It really is JVGs fault that the rox always seems to collapse in 3rd and 4th quarters. JVG doesn't use the bench enough and so by the time the 3rd and 4th quraters come around...the starters are tired and more prone to making mistakes, hence the turnovers and boneheaded plays. If JVG used the bench a bit more in the 2nd qurater, the starters would be better able to finish games in the 3rd and 4th.
the starters are tired and more prone to making mistakes, hence the turnovers and boneheaded plays. How do you explain the equal number of turnovers and boneheaded plays at the begining of games? I think that fans tend do remember when we lose leads late, but I don't believe our turnovers are limited to any portion of the game. Both Francis and Mobley played fewer minutes this season that last year, yet their TOs remained the same. So, this year they played slightly fewer minutes and the committed slightly more TOs/minute.
I do agree to a certain extent. I think JVG didn't go to the bench enough. But I think it should be criticized on a broader scale... as in 80 regular season games slowly wearing down the starters. The playoff trouble was caused more by this than anything (Yao being the main source of stamina problems). During the playoffs I thought JVG should have substituted when the offense or defense stalled out based on the fact that our second unit performed brilliantly in several late season comeback efforts. This was more due to mental focus and the flow of the game rather than stamina. Why wouldn't our players be fresh when they walked onto the floor in the 3rd quarter? Yao - His stamina should improve year by year. Pro cyclists peak at around age 30. I would assume Yao's cardiovascular fitness would improve slowly, if he puts in the hard work, up to that age. The only thing you don't want to do is cause more damage than good by letting him peak (cardiovascularly) at game 50, only to decline at the end of the season. Cuttino and Francis - These guys never seam to run out of energy, but they play more minutes than anyone in the NBA. Jackson - It was said over and over again that this was the most minutes he had ever played in a single season. He is at an age that I don't think that should happen. Who knows, maybe if he were a little fresher in Game 1 that 3-pointer would have gone in.
