Oh, so 4999 ft is not considered high then? The air gets a bit thinner every inch it is elevated from sea level. If 5,000 is considered high, 4500 is 90% of that.
If you're a skier, or in my case, a hiker and mountain biker, you'll know that the additional fatigue at 5000 feet isn't bad. I start really noticing the altitude above 8000 feet, and I'm not an athlete. I would think NBA players wouldn't be slowed at all at 5000 feet.
Wow, there is a lot of anger out there. C'mon, be a bit optimistic. In any case, you guys are right to point out that it is a factor, but not THE reason why Rox lost. I am not a player, so no need for me to make an excuse. But here is the reality, the various factors add up. - Crowd factor: lowers the spirit a bit - Attitude: lowers the spirit a bit more - Altitude: lowers the stamina a bit - Bad strategy and player matchup: must work harder for everything, from creating open shot to defending - Having a tough day shooting: must work even harder to hit any shot - etc. If two teams are pretty far apart, it doesn't matter if they play at 12,000 feet. But these two teams are pretty darn close to each other, maybe Rox has just a slight edge, with stronger superstars and weaker bench. Again, the various factors add up. Well, tonight's game will prove me right or wrong. C'mon Rox, please show up tonight!!
To be honest, it might have been a factor, albeit small, in game 3. It really only takes about a day to get aclimated. The fact is, they played like s***. It had nothing to do with the altitude.
Think Altitude as a constant. Since Utah has high attitude, so Rockets have to play with less attitude to make it a constant. Make absolutely sense for Saturday game. However, it made me sick.
maybe those mormons have something to do with it. SLC sucks. why would they even put a team there.. thats worse than having a team in WISCONSIN (bucks)
So if we adjust for the altitude factor, we lose by 15 instead of 20? Our defense sucked donkey balls that game, it was embarrassing watching the team just give the game away without a fight. Heartless...
Denver has a lot more pollution than Salt Lake. In Denver, the oxygen attaches itself to the particles in the air, enabling better retention of said gas. You know... like the gas we have here.
lol i think it's more b/c PHysical play+thin air. Denver wasnt very physical with us. The physical play of Utah affects us and then combine that with thin air, we start sucking.
Should we just not even get on a plane to SLC and just forfeit that game because of that 'altitude' issue?
LOL, what year is this? Hey does anybody think that Fine Young Cannibals has a future in the music business!?!? I sure do Oh, and as for that "yeah utah's got altitude" foolishness- yeah the Nuggets tried to employ this silly mindgame for years. Around the late 80's or so, with Denver not exactly tearing up the league - people realized it was bunk. Both of these teams have been playoff pipsqueaks for the past decade and managed, somehow, to not go 41-0 at home. Altitude is only a factor when Utah wins, when they lose at home -which they do, regularly - it's not a big deal.
I disagree. I lived in Utah for many years, and the altitude certainly has an effect. I could play basketball 5 hours straight in Texas, then I moved up there and two times up and down the court I was sucking wind. You do get used to it, but it is a big change for someone traveling like that. It is a factor I promise you that. Especially for Yao.
I think this is a very good point, very very good points. JVG should take the whole Rox to Utah as early as possible, give them a few days to practise at that altitude, get used to it.
You will get used to it, but it might take a few days or even weeks. Rox probably arrives in Utah one day before the game. If they can stay in Utah for a whole week, i'm pretty sure, they will get used to it.
I agree that this affected the Rockets play. Maybe more than they realize, but maybe not. Of course, we like playing at home more. It's home. But we need to get a win on Thursday. Adjust, get ready to play and win
