Playoffs!!!!...the most important person used on the team will be.....

Bob Sura or Jon Barry or Mike James.....


....Couldn't you just see one of these guys hitting open 3's off of Yao/T-Mac double teams like Elie/K.Smith/Sam-I-Am???

I know that's kind of vauge.......but I've had a dream about it (all though these dreams could have been caused by all the highlight clips from the season I've been watching )

 

If ced says it, then it will be.

 

Sorry, but besides Shaq, the 2nd toughest matchup is trying to guard Dirk, who is a 7 footer that can put it on the floor, shoot the three, and freakin' fades away on his jumper!

The only player that can matchup a bit with Dirk is Garnett, IMO.

A 6'8" T-Mac or a 6'9" Bowen can't guard Dirk, he will simply shoot over them every single time.

Really, this is the ONLY reason teams don't want to play Dallas in the playoffs: Dirk Nowitzki. He is just a matchup nightmare (because of his length, not his skills).

The 4 spot will be our undoing. The irony is had the Magic taken Mo T in that T-Mac trade instead of Cato, we would have been in great shape right now. Cato would have been great against Dirk, because of his size/strength/mobility for a big man.

Again, playoffs are all about matchups, and usually are decided not by the stars, but by post-season heroics from unexpected sources (role players): the Fishers, the Horrys, the Cassells, etc.

 

Mooch...b ecause if he's in the game the game is in the bag!

 

I agree with that assessment. These guys will make all the difference. I haven't been paying much attention to this board over the past few weeks, but has anyone paid attention to the fact that Jon Barry went out during the team's most recent 3 game slide? If you dismiss the fluke loss against NO (which he played in), Barry was out of the lineup with back spasms and the team had no juice. If you dismiss the win against the pathetic Lakers (which he sat out), Barry was in the lineup over the course of the most recent streak.

You could probably do a similar analysis with any given player, but if you watch the games, it's obvious that he really keeps this team competitive and smart when he's involved in the action.

If we had Howard and Barry, I think we could've won it all this year. But with Barry, we still have a chance to compete and get to the WCF.

 

Yao.

We all notice that when yao and tmac do PnR Yao never get the ball back. I think we all know yao can hit mid jump and JVG know it too. So maybe team will practice some of this and surprise Mavs.

Go Rockets

 

Yao. I don't care what Dallas/Dirk does...if Yao is on his game, everything else just slides like butter.

 

I might be wrong, but didn't the Rockets win the Memphis game because T-Mac fed Yao TWICE in a row on a PnRolls that resulted in him getting 5 points off layups?

I agree the Rockets need to utilize that more, but I think it is a bit too late in the season now to change things. The off season will be perfect time for T-Mac and Yao to perfect this play (IF Yao spends some time in Houston to practice).

 

Tmac should just drive around a pick from yao and get to the basket if lane is clear and possibly draw a foul. If there is traffic he should just simply dish the ball out to an open 3 point shooter like barry, james, sura, padgett, bowen...damn our whole team...shooting the 3ball well will be a key to the rocket's sucess, though Mavericks are ranked high in perimeter defense.
Key guys are the role players hitting open jumpers and treys.

 

No one person on the Rockets, nor in the whole NBA for that matter, can match up defensively on Dirk. He's just too good. The way to defend Dirk is the same way you defend any other superstar, you send extra guys at him. And hope his teammates can't step up to hit the open jumpers, or make the good cuts to the basket.

And although Dirk is a huge mismatch for us, we have two big mismatches too in T-Mac and possibly Yao. I'm only not certain about Yao because his game is so predicated on the refs. If the refs call it tight in the post, Dampier doesn't stand a chances. But if the refs "let them play", Dampier will be able to guard Yao semi-effectively.

 

I agree: the Rockets guards will be the key to their winning this series.

 

The same can be said about TMac too.

 

I think Bowen and T mac should share defensive duties on Dirk. I think the point behind this is they want Dirk to put the ball on the floor. With the ball on the floor then the Rockets will throw a double team on him. Forcing him to shoot either a tough jump shot off the dribble or forcing a pass (small line up means quick defensive rotation).

I think a four guard line up with a Yao or Mutombo will do wonders for the Rockets in the series because the question arises who guards Mcgrady?

Even better, the Rockets bread and butter is the pick and roll play with Mcgrady and Yao or Mutombo. If they run that play Dampier or Bradley or Henderson will have to at least show on Mcgrady... guess what... they aren't quick players ie Mcgrady goes to the basket hard or racks up 20 assists off passes to Yao or Mutombo for dunks.

I'm soo excited about the series. GO ROCKETS

 

No coach is better at slowing down an opposing team's best player than Jeff Van Gundy.

The guys I'm worried about are Finley, Terry, and ESPECIALLY Stackhouse. KVH won't be a factor in the playoffs, he never is. Josh Howard will have his hands full attempting to guard T-Mac. Dampier will show up offensively once in the series, maybe twice if the Mavs are lucky.

But Stackhouse scares me.

 

Ced- Who are you? Miss Cleo or JVG? Wtf is going on here?

 

Ced is again right. Bowen is very valuable to contain Nowitzki.

 

Ced or

Nailed it yet again.