Here is the link to the article from todays Star Tribune, the Twin Cities newspaper, about last night's game. http://www.startribune.com/stories/511/4647825.html A few higlights. Some things to look out for in the Dallas game. Can the Rox hope to keep up with a even better offensive team in the Mavericks? Also while the Rox gutted out a tough victory as Flip Saunders noted the T-Pups still scored 109 and normally that should be a win. There were long stretches of the game when T-Puppies ripped our D apart with backdoor cuts, smart ball movement and timely outside shots. Cassell and even Troy Hudson had good games and for the most part ran the T-Pups offense sharply and efficiently. Even though Francis put up good numbers our guards did little to slow down the opponents. How will that factor taking on Dallas' guards? While its great to score a lot I'm not sure this team can keep it up and if our D continues to allow teams to score in the 90 and up can we our O pick make up the difference?
This is an anomaly under JVG, not the usual. I'd be shocked if we could have greater than 95 ppg for half of the rest of our games.
I read somewhere (maybe someone can find a link), that the Rockets have been scoring 93-95ppg since the all-star break. But about the Mavericks, JVGs defense is all about shutting down the paint and making teams beat them from the outside. As we know, the Mavs beat teams from the outside and very rarely play down low. The Mavs and Rockets are the exact opposite teams and that's why we struggle against them. Hopefully, this win over Minni will give us some confindence to beat Dallas.
There is only one "thing to look out for" against Dallas. The fronting zone. Beat it consistently = win. Succumb to it = blowout loss, 0 for forever.
I think we need to use Yao more as a decoy against the Mavs. A VERY balanced attack (Yao, MoT, JJ, Mobley, Francis) with each of them getting around 16ppg, and some STRONG deefnse to slow them down could do a LOT of good. Keys to game: Cato and Yao getting rebounds and blocking shots. Forcing them to slow down a bit.
The key to beat Mav is NOT TO PLAY CATO. Mav is an offensive team playing from the perimeter, just like the Sonic. We dont need two slow 7 footers inside the paint. We need PF who can move out to defend and knock down those open jumpers when Yao got double-teamed, which will certainly happen. I would like JVG give both Boki and Pladgett some PT. You need tall players to make lob passes to Yao when he got fronted. Our guards are just too short ever to make those kinds of passes.
Right on the money! Dallas (& any other team for that matter) can beat us with a zone. Dallas forces us to shoot over it, which produces longer rebounds, which leads to Dallas fast breaks. Until we learn to break that zone & get the ball inside or penetrate for a shot or a kick out to swing the ball around to the open man, they will continue to HAVE OUR NUMBER ! Now the kick out & pass to the open man will still have us shooting over the top, but it will be "in the flow" instead of forced, which gives a higher shooting percentage & cuts down on the long rebounds & fast breaks. CHANG, the Rockets are the only current Western playoff team averaging under 90 ppg (88.5). If we hold the other playoff teams to 90 points, thats under their average & that's good defense overall. 109 isn't good D overall, but the D in the last 1:30 of the game was. That's when we have struggled in the past. I hope a trend has started!!
