What can this years team do that last years team could not?

Xerobull · Oct 6, 2005

Nice breakdown, apostolic3. I think #7 is the most important. Speed, Scoring AND Defense...it's going to be sick.

apostolic3 said:

We should have enough offensive firepower to punish weak defensive teams on a consistent basis. I'll never forget the Phoenix game where we outscored them 41-17 in the 4th quarter and won by 20 (in Phoenix). We should have more blowout wins and limit Tmac's minutes in those games.
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m_cable · Oct 6, 2005

Um, Yao wasn't guarding Josh Howard because we didn't have enough guards. He was guarding Howard because JVG didn't want to put him on Dirk. It doesn't matter how many guards are on our roster, if the Mavs go Dirk + 4 swingmen, then we either sit Yao, have him guard Dirk, or put him on a little guy. And I'd rather not take him out, and I sure as heck don't want him guarding Dirk on the perimeter.

jo mama · Oct 6, 2005

not loose to the mavs by 40 in game 7.

Toast · Oct 6, 2005

Win a playoff series.

SupermanSK · Oct 6, 2005

Stay Healthy and beat Dallas by 40!

ima_drummer2k · Oct 6, 2005

Keep Yao out of foul trouble.

Now that Yao is no longer the main line of defense on the way to the basket, maybe he can stay in games longer than last year instead of picking up 2 quick fouls in the 1st quarter.

wnes · Oct 6, 2005

YOFs (me included) would b**** less.

Sherlock · Oct 6, 2005

jo mama said:

not loose to the mavs by 40 in game 7.
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We will probably face the Mavs again in the first round, although we might have home advantage this time.

But, I'm hoping it never get's to a game 7. It'll be T-Mac's time ...

coolweather · Oct 6, 2005

jo mama said:

not loose to the mavs by 40 in game 7.
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is 1 point acceptable to you?

solid · Oct 6, 2005

apostolic3 said:

1 Wow, that was a good analysis, better than anything I have seen in the news media. Way to go.
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hotballa · Oct 6, 2005

Reach the COnference Finals

Deckard · Oct 6, 2005

apostolic3 said:

1 If someone goes down, we should be able to "keep on ticking". We have better depth and are more insulated against injuries (Tmac and Yao excluded). Last year showed how important depth is.

2 We can run with anybody. Adding Swift, Alston & DA in place of Padgett & James makes us lightening fast on the break. Having Swift, Tmac, Alston (and any other two players) on the floor at the same time should be fun to watch.

3 Our interior defense last year was the best in the NBA and should improve, which is hard to believe. We now have 3 premier shot blockers instead of 2. 100% of the time we will have a major shot blocker down low. At least 50% of the time (i.e. when Swift is on the court) we will have 2 shot blockers on the floor.

4 Can anyone say alley-oop? Mutombo, Yao (kind of), Swift, Tmac and Head can all slam down alley-oop passes. Alston & DA should keep defenses honest with this threat. We should consistently run back door picks in 1/2 court.

5 We have several PnR combinations with Alston & Tmac off the dribble using Yao & Swift. DA may also be able to initiate PnRs. Last year, Tmac and Yao were our only solid PnR combo.

6 Attack the basket and dish! Alston brings this skill and now Tmac won't have to initiate the offense so much. He can focus more on getting into position and receiving the ball. I think this is huge and will allow Tmac to "coast" more during games like Michael Jordan used to. In other words, Tmac can play the same amount of minutes and be less tired. For that matter, because Alston can play a true point position in our offense, maybe Tmac can rest more because our offense won't disintegrate so much when he sits.
I should add, many of us feel DA brings this same ability to our team, so we now have 3 players who can truly play the point.

7 We should have enough offensive firepower to punish weak defensive teams on a consistent basis. I'll never forget the Phoenix game where we outscored them 41-17 in the 4th quarter and won by 20 (in Phoenix). We should have more blowout wins and limit Tmac's minutes in those games.

8 This team should get off to a better start than last year, allowing us to finish with a better record and possibly compete for the #1 seed. My concerns aside, if Alston brings his "A" game this year, I predict we will finish with the best record in the conference. If he develops chemistry with Yao, later on we will debate what led to Yao's surge in offensive productivity. Some will argue Yao is being more assertive and demanding the ball. Others (like me) will argue that it took a real PG besides just Tmac to get Yao the ball where he wants it more often.
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Great post. Thanks for saying much of what I was thinking, but better than I could have put it. If we remain healthy, I see McGrady playing fewer minutes, and being fresher for the playoffs. The same for Wes, if he's still here for the playoffs. (if he isn't traded at the deadline) Yao looks to be in the best shape of his life, and his scoring, rebounding, and minutes should go up.

Life is good for a fan of the Rockets.

caffreys_irish_ale · Oct 6, 2005

Make at least one of the NBA top 10 highlights every time we play!!!

If it's not T-Mac it will be Yao or Stro or Alston or Anderson or Barry.

Our new nickname will be Highlight-City

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What can this years team do that last years team could not?

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What can this years team do that last years team could not?

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