I loved this take on the game last night. I can't get enough of this team. http://hardwoodparoxysm.blogspot.com/2008/10/go-for-launch-rockets-off-to-good-start.html [rquoter] ... Every great team has to start somewhere, and it's better to start early than late. If this is the identity that the Rockets adapt, I love, love, love this team. Weapons, everywhere. Versatility. Defense. Focus. Energy. And Aldeman has taken full reins on offense, and you can tell. This team has dabbled with focus in its incantations. But before it was always built out of a desperation. "We need to be good enough with Yao and T-Mac." There was a sense of desperation that led to mental breakdowns. But Morey let the team simmer, added elements from the D-League in young players, let them bond, and then added Artest. What you have now is a unit that's more evenly centered and believes in itself. Instead of relying on McGrady and Ming to carry them, the team is surging, letting Yao and McGrady excel in situations that put them in the advantage. They can drive, then work the post, they can hit from the perimeter, they can run, they can pass, and man can they defend. The Mavs played well tonight, the Rockets just played better. Adding Brent Barry was another stroke of genius. Last night when Luther Head was detonating, Barry took the ball from him to control the damage. Tonight, when Brooks started rushing things, Barry did it again. I kept thinking, though, "Barry, you have to let him grow into it, or you're just avoiding the problem." Then when Brooks started to rush it again, Barry caught him, took the ball, then told him to set the offense and gave it back. The Rockets scored on that possession. Brooks' speed on the pick and roll is devastating and a change of pace that caught the Mavs off guard. They didn't know how to react to that kind of speed. Letting him handle it in crunch time before putting in Rafer to close was another nice touch. ... [/rquoter] Click the link above for the full recap.
I like the part about Barry teaching AB. I didn't notice that, I was watching online and it was kind of lagging and had bad quality. Ron makes it easy to overlook the Barry acquisition, but I am glad we have him.
Sometimes it seems like Barry is the only one thinking about the offense, and trying to implement it to the fullest. I am so happy he is a Rocket, especially this year. He will be big come playoff time.
I wish writers would stop calling Yao "Ming". His last name is Yao, but because his name is a literal translation of his chinese name (where the "last name" is the first character of their name), in english it would seem like Ming is his last name..
Brent Barry is our Shane Battier type (in terms of level headedness) in the ball-handling position. Oh I love the team
hows that even a noticeable stat? I mean I'm sure there are loads of assists lyk those in Adelman's motion offense. I'm guessing it shows he knows how to run the offense right?
My head is still spinning off the job Brooks did and the decision Adelman made to put him in late in the game. Both were amazing. The Mavs really had no idea what to do with Brooks. He missed a couple layups that he wasn't in control of, but he was putting the pressure on the defense. Always a good thing. If he works just a little bit on staying in control, and if he keeps his shot consistent (of course there will be off nights) he's going to be a HUGE (not literally ) asset to this team. Adelman and Brooks made the Mavs pay for having Dirk on switches and on pick-n-roll D. I thought the Mavs played really well for a 'first game of the season' yet we still beat them, and more importantly, we beat them in the clutch! (Not saying much, the Mavs have been gaining a reputation as chokers...vs. Heat, vs. Warriors, etc. Yesterday Dirk had only 1 pt. in the 4th!!)
Nice find, durvasa. Anyone who didn't watch the game would look at the box score and wonder why Barry would get praised for his play and why he played that many minutes. This guy obviously watched it!
Great read. Hey Durvasa, we both picked the Rockets to start 6-4, but I didn't expect them to be able to play like they did Thursday this soon, but I'm feeling the over/under at 8 wins after feeling your joy. All Yao has to do is legally change his name to "Hyao" and forever more correct the media.
I hate to be the Charles Barkley of this thread, but i was not impressed about the Rockets performance against the Mavs. After watching the game again, I noticed that the majority of Howard's shots, were uncontested 15fters. That is unexceptable! Where was the help defensive in all of this! Allowing 33 points in a quarter is not a championship mentality. We have been talking about what Artest brings to the Rockets and I will quote Kenny Smith "Ron Artest is one of the only guys in the league who can put up 20pts and stop a guy from getting 20pts" well Howard got 28. What are we gonna do if our offensive is not running smoothly. Most of the game we were just trading baskets with Dallas. What are we going to do against the Lakers whose interior defense is the finest in the league? Or even the Celtics. The Lakers are doing what they please to teams, and we only beat Memphis by 9.
