that rut. If we can't get consistent scoring from them, were are in trouble. Tonight they only gave us 4 pts combined!! Thats where we lost the game folks. Together they have averaged almost 20 pts per game this year. We need them to step up in the biggest way. Yao did well considering all the quick double teams, fronting, hacking, etc. He had a decent game.
The most startling stat of the night? The Spurs attempted 80 FGs, while the Rockets attempted only 68. BOTH teams made 29 of those shots (Rox 43%, Spurs 36%) The difference? 7 of those 29 Spurs FGs were threes, only 1 of the 29 by the Rox was a three. We got slightly outrebounded (42-37) but nothing significant to make a huge difference. It was the threes, plain and simple, that gave the Spurs a better to chance to win. So this might give some validity to the argument that our guards (DW, JB, Sura, MJ) were largely responsible for the dismal performance they showed on the offensive end. Also, they got 10 more FT attempts than we did (and made 7 more), which shows a lack of aggressiveness going inside to get to the line, or simply shows that the refs sucked big time tonight
That is horrible. And let's not forget that the Rox had 16 TO's and the Spurs had 8 TO's Overal bad game. Hopefully we'll learn from it move forward and take care of Utah tomorrow night.
Oh, I forgot, Brent kicked Jon's butt today, Brent was HUGE in making those threes when the Spurs put the game away.
It is easy to understand the loss because we can not makethe three points. The ABC guy said that the JVG's team depended on the three points. TMac is the same, Yao is not different, but our gauards are guite different today.
Spurs beat us despite their shooting about 36%!! Even without Duncan they have the most suffocating team defense in the NBA - I love how they play. We were beaten in virtually every other category: rebounding, steals, turnovers, fouls...you name it; certainly in all the hustle stats. Few can match the quickness and athleticism of Parker & Ginobli. Manu was the game MVP hands down. Yao is going thru sort of a "victim" funk right now and we need him to get out of it if we're going to go deep in the playoffs (his flailing drives me nuts!!). We simply got outplayed. Fun game to watch but their "D" shut us down at crunch time. And one more thing, major kudos to TMac for playing hurt - that's leadership. D R
Well, even before the game, you are not the only one that respects the Spurs and understands how good they are: "I don't believe any other team could beat San Antonio in a seven-game series without home court. San Antonio could win without home court...Losing Duncan, you don't know in four weeks if he is going to be totally healthy, I feel awful about that because if there is ever a team that I admire, it's that team. That team, the way they go about their business, the way they play the game, how they're coached, the humility of their organization, too, I think is often overlooked, is something everyone should admire. They never pound their chest about who they signed, who they drafted, how they play, their excellence in winning over a long time. The only thing they have to concern themselves with is once they hit the playoffs are they healthy, because if they're healthy, they're the favorites, even without home court." JVG
The Spurs IMO is the by-far best managed team in the league too. The best team in the NBA is the 23rd in payroll.
