ESPN (Gregg Anthony) Quote on Today's Game "It tells you a little bit more about houston in a lack of a killer instinct. Because when you know you're going to play a team like San Antonio without their best player. You want to bring about a sense of urgency and intensity that they did not display today in that game. Now remember that Tmac was bang up as well. Although he played great for 3 quarters. But I think that's more of a vindication of Houston maybe not quite ready to make that jump to the elite status of the Western Conf. "
Yeah, but we beat Seattle and Phoenix on the road. We just had a terrible game today because our outside shooters couldn't hit their shots. When they are on I don't think anyone can beat us.
Agreed. Its not the end of the world, but we should not have lost to this team. We got outworked right from the start, seems like we didn't come prepared, and it showed. This reminded me of the Utah game, we thought it would be an easy win and we get knocked on our heels the entire game.
What killed us was the inability of our stars to draw multiple defenders. Every time Yao got doubled he didn't make a clean pass out of it. Tmac was too banged up to penetrate repeatedly. The spurs were able to put the game away because Manu kept on penetrating, freeing their shooters for good shots. Our shooters never really got that many open shots.
The Spurs swept the Rox 6-0 during the 1994-95 regular season, and we remember how much that mattered when it counted. This game doesn't mean anything for the playoffs. When the Rox beat the Spurs the 2nd time in Houston, that told me they can play with them, even if you write off the comeback game as a fluke. Today, the defense was choking the Spurs until they let it slip in the 4th. In the big scheme of things, this game has no meaning at all. In the playoffs, if Yao plays well, the Rox compete at a totally different level. Yao didn't bring it today, but it doesn't mean he won't later. Flip a coin. Unless the Rox go completely in the tank, the outcome of these individual remaining games means zip. What matters is how they are playing when the playoffs start. Hopefully Juwon Howard will have a couple of regular season games to sharpen up. Hopefully Wesley, Barry, Sura & James will shoot better, instead of 8-21 (1-5 from 3 pt) like today. Hopefully they won't turn the ball over 8 more times than the opposition. Don't read so much into what happened today. Bring on the playoffs! Enough of the regular season!
it still means something though in that we need to develop a killer instinct, so in the playoffs we WILL be able to put teams away that aren't playing well or in today's instance, missing their star player.
Both this game and the last time we played the Spurs. we did real well for 3 1/2 quarters. But they found another gear that we just don't have (yet). That is why they are the favorite for the championship, and we are just a strong contendor.
The Rox "found another gear" and the "killer instinct" on the road against the Sonics and Suns not too long ago. Unless they go in the tank, I guarantee you the remainder of the regular season will consist of games the Rox look like world beaters and other games where either Yao, poor shooting, lack of effort or something else will cause us to lose. After each loss, a bunch of you will comment how whatever caused them to lose that game proves that aren't contenders and will plague them in the postseason. After some of the impressive wins, some will say this shows the team is on the right track. The only thing that matters now is if it's in them to turn up the effort and concentration when the real games start. Does anyone know if they will or won't? No. Let the 2nd season begin and bring on the Mavs/Sonics/Suns/Spurs. P.S. I will admit to being very intrigued by the home/away games left with the Sonics & Suns because we've only played them twice. The Rox should be circling those games on the calendar because of the possible 1st round playoff matchup and I'm sure the Suns and Sonics are looking forward to payback.
Three guys letting Tony Parker stroll into the lane to grab his own rebound in the last minute. Shameful. We're weak. This game exposed it. Stop excusing it and get stronger.
Don't read too much into one game, guys. The season can be misleading, I think our veteran guys are really pacing themselves right now to try and be physically ready for the playoffs. I don't think we are doing too badly right now, we have won a good deal of games in our last 10+ games, we are doing pretty well. I think it is a fatigue factor more than anything else in this instance, that is probably the reason as to why our shots are not falling in the last few games. Believe me, when healthy, we are right there with every other team in the league. One game does not change that. Do I think we will beat the Spurs and the Heats of the league in a playoff series? I don't think we are there yet, mainly due to the fact that Yao is still a distant from becoming the dominant player we think he can be, and need to be, if the Rockets are to be a consistent championship contender year-in and year-out like the Spurs are. However, Greg Anthony's argument that "this is why the Rockets are not in the elite yet" is a faulty argument. Here is why: How do you define "elite"? Is Dallas/Seattle/Pheonix elite teams? If so, then you would have to include the Rockets in that group, because they have proven that they can play with those teams. However, if you define "elite" as ONLY the absolute upper echolon of the league - the Spurs, the Heat - then you can make the argument that the Rockets/Mavs/Suns/Sonics are not quiet at the level of those two teams. So everyone I think has their own opinions, but it is amazing that G.Anthony and others would (based on game-to-game analysis) change their opinions of a team throughout the season like that. If you remember, G. Anthony used to call the Rockets a ".500 team" when they were right around that mark. Then, they go on a run into the All-Star weekend and everyone is singing their praises. Then, they go on a road trip and defeat some of the top teams in the league and they are called "contenders" and a potential headache to playoff teams in the West, and some go as far as predicting that the Rockets would upset the Sonics in the first round if they meat them in the 1st round, and said we would even have a Western Conf Finals between the Spurs and the Rockets. So go figure, those people change their opinions like they change clothes
Most balanced and on-target post. It was just another game in the 82 game season. What would beating the Spurs w/o Duncan proove anyway, that the Spurs don't have a chance w/o Duncan, no freaken duh! It was a bad game and bad effort for the Rockets, no more or no less than any other such effort. Just got to be focused tomarrow.
Great post tigermission1. Although it would have been nice to beat the Spurs on their court and end our losing streak there, this game doesn’t mean a whole lot when looking at the big picture. A win today would have proved nothing. Once the Rockets get T-Mac and Juwan Howard healthy (hopefully before the playoffs) then I think the Rockets are right there in the mix to contend with the Mavs/Pistons/Sonics/Suns and only a small notch below the Spurs (if Duncan is healthy) and the Heat.
I disagree with Greg. The Rockets didn't lose because they lacked "killer instinct." They lost because the Spurs hit shots in the 4th quarter that niether team was hitting the rest of the game. Bottom line is one team broke out of the shooting slump and the other didn't, and that was ballgame.
I was at the game. And I taped the game. Trust me...they looked much better on TV than they did in person. If "flat" or "playing dispassionately" equates with "lacking a killer instict", than Greg Anthony is 100% on the mark. This was the Duncan-less Spurs who were 2-5 since the ankle injury. What was our excuse? Back to back games? Too long a bus ride down I-10? Lack of national media attention? Forget the 4-0 road trip. What's lacking (again) is consistency. I'm not going to say it all relates back to Juwan's injury but Spoon just isn't getting it done. Yao + Spoon + Padgett should dominate Rasho + Horry + Nazr. (BTW, aftr seeing Nazr Mohammed in person, I'm not so sure the Knicks didn't get the better end of that one).
Both teams were playing with a lot of intensity, but the spurs turn it up a notch and the rockets could not match it. That's killer instinct in my book.
