You are very correct. Some stats to back you up: This season the Rockets are 6-16 when trailing at halftime and 2-20 when trailing at the start of the 4th quarter. We are also only 2-1 when tied at either of those breaks.
Okay, but what do you do when the starters aren't cutting it? I just don't simply buy that philosophy. I say you play your best players. If a certain players aren't cutting it that night, then you have to give someone else a shot...
Landry has been silent the last couple of games, this loss killed my night for sure. today was not a good day! astros and rockets both lose heartbreakers!
It's funny because the thread says Post-Game Analysis...I think we should change it to post-game criticism
I agree with you... i think tmac is capable of 'picking up the slack' so to say while yao is out, but only when he is healthy and not exhausted. i am unsure why RA is playing tmac so much, especially since the playoffs are around the corner. i would rather play a tougher seed with a healthy/well rested tmac, than play a lower seed with the tmac we are seeing now. gosh, its hard not to think about what could have been if yao did not get injured. the closer we get to the playoffs, the more it sinks in. on another note, carl landry just doesn't look the same to me. it seems like he isn't getting as many looks, not sure why...
oh lol i didn't know! . . but as long as we win at least the next 6 or 7 of our final last games we should be good (idealistically speaking), but i really hope we can have a 9-0 end to the season . . but rafer needs to step up big time . . so i'm hoping rafer gets laid for the rest of the month, as we all know he performs well when gettin laid the night before a game . . so go get'em rafer . . take it to the whole, strong.
I'll agree with your first point. But Tmac really is a clutch player, always has been. In these close games, Tmac will be the one who'll dictate whether we win the game or not, whether he wills his way to score or makes the right pass at the right time. In this game, he didn't run the crucial points of the game, instead we got Chuck's hookshot and Rafer's bricks.
We will never win if rafer wants to be a superhero!! This game is on rafer and chuck! But mostly on Rafer!
Let's all admit though...we were cocky going into this game. Kings can beat anyone on any given night. They just need a go-to guy to stay consistent (superstar haha). We are 2-2 with them right? It could have easily been 1-3. Hopefully the Rockets can rebound from these couple of losses and at least stay in 6th. Calm down, though, folks.
i think this loss will finally put the sense of urgency to adelman. he has not been as flexible ever since the winning streak ended. we're not seeing "play guys who are playing well" theory, but instead sticking with veterans who are struggling mightily (rafer, battier) i thikn look for a huge sense of urgency from the team from now on. and tmac is finally getting that look that he has to really pick it up and carry the team or else we might lose homecourt. we only have 2 tough games from now on (v. utah and suns) so we have to win all the games v. bad teams.
I don't know why the Rockets would be cocky going into tonight's game. They lost in Sactown earlier this season and they blew an 18-point 4th quarter lead to the Kings at home before Steve Novak bailed them out. I could understand being cocky against the Blazers since we're 3-0 against them and they'll likely be without Brandon Roy, but not tonight.
That's really something I don't agree with Adelman either. I was also thinking why isn't Novak or Mike Harris playing, especially seeing Landry was having little impact on the game. Personally, I would've put Harris just fresh off the rather then put Chuck out there. RA's reasoning was probably that Chuck is someone to match up with a strong Artest (i didn't watch the game, so im not sure is he rly did match up with him). Really, Mike Harris moves his feet good enough and is strong enough to play good defense, so I think he was a better option. But going into the mind of Rick Adelman, he's probably thinking that the best players to play at the crucial points of the game are those who have played the most and therefore know the game situation the best.
I usually don't blame refs for losses. I tend to think it all evens out eventually, but tonight was terrible. Usually the refs give you the benefit of the doubt when you are hustling and playing hard, but it worked against the Rockets tonight. 2 or 3 terrible offensive foul calls when the Rockets had set positions plus the dumb technical that EVERYBODY knows that Deke is allowed to get away with was too much to overcome on the road. Not to mention the dumb foul on Chuck when rebounding. It also doesn't help that they had some huge number of points of Rocket turnovers AND the Rockets couldn't buy a basket in the fourth AND the three point shooting was terrible. Also, I couldn't tell if that last shot was a foul or not for T-mac, but I'm fairly certain almost every other star in the league goes to the line on that play.
