Yao shoots 86% at the free throw line so we should park him there when the other teams strategy is to double teaming him downlow. It will save him a lot of energy battling for position and he'll get back on defense easily.
Yes JVG did adjust to how the Suns were playing impeccable smothering team defense on Yao and he did it with strategic stealth, savvy, and toughness...and we beat them with them playing their best!!!
What impressed me about this win is that the Suns gave it thier all. They played to win tonight and didn't mail it in. We beat a very good Phoenix team that was at full force. Even though we are 3-1 against them this season, this definately builds MOMENTUM going into the playoffs.
it looked to me like we'd practiced our offense against that preemptive double team. we were far crisper working it around the perimiter, or immeadiately pulled out to do the pick and roll, and looked for different angles to make the entry. when we played golden state, we just parked the ball into the corner and stared at their double team. maybe not adjustment, but training oof how to execute our offense against this kind of D, definately. oh, and T-mac and shane were both incinernating...that helped
THey would have tanked it, if they hadn't got so close. We really need to do a better job sealing the game. It seemed Amare was doin a good job, but it was just bad passes that got him some easy steals. JVG coach of the year
The Rockets did adjust to how PHX plays Yao. They turned the big man into a 7'6'' garbage man. Instead of initiating the offense with him, they finished the offense with him.
The only problem was getting him the ball. They were fronting with Amare and bringing Marion to help and they were causing TOs. Then when Rafer went out with fouls JLIII couldn't make the entry pass at all. Yao got good position and when he got the ball he was money as usual. What I liked about Yao was that he didn't try to dribble som much, he just got the ball turn and shoot, unstoppable.
That was EXACTLY what Yao Ming told the Chinese reporters. He said as Tracy McGrady played like an obsessed in the first half, he sensed his opportunity would come in 2H, as he thought Phoenix Suns would switch to front or double-team on Tracy, instead of him.
While it's true that we still made some mistakes when Phoenix doubled team Yao and that we beat Phoenix because of better outside shooting by Luther and Shane and better rebounding by everyone, you still have to give JVG some credit for sitting Chuck Hayes in favor of Howard and having Shane play the 4 at times. It is critical to have all shooters in the game against Phoenix to make them pay for doubling Yao or Tmac. So the answer is Yes, Jeff did make some adjustment to Phoenix's defense.
Phoenix was shooting lights out as usual in the first half (all game) and we kept their pace. It was a sight to behold. Tmac was the foundation, and Yao and Battier kept things in hand. They were smothering Yao, and he had some difficulties, but still was able to produce, and draw defenders in droves. This gave the rest of the team open looks, and gave Tmac room to work some nice magic. When PHX's plan didn't put us away in the first half, it seemed they started being more worried about TMAC and less about Yao, and that's when Yao got some room to step up. JVG definitely knew what was happening, or even what was going to happen. They worked the PnR more, and the passes to Yao got better... faster. He took less time making decisions, and suddenly it seemed that they just didn't know what to do to defend it. That said, for all this, PHX still just kept firing the shots and draining them. I was impressed and thought that, even though we went big, that we kept pace with them, and beat them at their own game using our strengths but not slowing down.
everyone's talking like it was all us.. anyone consider that Phx held back a little in case we face them later? Just strategies, not actual player effort. I mean, PHX and GS both went nuts by putting small, quick guys on Yao. (Diaw from PHX in particular has had success). The often fronted him and made it difficult to throw the post-entry. This time, it was rare to even see them TRYING to front Yao. If they had, sadly, things could have turned out a little differently. At least for Yao. I'm still wary of those 2 teams..
I agree. I think we (and many teams) fall into the trap with PHX of trying to match up with them by going small. I've never understood this strategy because you play to their strength and allow them to dictate the game. You just aren't going to out "small ball / up-tempo" PHX, so why try? Keep size in there and make them pay by getting all over the boards and pounding the ball inside to Yao. We did both and won. I truly think its gives us the best chance to beat them. It may also force them to counter by going with some more size and that plays into our hand.
I don't think they could front Yao consistently because T-Mac was lighting them up and our outside shooters were reasonably reliable. T-Mac's quality of play is so essential to our team's success. He truly is the straw that stirs the drink.
Amare is a very, very good player, but I think the PHX system and Nash make him a great player. I'd be very curious to see his game on another, more half-court oriented team. It would be interesting to see to what degree he would / could dominate.
I don't think Phoenix held back in terms of strategy. They doubled Yao less because 1) Tmac was the focus more 2) Some of our outside shooters made their shots. 3) Chuck Hayes played less. Howard and Shane were playing the 4 and they made them pay.
By watching the game I think Yao learned to adjust with the defense more and more everyday. He tried not hold the ball too long and passed it out before the double or triple team come.
Oh, JVG made some EXCELLENT adjustments in the 2nd half. I've been advocating for a while now the use of the pick and roll to foil early double teams on Yao...and that's what they did throughout the 2nd half. Tmac and Yao pick and rolled the Suns to death, and Yao was often the beneficiary ... wide open baseline jumpers, layups, garbage rebounds, etc. If a small swarming team won't let you get the ball to the big man while he's posted up, then put the big man in motion, and force the defender to commit to someone else. I wish they had done this in the Golden State game with Luther/Rafer and Yao...Luther launching treys at the top of the key and Yao collecting garbage rebounds. I thought we really had a chance to win that game.
Definitely not effort. The Suns were really, really wanting to win this game. The coach did and the team played like a team that's won 60 games. As for strategy, you could be right, to a degree, but considering how they've hammered us in the past, and everyone else, what were they holding back? If anything, it was not much!
JVG did a good job of getting the ball to Yao in different ways....We ran some inbounds plays to him, got him involved in different pick n rolls, and even a pick n pop out to the baseline for an open J. Yao was also effective on the offensive glass. In general, we were much less predictable on offense, and it also helped that Tmac attacked every opening that he saw. That combined with Shane and Luther knocking down shots, and Juwan bringing the energy, our offense was unstoppable.
