I was more pissed at Rice for not passing to a wide open Posey when he had two guys strapped to him during that final play. Gee, ya think the Lakers just MIGHT guard one of the best three point shooters in NBA history on a play when a three pointer is needed? Posey may not be the best shooter, but I'll take a wide open mediocre shooter than a good shooter with two guys draped on him. Also, does anybody think that the refs are getting a little quick to call flagrant fouls? No way that foul against Cato was flagrant. It was a clean, hard foul, but was called a flagrant because Kobe hit the ground hard. Every year, it seems that there is a thug that commits a lot of flagrants and causes a "flagrant curve", if you will. This year, it's Ron Artest...
What if Yao Ming and Kelvin Cato didn't posterized about 10 times by Shaq. What if Yao didn't play soft when Shaq was covering him. Why is it Mobley's fault when our centers can't stop someone from dunking almost 16 times in a game. When Shaq scores 39 points on you on 26 attempts, its a suprise it wasn't a blowout. I swear ya'll just come up with crap to divert the attention from Yao's deficiencies during this game. I'm going to call ya'll the "GW Bush" posters.
What the f*ck... ya'll just have to pick on Mobley for everything huh? Every damn lost game. Every player made mistakes in this game.. nobody plays a perfect game, but ya'll are picking out one or two plays out of the entire game and saying "oh look, THIS is why we lost the game." Well there are quite a few plays (every one of them in fact) that you could do that with. Mobley played well this game, his shooting was off but his D on Kobe was as good as could be hoped for. He passed several times so he isn't a freaking black hole. This was such a close game any little thing could have changed the outcome. The refs pissed me off though... but they do that every game. So stop blaming Mobley! The rox actually played a decent game.. on the defensive end (except for Yao and Cato but you can't really fault them when they're up against shaq). The offense flowed so well in the first quarter and at the beginning of the 3rd quarter but was stagnant much of the time. But even though the offensive scheme sucked we were 4 measly points from winning.. even after 2 or 3 charges by Shaq in the game which weren't called... ... and the flagrant(???) by Cato and a multitude of other things, we were 4 pts from getting a W. So close... This is a really good team, their offense just needs to stop standing around, and they have to bring their D every night.
Guys, This is all part of the learning curve, that was playoff basketball, and it shows that the Rockets are OH SO CLOSE. However, they need to do the little things to get over the hump...things like, make the extra pass, box out, play better position defense. DD
Yeah, I saw Mobley fake the pass to Francis then shoot it. I don't know what the announcers were talking about. And Fracnis raised his arms to signal that he was wide open as Mobley was shooting it.
mobley's great D,,,i beleive KObe had 30+ points tonight he had a few great deffensive stands,,,,buut only flashes of it,,,rest of the game was all kobe beating him to the hole
Well, ESPN's recent very-good article about Steve...which ended with Steve saying, "Maybe I should put on about 10-15 pounds of muscle and play SG, what do you think?" I think, Steve, I think. If we could just manage to trade Cat for a better passing guard. But I don't know if the team will mess with what chemistry we have. I am, however, encouraged lately by Steve's fewer turnovers and increased steals and assists. It must be killing him, though, when we lose, because the shooter in him will say, I should have scored forty tonight, then we would have won. But I like the 20-8-7 more-steals-fewer TO's Steve.
Give credit where credit is due. Shaq played absolutely great last night. He battled for offensive position. And got it to the tune of 39 points. He kept Yao away from the basket, settling for low percentage turn-around, fade-away shots. This was Shaq's win, in my opinion.
Don't get technical, but he does suck... He shows flashes, but he's not consistent on offense or defense... I can't blame the whole game on CAT, but your right, with Rudy's news, etc., it would have been hard to win...
Another Way to Look at it: Yao Ming Scored 8 Points, Francis shot 7-16, Cuttino Couldn't Shoot and we lost Griffin Early. Shaq Had 39 and Kobe had over 30 again against us. AND WE ONLY LOST BY 3 POINTS!!!!!
Just check this out! Author If I Were a Rockets Fan I Would Kinda Be Worried Arnie Moderator Joined: Apr 29, 2002 Posts: 2927 From: Orange County, California Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2003 10:44 PM PST Man, it just shows you how petty the lakers problems are compared other teams. In the beginning of the game, they were a joy to watch. Players were moving the ball around, passing the ball to the open man for easy buckets. What the hell was Houston doing offense down the stretch? The 4th quarter played an offense that consisted of dumping the ball to Maurice Taylor and having the other guys stand still and watch. You can’t pull crap like this against a great defensive team like the Lakers!! Man. Second, how hard is it to punch the ball to Yao Ming? He’s arguably the second best center in the league yet he hardly touched the ball. Even Kobe knows that you give the ball up to your bigman in the middle for high percentage shots. Third, I thought the Rockets were in a race to make the play offs? Where were the quick double teams on Shaq when he got the ball? Who on the Rockets team can slow down Kobe? The Rockets have some major issues they need to resolve if they ever want to contend with the better teams in the NBA. Maybe the Lakers forced them to perform like they did. As I said in the beginning, if I were a Rockets fan, I would be worried about my team. [ This Message was edited by: Arnie on Mar-26-03 10:48 PM PST ] _________________ Two roads diverged in a wood And I took the one less traveled by And that has made all the difference ---Robert Frost pinoyfan Rookie Joined: Feb 05, 2003 Posts: 20 From: Philippines Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2003 10:52 PM PST Hump!:bigcry: magic_bryant Star Player Joined: Oct 17, 2002 Posts: 1202 Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2003 10:52 PM PST They do have some serious problems. They need a real PG, they need to get rid of Mobley, and move "the Franchise" to the off-guard position. Not really sure what that whole Mo' Taylor in the 4th qtr was. They just don't play any D whatsoever. I think Kobe's avg near 40 against them this year, and Shaq is probably somewhere around 36 ppg against them. Kobe has traditionally lit this team up. He's had at least 3 or 4 40's against them in the last 3 years. Kobe8 Star Player Joined: Apr 12, 2001 Posts: 1235 From: SoCal!!! Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2003 10:54 PM PST I was surprised that Fish ripped Stevie twice. Of course, he was funneled to the help, but regardless, I didn't think that would have happened. _________________ So be it Threaten no more To secure peace is to prepare for war So be it Settle the score Touch me again for the words that you'll Hear evermore... DON'T TREAD ON ME Siguy Starting Rotation Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 184 Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2003 11:07 PM PST Yao got too tired guarding Shaq. It really killed his offense because he never had the energy to get good position on offense. JBIIRockets Starting Rotation Joined: Nov 16, 2001 Posts: 125 Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2003 11:16 PM PST Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Wed Mar 26, 2003 10:52 PM PST, magic_bryant wrote: Not really sure what that whole Mo' Taylor in the 4th qtr was. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Magic_bryant, what game did you watch tonight> It couldn't have been the Lakers/Rockets game. Let's see, Mo made ALL his FTs in the 4th Qtr, and he had a lot of them Mo abused Horry down low by hitting a jumpshot and made a layup and a foul, and he hit a jump-hook over Horry. (not sure if the last shot was in the 4th) You implying that Mo Taylor was not effective is just wrong. Geez. JBIIRockets Starting Rotation Joined: Nov 16, 2001 Posts: 125 Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2003 11:45 PM PST Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Wed Mar 26, 2003 10:44 PM PST, Arnie wrote: As I said in the beginning, if I were a Rockets fan, I would be worried about my team. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Worried about what exactly? The Rockets did not play real smart game, Yao was basically nothing on offense and the Rockets still only lost by three. As for playing the Daddy 1-on-1, in retrospect it was not the best decision, but it almost worked for the Rockets as Shaq missed a dunk and somehow the ball ended up back in his hands. Maybe the Rockets are the only team in the NBA that truly understands that all the Laker role players are clutch. The Rockets are a young ballclub. Young teams are going to have their downs at times when they play the champs. Something else I'd like to add. Shaq complains about his opponents flopping all the time. Well, you Laker fans need to tell him that lowering a shoulder into the chest of a defender is an offensive foul when the defender has his feet set. That happened on a few occasions in this ballgame. Finally, I am sure you guys were upset when Yao flopped in the First qtr. Yao had defensive position and Shaq just ran over him. Should have been called. In a few years, Yao is going to get that call, so be forewarned. This rivalry is gonna explode in the next few years. I can't wait. [ This Message was edited by: JBIIRockets on Mar-26-03 11:57 PM PST ] StuLantz#1 Starting Rotation Joined: Jul 05, 2001 Posts: 638 Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2003 11:50 PM PST I don't think they have anything to worry about. They've got some excellent young talent. Just because Yao had a terrible game against Shaq doesnt mean he now has no future--especially with the extinction of big men. They've got a lot quality, so it's fair to say they have some trade value too. If I were them I'd move Mobley for a more consistent player. Then just add a few defensive pieces and you should have a strong future force. It's up to their GM to make good or screw up, and they already have some key guys. [ This Message was edited by: StuLantz#1 on Mar-27-03 12:06 AM PST ] magic_bryant Star Player Joined: Oct 17, 2002 Posts: 1202 Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2003 12:04 AM PST Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Wed Mar 26, 2003 11:16 PM PST, JBIIRockets wrote: Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Wed Mar 26, 2003 10:52 PM PST, magic_bryant wrote: Not really sure what that whole Mo' Taylor in the 4th qtr was. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Magic_bryant, what game did you watch tonight> It couldn't have been the Lakers/Rockets game. Let's see, Mo made ALL his FTs in the 4th Qtr, and he had a lot of them Mo abused Horry down low by hitting a jumpshot and made a layup and a foul, and he hit a jump-hook over Horry. (not sure if the last shot was in the 4th) You implying that Mo Taylor was not effective is just wrong. Geez. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is effective. But standing around on the other side of the court watching him isn't. If that's their game plan for winning close ball games, they better give it up now. And it's not that Yao didn't play well, it's more about the Rockets "PG" Steve Francis not giving Yao the ball consistently. If he gives him the ball, Yao will make the pass back to him. DancingBarry Moderator Joined: Sep 08, 2001 Posts: 3959 From: O.C. Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2003 1:01 AM PST
Hey, these Lakers fans actually know the Rockets pretty well and make some intelligent comments. The notion that NOT doubling Shaq is a good strategy is quite interesting. At least for this game it's true. Even when Shaq completely dominated (and Kobe scoring his typical 31), we only lost by 3 (compare that with all our losses to the Mavs). The point is that the Lakers role players may not be very good, they can kill you when you leave them open. Making sure that the role players aren't in the game might be a better strategy against the Lakers than focusing on stopping the two big guns.
We need a real point guard. The inability of our team to penetrate the defense makes things 85684565 times harder for us. Francis doesn't really penetrate that much, prefering to take that jumper of his off the dribble. Mobley likes shooting outside more also. Posey slashes some but not enough. Get a real point guard who can get inside on a more consistent basis, then Yao and others will get more easy shots.
Are you kidding me? Francis is 7th in the league in free throw attempts. You don't get to the line that many times by shooting jumpers. Francis is the best penetrator on the team, which says a lot at how unagressive this team is...and since when is a pre-requisite for being a "real point guard" getting to the basket? You're bashing just for the sake of bashing...
Okay, you're right, Francis does penetrate and draw fouls. But I want to see the type of controlled penetration that creates opportunities for teammates. Sort of like how Nash and Stockton do it all the time. Steve is almost always in the air when he is delivering the pass. Also, he needs to juke back and forth a couple of times, unlike other PGs who can take a quick step and be in the meat of the defense. Now, if Steve was a shooting guard, it would be a different. In that case, he would be there to score, not to set up teammates with penetration. I think the Lakers fans are right on target in saying Steve is not a great PG.
It is only one pass. I believe Mobley played well against the Lakers. Yes he could have pass the ball but he was also half open too and I was not really mad that he took that shot. Before then I believe he had made a good number of his open shots.
I think Kidrock is one of the dudes who plays at the Y and never gets the ball. Thats why he has to make fun of everyone who shoots the ball
