I agree on a lot on this but I saw a few other things that stood out to me the most. After the Rockets started rolling in the first half, I knew they would cool off. They must get points in the post. You can't depend on the long ball to carry you all night. I think they will get better once Yao can get into game shape. There were shots he would of made with no problem two years ago. I would have loved to see Hill get some minutes as well. Bud and K-Mart.... I thought Bud and K-Mart played great in the first half but both must learn how to keep that same energy in both halves. Bud started rushing his shots in the second half and K-Mart didn't even score in the third quarter. K-Mart did make some much needed baskets in the final quarter though. I thought K-Mart played ok D. I think Bud needs to work on his D as well. Overall, this game was in the Rockets' hands to win. I thought they missed some very easy layups and had costly turnovers. I do believe they can fix the turnover issue but they must convert on easy baskets. This team looks really good but it's not a finish product. The last thing I wanted to point out was the benefit of having a superstar on your team and getting calls. When Scola made that layup on Gasol, he was fouled pretty hard but no foul was call. It should have been and one. When Kobe got a slight bump from Battier the next play, he got the and one. I think this will also hurt the Rockets in games especially playing against teams with superstars.
The Heat lost in their opening game of the season, so I don't feel too bad.. At least we almost won if it weren't for Blake..
yes that was a bad move, brooks will take it inside during clutch situations and the refs will give him a no call because its the last possession does anyone remember the game on Dec 31st where he tried driving and got a no call the refs will let the more physical team win at the end, and clearly LA was more physical
The calls at the end would be meaningless if Yao and Luis would have made the 10+ one foot shots they missed. DD
Me too. I suspect that we'll see Hill more often as the season progresses, particularly on nights where Yao isnt playing. The Lakers have always posed a matchup problem for us down low; when they bring in Bynum, Gasol, and Odom at the same time, they have a distinct size advantage with three guys who are fairly versatile and can create their own shot (Bynum being the weakest at doing so from the group). Hill is really the best matchup to Gasol from a size and versatility standpoint, but I dont think he's good enough to cover Gasol as of yet. I really miss Landry in games like this. He was a huge spark off the bench and an excellent defender; Rather than settling for outside jumpers, he'd take the ball into the middle of multiple defenders and somehow create points for himself, regularly getting to the line on 3 point plays. Though Chuck is a great defender as well, he's better against centers and struggles against big men who have offensive versatility a la Gasol and Dirk. Overall, great opening game. Just sucks because as cliche as it sounds, I feel that the Lakers didnt win this one- we lost it.
What? Landry was anything but a great defender. He was okay at weak side shot blocking, but an excellent defender? I loved Landry more than anybody, but defense wasn't why he was in the game.
Yeah I saw Lamar Odom blatantly slam the ball on the court and left it there after a ref's call.......No tech...........Kobe always shows up the ref..........No tech..........I heard the PA announcers say "This is Bull****" ........no tech
I was wondering last night why Adelman was playing AB so much and ISH so little. I realize he's a rookie, but I think his energy and play making ability and quickness could have really helped last night. AB played very well...but it was obvious he was gassed in the latter parts of the second half. Why do I get the feeling that Adelman poorly managed his rotations last night?
we played well until we didn't. la didn't have their best game but they stepped up defensively and did enoug to win. they are the champions for a reason. that being said, istill think we match up favorably with them. they havena better frontacourt for sure, but if we man up a bit more and stay within our system, they have no way to contain our backcourt.
But calls do matter though... If Yao and Luis made those shots, it makes a world of a difference but when the game is on the line, calls will make or break a team in a tough close game.
Go back and watch our past playoff performances against the Jazz and Lakers. Landry defended quite well against Boozer and Gasol when in the game. You're right, saying he was an excellent defender was an overstatement, but against big men who shot from the outside and were versatile, he did quite well when he had to, often times coming up with blocks, charges, and big defensive stops.
I don't know if it's more about Ish then having AB out there to score. When Ish was in there, no one was scoring. I think Ish will get more minutes though.
AB messed up badly at the end, he even admitted it. He turned an incredibly wide open layup into a reverse and that was a really bad move.
You got to play Ish the same as you do with Kyle, surround him with scorers....and give him space to penetrate and find them. They still have to figure out the rotation etc. Players that should be playing with Kyle or Ish: Budinger Lee Hill Martin Scola Miller DD
No doubt the 3's won the game but had Scola got the foul call, I believe Gasol would have fouled out. Having a player that can draw fouls during crunch time is very important. I think we all can agree. All-in-all, I thought Houston did a great job. I know there isn't really a moral victory but it was a great test for Houston.
I get what you're saying, but a Gassed AB out there is hard-pressed to score for the team. I'd rather have a fresh body out there that can break down the defense and create opportunities for the rest of the team. yeah?
