Deckard, I didnt expect them to win and they gave good effort, but I look at certain things long term and try to match them up. This was kinda like playoff basketball in a sense. I wanted to see who could function in that kind of environment. I didnt think Lowry would be as effective in that kind of climate,but the more I watch him, I see the comfort level in his game. He used to get out of control and try to force a whistle,but now he's under control and making plays and shots. His improved consistency in his shot has really made him into what I think is a playoff player. If a pg cant shoot or wont shoot, you better have alot of guys who can or teams will make you do what you dont want to do. Martin,Chase,and lee are all guys who when its free flowing, its coool. Early in games, up and down action and whatnot.The problem is most playoff games halt and possessions are tighter.The game looked too big for lee all game and martin trying to draw contact,not competing defensively hurts. Thats why I said martin is a 3rd type of guy.
You can't place the blame on anyone. Sure, PPat struggled, C.Lee didn't put up big numbers like in the last game, Scola didn't play defense (which we already know), and Chase can't guard Lebron (which we already know). Place the blame on offensive rebounding and second chance points. If we grab just 4 more rebounds preventing a Heat bucket, then we win the game. Besides, scoring 119 points should be enough to win a game. In the end offensive rebounding let us down, but they played well and played with heart. What more could you ask?
This game was a good measuring stick for where we are but it also highlited our problems and what keeps us from being one of the big boys. We were an offensive juggernaut (as JVG put it) but our inability to stop anyone was absolutely killer. Defense Defense Defense We need to make a strong push for Tyson Chandler in the offseason. We also need a serious upgrade at the 3. Having Gerald Wallace for a game like yesterdays would of been HUGE. I find it hard to believe we couldnt of beaten Portlands offer for him. I don't know what Morey's offseason plan is, but I am guessing he sees a couple of sleeper SF's in the draft that can shore us up. Whatever happens, I can't wait to see him work his magic.
Our main problem is the lack of superstar calls. We have a shot to win the game if the refs didn't gift wrap at least 5 points for them. James Jones isn't a star but my point still stands. I'm sure Wallace could have been attainable for DM but he's not worth 2 first round draft picks. The Rockets are in a good position. We're super young with a couple of vets (Martin and Scola). No need to jeapordize our future for Wallace. We need those picks to move up and to possess enough assets to get Dwight Howard next season :grin:
I definately think Wallace is worth the 14th and 23rd pick in the draft. I dont know what kind of player you expect to get with those two selections, but I dont think they will be of Wallace's caliber. We can't not use assets just to save for the next superstar available. Besides, Wallace in himself is an asset that can be traded.
"This game"? You only watched one game all season? I could do a "this game" for Kobe Bryant and watch him go 0-6. Nobody wins every game in the last minute. Not even Kobe.
True. But I'm glad we didn't take on his contract. Plus, I like Bud and Lee at the SF position. They fit into what we're trying to do. Super young squad with the exception of Martin and Scola.
I have every rockets game for who knows how long on some type of media. Most of them are now on a hard drive, but I still have some on video tape or dvd. This is not about martin and "this game", I thought I made that clear. Its more about Martin being useless in the last 6 minutes of a close game. He was just as incapable when he was in sacramento. He's a good player as a 3rd guy. Thats not a bad place to be, but thats what he is. At some point, his,players have to compete on both ends and at crucial stages of the game. It gets too big for him just as it does for Courtney Lee. We saw the big stage blind the $hit out of courtney lee in the finals. Some people have it in their blood as young players like cassell,horry,parker,jackson and some guys dont.
I agree...and have to admit to some surprise at that. If you'd asked me before the game who'd have played better or had more impact Patterson v Hill, I'd would've picked Patterson without hesitation. Hill played like it was just another game, and gave some good effort. I hate that Martin disappears like he does; overall, I like him as a player and have appreciated his efforts for our team. We have a lot of nice players that I like a lot, but really this game was the antithesis to the Celtics game. Was that really only about a week ago? The Celtics game showed us what we could achieve and how high we could reach; flipside the Miami game showed up our flaws just as glaringly.....I segued into this as a discussion about Martin. Martin got a lot of rebounds on Sunday's night game and I was like - really? Martin's our rebound guy? He shouldn't be. I'm not saying the he shouldn't try to grab rebounds; I expect that effort from all of our guys...but really, he's quick and accurate and that's about it. I agree we need a tall for Center, but that's not the only need. Ugh. I read another poster here - I'm sorry I don't remember who it was, my apologies - that commented on how weak some of our guys looked (such as Bud, but he wasn't the only one). Overall, many of our players aren't physically strong and just get abused by the stronger players; this affects not only our ability to get points in the paint but our rebounding as well. I really found this frustrating, as I'm sure many others here did as well. Seeing Lebron and Wade dribble straight through our guys to do a layup looked like a bowling game almost - the bowling ball striking the helpless pins, who fall to either side. Again, a strength issue. Sure, I get that we're talking two players here that are exceptional, but this isn't the first time I've seen it. Don't know what the solution is exactly, if it's trading for some tougher/stronger guys, or getting our guys to beef up in the off-season...but really, would that help? It's not just physical strength that makes a player be like Chuck or Lowry, but something inside that makes a player want to dominate - or else not want to be dominated, which I guess is nearly the same thing. Sorry this was such a long post; it originally started out as a "me, too" but morphed into something else entirely. Just grumbling.
Perhaps there was an easier way to do this, ha, but oh well. Went through Martin's game logs for this year(long post). Some of the info may be wrong or need to be verified. Anyhow.. Spoiler Kevin Martin in the 4th Quarter(and overtime): 10/26 @ LAL(Lost 110-112): Checked in at 10:18 mark of 4th Q; 2-4, 1-2 3pters, 6 pts, 1-1 FT, 1 TO, 1 blk, 1 foul 10/27 @ GS(Lost 128-132): Checked in at 8:57 mark of 4th Q; 1-4, 0-1 3pt, 4 pts, 2-2 FT, 1 TO, 1 stl, 1 foul 10/30 vs Den(Lost 94-107): Checked in at 8:21 mark of 4th Q; 1-4, 0-1 3pt, 5 pts, 3-3 FT, 1 TO, 1 reb 11/3 vs NO(Lost 99-107): Checked in at 4:50 mark of 4th Q; 1-1, 1-1 3pt, 3 pts, 0-1 FT, 1 TO, 2 fouls 11/6 @ SA(Lost 121-124): Left with ankle sprain in 3rd Q, never returned to game. 11/7 vs Min(Won 120-94): Didnt play the 4 Q(as far as I can tell) 11/10 @ Was(Lost 91-98): Checked in at 7:39 mark of 4th Q; 4-7, 1-3 3pt, 9 pts, 1 stl, 2 ast,2 reb, 2 TO 11/12 @ Ind(Won 102-99): Checked in at 5:07 mark of 4th Q; 2-3, 1-2 3pt, 6 pts, 1-1 FT, 1 reb 11/14 @ NY(Won 104-96): Started 4th Q; 1-2, 0-1 3 pt, 2 pts, 1 reb, 1 TO; Checked out at 8:17 mark of 4th Q; Checks back in at 4:43 mark of 4th Q; 0-1, 3 pts, 3-4 FT, 1 reb, 1 TO, 1 foul; TOTAL: 1-3, 0-1 3 pt, 5 pts, 3-4 FT, 2 reb, 2 TO, 1 foul 11/16 vs Chi(Lost 92-95): Checked in at 9:33 mark of 4th Q; 2-3, 4 pts, 1 TO 11/17 @ OKC(Lost 99-116): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 11/19 @ Tor(Lost 96-106): Started & played entire 4th Q; 3-6, 1-2 3 pt, 11 pts, 4-4 FT, 1 TO 11/22 vs Phx(Lost 116-123): Checked in at 5:52 mark of 4th Q; 1-1, 4 pts, 2-3 FT, 2 fouls 11/24 vs GS(Won 111-101): Started 4th Q; 1-2, 0-1 3 pt, 2 pts; Checked out at 8:30 mark of 4th Q; Checks back in at 0:41 mark of 4th Q; 4-4 FT; TOTAL: 1-2, 0-1 3 pt, 6 pts, 4-4 FT 11/26 @ Cha(Lost 89-99): Checked in at 3:40 mark of 4th Q; nothing rest of the way 11/28 vs OKC(Won 99-98): Started 4th Q; 1-2, 4 pts, 2-2 FT, 1 TO; Checked out at 6:24 mark of 4th Q; Checks back in at 3:45 mark of 4th Q; 1-2, 2 pts; TOTAL: 2-4, 6 pts, 2-2 FT, 1 TO 11/29 @ Dal(Lost 91-101): Started 4th Q; 0-2, 0-1 3 pt; Checked out at 7:54 mark of 4th Q(Blowout loss here) 12/1 vs LAL(Won 109-99): Checked in at 6:28 mark of 4th Q; 1-2, 7 pts, 5-5 FT, 1 TO, 2 reb 12/3 @ Mem(Won 127-111): Checked in at 6:31 mark of 4th Q; 1-4, 1-1 3 pt, 3 pts, 1 foul 12/4 @ Chi(Lost 116-119): Started 4th Q; 1 TO; Checked out at 10:15 mark of 4th Q; nothing rest of the way 12/7 vs Det(Won 97-83): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 12/10 @ Mil(Lost 91-97): Checked in at 4:48 mark of 4th Q; 0-2, 0-1 3 pt, 2 pts, 2-2 FT, 1 reb, 2 fouls 12/11 vs Cle(Won 110-95): Checked in at 5:16 mark of 4th Q; 0-1, 2 pts, 2-2 FT; Checked out at 1:44 mark of 4th Q(blowout win) 12/14 vs Sac(Won 118-105): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 12/15 @ OKC(Lost 105-117): Checked in at 8:03 mark of 4th Q; 1-3, 1-2 3 pt, 5 pts, 2-3 FT; Checked out at 3:38 mark of 4th Q 12/17 vs Mem(Won 103-87): Checked in at 8:14 mark of 4th Q; 0-3, 0-1 3 pt, 1 reb; Checked out at 3:55 mark of 4th Q 12/19 @ Sac(Won 102-93): Checked in at 5:35 mark of 4th Q; 1-2, 3 pts, 1-1 FT 12/20 @ GS(Won 121-112): Started 4th Q; 3-6, 1-1 3 pt, 17 pts, 10-10 FT, 3 reb, 2 fouls 12/22 @ LAC(Won 97-92): Started 4th Q; 2-4, 1-2 3 pt, 12 pts, 5-6 FT, 1 reb, 1 foul 12/27 vs Was(Won 100-93): Checked in at 5:52 mark of 4th Q; 1-2, 1-1 3 pt, 6 pts, 3-4 FT, 2 reb, 1 TO, 1 foul 12/29 vs Mia(Lost 119-125): Checked in at 6:05 mark of 4th Q; 2-3, 5 pts, 1-3 FT, 1 TO 12/31 vs Tor(Won 114-105): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 1/2 @ Por(Lost 85-100): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 1/3 @ Den(Lost 106-113): Checked in at 3:09 mark of 4th Q; 1-1, 2 pts 1/5 vs Por(Lost 100-103): Started 4th Q; 1-1, 1-1 3 pt, 3 pts, 1 TO; Checked out at 9:57 mark of 4th Q; Checked back in at 7:15 mark of 4th Q; 0-2, 6-6 FT, 1 foul; TOTAL: 1-3, 1-1 3 pt, 9 pts, 1 TO, 1 foul 1/7 @ Orl(Lot 95-110): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 1/8 vs Utah(Lost 99-103): Checked in at 6:11 mark of 4th Q; 1-2, 4 pts, 2-2 FT; Overtime: 2-4, 4 pts, 0-1 FT, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 foul; TOTAL: 3-6, 8 pts, 2-3 FT, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 foul 1/10 @ Bos(Won 108-102): Didnt play in this game(at all) 1/12 vs OKC(Lost 112-118): Didnt play in this game(at all) 1/14 vs NO(Lost 105-110): Started 4th Q; 2-5, 1-2 3 pt, 5 pts, 1 foul; Overtime: 0-1, 0-1 3 pt, 1 TO, 1 foul; TOTAL: 2-6, 1-3 3 pt, 5 pts, 1 TO, 2 fouls 1/15 @ Atl(Won 112-106): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 1/17 vs Mil(Won 93-84): Started 4th Q; 1-4, 0-1 3 pt, 4 pts, 2-2 FT 1 TO; Checked out at 8:03 mark in 4th Q; Checked back in at 4:15 mark in 4th Q; 2-2, 7 pts, 3-4 FT; TOTAL: 3-6, 0-1 3 pt, 11 pts, 5-6 FT, 1 TO 1/19 vs NY(Won 104-89): Checked in at 6:22 mark of 4th Q; 3-4, 2-2 3 pt, 8 pts, 1 reb, 1 TO 1/21 @ Mem(Lost 110-115): Checked in at 3:54 mark of 4th Q; 0-2, 2 pts, 2-2 FT, 1 stl 1/22 vs Orl(Lost 104-118): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 1/24 @ Min(Won 129-125): Checked in at 7:07 mark of 4th Q; 0-1, 0-1 3 pt, 3 pts, 3-4 FT, 1 reb, 2 TO 1/26 vs LAC(Won 96-83): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 1/27 @ Dal(Lost 106-111): Checked in at 9:32 mark of 4th Q; 2-5, 0-2 3 pt, 6 pts, 2-2 FT, 3 reb, 1 TO, 2 fouls 1/29 @ SA(Lost 95-108): Checked in at 7:03 mark of 4th Q; 0-1, 0-1 3 pt, 3 fouls; Checked out at 3:05 mark in 4th Q 2/1 @ LAL(Lost 106-114): Checked in at 7:56 mark of 4th Q; 1-2, 1-2 3 pt, 3 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 2 TO, 1 foul; Overtime: 1-1, 2 pts, 2 fouls; TOTAL: 2-3, 1-2 3 pt, 5 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 2 TO, 3 fouls 2/2 @ Utah(Won 97-96): Started 4th Q; 0-1, 1 TO; Checked out at 8:02 mark of 4th Q; Checked back in at 0:15; 1-1, 3 pts, 1-1 FT; TOTAL: 1-2, 3 pts, 1-1 FT, 1 TO 2/5 vs Mem(Won 95-93): Checked in at 6:45 mark of 4th Q; 2-6, 1-1 3 pt, 7 pts, 2-2 FT, 1 reb, 1 foul; Overtime: 0-1, 1 stl, 1 foul; TOTAL: 2-7, 1-1 3 pt, 7 pts, 2-2 FT, 1 reb, 1 stl, 2 fouls 2/7 @ Den(Won 108-103): Started 4th Q; 3-7, 1-3 3 pt, 12 pts, 5-8 FT, 1 reb, 1 stl, 1 TO 2/8 vs Min(Lost 108-112): Started 4th Q; 0-1; Checked out at 10:29 mark of 4th Q; Checked back in at 5:11 mark of 4th Q; 1-2, 0-1 3 pt, 9 pts, 7-7 FT, 1 TO, 2 fouls; TOTAL: 1-3, 0-1 3 pt, 9 pts, 7-7 FT, 1 TO, 2 fouls 2/12 vs Dal(Lost 102-106): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 2/14 vs Den(Won 121-102): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 2/16 vs Phi(Lost 105-114): Checked in at 5:52 mark of 4th Q; 0-2, 0-1 3 pt, 1 reb, 1 foul 2/22 @ Det(Won 108-100): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 2/23 @ Cle(Won 124-119): Checked in at 4:48 mark of 4th Q; 2-3, 10 pts, 6-6 FT, 1 TO 2/26 vs NJ(Won 123-108): Checked in at 7:28 mark of 4th Q; 2-4, 4 pts, 1 reb; Checked out at 2:43 mark in 4th Q 2/27 @ NO(Won 91-89): Started 4th Q; 2-4, 2-3 3 pt, 8 pts, 2-2 FT, 1 reb, 2 stl, 2 TO 3/1 @ Por(Won 103-87): Started 4th Q; 1-1, 2 pts; Checked out at 9:52 mark of 4th Q; Checked back in at 5:39 mark of 4th Q; 1-2, 1-2 3pt, 3 pts, 1 reb; Checked out at 0:37 mark of 4th Q; TOTAL: 2-3, 1-2 3 pt, 5 pts, 1 reb 3/2 @ LAC(Lost 103-106): Checked in at 9:21 mark of 4th Q; 1-5, 0-3 3 pt, 5 pts, 3-3 FT, 1 reb 3/5 vs Ind(Won 112-95): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 3/7 @ Sac(Won 123-101): Didnt play in the 4th Q(as far as I can tell) 3/8 @ Phx(Lost 110-113): Checked in at 11:07 mark of 4th Q; 2-6, 6 pts, 2-2 FT, 1 foul 3/12 vs SA(Lost 107-115): Checked in at 8:29 mark of 4th Q; 2-7, 1-4 3 pt, 6 pts, 1-1 FT, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 TO, 1 foul 3/14 vs Phx(Won 95-93): Checked in at 6:33 mark of 4th Q; 0-1 3/16 vs Cha(Won 94-78): Checked in at 5:00 mark of 4th Q; 1-2, 0-1 3 pt, 3 pts, 1-1 FT, 1 reb, 1 blk; Checked out at 0:42 mark in 4th Q 3/18 vs Bos(Won 93-77): Checked in at 9:04 mark of 4th Q; 0-2, 0-1 3 pt, 1-2 FT, 1 pt, 1 reb, 2 TO; Checked out at 1:07 mark in 4th Q 3/20 vs Utah(Won 110-108): Checked in at 10:26 mark of 4th Q; 1-3, 0-1 3 pt, 12 pts, 10-10 FT, 2 reb 3/23 vs GS(Won 131-112): Started 4th Q; 1-2, 1-1 3 pt, 5 pts, 2-2 FT, 1 reb, 1 TO, 1 foul; Checked out at 3:11 mark in the 4th Q 3/27 @ Mia(Lost 119-125): Checked in at 9:14 mark of 4th Q; 2-4, 5 pts, 1-2 FT, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 TO
Repped WOW , How did even you record these data...great post..can you workout the average for me? TYIA
