I totally agree. If Yao played "hard" like people wanted him to Boozer would have a wide open dunk every play or he would've fouled Yao out every play. Yao was pretty much screwed on D. If he guarded Okur, Okur would've just hung out around the 3 point line, which would've opened up easy 3s for Okur and Houston would be missing a 7'6" presence down low. Yao was screwed no matter how he guarded Boozer. If Yao would've played tight d Boozer could've ran circles around Yao every play. If Yao back off (which he usally did) then Boozer could just shoot open jays. Utah just matched up too well with Houston. They made a 7'6" big man become a major liability on defense.
yeah, he's in attendance in new jersey or whereever they play. continental airlines ..arena/center? JVG is a good coach, and it's fine if he's back, but I would like tos ee what we can do under another good coach, maybe one who attempts to develop young talent more (besides Luther)..and one who implement a better offense. I think more importantly, we need to get some more help!
way to take things out of context. "I didn't want to go back to Utah down 3-2. This was a kind of a deciding game in the series." He didn't say it was "the" deciding game.
All right then, regardless what he really meant by "deciding game" , his "endorsement" of JVG should also be put into context?
not really. you pointing out one thing he said that was wrong and that was about swift. He said if we lose it's on me. The Rockets lost and it was on him. Even if TMac isn't good about picking the future doesn't mean that he doesn't know whether a coach he's played for is good or bad. If he said Van Gundy sucks the people here who hate Van Gundy would be going wild.
and with the fact that luther would have probaly been sitting on the end of the bench with novak and vspan, if it wasn't for those injuries.
LOL ... I don't know TMac has Clutch fans in mind when he speaks about JVG. Instead of expecting TMac to be a prophet and treating his words (on JVG) like gospel, how about we viewing them with discretion? Some posters would point out TMac was being merely diplomatic when he talked about JVG. That could be true. But even if he was being candid, we are still free to put his words in a context. Considering all the NBA coaches (including JVG) he's played for are no more than tier-3 coaches in achievements, we are not far fetching by saying TMac's praise of JVG means little when it comes to the assessment of a coach.
While I believe Tracy is genuine in his comments about JVG, I have stopped listening to him. For now, he's on my "just shut up and play" list.
I wasn't trying to use this to say that JVG's a great coach cause TMac says so. I just think that TMac thinks that he is.
Tmac has said good things about JVG for awhile now, even before JVG's job was in question. He called him the best coach he ever played for last year when JVG showed up at Tmac's house during his personal problems. Why is it so hard to believe players like JVG, when almost all of them say they do. Hell, even Bonzi has not said anything horrible about JVG and they never saw eye to eye. Players seem to like him, but of course their word cant be trusted as much as a fan who is never around the team. At least he isnt coming out and saying dumb stuff like he wont ever play for another coach like Shaq did. He said he likes JVG and hopes he is back next year and this board calls him a liar. He said if Houston loses its on him, and when they lost he came out and said he wouldnt back down from that and it was on him. The press tries to get him to blame his teammates during the press conference and instead he gets up and leaves and again this board trashes him. Tmac gets bashed, yet Steve Francis never led Houston anywhere, he sucks it up on a terrible team in the East, yet people cry to have him back. I dont get it.
"Never criticized?" JVG was rather heavy on the criticism, for EVERYONE. In fact, I seem to remember everyone and their mother around here complaining that he was critical of the team even after wins. If the guy cured cancer, I have a feeling you'd just dog him for taking so long...
He never criticizes Tmac directly. He says things like "We need to attack the basket" etc.... He will criticize almost any player directly BUT Tmac.... I will credit him for benching Tmac during the GS game and then protecting him by coming up with that BS story about his back tightening up. Tmac is one of the most gifted players I have ever seen, but he doesn't play hard until he has too....far too often he coasts.....and that is one of the primary reasons we are watching Utah play Golden State in round 2. This team needs someone else to lead.....Tmac would be a great 2nd fiddle, because as a leader, he is an utter failure. DD
This is exactly why Tracy is on my "just shut up and play" list. He never should have said "It's on me" if we lose the series. That was cheap talk that wasn't worth the hot air he used saying it. Then in game 1, he chokes in 1st half, pure and simple. Know what I wished he said after game 1: "I choked up in the 1st half and it took me a while to get over the nerves". People will appreciate candor more than grandstanding, especially after it blows up in his face. I'm not saying he shouldn't talk to the media, but Tracy needs to eliminate all grand statements until he actually accomplishes something. Of course the media was going to be after him like white on rice after game 7, but his earlier statements fed the beast. As stated earlier, I believe his JVG statements are sincere.
I concur i remember him saying that. Next time he says something you guys are going to have a cry he isn't being a leader or something. The fact of the matter is the guy played a brilliant game 7. And its still on him.
I just searched and got this from the Chronicle. Maybe there is more and I missed it. "I knew I was going to get rolling," McGrady said. "My team needed me more than ever, especially in that third quarter because I didn't give them much in the first half. Once I got a couple jumpers to fall from me, I knew it was over from there." Seems to me like Tracy is saying he rose to the occasion in the 2nd half (which he did) because his "team needed him". He admits to playing poorly in the 1st half but passes over the reason. JVG commented, "Sometimes, when you want something so bad, it works against you a little bit," Van Gundy said. "I think that's what happened with him in the first half." JVG's choice of words is a classic definition of choking IMO.
TMac isn't very smart, off the court. Well, sometimes he isn't very smart on the court either. He should keep his real thoughts to himself, and stop taking the media seriously. His words were always used against him, so why bother? His family issues, his personal feelings, he should leave it himself and his family. Just throw out some diplomatic answers to those tiring same old questions again and again. Generally, I always had bad feelings when they started to take all those interviews after 2 wins. I really hated it when guys like Sura and Barry all opened their mouth to talk about how good the team was, and how great the chemistry was and how well they played together, after game 2 two years ago. Can the coach issue some no-interview orders like lots of soccer teams do, before crucial games? What's there to talk before the series ends? It's distraction anyways. Both TMac and Yao, and everyone else on the team should shut up and work on their games. They should just tell the media that they screwed up, and they are going to work harder and play better. Stop being sentimental about anything towards the media, those guys just want some soap opera, no one in the media gives a damn how much you suffered.
