we need to get healthy or this year is going into the trashcan--not b/c of this loss. Rather, the same thing for the rest of the season--get mac back soon--Yao goes out. Get Ron back, Shane goes down. Get Shane back, ???? goes out. We need to get healthy by the end of January or forget it for deep playoff run.
we gotta do something about the fronting defense. it took teams 6 years to finally figure out that is yao's weakness. and now that they have, the rockets can't get yao the ball. oh, and thanks jvg for pointing that out for at least 50 times during the dallas-houston espn broadcast two weeks ago.
Put it this way- back in the '90s, when Hakeem was on the team, he was the only one immune to criticism. Everyone else- Thorpe, Smith, Horry, Cassell, Elie, even Drexler in a few games, were RIPPED on a game-by-game basis by many Rockets' fans. I delivered pizzas during this period and listened to Houston sports radio religiously- read The Chronicle and The Post every day because we got both at my place of work- and the fans were just as critical of those teams as they were with this team, with the exception of Hakeem. This even went on in the playoffs- particularly during the Choke City Phoenix series in 1994, the Knicks in the Finals when they went up 3-2, the Utah and Phoenix series from 1995 (when we were down), the Seattle series in 1995, etc. After winning 2 championships, when we got swept in 1996, it was, "See- as soon as we played Seattle, we got beat... we didn't even deserve those championships...blah...blah.. These are always the knee-jerk reactions after a loss. That's why sometimes it's just best for some to not even post anything until 48 hours after a loss. There's absolutely no perspective at all from some- and if anyone thinks it was different in 1994, even when we won 58 games, think again. When we got beat by 20+ by the Hawks after starting the season 15 in a row, on a back-to-back when they didn't get into Atlanta until 4 in the morning, you would have thought we were headed straight to the lottery after all the crying on talk radio. The only problem these Rockets have had has been failure in the playoffs. And the problem, of course, is that is when everything counts. But the regular season Rockets have been fine. The only 3 teams that are going to remembered or primarily mentioned from last year are the Celtics, Lakers, and Rockets (22). We just got to do it in the playoffs or it's all for naught.
I didn't watch this game (the only one I missed this season so far). I am not surprised that Rockets lost this game, considering Artest missed this game. You really need a star perimeter player to win any NBA game. Without Tmac and Artest, I would say the odd was against Rockets. Did Yao play really that bad? Four rebounds sounded bad, but when an opposing team put all their defense on Yao, it is quite easy to take him out (or anyone for that matter).
what a crap game! thats all ****! i mean, they play like a p***y ...rox sometimes sucks more than you could expect
it is true that anyone can be taken out of the game if the opposing team wants to at any cost. but that was not really the case tonight. yao should've played better. from the chron re yao's post-game quotes - "I get fronted my six years in the NBA," Yao said. "I just need to work to get the ball and try to break the defense. I think too much. I passed too much. At the beginning of the game, I need to attack and get some quick scores and make them foul quick. But I didn't do that. "Also, sometimes I had the ball I had them one-on-one on my back and just passed out. I had Marc Gasol on my back and I dribbled three times and they never came to double team. I need to read the game better." i think yao has nailed it. so i hope he performs much better tomorrow against an as athletic team (if not more) in the hawks. at the meantime, i wonder - is this really so hard for yao to realize? i know it's a lot harder in real games for players than on paper for we fans, but is it really THAT hard to grasp the notion that you've got to be the aggressor, and be it first?
All I can say is wow. Yao's game before this was a teaser. Yao is as reliable as an American made car. He isn't a good rebounder; he's a terrible rebounder. Unless it bounces right into his hands, he can't get it. Turtles can beat him off the dribble. His hands are horrible, about the only thing he can catch is a cold. His decision making is horrible too. How many turnovers can one man have? This is an NBA veteran?? People are saying ... wait until the playoffs. If Yao can't handle the pressure of the mighty Grizzlies, he's going to wilt under the strain of the playoffs (like he *always* does).
were you just trying to be funny with your post and feel good about yourself? yao's rebounding, in terms of both #'s and rate, are very decent. and his turnover #'s this season have been slightly better than his previous seasons (which also marked decent #'s). if you refer to a lot of nba-ers who are much more athletic than him as "turtles", then i guess you're right - turtles do beat yao on dribbles.
I'm still trying to figure out how we can't get easy shots playing 4 on 3 on offense when they double team Yao as often as other teams do.
They weren't doubling Yao that often. I recall Darko playing him without any help defense. Yao struggled and there was no one to step up the load. That's all that needs to be said.
16 - 6 turnover count....that and Heads 1-8 is the obvious stats in this one. They shot the ball ok really... D was nowhere to be seen early and only slightly improved.
Decrease our turnovers. 16 times too many,and 1st qtr we got 8 times. Hope Rox can play consistenly, we have the chance to win, 3rd qtr, there are only 2 pts left, but we didnt take the chance.. Bounce up.
Hey, don't get me wrong, I yelled out in the 2nd quarter, "Yao, stop playing like a p***y!" at my TV. I just wouldn't write that because the written word is permanent and magnified on a message board. I don't mind people getting mad- it's just very bothersome when people start writing stuff insulting the person rather than their play (e.g. "Tracy is a FEMALE-PRIVATE-PART-THAT RHYMES-WITH-ANGINA" as opposed to "Tracy played bad tonight.").
why do the rockets still complain about offense after today's game? are they serious? adelman is really stupid if he thinks offense lost us this game.
i hear you, again. trust me, i do crazy things during games, too. i can't believe i still can't help myself after so many years. but after the game, it usually takes me anywhere in b/w 15 minutes to a couple of hours to calm down. and i don't write silly stuff on a message board just to show ppls how cool i am. guess that's the difference b/w myself and some youngsters.
"I get fronted my six years in the NBA," Yao said. "I just need to work to get the ball and try to break the defense. I think too much. I passed too much. At the beginning of the game, I need to attack and get some quick scores and make them foul quick. But I didn't do that. "Also, sometimes I had the ball I had them one-on-one on my back and just passed out. I had Marc Gasol on my back and I dribbled three times and they never came to double team. I need to read the game better." do we hear yao say this at least 20-25 times EVERY season? it's like he never learns.
First off defense is all about effort. All these player's should know how to play good team defense. Heck, most of our team was tehre when JVG coaches us. If we have forgotten how to play good defense and to hustle there is a big problem. These guys are grown men and shouldn't need a coach to tell them, 'Hey, play some tough defense'. I am as upset as anyone else about how we could lose this game. This does show however, how important T-mac is to our team and why we brought in Ron Artest. T-mac is teh best player on this team, which is why so many people think he should still be playing. Deep down inside everyone knows T-Mac is our best player. It also shows why we need Artest. Yao is not good enough to carry this team when T-mac is out. Yao Ming cannot deal with smaller teams. He needs T-mac on the court to be effective. Now as far as the season goes, my opinion is the same. There is no need to panic. There are only 9 teams that are contenders fo the Play-offs, and besides the Lakers there wont me a big different between the other 8 remaining teams. So as long as we stay on top of our division and we get our best players fit and firing by January we can make a run. I'm not saying win 22 games in a row, but we will have a much better win/lose ratio. Fact is this! We need Tracy McGrady fit for 2009, not 2008.
We can't keep losing games to scrub teams, even if its early in the season. We had a good opportunity to take the lead in the 3rd quarter, but could never get that last run, whether it be due to rotations or individual performances.
