What Do You Want the Team to Do to Prepare for Utah?

send a mariachi band to their hotel at 2am, then at 3am send hookers, and then set off the fire alarm at 4:30, then send in the encyclopedia salesmen in at 5:30.

oh also flip the referees at the last minute to prevent some utah homerism that seems to go on when playing in Utah.

 

I want the Rockets to pratice flopping. Devote 2-3 hours a day to the art of flopping. Utah gets away with ridiculous flops so the Rockets must stoop down to their level. Hopefully all the flopping gets to be so ludicrous as to draw attention to what the Jazz have been getting away with for decades.

 

Participate in a Texans training camp...

 

I, for one, am glad that Derrick "Rocket Killer" Fisher is not with the Jazz anymore. Also, Gordon Giricek isn't there to light us up from three point land either, so that's a plus.

Other than the obvious pick and roll sort of stuff, I'd the Rockets to focus on some individual plays and players:

1. When Boozer is isolated, the double team should only come if his back is toward the basket. Deke, Carl, and Chuck can guard him when he faces up. Let him take the jumper before the double team...we don't need a repeat of Okur and company hitting the 3's.

2. Contain Matt Harpring. Matt killed us last year in my opinion. He's a tough defender and , sometimes, a lights out shooter from midrange. I hope the Rockets don't let him become the Jazz's best bench player.

3. Defend Kyle Korver over the screens. It's mildly r****ded to let him get free and jack up shots...great shooter. Whoever's guarding him can't hide behind Boozer with some weak "hands up" defense.

4. Make AK47 switch as much as possible to try and free up Tmac. The only player on the Jazz who can guard Tmac and give him hell is Andre. Try to limit the matchup.

5. Give Aaron Brooks MAJOR minutes. WIth the speed, crossovers and ability of Deron Williams, Aaron is our only guard, with Rafer being out, that can effectively keep up with DW. Bobby Jackson can do it for awhile, but he is older, and we'll need him to make big shots in 4th quarters.

6. Isolate Shane in the post during mismatches. That hook shot will come in handy when we need it...Shane has to shoot this series, and not dissapear like last year. We need the offense with the "shut down" defense.


And...that's all I could come up with. I'm surprisingly optimistic about our chances this year.


Cod

 

does SA among other teams have the best record against Utah?

watching SA vs Utah game tapes is a good start..

 

watch out for cheat shot, and play agressive.

 

oh yea stop korver just stick def on him he will get scary and miss like carzy main point dont EVER!!! leave him open he got those freakin 3s

 

picknroll defense.

and shane needs to guard dwill for at least half this series.

 

Put this picture on T-Mac's locker:
<p>

 

Give T-Mac a big can of GIVE-A-****.

 

join the UFC

 

Yeah. I lol'd.

 

OK every "expert" on ESPN picked jazz to either 6-2 or 7-3 the rockets. Most polls have jazz winning the series too. in other words rockets are underdogs but that doesn't mean anything because they all picked mavs to 4-0 or 5-1 warriors last year and piston to beat cavs etc... Its all about whether everyone on this team wants to win more and play with great intensity and physical with the jazz. Since rox are already short handed and tmac will get doubled, the other 4 guys have to step up and no more last year's **** of 4 ppl scoring in a game.

 

Have locker room TVs showing compilation DVDs of all the ESPN, FOX, and local experts saying they've got no chance.

Have someone pull Scola aside and make sure he understands that McGrady is his sidekick, not the star anymore.

Show McGrady nonstop film of Matt Carroll, Leon Powe, Vlad Radmanovic, Kyle Korver, and all other inferior defenders around the league having no trouble discouraging him from coming more than 4 steps inside the 3 point line. Proceed to also give him a private women's locker room at the Toyota Center so Mutombo won't make any lotion/basket or sex comments to him in the shower.

Evan

 

i bet you that's what they're doing rite now...

 

battier learn how bowen make ppl step on his foot when landing

 

get our point guards to guard deron..or brewer

get luis to play aggressive D....and occasionally play battier against boozer

all shots need to go down...

and don't forget of the offensive presence of mehmet or milsap..

it's all in the PG and the SF/PF positions against Utah...

i hope landry will get his offensive presence back

very surprising players:

harris and novak...harris with his rebounding specialty, and look for novak to get open for 3s

so everyone on the bench is going to be essential---

 

More of this

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/video?id=3350758

 

I think we should put Battier on Williams, TMac on Kirilenko and the PG on Brewer. If they try to post up Brewer, so be it. I'd rather see him trying to beat us than anyone else. When Williams drives the paint, foul hard and knock him to the ground. He is hurting right now and they need to take advantage of that. We are not playing efficient offense right now, so our best bet is to make the series low scoring and a grind fest.