Yao and Juwan= the slowest frontline in the NBA. That is because JVG is utterly stubborn and refuses to EXPERIMENT with Swift in the starting lineup. He is a systems type of a coach that doesn't really think out of the box. He hand picked this team, so in my opinion it's on him. If you don't have the footspeed to cover your opponents perimeter players then why not bring in a freakishly athletic weakside shotblocker like Stro to make the other team think twice. This is not college or high school basketball where you reward players for playing with passion and intensity, this is a business of winning and putting the best fit out on the court.
I think the game plan has to change when we play the Suns. They are quicker. Play a zone defense will help Rockets a little bit, but JVG does not know how to play zone.
Dude the Suns jack up close to 30 3 pointers and hit them with an accuracy that is really interesting. If I am not mistaken they get more 3 PA than FTA! So what good is a zone defense? The way the sun's are figuring this is simple- most competitive teams win by about 10 points. Unless a team can neutralize their 3 point shooting- either by defense or they have a bad night or by scoring those 3 pointers, you can hardly compete with them. Not just 3 pointers- they just get a very high percentage of the FGA's! We were competitive for 3 quarters- we expect Tmac to take over in the 4th, for whatever reason that did not happen. And TMac does not do that too often over a 82 game period for us to be whining.
One thing I think people miss in this discussion is that Suns are not good 3 pt shooting team standing still. They shoot well after Nash penetrates and dish out. They shoot in rythem. See first quarter for example.
Then just stay with the man to man and have Nash and Marion rip this team apart one on one. With JVG's help defense and slow footed rotations, you'll have a plithora of wide open uncontested 3pt shots just like you saw last night.
That is the dilemma with the personnel you have. The Suns are not going to stop shooting the 3's- that is their trump card. You can't blame JVG for slow footed rotations- seriously can you? If we took away the ball from Nash AND stopped/contained Shawn Marion- then where is the issue? Just to remind you- we were good for 3 quarters, where we failed was to take over in the later part of the 3rd quarter and most of the 4th- that is T MAc time. Our shooting slump is the cause- the problem is personnel and we dont have too much flexiblity and Owner willingness to address that- so we make small adjustments so that the fan base does not bolt en masse! You get what you pay for! However great the Suns look now- They are not going to be a championship threat until they play defense ( which in parts they do reasonably well)
Must ....reach.....my.......sunglasses....before.....the glare from the SunGod blindes me. You know, I actually do learn a lot from others here who disagree with me and who share their insights, most of which are much deeper in understanding than mine. However like 99% of the people here I am a fan and enjoy the game, have favorite players, etc. and enjoy discussing the pros & cons, including the results of a Suns-Rockets game where our favorite team was overmatched. Any real insights to share with the rest of us?
I am convinced they will get beat by Mavs or Spurs in a 7-game series for sure. Mavs has better defense and more balance this year. Spurs is as powerful as ever.
But you have to admit, Dakota, this place is a Gundy Haters Haven. The man went 10-3 in February and nobody gives him a LICK of praise. He has Yao playing to a level we haven't seen. And all that with the playoffs within sites despite all his players being out at one time or another. The man is a NYker. Thats problem one. The man doesn't smile. Thats problem two. Houstonians don't like him. Thats why you think he can't coach. Despite the fact that the main player loves him, the industry respects him (outside of Phil Jackson who doesn't respect anyone), I have a feeling that we have yet to let go that the South lost. Haters.
I'm willing to give him a little praise, but I feel like it is fool's gold. At the same time we were winning all those games against losing teams we were being annihilated by the Suns on two occassions. It isn't the losses against the Suns either, it is the utterly helpless way in which we laid down and got trampled. Had we showed up against the Suns, I would have been very happy with the W-L record in February. Right now, I fear the playoffs. These losses are going to stick in the back of every player's mind no matter how many wins we close the season out with... I hope we don't make the playoffs if we are going to get swept in ugly fashion. And for the record, I have absolutely no problem with JVG or his personality and demeanor.
I was Starting to believe that the Rockets could do some damage in the Playoffs winning 10 of their last 12 before last night, but if the Rockets can't take care of the Suns, the Mavs, and the Spurs then what's the point?? If David Wesley is on this team next year I'll be highly disappointed, please don't resign him. And unfortunately there is no way to get rid of Juwan with his contract. How many division wins do we have this year? Sorry to be negative but I'm fustrated.
Why?? Wesley would do well coming off the bench in limited minutes, as long as the contract is bloated
the way to beat the suns is: 1) EFFICIENCY: the erratic play of alston, head, mcgrady and wesley was our absolute downfall. it wasn't just about their shooting - although was absolutely atrocious in its own right. it was about their decision making. why was JVG telling us to slow down? well, because we have absolutely no clue how to play helter skelter basketball. oh, and btw, that is the suns' forte. we HAVE to play controlled against the suns. 2) ONE ON ONE DEFENSE: you posit playing a zone against the suns. i think you are forgetting the main way that zones are beaten - penetration and 3 point shooting, i.e. "shooting over the zone". let's see, what do the suns have in steve nash? oh, only one of the top penetrating guards in the nba, and undoubtedly the best court vision in the nba. what else do they have? oh, yes, great 3 point shooters. the way to counter this? keep steve nash in front of you (good luck!), keep a hand in shooter's faces, and BALL DENY shawn marion. it's why bruce bwen absolutely owns marion...he never lets him get the ball in the first place. i understand your frustrations, DaDa, but the reality is that we were flat out outclassed in that game. if rafer, wesley, and head play like nba players (which they did not...more like frazzled chicks around a coyote...) maybe we win that game. instead, we got ill-advised jackups, unforced turnovers, silly fouls, etc. if tmac plays a full game instead of settling for jumpers? we probably do win! look at the bright side. yao's a MAN. he has, IMO, turned the corner for good. now let's find out what tmac's gonna do. this is the time. step up or forever be known as mcbreaky. this coming from his biggest fan. oh, and can you do an APB on jon barry? he really is missed right now. IMHO, he is missed 2x more than bob sura.
I am no basketball guru. So I don't know how to defend the Suns. But JVG should know. He's the defensive genius. But all he can do is say, "It's a quickness thing." From what little I know about defense, JVG's system is based on help defense and rotation. And everyone knows that help defense and rotation need SPEED. So why aren't we having speedy defenders on the floor? Answer: we have not been able to get these players who can also shoot at the other end. So if we don't have these kind of defenders, what are we supposed to do with a team like Phoenix? I don't know. Ask JVG the defensive genius.
denniscd has a point, but It's posts like these that are gold. Better than the garbage posts from the JVG haters looking for a bone.
