ClutchFans Game Thread: Warriors @ Rockets 12/31/2007

Hey, don't post much here, but I read through the board daily. Props to all the contributing members and dedicated fans, especially demon77 for the links.

Anyways - I watched tonights game carefully, and although the final boxscore would say otherwise, the rockets played amazing through 3 quarters, especially considering this was against a team that is a match-up nightmare for us. There was one point in the game, the 2nd quarter, where the rockets were playing the way they should be playing. Rick Adelman basketball. They moved the ball, they made hard cuts, nice cuts, give and goes, and just attacked the rim. When you get the gimmies, the long range shots just seem to fall. Scola and Battier were playing balls to the walls as usual, drawing charges left and right, and the rest of the team was also playing hard nosed defense.

Steve Novak got some run, I think he had about 8 points, knocked down a couple of three's, beautiful shooter.
Bonzi attacked, but missed a couple of easy lay-ins.
Yao was limited like he usually is against these warriors, its hard for him - I remember him having to match-up with Matt Barnes, while Al Harrington harrased him all night.
Scola and Battier played hard as usual but Battier (3-11, 1-5 from 3) and Scola ( 3-9 ) just have to start shooting better.
Chuck Hayes doesn't belong in the starting lineup imo, but he did have a couple of nice passes, resulting in 5 assists, and just 1 turnover.
I still love Head =] he played pretty well, if only he were bigger, and stronger.

but oh my god, Rafer *brick to my lou* Alston played well.

I know, I know, same old 2-9 from 3 point range, but he did something probably for the first time. He drove into the lane as many times as he took a 3. And damnit he was pretty effective driving it in. He carved up the Golden State defense and finished fairly well too. He also had an amazing pass to Bonzi at the end of the half. He finished with 22 points, 5 assists, and NO TURNOVERS.

However, as a team, the rockets committed 20+ turnovers, and thats hard to watch.

As long as t-mac buys into the system, we can still make a run. The offense is so fluid with out him, but with a scoring machine in like t-mac, it should only be better right? Of course, unless t-mac isos all night, and pulls up for contested jumpers. Yes he is a superstar, Yes he was a 2 time scoring champ, but the offense is better with him playing within the system, even if it means him averaging only 22, 23 ppg. But when we need him, * like tonight when the offense was stagnant in the 4th quarter* he is still the most talented player in the league, and good enough to get his shot at anytime, and talented enough to hit some of them. He gets us over the hump. We need t-mac.

Tonight was still a positive, guys are improving, they are stepping up, and they are realizing what their strengths are.

happy new years guys, and to a better half of the season in 2008. Cheers.

 

Scola should have played more without Yao.Yao didn't have anything tonight

 

Thats true.
The Warriors are almost impossible to defend when they start dropping 3s.
7 out of 8 threes they drained in the 4th were contested, at least 4 of them they had a defender put their hands on their face.

Nothing you can do about it.

 

To me when we teams like worriors, Yao cant just stand low post fighting. There gotta be more motion. But on the other hand, we dont really have a playmaker tonight, so it was hard to got north and south. This is not a loss on coach or any single player tonight. Some of yall need to understand basketball before yanking.

 

T-Mac already did his self examination and will not be back for another 3 weeks.

 

This is a loss that I think you can kind of lay at Adelman's feet. There was a long ugly stretch there in the fourth quarter where a time out and maybe even some substitutions off the bench might have been a good idea.

 

Adelman didn't instruct these dudes to defend the three point line. They don't want two pointers, they want Treys,We defend the three we win this game.Bad coaching on Rick

 

Say what?

Blah. When does Football start again?

 

It makes me sick Yao can't dominate every game. he still a top two center in the league and people want to trade him. Every player is allowed to have a down game. He clearly doesnt match up with this team very with GS but with that being said he still had a good game by any other center's standard not named dwight or amare. If he had some help... things would be different. Bonzi Wells needs to make layups. Rafear had a good game but man he needs to learn to shoot. When ur number 1 option isnt working ur crappy pg should not be the leading scorer

 

But that because they got the lead is a different animal when you loosing those 3 don't fall the same

 

About the warriors 3´s they did the same to sa i watched that game and it was a close game until GS went 8-10 from 3´s in the third and game over.

 

15-4 run to start the 4th quarter killed us. Too many wasted possessions trying to get Yao the ball. And when GS small with Yao on the court, forget it. They'll get open threes all night long.

We would have been better off sticking with Luis and/or Chuck in the 4th. Hayes was superb defensively in the third quarter.

 

Funny but I seem to remember us getting our biggest lead with Yao on the court before he got his fourth foul. Yao was fine. Luther trying to force the ball into Yao instead of rotating the ball quickly to the weakside (where Scola would have come in) was not.

 

Luis Scola 3-9 9pts 3rebs 1 ast 22mins
Yao 4-8 16pts 9rebs 1ast 3blks 28mins

Not a good idea to diss Big Yao when Scola didnt have a good game.

 

By the stats, he had a good game. But the boxscore doesn't show all the possessions wasted trying to get him the ball, or all the open jump shots given up because he can't contest on the perimeter.

 

Agree Scola-Hayes was much better than Yao-anyone tonight, Yao never matched up the game speed and a man was open on every position.. that and Bonzi D.. if Bonzi has any D....

 

We didn't defend the three,Bonzi has no Basketball IQ,He missed several defensive assigments which led to wide open three point shots. He also turned the ball over too much and force ill advised shots.Adelman should have had bonzi on the bench along with Yao ming,Scola get's no love for his hustle and will to win.In the fourth quarter you need winners on the floor and scola is a winner.

 

Yes, not to good idea from you not to mention -19 with Yao, -3 with Scola

 

When Yao is front and Teams are decide to denied the ball, just attack the basket they did it to late when Rafer and Bonzi got some easy one and a got foul but it was to late the momentum have already change.

 

Listen to Don Chaney in the post-game show. The offense stagnated to a large extent because they were forcing the ball into Yao. When he did get the ball he was way too far out of position, so he kicks it back out. As Chaney asked, why not swing the ball side to side and then back into Yao?

Rafer was an offensive machine tonight but he's always been a mediocre point guard. The Rockets have had huge problems when Yao is fronted. They actually did a fairly good job working around that in the first quarter and then things fell apart after that. I really have to wonder if maybe a substitution when the Rockets looked flat in the 4th might not have been a good idea.