ClutchFans Game Thread: Warriors @ Rockets 4/4/2007

For today's game, I also blamed it all on the coaches, not on the players. JVG and his coaches simply can not design a strategy that can at least give the players a chance to put up a fight. And this is even after we were burned once and once again by teams like Suns and now Warriors. It is disgusting to watch tonight's game, more so than Sunday's loss, because one thing I realized that is worse than losing is feeling hopeless.

Lakers almost beated Suns in last year's playoffs. Can't we learn something from their strategy?

 

I just came from the game.....sigh...aside from luther head..nobody can shoot on this damn rockets team!...Yao was sorrounded by 3 players sice the first minute and the supposed shooters just cant shoot the damn ball...golden state let the rockets shoot clankers..they first few tries giving the ball to Yao resulted to turnovers and they stopped trying...I'm starting to hate rafer alston for trying to be the "man"..he just tries to be the "man" at inopputune times....rafer please just distribute the ball and leave the scoring to others! ....on top of that golden state just made their threes tonight....
.....vassili tries hard but hes just lost at times.....he's got one move...stutter steps then pass or shoot...he can't shoot at all..he needs to practice....he also does not know how to play offense without the ball in his hands....if he can shoot and give the opposing team to respect him...i beleive he can play point guard....right now they can just sag off him or pressure him to give up the ball....

 

We're back to square one with only 7 games left.

 

The fronting defense is useless if you don't have a guy like Marion who can guard Tmac by himself.Eveybody knows fronting is the only way to stop Yao,but very few team could actually use fronting defense aginst the Rockets.It is not that easy.Teams like Utah can not do it effectively.

But I agree,JVG better think of something in case we run into Suns in the playoffs.(Yeah,I know,I am getting ahead myself,we need to worried about how to beat Utah first.)

 

Lakers have tall, athletic players than can run the floor and they match up very well with the Suns. We have this 7'6" giant on the court that we need to utilize, which means slowing the game down and pounding it inside to him whenever we can. We are who we are, a half-court team with a dominant inside scorer. Unless Yao never plays against the Suns, we will never matchup too well with them.

This is where teams with mobile/athletic big men like the Spurs (Duncan) have an advantage against the Suns, because they can matchup with them. Yao might be the quickest 7'6" guy to ever play the game, but he's still a giant and he's still pretty slow when compared to the rest of the league, which is increasingly relying on quick, athletic sub-7 footers in the front court who can run with the best of them.

 

We need sit down and think about how could we do in the playoffs! Or the 1 round is the limit!!!

 

Ok u rghit but we can ask also HOW come affter nice winnig games we coming back home and losing to the jazz and now to golden state???

i tought that we can do some nice things this season but i hope i'm wrong but we cant even pass the jazz on that situation that we having now!

 

jvg should have used yao in midrange. but since he forbids yao taking 15ft jumpers... bah...

 

Actually dude that sounds like a good idea but maybe JVG didn't want to show it off before the playoffs.

If he's being fronted down low, bring him up top.

But JVG is listening to too much TI lately:

I like my beast down low with his man to his back, see him drop 24 on his opponents like that.

If i see him at the top I be yellin' get back, get back, get back.

 

No, he isn't.

I didn't watch the game, but was shocked when I read the boxscore.

 

Is Amadeus your name on the Mavericks board? Dallas fans on the Rockets fan site board?

 

i had a bad feeling about last nights game but i didnt think it was that bad.

 

rockets almost beat the mavs a couple years ago, without their starting PF...but i guess that strategy doesnt count.

strategy is one thing, having the players with the proper skills sets is another.

 

was anyone else pleasantly suprised with v-macs play?


I think he might have earned himself a few minutes.

 

Well, I told you guys that this game was a trap and it looks like old Nellie has pulled another one on a (supposedly) better team. I am really amused by all of the posts of anger at JVG for not being able to counter the fronting type defenses that are designed to take Yao out of the equation. It's their very offensive philosophy that makes these defenses so effective against the Rox.

This entire offense is designed to get the ball to 2 guys: Yao & Tmac. Everyone knows where the ball is going so they set their defense to impede or deny the flow of the ball to these 2. The result is what we saw last night and what we continue to see against teams like Phoenix, Dallas & SA. They had 24 turnovers last night and their offense simply bogged down when the PG dribbled the clock away trying get the ball into the post. It was a masterful defensive strategy that GS used last night and the only way the Rox were able to close the gap at game's end was when GS decided to start playing half-court basketball. If you want to assign blame, then blame it on the rule changes that allowed zone play and deemphasized low post play. Because of this expect few teams to try playing the Rockets straight up because they really don't have to in order to be successful.

 

He was still turning the ball over but I liked what I saw. Particularly on defense.

 

I really am not too worried about last nights game besides the fact that T-Mac is about as soft as my 2 year olds butt.

Here is the thing that worries me the most. The defense that succeeds against Yao was so illegal just 5 years ago. The NBA is basically a small player league with the occasional athletic 7 footer sprinkled in.

Thats why Yao may never be as good as Shaq. He will never be as good as Olajuwon. Maybe, Oden will be better than him also. The athletes is what seems to be making it in the NBA if you are over 6'10".

I think Yao would of been great in 1995. Teams are going to start drafting dumb as hell players as long as they are tall and athletic just to put them with fouls to give on Yao.

Sad. This league so sucks. I mean, if Nash can win multiple MVP's what would Barkley and Malone and the older generation do against teams out there today with these rules? Jordan would average 50.

 

yeah his t/os have been my concern as well and he did have 1 last night but i agree that , defensively he was super active and not nearly as easy to push around on the block like rafer and luther were.

 

Mostly trying to get the ball to Yao... and failing... miserably... He played well enough though, for a team led by Luther Head.

Battier's shooting was off, but more importantly he showed again that his smart defense isn't good enough for the more athletic players. Baron Davis embarassed him, repeatedly.

We've really got to figure out how to handle these teams. This is another situation where I'd love to see Bonzi playing again. Yes, it sounds counter productive, since Bonzi isn't as fast or as athletic as Snyder, but check Bonzi's stats against Phoenix and Golden State from last year...

@Pho: 16 pts, 9 rbs, 6 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover in 41 min on 8/22 FG and 0/0 FT
@GS: 23 pts, 8 rbs, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers in 34 min on 9/16 FG and 4/8 FT
GS: 4 pts, 3 rbs, 0 assists, 1 steal, 0 block, 2 turnovers in 8 min on 2/5 FG and 0/0 FT
@GS: 22 pts, 9 rbs, 2 assists, 1 stl, 1 block, 1 turnover in 39 min on 9/16 FG and 4/4 FT
Pho: 18 pts, 7 rbs, 0 assists, 1 stl, 0 block, 4 turnovers in 33 min on 6/9 FG and 6/8 FT

Pretty solid stats, aside from the two high turnover games (which is expected, against Pho/GS) and the Rafer-esque shooting night in the first game, looks like he really did his job (from the numbers). Good ft attempts says he's driving hard, which we need, great rebound numbers, which we really need, and even some good assist and steal figures.

 

I hate to say I told you so.