I was reading the thread from the game tonight, and I think everyone needs to calm down. Mobley played a great game.. we can't expect this team to be champions this year, we don't have the talent or the experience.. so just ride the ride with the rockets.. it's a fun one anyhow.. we lost the game by 2 pts.. not by 20+.. it'll be ok. We have our numbers on the Warriors.. sometimes guys in the league are hot, Murphy was hot.. there is only so much as a player one can do to eliminate hotness.. look at the pacers.. better team then us, but they have lost two in a row.. look at the spurs last road trip.. lost 3/4 games.. (or something like that).. so we just have to be CALM!! The rockets are a great team.. their decision making is lacking.. but, it will improve..no worries.
Actually, we DO have the talent. We're one of the most talented teams in the league... it's only the experience that we are missing.
Please.........there's no need to calm down when you let Troy Murphy get 23 and 10, while shooting 8/14. Can't forget about Earl Boykins shooting 50%(2/3 from the '3') on his way to 12 points in only 19 minutes of play.
We have the talent. It is not the experience. This team is a dumb team that cares more about individual statistics than team accomplishments!
Troy Murphy has actually turned into a hell of a player. I have kept my eye on him all season. He might just be a candidate for most improved player. I have no problem with us allowing him 10 rebounds, as that is his average. I do not remember him having that good of a jumper, and last night, that jumper was gold. I think the Warriors deserve some credit for last night's win. We shut down Jamison and Richardson. However, in doing that, we allowed Murphy and to a lesser extent, Boykins, open jump shots. They hit their wide open shots. We didn't hit ours. It is as simple as that.
No all we have is potential... Griffin has so much potential.. With Ming, the sky's the limit and even Francis has more potential to be better than what he is now, I hope... But potential doesn't win games and young teams in the NBA don't win games consistently, it's just the way it is and it's just the way it's always been, with rare exceptions young teams lose... Griffin is light years away from becoming the player he will be... And MoTaylor is still a long way from becoming the player that he was, it's clear that he is still moving slow because of his achilles... Truthfully the only player who is playing up to his abilities is Cato (and maybe Rice but that is not a good thing)... Think about that the one player who is consistently playing up to his ability is Cato, at the beginning of the season most of us would have thought it'd be the other way around... But it's not! The Rockets as a whole are inconsistent and not just game to game but quarter to quarter and play to play... Cat should play like he did last night on a regular basis... and I hope Francis will stop making bonehead plays someday or at least not as many... When Moochie plays at his best he is an acceptable backup but he is inconsistent and mostly unacceptable... We are a team with a lot of youth and our best player is new to this country and a rookie... Steve Francis is a phenomenal athlete but please don't confuse him with a Magic, Bird, Hakeem or even an Isiah Thomas type player... those guys knew how to win and they did it on a consistent Basis and they did it from the get go... With all Stevie's talent he does not have that instinct and that is something you can't teach... it is what Rudy described as the heart of a champion... and the Rockets as a team don't have that heart today... And untill one of the Rockets gets that hunger and heart so that the rest can ride on their coattails (Maybe Ming) we will never be a championship team and only be a team with potential.
Murphy has turned into a pretty good player but we were begging him to make those wide open 16 ft jumpers. Every time Boykins would drive I would see Mo Taylor (guarding Murphy) turn his back to Murphy and slide over to help on Boykins drive. The problem was he wasn't getting over far enough to stop Boykins yet left plenty of room for Murphy's wide open jumpers. When you've got that much room on a free throw distanced shot, it's hard for NBA players not to make that shot.
Too many fouls last night. These guys went to the line like twice as much as the Rockets did and they shot extremely well from the line. Bill had said last night that when the Warriors win games, it's usually because of foul shooting. Also, what happened to our defense? I know that guys can go off sometimes, but not two in one game, Boykins and Murphy.
I want to win them all too, but this team can be awesome, but maybe not this year. That effort last night would probably win most games. EG is hurting us sometimes, but he could turn into a completely dominant player and needs the minutes - bravo Rudy! Some of the things he did last night were so athletic - project him bulked up and still that athletic. He might even grow taller - isn't he about 20? Get some of Yao's magic supplement! I am really back into the Rockets after several years of boredom. If everyone expects too much too soon, this could get screwed up. I know Yao will be the real deal, and so is Steve. If EG goes there, it is all over!
It is obvious from your above post that mediocrity is okay with you. For me and my house I say NO TO DUMB BASKETBALL. I am sorry to say this but I am afraid that you (sonalikumar) are an APOLOGIST and NOT a FAN. By the way how long have you been following basketball especially this particular set of Houston Rockets if you don't mind?
I am not an apologist, and I don't appreciate you calling me a nonfan. I have not missed more than 15 games since I picked up the rockets.. I read every bit of news on them, and follow all of the NBA hard core.. so please don't ever question my fanliness. Thanks. I have been following the rockets since 1991.. and trust me, i know this team inside and out. I am just as disappointed as the next fan, but listen, we can't be this hard on a young team.. granted, some of the plays are unacceptable, but I think Houston fans jump in and off the bandwagon too quickly.. read the threads ater the games.. the emotions always change depending on the outcome.. It irritates me.
Your post sucks. It's not a matter of calming down. The old squad are not doing their freaking jobs..dumb to say all those young and inexperience craps. 3 god damns years the rockets missed the playoff.
How can you be an apologist w/o being a fan? don't you have to be a fan(following, enjoying, rooting for) of a team to care enough to apologize for them?
I dont know if you can ask bandwagon fans to settle down. These fair-weather idiots will bash and bash and bash when the rockets lose, and praise their greatness when they win. I know it is frustrating to see losses to NY and GS, but didnt we beat Sac and SA? We ARE a young team, but is that an excuse that we didn't win? No, there are many factors that go into a loss. Some would be, 1. Poor gameplan, 2. Bad Execution, 3. Awesome play by the opposition, 4. Poor refereeing, etc. Pick your poison on any given night and you might lose. I bet these players respect Rudy and look up to him. He has been with the organization longer than all of these players put together. The only thing this team needs is time to gel. I would be scared if we lost to all of the good teams, but we tend to do well against teams that we fear. The losses to the bad teams happen because we dont have a killer instinct. If you aren't willing to give them time to gel.. turn off the TV and stop calling yourself a Rocket's fan. Go root for the kings or the mavs. We don't want bandwagon fans here.
Fegwu, WE GET THE MESSAGE. You and your house can burn down for all I care. Why don't you say no to the internet? Why not boycott typing? You are a like a leaky faucent...drip, drip, drip...over and over again with the same drivel. You literally repeat yourself in every thread now. Just stop watching the Rockets and stop posting here if you are in such misery. We won't miss you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Responding to this thread, the Rockets lost because they shot 37%. If Yao Ming, alone, hits the shots he normally does we win. Simple as that. Despite what anybody says, the Rockets played good enough defense to win. Antwain Jamison and Jason Richardson were held well below their season averages. As good as they played, it's not like Boykins and Murphy went completely off. They played well. They are in the NBA for a reason. Perspective, people. Look, I am not happy with the team right now, but their inexperience individually and as a team *is* a factor in their inconsistent play. The Pacers were a .500 team last year largely because they were working in new players as the focal points of their offense and adjusting to some roster changes. After a year together they are one of the best teams in the league. Look at Dallas two years ago...they struggled for two thirds of the season and then clicked towards the end of the year and have matured into a great team. It takes time for a team to come together. Bird's turn around of the Celtics in his rookie year is the exception the proves the rule. Virtually *every* championship level team in league history didn't get there overnight. Fans can stamp their feet and CAPITALIZE ALL OF THEIR LETTERS TO SHOW THEIR GREAT EXPECTATIONS all they want...it doesn't mean that you can throw a young team together, no matter how talented, and expect them to gel right away. See: L.A. Clippers (whose roster the BBS seems to constantly want to import to Houston). The Rockets might be a pretty good team and not make the playoffs because the West is tougher than ever. Phoenix, Portland, Utah and, to a lesser extent, Seattle are all playing much better than expected. If Sacramento, Dallas, San Antonio and the Lakers are locks to make the playoffs, who among the Rockets, Suns, Jazz, Trailblazers, Sonics and Timberwolves are not going to make it? Even the bottom dwellers- The Grizzlies, Clippers and Warriors are talented and won't be automatic wins for anybody. I would expect the Rockets to sneak in, but there are no gurantees and a couple of early big wins at home is proof of their potential only. I wouldn't make any definitive predictions about this team, anyway. I think they are on the right track and have the pieces in place to become something special, though. Nobody said being a fan of a team was always going to be easy (ask your average Cleaveland Browns fan)!
Elvis, Franchise... Thank you both..I was starting to avoid GA because I felt these knee-jerkers were taking over..Thanks for your voice(s) of reason. Am I off my rocker? I keep seeing ppl complaining about no defense and no team game playin.. but last night, I distinctly remember being impressed with the amount of passes that I saw..and some damn fine individual defensive plays.. I saw Eg and Yao going after rebounds aggressively, I saw Mo even hustling a few times..I saw GR keep up with his man even tho all here seem to have deemed him too old to do so anymore.. Am I imagining these plays? many factors contributed to this loss.. Yao was off, deal with it people, EVERYONE has off nights..it happens. Bone headed plays were made, hey...there were a lot more good plays than bad..thats what you get with *any*team in the league... The continued low field goal percentage of Mo and SF. Boykins and Murphy...these guys are not scrubs...they are good players who made some good plays. We are not going to win every game...this is the NBA...most of the players in this league are here because they know how to play the game.. We just happened to comeout on the short end last night.. I would be interested to know how many of the knee-jerkers actually get to watch the games..There is more to a game than the box score..
Same to you. Thanks for the compliments. It is obvious that you have never taken an iniative in your entire life. You are "eternal follower" - keep up the good work (apologist #2).
Same to you. Thanks for the compliments. It is obvious that you have never taken an initiative in your entire life. You are "eternal follower" - keep up the good work (apologist #2).
