So you'd prefer to have Ariza drop back and give Roy room to drill his jumpers. I am not saying Ariza's defense on Roy was perfect but to say that Ariza got burned all night was far from the truth. He did contested every one of Roy's shots and Roy was just that good tonight (or lucky on that last shot).
I forget who else was in the game... at least they also had Aldridge out there and Miller who was shooting really well in the third... ...also i would call Roy shooting a circus layup that just barely went in the basket good defense.
watching the last play again, brooks totally ignored scola wide open, brooks had his mind made up, i wish i knew who called that play...
Sucks to lose a game like this would have loved the Rockets to go 4-0 on the road. Brooks and Ariza had pretty horrible games and they are I would say 2 of your top 3 players, and the Rockets hung in there and had a chance to win this game. Would have loved to see Adleman run a double team at Roy to get the ball out of his hands he pretty much as clutch as it gets. Make someone else beat you next time.
Putting Ariza on Roy wasnt really the root of the problem. But the bodied up kind of defence is what cost us the last 4 possesions. I d rather give him a little bit of space and force him to take a jump shot then driving straight into a lane with no shot blockers. I really blame ariza for the last play, but IMO that sort of defence just wasn't smart. and about forcing roy into the jumper in the last play, it wasnt really a force. roy crossed ariza twice with the behind, and took a freethrow line jumper
i just can't buy that, how many times have we seen Roy make those kinds of up and under layups just against us? Imagine how many times he does it to the rest of the league. That's his game, that's how he gets those shots off and draws fouls, he's got great body control, we let him play his game.
The play was clearly designed for AB to one-on-one and he did make his way to the basket. I thought he was fouled but I could not blame him not passing the ball when he had a clear lane to the basket.
He was not brought here to be anything but a solid piece. He's not a star, never will be, but when he's placed back into his natural spots on the court, I think this experience will show to have been a big benefit to his game. His defense is inconsistent, but my goodness, when he concentrates and gets low in a stance, the guy is very very tough to score on...Now I say that just as Roy hits 3 shots over him in the clutch, but I dont believe anyone can say that wasnt excellent defense. He made Roy take exactly the shot he wanted, he just made them. Moe
I'm surprised a bit that we let him do exactly what he wanted on his last two scores. We couldn't have run someone at him on the drive, or tried a double team? I know the Ruler knows much much better than I do -- I accept that, but sometimes I think he sees something in Ariza's one-on-one half court D that I do not see. Ariza's out-of-position swipe at the ball was especially ugly. bleh.
blake was still sort of on him and Prz collapsed on him i wouldnt say it was wide open, not compared to scola, who had just drilled a similar shot the play before
Yeah, if any one of those tough shots Roy took doesnt go down, it's a different ballgame. Same great defense, but #7 is just a flat out stud. Can't fault the defensive effort down the stretch. Can't fault the offense either. One team has their superstar wing to close games. One doesn't. Rockets are still a fun team to watch.
Trevor is fantastic on the recovery, especially because of his length. And Brandon Roy is a crunchtime superstar, but Ariza was constantly having to play defense a step behind because he either A) wasn't quick enough or B) wasn't prepared for Roy's first step.
yeah i had the same questions right when i was watching. i'd have doubled roy on the last drive, and would NOT have ab drive to the hoop at the last second (you know he wasn't gonna get any calls). but it's easy for me to say. hindsight is always 20/20, and adelman had to make a call on the spot. i am definitely not faulting anyone, but some late plays keep popping up in my mind - lowry missing 2 ft's; ab's late turnover (very sf-like); the last 2 possessions (adelman's call).
that's what makes Roy such a good player... all you have to try and do is force him into the toughest shot possible, which would be a contested off-balance layup... we could've tried to force him into a jumpshot, but he did hit a jumpshot already on the play before personally, i would've put Battier on Roy on the last possession... but either way it's not like Ariza is a terrible defender himself
Brooks has a one track mind. I mean how many time does he do the same drive to the basket going in againt 7'0 footers. He id the same thing last season going against duncan and few other 7'0 footers. He has not yet displayed any type clutch. It's time for rick to design or designate another person to take last second shot because brooks doesn't have clutch in him. He should have kick it out or shot the pull jumper.
the one shot roy missed in the closing minutes was the only shot he took from the corners. All the others were layups or shots dead-center...i can't blame adelman for going with ariza, who's younger and longer, most of the games guarding the top scorer..but who knows roy better in the last year than Battier? Especially after seeing roy take ariza to the center of the court 2 or 3 times.... at least double a bit or something
Since when was the label "franchise player" put on Ariza? He is a good role player and a very good defender. I am not crazy about his dribbling but he can shoot open treys. I like the acquisition.
