Since 1998, no team dared to play one-on-one D on Shaq in the entire fourth quarter. He would beat everybody in the low post and make 80 percent of his shots, easily. Even a high school kid knows that you should double Shaq, especially when other craps in Lakers can't sink outside jumpers. Doesn't Mr. Mean know that?? However, Rockets made history tonight by challenging Shaq on 1-on-1 D in the entire final quarter. Everybody played hard tonight. Cat did a great job against Kobe. Steve did everything he can and under controlled. Yao and Cato tried their best as human. IT IS YOU, MR. MEAN who ruined this game!
Right on, I just cannot understand why they didn't double team him. Mr. Mean cannot coach , simple as that. They should double team since 2nd Quarter.
Rice did help out on Shaq when Fox was wide open for his last 3 pointer but Rice was late on the double and late getting back to Fox. Since the Lakers space the court well, I wouldn't expect many doubles in the post from Rice or Taylor...too far for them to come from the perimeter or distant weakside to the paint . This is the chance you take when you slant your oncourt personnel toward offense.
yeah i brought this question up in the game thread. You just have to make somebody else beat you in those type of situations. Larry Smith will adjust and it'll be a diffrent story when we meet them in the Western Conference Finals.
Rox should mix double-teaming and single-teaming!!! Yao Ming is nowhere near as dominant as Shaq, still many teams double-team or even triple-team him! After the game, Shaq actually said no one can defend him one-on-one. It is true. When Dream was at his peak, no one can defend him one-on-one either.
Lakers' spacing was very good. But that doesn't necessarily mean they can make 80% of their outside shots. I would rather double Shaq even before he gets the ball. Fox, Fisher, Horry suck from time to time, Shaq simply doesn't.
AND GOD....unlike us....who are wannabe like Shaq and Kobes.....their role players are actually moving. Ours' just stand and watch Yao try to score on Shaq...heh. No movement.
My vote was to hack a shaq. By the way, Mr. Mean almost had Eric Mussleman's job in GS at headcoach. Mr. Mean was their 2nd option.
1) You can't double with Cat because he's guarding Kobe. 2) When Kobe is not intiating the triangle, it starts with Fischer - therefore Francis can't initiate an early double or it's easy penetration. 3) The Rockets IMHO are not a very good team at doubling because they don't rotate well. Some of that is mental understanding of the correct rotations and some of it is physical ability 4) Even if Horry and Fox are not on, they still have the ability to drive. Especially when they are defended on the perimeter by Rice & Taylor. As I mentioned prior, Rice and Taylor were on the floor as a coaching decision emphasizing offense. 5) A hard, quick double on Shaq is only effective when the player performing the double is fast enough to get there and tall enough to inhibit Shaq's passing abiliites. It is a good strategy to double Shaq early, but it is nearly impossible to effectively play 4 on 3 when 2 of the 3 defenders are Taylor and Rice. The Bulls did it effectively, but with Tyson Chandler. The Rockets don't have that luxury.
Apart from Yao (who can't help himself), all other players are crap help defenders because every often than not they don't rotate, leaving wide open perimeter jumpers.
Dont blame Larry Smith! This team of Rockets players DONT KNOW how to help out on defence! At least I came to this conclusion because they never do help out!
I agree... I was screaming for someone to help on Shaq, but that was in the 1st quarter... No adjustments what so ever...I can't blame all of the game on Rudy's news, we just weren't coached well...
Come on, the defense on Shaq was just terrible. Our guys didn't make him work AT ALL. Not Mr. Mean's fault. You have to at least put up some resistance. Scott Pollard does a better job. When you have two 300-lb. guys down there, it shouldn't be that easy. Our guys, especially Ming, just have to learn to play better D. That's all.
We had a chance to win. So I think the strategy wasn't that bad. shaq is just that good. Trading baskets at that point was acceptable. We had the lead. We had the offense clicking. Mo just came up a little short.
Yao can't defend Shaq 1-on-1. I really hope he gets stronger and can some day. But until then, you have to double. I mean, sure, you give up the open 3. But those aren't always going to go down. And I'd much rather bet on the roleplayers missing than Shaq missing. Make people other than Shaq/Kobe beat you. Maybe the strategy makes sense in the 1st quarter. Maybe even through part of the 2nd. But when Shaq is that obviously "on...." it's time to try something else. I still think it's bizarre that the Lakers don't have a truly great 3 point shooter. Rice, even though he b****ed, was quite valuable on that team.
In addition to Rice doubling down and giving Fox a wide open 3, Francis also doubled on that 3rd-time-is-a-charm-dunk Shaq had. And there may have been more doubling I don't remember besides.
JV - They did. I was going to let this thread ride off into the sunset but since you brought it back to the top... I went back and looked at a video tape. There were very many times the Rockets attempted to double Shaq. Most people here are only remebereing the final 3 minutes of Q4 where the Lakers really had the floor spaced well. For most of the rest of the game, the Rockets were just flat out late rotating over to help. Posey in particular really tried at the beginning of Q4. I won't change my opinion until I hear or read in reliable print that the Rockets' coaching staff intentionally single covered Shaq.
So who are you going to double down with to help out on Shaq???? Let's try Rice... Not a good idea he's holding Fox and Fox will kill you with a wide open shot.... Let's Try Taylor... Not a good idea he's holding Horry and if nothing else Horry knows how to roll to the basket and Dunk on anyone at any giving time... Plus if help comes down low he will pass the ball out to a wide open man. Let's Try Francis... Maybe your only choice... he's holding Fisher. But I still wouldn't do it... If nothing else Fisher will kill you if he's wide open... He very rarely forces a shot and can definently hit a wide open jumper. That leaves us with one last person Cat.... He's holding Kobe... Let's see hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! HELLLLLLLL NAAAAAAAAAAAA...... No explanation neeeded.... There are not a lot of teams or so called WELL COACHED teams in the league that can be LA when the refs are letting Shaq do what he wants to do.... Even if you double team him Shaq has been around longer enough to know hot to pass out of the double team... The Rockets played a great game.. unfortuantely they lost. I can handle them losing a close game when they play their butts off. But some of you guys needed to check yourselves... You B _ _ _ H and Cry about every little thing... First Rudy can't coach now Smith can't coach.... Francis can't play.. Mobley want pass the ball... Moochie Dribbles too much... In the last couple of months I have actaully seen this team change and mature.... I actually saw Cat pass to a wide open Rice... I saw Steve actually learn how to lead.... I saw Larry Smith pull players out of the game and jump into their ( | ) about not playing smart basketball.... Players are actually playing hard and playing together as a team. Everything you guys have been asking for, you are now getting. But that still doesn't mean that the Rockets will win every single game. So here is my advice.... Take it or leave... Shut the _ _ _ _ up and ENJOY the RIDE... If you don't have something good to say keep it to your self.....
