I think Slick Rick was maybe trying to put in Novak to try and add fire power and run up the score... The problem was Novak had no d. That'll not happen again. Everything should hinge on attacking the basket. The Rockets had the PF's of Utah on the bench, with the team i the bonus... Should have kept that up. Boozer and Millsap were both only 2 fouls each away from fouling out. One of them should have been fouled out.
I think the big tide turner was when we were down 57-55 and Hayes couldn't hold onto a great pass from T-Mac even though he was unguarded. After that Korver nailed 2 3's and killed us.
novak's an easy target, but there are 3 much bigger factors in this loss. 1. missing easy layp-ups. rockets short under 40% and missed about a dozen bunnies. this doesn't event count the lay-ups that never got attempted because players couldn't catch passes or hold onto the ball. 2. missed free throws. if you want to win a home game, you can't miss almost half your free throws. that was ridiculous. 3. rebounding. how many times did we get a stop in the first half, only to give up a layup off of the rebound. it seemed like almost every possession. it wasn't so much being outsized, there was just a lack of boxing out. this and free throws are middle school basketball stuff. dumb.
No there was, we climbed back and was leading in the third quarter in the past, we would have built a substantial lead as a buffer, but that didnt eventuate and we couldnt catch up in the 4th So i think there is a critical moment
I don't think there was any key play of the game. This contest (and series) was for the Jazz to take. The difference in depth, talent and experience is just too much for the Rockets to overcome. Nothing Adelman did would have made any difference. The only way the Rockets will win a game is for Tracy to "impose his will" (as he likes to say) and for at least 2-3 others to play their best. If the Jazz continue to make mincemeat of our defense, it's four and done.
The most critical moment of the game? When Korver hit those two 3's in one min span. The most dumbest moment of the game? Right when the second half was about to end we get a crucial steal and BJax has a wide open layup but somehow fumbles the ball off his leg (out of bounds, Jazz ball). I have never seen that in the NBA, yes you see it when 8 year olds play, but never in the NBA. That was pathetic, I should have turned off my TV right then.
thats what everyone said when Yao went down we still went on to win 9 games I think clearly, this game, our rookies and bench did not play thier best, nerves will explain why we shot so poorly from the freethrow line. Unfornately, the Jazz are a much more seasoned team I think there is a speck of hope if we learn from this lesson and make improvements. I think Houston playing at thier 22streak level is good enough to take out the Jazz
I posted this after 3 in the game thread: After three periods: 1) Rockets have missed enough free throws to be in the lead if they'd made them. 2) Rockets missed opportunities rebounding 3) In the third, with 5+ minutes left, the Rockets were in the bonus, yet failed to drive the lane and take it to the hole and utilize the free throw line. 4) Why is Brooks just now making an appearance with 4 seconds left in the 3rd? 5) Korver cannot be left unguarded. We can make all the goofy pictures we want in photoshop, but it looks like we don't want it as bad as the Jazz do. We even had Millsap AND Boozer sitting with foul trouble, and yet we didn't take advantage of our stinking lead!! It looks dire. It's miracle time, or nothing. ---------Those were all critical points in the game.
Another I found wierd is that our offense looked very awkward we werent making quick decisions, players were nto cutting, and holding the ball too long, which adds extra pressure as the clock winds down I hope this is just a one game thing, cuz otherwise we are pretty screwed
Agree! The critical moment was when Rocket lead by 2pt, then Jackson shot the iron, then Jazz followed with 6pt. Jackson did not play like an experienced playoffs player. He wasted too much oppotunities.
I thought we looked pretty nervous, a sign of our lack of playoff experience. We should settle down by next game, I think/hope.
when they didn't make the trade for artest. Really, once deke comes out,there isn't a reason for not going to the rack. Hayes is a liability on offense and defense. The rox are just too small. They have to play woods for legnth factor.
That too... I noticed that the moment Deke came out seemed like a buzzkill. The crowd was just getting into it.
ABSOLUTELY i went to the game, and everyone knew that when deke came out after his monster swat there would be a momentum change. deke waved, shane waved, everyone hoping hayes would go back to the bench. i think we got sorely out rebounded after deke went out. the key to beating the jazz is REBOUNDING. when we were struggling in early parts, we were being outrebounded 1 to 2. during our 3rd quarter streak we outrebounded them 2 to 1.
