ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Timberwolves 3/5/2004

Sam also shot better, fouled less, and had fewer turnovers. Steve had more rebounds.

 

Steve was holding on to the rim because if he didn't he was about to taste some hardwood and risk a serious injury.

 

Yeah Steve beat Sam by one turnover.

 

a-train = 3x7r3m31y cool

 

He was reacting to both.

The fact that Steve had a great game, and the Steve haters will STILL find some way to bash him is ludicrous, and it deserved the response by SammyFish.

In addition to that, the content of the remark was also inane.

"It would be nice if Steve could mix a little defense into his game, or maybe that is why he played better on one end of the floor tonight."

If we won the game, why criticize his combination of offensive and defensive play tonight. Clearly, whatever he did, it helped the Rockets to a victory.

 

Clearly incorrect. Your post was ok, until this.

To argue this, without qualification, you have to assume that every Rocket made a net contribution to the win. That's just not the way any team sport works. In a narrow win, it's almost certain that some players played well... and others poorly.

Imagine if every Minnesota player played as well as Garnett. They'd have blown us out. But under your theory, he "hurt" the Wolves to a loss. Meanwhile, Jim Jackson's shooting ("whatever he did") "helped" the Rockets to a win.

That's nonsense... and you probably know it. Defend Francis if you wish... tonight's a good night for it... but don't be silly.

 

haven, SM, Davids...just wondering, but do you guys root for Steve to do badly to get him that much being closer to being traded? It's really not a ludicrous idea. If he finishes the season shooting well, I think that there would be a decent chance that Steve sticks around, though he still wouldn't fit the system.

So do you guys want him to play badly?

 

Postgame Quotes

Timberwolves Coach Flip Saunders
"Offensively we were pretty good. We shot the ball fairly well, and for the most part played hard. They made a lot of tough shots... When you score 109 at home, you should win. They shot the heck out of the ball from 'three' and beat us by eight at the free-throw line. We shot the ball well, but they made up for it from 'three' and the free-throw line."

"This is how they played us last game. They think it's easier to try and get the ball into Yao in transition and play with pace. We thought that would be to our advantage, but we didn't execute properly and took some bad shots... Yao was very effective. He's so difficult to defend. We exerted a lot of energy helping on him. Mo Taylor was 7-for-8 and Weatherspoon 4-for-6. The other guys contributing made it difficult for us. But we were still in position with three minutes to go. We just took some ill-advised perimeter shots."

"The best way to get good shots is off of (Garnett). We like to get the ball into him and let people converge. Sam and Spree have made many big shots, and they obviously have the ability. But they all need to understand that you want to give the offense a chance off collapsing on KG. You need to understand the easiest way to get open shots. This is very much like Houston with Yao."

"I'm not upset, because they (Cassell and Sprewell) were very aggressive. We were able to get Kevin the ball most of the time, but in a tight game, one or two possessions can make the difference. Sam has made shots that people would say are bad shots. We have won games like that. It's a fine line."




Timberwolves Forward Kevin Garnett
"Tough loss. I think they made five more 'threes' than we did, which was incredible. I thought they shot the ball well. I thought we did, too. We weren't excellent from the free-throw line, but we had our chances."

"For a period of about two-and-a-half minutes in the fourth, we couldn't really get anything going... That was probably the most important part of the game, that two-and-a-half minutes. I think Spoon hit a big, big shot for them from the top of the key."

"We knew this was a tough team. They are probably one of the most underrated teams in the league. I think Yao is playing at a tremendous level right now. Steve had an unbelievable night. I think all those guys play well together."




Timberwolves Guard Sam Cassell
"The basketball gods were not on our side today on the free-throw line, but we had our chances. At halftime, they get a 'three' up. We can't let that happen. I'm not going to say that 'three' cost us the game, (but) that gave them some momentum."

"(Yao) was real big tonight. He couldn't miss tonight. We had bodies on him, and he just played big. He made shots when our guys were there... Good defense, better shots. That's how it goes sometimes."

"When you're a first-place team, everyone is definitely going to gun for you. But we've got to understand that. We have to withstand that challenge and make it a challenge. With this team, our composure is outstanding."





Rockets Coach Jeff Van Gundy
"We made some great plays when we needed them. Steve made a great play to Clarence, and Cuttino did the same to Yao. What helped us is that we played a lot better defense in the fourth quarter compared to the other three quarters. Both teams seemed a little tired after the first three quarters, but we played better in the fourth and came away with the win."

"Minnesota is a great team, and we were fortunate to come in here and get a win. We played a great game. We shot the ball incredibly well tonight, especially from 'three'. We know that we can score points. We just have to have our three main guys play efficiently, and they played that way tonight."

"When Latrell came to New York, I found him the exact opposite than his reputation had shown previously. He puts the team first, he is all about winning, he is unselfish and a great competitor. All of those things make him a special player. Latrell will always come up with a spectacular performance in the big game."

"I think that the addition of Cassell and Sprewell to this team was a great decision. They can play those two and Wally at the same time, and it will give teams trouble because of the way Latrell defends."




Rockets Center Yao Ming
"I think from game to game our offense has gotten better. In the first half tonight I played well, but I struggled more in the second half and I had two turnovers down the stretch. So there are still inconsistencies within a game."

"From the beginning of the game we played great offense, but Coach was continually getting on us about our defense. It wasn't until the last three minutes of the game that we were able to pick that up, and that was important."




Rockets Guard Steve Francis
"We normally get better defensively in the fourth quarter. The last couple of games, against Los Angeles and Seattle, we weren't really able to get it going or get into a rhythm defensively. But tonight we contested harder late in the game... As a unit, I thought we did a good job of taking care of the ball. Our bench came in and didn't really turn the ball over."

"This is a good win for us. They are one of the top teams in the conference and you always want to win on the road. For us to win on the road, it's been tough for us against the Western Conference."

 

Think of it this way....It's fools gold.

If you are asking me if there's any way that I would "like" Francis to be on our team? Sure, if we had T-Mac along side of him (in my dreams). Or maybe Rashard Lewis. That way, they could relieve the responsibility for Francis to score all the time.

Francis is NOT the type of player that you want depending on night after night. He's too inconsistant a shooter and a sloppy passer. I would LOVE for him to perform efficiently (like Cassell or Payton) every night. But he doesn't. He's HOT one night, COLD the other. So me "rooting" for him really doesn't help. But getting him off this team will help. Especially if we get T-Mac or Lewis. At least another scorer that doesn't turn the ball over so much.

Put it this way, I don't want Francis to be our "2nd best player" on our team. That's too much responsibility for him. So, at least have him be our 3rd "best" After T-Mac or Yao.

P.S. And yes. I agree with you that Francis doesn't fit this team. Not with Yao. He's too efficient to play with Francis. Yao makes the "sloppy" in Francis show up like a sore thumb.

By the way, if Francis could ever average 18ppg, 7 apg, shoot 47%, and get only 2.8 tunovers per game. I'd change my sig to "Francis is a basketball God!" I'm not implying that those numbers are that "great." But they are incredibly efficient. Especially playing next to Yao. Couple those numbers with Francis's athletic ability, and you'll have a guy that would be an incredible asset to this team.

 

Nope. The better Steve plays, the more we can get for him in a trade. I think CD and JVG are smart enough to see that Steve is not the optimal player for this system, and I have little doubt that they will try to move him in the offseason.

 

As a unit the Rox did do a good job taking care of the ball. As an individual, Steve did a crap job of taking care of the ball.

Steve - 6 assists, 5 turnovers; a/to ratio = 1.2 = crap
Sam - 13 assists, 4 turnovers; a/to ratio = 3.25 = great
(just for kicks) Cat - 5 assists, 1 turnover; a/to ratio = 5 = fan-f'in-tastic

 

very happy that the rockets could pull out a victory against the Timberwolves. I was worried after the Lakers loss that we would be looking at a 3 to 4 game losing streak considering they have to play against Dallas sunday. Hopefully Yao can continue his strong performance Sunday.

 

Now that's Stupid

 

Hopefully, after we make the playoffs, the "Trade Steve" threads will be closed. He's a great guard who's improving who's only beginning to tap into his vast potential (mentally and physically).

I wonder though, after we win the title in 2006, will fans still complain about Steve and want to trade him?

 

It's pity I missed nearly two quarter of the game. When I turn on TV, I couldn't believe my eyes. Wow! 64 points in halftime,you know. What a powerful offense we achieved!

Hey fellas! This win is a big win, a significant win for us against the potential rival in 1st round playoffs. Most important of all, we build confidence&momentum and cast psychology shadow on Timberwolves minds. That's great, man.

Carry on, Rockets! Peace... Focus on and prepare for the next game against Dallas, my Rox!

 

dont worry about him, he thinks steve should still be traded if they win a championship with him

 

why cant you admit theat steve helped us win. He had a beter game then Cassel becasue he scored pts when they actually mattered, as in the last minutes of the 4th!!!, and also assisted and did great playmaking when it really mattered, as in crunch time!!! What was cassel doing during that time. Please just dont blindly hate steve.

 

he outplayed cassel when it really mattered.

 

SF totally outplayed Sam in the 4th quarter with the game on line. Geese, if SF3 can play close to this level consistently for the whole season, and Yao improves his consistency and stamina, then the team is set.

 

I consider outplayed to be a relative term. 30 points to 10 points is outplayed; 25 points to 25 points really isn't outplayed. But anyway, to apply the former definition.... I don't note anybody talking about how Garnett outplayed Yao, do you? He certainly outplayed him on the boards, didn't he? Two guys battling for a board certainly implies a lot m ore direct competition than who gets more assists (which depends on a variety of other variables, etc)

Of course, I don't even think the most audacious, anti-Yao troll like Juugie would come into this thread and make usch an observation,...yet its still OK I guess as long as your making it against somebody else.

Can you not see why a comment like this is somewhat gratuitous? Obviously, SM felt that the grand balance of BBS comments was tilted unfairly, decided to interject a reminder to drag everything down..........great. That's exactly why I come to a Rockets fan site, hence my comment about how useful it was.