Actually I believe the Rockets had a 16 game winning streak with Yao. There was a 4 game winning streak before our last loss, when Yao was out with the flu. So something like 16-0 with Yao, 5-1 without Yao in the last 22 games. I will admit that the Rockets are much more entertaining than I thought they would be without Yao.
Hey, the Rockets playing much better without Landry. Who needs an inside present when we can shoot the light out from the outside? Lets trade Yao and Landry!
wow the way this team.... plays without one or the other... Tmac or Yao... makes me think we need to trade one or the other.... cant help to think how good this team woud be with Yao back....but then I can help to think how good this team woud be with players we could get for Yao.... same thing I was thinking when Tmac went down...
Noteworthy note. However, one thing I think a lot of people including GMs fail to comprehend is that there is such a thing as TOO much of a good thing. i.e. Talent. I'm of the opinion that we are indeed a better team w/o Yao, but we're not necessarily better off w/o Yao. And what I mean by this is that I think we do indeed play better as a team without Yao. But to have Yao increases our probability overall of going deep into the playoffs. Having the option to go big with a big fella who can shoot as well as Yao and having the option to go big on defense... there's definitely value to that. But as far as how we function as a team, I do think we play a much more fluid, much more offensively balanced and effective game w/o Yao. This being the NBA though, and as most people know, opposing teams will make adjustments. Thus, even with the success we're seeing recently, teams will try to adjust to however they see our weaknesses to be. Much like how teams tried to adapt to defending Yao, we've seen some effective strategies, matchups and double teams, and then some not so effective strategies. One MAJOR difference though between having an offense run w/o going through Yao vs. one that does is that we clearly are getting more FGAs per game than ever before. This trend started before Yao got injured. All one needs to do is to see our progress in Pts/game over time. It's a testament to Adelman's more creative approach toward offense and giving more free rein to "other scorers" to score. And so going by the notion that a balanced offense is preferable to an unbalanced one, (which understandably, not everyone would agree), this is why imho, I've personally concluded that we are indeed a better team w/o Yao. This doesn't mean Yao can't fit into a balanced offense. But somehow when Yao is on the floor, there's still some residual notion that the offense should rightfully go through Yao first whenever possible. Is this the right strategy? Is it wrong? Moot point. But either way, this doesn't preclude Yao from fitting into a a more balanced offense. Perhaps his ppg would then peak at 20 ppg or perhaps slightly less at 15 pgg. But as team, I think we're all better off for it. Why? b/c to date I see no reason why we can't make up for those 20 ppg in addition to more FGAs, more player involvment, and a generally more balanced team game in the absence of Yao. My two cents. Flame on. theSAGE
well, i wouldn't say yao's 50% FG that big of an inside presence. now landry is a completely different story. j/k
Couple of Final Thoughts Curiously, be it Kenny or Charles or the Yahoo! guy, everyone seems to be writing us off as legit contenders b/c we don't have Yao anymore. Championship contenders? Tough call as the criteria for success is obviously really high. But are we playoff worthy and competitive to go a few rounds even w/o Yao? imho, I sincerely believe "Yes" we are. Personally, I take offense (b/c I like this Rox squad so much) when writers and other would-be fans suggest to me that I should just enjoy <winning streak> while it lasts, implying that somehow the Rox won't make it to the playoffs, let alone, advance past the first round. That's totally premature and pure B.S., imho. Anyone who has watched an iota of this team evolve and grow this season in addition to watching games across the rest of the West Coast Conference should know that the Rox are something special over and above this streak. Simply put, we are fast becoming the late '90s, early '00s Sacramento Kings reincarnated 1. We are more athletic 2. We put more points on the board than anybody's business 3. We pass well with limited turnovers 4. We have speed 5. We have talent 6. We have legit 3 point shooting threats 7. We have legit shooters 8. We have an All-Star Absent one all-star, we have yet another all-star. How people can forget the greatness of Tracy McGrady is beyond me. Sure, T-Mac lives with the spectre of having not gotten past the first round. But should that be any more reason to write off the Rox prematurely than the many would-be superstars who failed to win it all? This year, T-Mac doesn't merely have help. He has atheletic and talented help. Veteran and young help. The balanced personnel couldn't be BETTER than this year. And quite frankly, I think T-Mac is absolutely shining bright much as he has shined bright in yesteryear games in the absence of Yao. Bottom line is if you believe in this team going deep into the playoffs, or even if you believe this team is playoff worthy at all, you almost have to believe we are better team TODAY And today's team doesn't have Yao, so the natural conclusion one can only reach is that we are indeed a better team w/o Yao. Time will tell but I'll leave you all with three questions. 1. If the Rox do make it to the playoffs, will you reconsider this question? 2. If the Rox make it to the second round, will you reconsider then? 3. If the Rox make it all the way, win or lose, in the championship, will you reconsider then? imho, we're gonna do great in the playoffs! theSAGE
Yeah, only difference is we are 7-0 without Yao so far, 8-7 this year without Tmac. Not saying we don't need Yao, but when healthy it is clear to me who really runs this team
We shouldn't trade anyone.guest wat?We won 12 in a row with Yaur team is just better then last year.Tmac and Yao can play together.They just have bad luck.Last year yao had to come back from injury and played bad in the playoffs.This year we are rolling with laundry and scola and yao gets injured.Bad luck hunts them.Back problems,foot problems.
In one part of 3rd quarter we obviously missed Yao's presense, when outside shots were not falling and we couldn't get defensive rebounds. Despite Tmac and Alston again had better games than they did in NO, Rockets only beat NO by 10 at home, instead of 20 on the road with Yao controling everything inside. Again, I don't think Deke plays better D than Yao at this stage. He gets attacked way more than Yao in the paint.
I agree and it's not like Yao doesn't blk shots(2blks a gm).This would be great if yao was still here.
Yeah, we are 13-15 with both Yao and Tmac on the court at the begining of the season. and we are 19-0 with both Yao and Tmac on the court lastly. What does it mean? Plus it's not 8-7 without Tmac, it's actually 10-4 or 11-4.
Tonight West was absent (no West-Paul P&R), we won 106:96. Last road game we blew them out w/ 100:80, all their starters were on court.
I'M TALKING ABOUT DEFENSIVELY. When I say they would "run yao off the court" I'm talking from a defensive standpoint. Yao is not a good defender, especially against faster teams.
nope. tmac has missed a total of 15 games where he played zero minutes. but we started 0-4 without tmac, and 8-2 the last 10 games without him (with 3 v. the wovles and knicks)
LOL, I'm sorry but you are pathetic. What other pathetic excuses are you going to bring up? If the 16 winning streaks with Yao excluding the game against Utah doesn't prove anything. I don't know what will. If the team record was 10-6 with Yao then you have your point. With Yao in the lineup, the team win and play differently but they still win. With Yao out, the team play a more uptempo game because they have to since they don't have a guy with Yao skill. The team is winning with both type of game which to me is the best of both world. There are teams that we will definitly need Yao and play a slow down half court game and there are teams that we need to play an uptempo game and Yao can be playing like what's Deke been doing. With this new uptempo game, Yao could even be playing the high post.
You said it. And actually RA was running games like that. We have to have Yao for half court O/D, otherwise Duncan/Howard/Shaq/Bynum will eat us alive. Also we can go small in many situations.
