Rockets say they can fix the problem By Broderick Turner May 14, 2009 Reporting from Houston -- Win Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinal playoff game, or pack the bags. Win tonight at home, or the season is over. That's the challenge for the Houston Rockets. Either they beat the Lakers at the Toyota Center to extend their postseason, or they are done in this best-of-seven series. Houston trails, 3-2. "People want to call the games must-win games. This is the ultimate must-win game," Rockets forward Shane Battier said after practice Wednesday. "We've got to win or else it's golf season. We just have to come out and take our chances, play our game and then live with the results." The 40-point pasting the Lakers put on the Rockets in Game 5 on Tuesday night in Los Angeles has been forgotten by Houston. If anything, the Rockets sounded upbeat, still confident about their chances. They simply looked back at how they handled the Lakers in Game 4 here, building a 29-point lead, winning by 12 points, doing it without Yao Ming, who has a broken left foot. "In the games we beat them, we beat them," Battier said. "They want to talk about their effort. Well, in any win-loss, there are two teams involved. It's not totally one team that didn't decide to play. The two times we beat them and the three games they beat us. So we just have to come out and compete and try to beat them. They're not going to give us the game." The Rockets returned home around 5 a.m. Wednesday and in the afternoon they looked at film and practiced. They maintained that all that went wrong in Los Angeles in Game 5 is correctable. They believe they can shoot better than 32.6% from the field, and 17.2% from three-point range. They contend that they won't turn the ball over 18 times. "We should have won that game," Ron Artest said. "But there was a glitch in the Matrix, you know? Sometimes you can't fix things. Sometimes no matter what you do, no matter how hard you play, if everything is not in its proper position, it's just not going to work. That was the situation we were in." With Yao unavailable to score inside, the Rockets will have to live by the three-point shot. They were five for 29 in Game 5. But in Game 4, the Rockets made 34.5% (10-for-29) of their threes. Expect more of the same tonight. "You got to score somehow," Battier said. "You may as well get three points for every shot instead of two. That's my motto. "We're going to shoot. We have to make threes to beat this team. We did it in Game 4, so we know we can do it. But that's got to be our formula." Link: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-rockets14-2009may14,0,5386538.story
we we're winning that game man. who KNOWS what would've happened if Chuck had a chance to actually play. if this happens again rick, keep chuck in and use as many minutes from him as needed.
Cry as much you want, I'll buy you some buckets from Walmart. Nah jk. I don't mind him being in Houston but he should work on facilitating and defense. Thats all. I think his defense isn't good as Battier's. Anyone can get by him these days. He hobbles a lot as well. Struggles on the pick and roll. But if he can facilitate and do something. yeah
Shane is right we need to knock down 3's but we have to attack the basket just as much, and Ron needs to be the main principal on the low block. If he starts shooting from 3 point land it will be over before it starts. Attack,penetration,defense and rebounding is the only way that we are going to get any open looks at the basket. Living and dying by the 3 is a recipe for defeat. Shane's statement shows a sense of desperation,which is not the right way to go into the game.
He wasn't brought over for just that. He was brought over to score in a relatively efficient manner and to bring toughness,because Shane can't score and McGrady/ Yao aren't tough.
Live and die by the three I really hate that style of basketball. Take it to the chest of their bigs. Make them react and get fouls, then run it down their throats, make the good pass and hit the open man. The Lakers cannot match our intensity.
"Glitch in the Matrix" who else but Ron. lol. I would say 2 7 footers in the paint had more to do with it. The twin towers took away the Rox dribble penetration and they must get it back along with hitting their 3s tonight. Going to be tough to get it back with Hayes running the screen/roll, the Lakers don't have to respect his O and can cheat on him to cover Brooks. Depending on how hot the Lakers are, the Rox may have to take a lot of 3s to have any chance.
I'm not sure about Shane's comment about 3's...i'm worried, if the 3's are not falling, we are going to get blown out again, lakers score on just about every posession now since we dont have a big man to clog up the middle or gaurd gasol....we missed 3 after 3 after 3, next thing you know we are down by 10 in the first 2-3 minutes of the game...not good...take the 3's if your open, but don't try to live off of them. Aaron needs to use his quickness and find a way to get to the basket even with their 2 7', i know that's not an easy task but man, jacking up 3's strategy really scares me unless they are making them.
Anyone think Shane is trying to use the media to mislead the competition? If they stay on the shooters, we need to have a lot of drives by the PGs or rolls to the lane by the PFs after screens which are good percentage plays and can pick up fouls on their big men. If they start helping, then find the open 3 pt shooter. Mix in a few counter plays with some backdoor cuts. I bet that's pretty much our offensive strategy tonight. We can't just jack up the 3's as our primary option.
Yeah, the 3 bomb really can't be our only option. If we miss a three, a Laker fast break will DEFINITELY happen, since the ball bounces off the rim to the free throw line. We seem to be a step behind the Lakers, in getting back on fast break defense.
They need to replicate the game 4 then we will have a chance. Other than that, we're doomed. I'm proud of them, anyway!
One thing the Rockets really deserve after the last ten years, that Ron brings is heart. I really hope we keep him too!
