Observations of the last game

ok, let's see here.

. The soft defense of Kelvin Cato, he allowed the opponents to outpower their way to the basket on two occasions in the fourth qtr. One by Brian Grant, one by Rasheed Wallace, Cato can't allow others get to the hoop then hopes to block the shot, the worst possiblity, he is just not strong enough.

I thought Cato played some good defense. He had a couple of good blocks. You cannot blame Cato for not holding RWall and Brian Grant. Actually, I thought he did a pretty good job, and forced them into tougher shots. Calvin Murphy kept on commenting on how Cato and Grant were battling it out in the post. Plus RWall and Brian Grant are very talented players. It's like getting mad at Greg Anthony(good defensive player) for not shutting down Gary Payton or something of that nature.

As for Devin Gray, it's one of the typically mysterious mistakes that Rudy makes, let him play against the Grizzlies for god's sake. This was an important game and we are playing against one of the best. Don't put someone in knowing that he will be neverous for his debut. 9 minutes, 0 rebound and assist, 2 fouls, 2 TOs and 4 points is not so good baby.

I think Gray is actually pretty good. But I agree that he should have played against a worse team. He was far too nervous today as evidence by his hail mary pass turnover.

Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley proved they are an invaluable combo for breaking down the defense. We need guys that can consistently knock down open jumpers for them, and we don't have them.

I saw Francis miss a 3 pointer when the game was really close. The 3 went in and then came out. It was just about as close as can be. You can't get mad at Francis for missing that. Plus, even the best shooters don't always make them. I thoroughly remember one play in which Glen Rice aired a wide open three pointer when the game was on the line. Besides, Cat and especially Francis are really young.

The good part of the Rockets are they did a better job defensively than the Portland overall, they made many defensive stops, and in the fourth quarter there was a stretch about 5 minutes when the Portalnd didn't score any points.

Couldn't agree with you more! Finally, someone thinks we played good defense.

MAN HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY THIS? Cato plays better when he comes off the bench. He has said that he likes coming off the bench and that it calms him down. He has played much better coming off the bench. Besides, it's not how u start, it's how u finish.

well aside from that, good post.

peace

 

I agree that you cannot blame Cato for not holding Brian Grant and Wallace in check the whole game. Not many players (if any) can do that. Remember last year's playoffs when they were lighting up Karl Malone, one of the best PF's in the game?

 

I didn't think Cato had a good game. He finally did a little in the 4th. There was one play that impacted me concerning Cato.

He let Rasheed right into the paint with no defense at all, just stood there. Rasheed put in a pretty little hook right in front of the rim. It was almost like practice with no one on him. Maybe Cato didn't want a foul. Don't think so.

Judging from one game that I was at (and up close in the 4th) I would use Cato for trade bait for a real good power forward. But don't expect me to get too specific. I don't know enough about the talent. But I think I know a little about heart from watching the Rockets over the years.

I'm not totally down on Cato but he needs to light it up and play like he did in the preseason - with something to prove. Giving him that contract that early was a huge mistake.

 

And on the subject, I hate to say this but I don't think this game was played to win, strategically wise.

We didn't take advantage of the Trail Blazers having played the night before and traveling half the night and being somewhat in a slump. We should have attacked them from the start and wore them out. Instead, they pressed and attacked us. And I love Matt Bullard but Matt on Pippen to start??? Don't think so. WHY DIDN'T WE TRY TO WIN THIS GAME?

 

I'm sorry but I agree with FF on the Cato defense. The comment about what Calvin was an observance, not a statement of who won the battle. FF is pointing out who won.

The first Portland game, Cato completely shutdown RWallace in the 4th quarter. This game Cato was not effective. We need much more defensive consistency from Cato. And I am going to blame him for not winning more match-ups with guys like Grant and Wallace. That is his job.

He must be a defensive stopper for us. That is his potential. That is why we are raving about him on this board. If you are going to say Cato/Francis is our nucleus for the future, yet are going to excuse Cato for not playing top notch defense, this you are just contradicting yourself. It would be like excusing Francis for not being effective against other PGs.

Cato is Mr. Defense potential. Personally, I've only see one good 4th quarter from him, and that was the 1st Portland game. We need more stoppage from him than that.

FF's point is Cato doens't have to win every possession, but overall, he must win the 4th q battle against more people, so we can limit the number of players in this league we need to double team, thus helping out the entire defense. I do not view Grant and Wallace as players that demand double-teams. Cato proved that in game 1.

[This message has been edited by heypartner (edited December 23, 1999).]