Are your guy's expectations of our team so high that you really expected us to sweep Utah? Each series is a 7-game-series. That means that the momentum can sway one way or another each game. It is the responsibility of the coach from each team to analyze each game and scrutinize their respective teams. From there they need to utilize their new "winning strategy". In another thread, somebody mentioned that our role players are choking just like they did last time they were in the playoffs. That statement is so utterly false it's funny. They didn't choke, they just weren't the best supporting cast. This year, they are much more improved. This game they were shut down, I'll give you that. Our last win, however, Chuck Hayes had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Shane Battier had 10 points and Rafer Alston had 11 points. Our guys have been working really hard! The one player that I agree is MIA is Luther Head. I really hope he steps up because right now he is proving to the entire NBA and its fan base that he is simply nothing but a 3pt shooter and even in that aspect he's not that great. He's been shooting 1-11 from beyond the arc! Our downfall is settling way too much from the 3 pt stripe. Granted, the Suns shoot a lot of three pointers, but they create wide open opportunities for themselves with the play of Steve Nash. At the same time, these players are running, setting screens and being active knowing they will get hit with the ball once the opportunity presents itself. Our players on the other hand, just stand there waiting for the ball and shoot threes exclusively. If they are having a bad night from beyond the arc, they continue to have a bad night because it seems that within this system that's all we know how to do. Why not drive to the basket or get a little bit more inside and then shoot instead of always pulling up for the 3? We have the players to go deep into the playoffs, it's just a matter of playing smarter basketball and being more versatile. Moving around, setting picks and hitting players when they are wide open. Jeff Van Gundy's job is to: 1) Get Luther Head more involved in the series 2) Get the team out running 3) Stress the point that they need to look for easier shots if their shots aren't going in It's a real task to take out a team in 7 games. The Mavs aren't going to do it. Neither are the Spurs. Expect this series to go a full seven.
sorry...i had higher expectations than 0 bench points i didnt expect a sweep, but i still want to be competetive
We settle for so many 3s because Yao clogs up the lane and noone besides T-Mac is althetic enough to penetrate and finish. Rafer can't penetrate and Luther can't penetrate. The only guard who can penetrate is Snyder but we don't use him much. I'd say Battier is our best penetrater and he's a Foward. How sad is it when your foward penetrates better than your guards?
It's good to see that the Rockets are at least thinking about making changes to their game plan... http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4750106.html "I thought four or five (3-point attempts) were not quality shots," Van Gundy said. "They're closing on us as hard as anybody has closed to the 3-point line. You have to give them a lot of credit. Some others are makable and need to be made. The quality hasn't been what it's been in the regular season. "Shooting contested 3-point jump shots is not a formula for winning. If they're going to close hard on you, you've got to be more than a one-trick pony. You have to have a counter." Anybody still think Van Gundy is an idiot?
I'm tired of tmac being afraid to attack and not taking it to the rack. It's so frustrating watching him jack up ill advised 20 foot jumpers all game.
Didn't he say this the last game? Did he ever realize that he made his players one trick ponies before the playoffs started? Did he not think of any adjustments? Using his bench? Yes I think Assistant coach is an idiot at times.
Considering it's HIS one-trick....and HIS job to come up with a counter.... I don't think he is an idiot...He is a very good coach...But since he could see that, he should've tried a different trick....Hopefully he will in Game 4
Not that I disagree with lots of points but if we let this thing go 7 we are in terrible shape win or lose. If the Mavs finish there series any earlier than us our odds go down a lot--their depth will just further kill us in a long series we have to start tired. Utah really isn't playing well. If we have the team we think and any killer instinct at all we take game 4. If not I am pretty sure it will go 7. Right now we need to finish this Utah team and hope GS does no worse than a split the next 2.
Apparently, you have all the answers. Use the bench more to secure the win. Just think how many more points the Rockets could have scored if Van Gundy went deeper into the bench this game. I bet you the bench would have scored 100X the number of points they scored tonight.
Hahaha...I can't figure out whether you were sarcastic now or sarcastic in your original post.... So i don't know how to respond...I guess if your original post was a joke and you agree with me and McGradySNKT then cool. If not, it still doesnt change the fact that what i said is true...
Whether we get an extra game of rest or not, realistically, who has us beating the Mavs? (This is assuming we beat the Jazz, which I have not penciled in quite yet) I mean, they won't play as physical with our stars, but Avery Johnson is just as good as a coach as Jerry Sloan, this year they play outstanding defense, they have a huge mismatch with Dirk and if T-Mac continues to play his pansy defense he won't shut down Dirk this time around. They have much more all around talent than we do, they are deeper than the Pacific Ocean,Terry is a killer in the clutch when Rafer is prone to costly mistakes, they are going to have homecourt and you know how bad teams get hosed by the refs in there, not to mention it is just as loud if not louder than in Utah, AND they flop. If nothing else, they might just tire us out every game and have Terry murder us in the clutch. Anyways, I'd be more than happy to worry about the Mavs (or the Warriors ) because that would mean we have made it that far. We still have a tough series in front of us to deal with first.
Couldn't have been any worse than Juwan and Luther eh? Yes but I understand, even if they are blowing just keep them in there for 35+ minutes anyhow.
I just finished watching the game and all I can say is WOW! What a horrible f**king game the Rockets played. Even though they were in it until the 4th, I was expecting them to lose in the 2nd. But lets try to be optimistic and break this down: Negatives: -Whole team played like ****! -T-Mac, despite all the talk about not relaxing, was jacking up ill-advised shots. -Yao was letting the other team push him out too far. He has to punish Okur down low, not let him off the hook with jumpers. -Only 4 of our players scored! -We shot 32% from the field and have double digit turnovers. Positives: -Despite the horrible game, we were still in this game. -We were only a 6-0 run throughout most of the first 3 quarters from taking the lead. -Only stars still put up the scoring numbers despite an off night. -We can still take game 4 b/c everything that could go wrong, went wrong in this game. Overall, as pissed off as I am right now, I think we still come out of Utah 3-1. It is very unlikely that Houston will come out in game 4 like this and let Utah run them out of the arena. You can't have this series go back to Houston 2-2 b/c Utah can easily steal game 5 and then we have our backs against the wall. Hopefully, T-Mac gets his head out of his ass and starts attacking the rim and Yao gets his balls back and doesn't settle for jump-shots! Overall, as disgusted as I was with this game, the talent is on the Rockets side and we should win game 4.
I actually don't agree with your position in this thread. Messr. SKNT's assertion that "using the bench" is an obvious solution to the problem is kind of silly. Is it an idea? Sure. But we know Van Gundy hasn't gone deep into the bench this year so I'm not sure why doing so tonight would give us a significant advantage. What we saw of the bench wasn't exactly all that impressive, so putting more of that on the floor isn't exactly a winning formula (0 x 100 = 0). Just to be clear, this is not blind Gundy love talking. I think JVG has all the pieces he needs to make it past the Jazz. If he can't get it done this year, it's time for a change of scenery for him and a change of sig for yours truly. That said, I think it's kind of asinine to call the guy an idiot based on tonight's performance.
My assertion that using Kirk Snyder is a solution. He can drive to the bucket and change the way the Jazz were attacking the Rockets. If all you're going to do is have 3 stand still jumpshooters on the floor with one guy driving and one guy standing in the paint, its far too predictable and furthermore, Kirk knows Utah more than any other player on this team. Don't tell me he couldn't have done better than score 0 points.
