Somebody please answer this riddle for me.... Against Phoenix Yao only had 11 attempts and made 6 of them for a sizzling 55% and in the fourth they stopped going to him as they always do. I just don't get it! Now I know it was the second game of a back to back against a uptempo team who was coming off of three days rest so I'm not to worried about this loss as a whole. But what concerns me is the pattern I have seen of Yao not getting enough shot attempts, especially in the fourth quarter of games. Here is a breakdown of Yao's shot attempts per game: Game 1 vs Utah - 8-12 (67%) Loss Game 2 vs Dallas - 12-16 (75%) Win Game 3 vs New Orleans - 6-11 (55%) Loss Game 4 vs Memphis - 8-15 (53%) Win Game 5 vs Milwaukee - 10-24 (42%) Win Game 6 vs New York - 15-21 (71%) Win Game 7 vs Miami - 11-19 (58%) Win Game 8 vs San Antonio - 7-21 (33%) Loss Game 9 vs Chicago - 7-19 (37%) Win Game 10 vs Detroit - 8-18 (44%) Loss Game 11 vs New York - 6-14 (43%) Win Game 12 vs Washington - 9-16 (56%) Win Game 13 vs Memphis - 11-16 (69%) Win Game 14 vs Minnesota - 11-15 (73%) Win Game 15 vs Phoenix - 6-11 (55%) Loss I'm no statistician but my grade school math tells me that, with the exception of the San Antonio and Detroit games, when Yao attempts 15 or more shots in a game the Rockets win. For the season he is shooting 55% from the field and 85% from the line, he has to get more touches if the Rockets ever want to consider making a run at a title. It should be pretty obvious to the rest of the team that when Yao gets going that other teams will have to adjust their defenses to stop him and thus making open shots for the rest of the Rockets players. But at times it seems that our players seem to go brain dead and aren't sure what to do with the ball. When a basket is needed it should be automatic that Yao gets the ball. If he misses feed him again and again, he isn't going to make them all but he has a much higher shot percentage then any of our outside shooters. Yao has figured out how to get good position now so our guards should be practicing their entry passes into the post, which clearly they are not. Am I the only one who has recognized this or are there others who are frustrated by this just like me?
I agree. It seems to me that Yao always has great position for like 2-3 seconds then have to fight again. If our passers would stop hesitating the entry pass
I agree with the threadstarter. What's even more mind-boggling is the fact that what clearly got the team re-grounded and focused and on a roll was going to Yao out of halftime last night. In either case, he definitely needs to shoot more. I think most people on the team understand this. The sole exception, which everyone has been complaining about is Rafer. I actually think Luther shoots too much also sometimes, but his at least tend to go in a lot more often than Rafers.
You are definitely not the only one. I'm thinking of the opposite. I'm wondering whether the guards (i.e. Rafer) are the only ones who havent recognized this. Often times, I see Yao almost throws his arm in the air and Rafer just decides to not pass the ball.
Dude, I was at the game last night. Rafer is definitly a shoot first point guard there are many times where Yao throw the ball to him and repost, but Rafer just fire it away. I believe there was only one attempt that Rafer passed it back and it was a turn over:Yao got a deeper position already and Rafer pass it to where Yao was. What the XXXX was him thinking. See the Rockets fight back in the beginning of the 3rd quarter pumped me up and shut the crowd, i belive Yao score 9 points during that stretch. but after the timeout the they just stop passing it to him and instead shooting threes and gave away fast break points for Phoenix. The only way to beat a team like Phoenix (Denver is trying to play like phoenix now) is to score every position and limit there fast break opportunity. Why did they change it when they were on a hot streak. Another disappointment is the performance of Tmac, I've nver seen him getting blocked twice in a game before, and yet he did last night, and I was again wearing his jeysey. If not counting the 3 3-pointers in the lsat minute of the game, he went 6-23 in the game and that's really bad, i mean that's really bad. now i remember last year when the Rox came to town, i wore my tmac jersey and we got killed like 110 to 70, i think i should stop wearing that jersey to games...
Step away from the arithmatic for a moment and "view" it as a process. First, Yao is a totally vertical player. His balance and ability to stay balanced are exceptionally poor. Fortunately, his strengths compensate to a large degree. But that means any post entry must be made with a large amount of precision. And that small "strike zone" narrows down as Yao tires. Secondly, the elite NBA teams come at you with taller more athletic players defending the post entry passes. I'm not talking about just defending Yao. I'm talking about the large difference in on the ball pressure between the Bucks' PG's and say Tony Parker or Deron Williams. Thirdly, the current NBA allows a zone. This is important for at least 2 reasons. One is that the opponent can shade off of any Rocket who is not having a good shooting night from the perimeter (and who won't drive to compensate for it). And also because all of the opposing defenders can sag into the passing lanes making for a tough entry pass when the ball is reversed from strong side to weak side as Yao goes from one side to the other. We've been down this pathway more times that I want to recall. Whether the Rocket is Francis, Mobley, Sura, Mike James or Alston....there is no deliberate attempt to not make the pass. But it's just not as easy as it looks on TV. While it may seem somewhat interesting to note that "if Yao gets 15 shots the Rox win" it's a more critical analysis to understand why he got those shots....who were the opponents, what were they trying to take away, were they rotating well, was McGrady "on" that night.
The hard part is on Yao. He needs to position himself, and thanks to his deligent work, he now appears to have figured that out pretty well. With a guy that tall raising his arms inside, I don't think it's that hard to throw in the ball.
In the last two games, Rafer played like the new Cat. Tmac played like the new Franchise. just kidding
Yes, but he's 7'6" You can't find some way to get the ball to him high? I agree teams are making it tough to get it in there, but with someone fronting him and being behind him on the double team, isn't there a better shot than launching from so far out in three point land? What happened to a mid-range jumper? If you can shoot a three after squaring up after a good screen, surely you can hit one five feet closer to the basket. Then you make a help defender come out on you and you can get the ball into yao more easily. I understand that made three's will spread the court, but so will a shot inside the arc, but not in the paint. Someone has to commit if you make enough of those mid range jump shots. anywho.. I agree that with his high percentage shot, he should get the ball more often... preferrably up high where no one can touch it
Yao is slow and doesn't jump well. The same reason he loses so many jump balls is the same reason it's difficult to feed him when the opposing team decides to deny him the ball at all costs. I don't blame the guards for that. What I blame the team for is not capitalizing on the defense and exploiting the imbalance. There are 3 solutions for when teams clamp down on Yao: 1 One easy solution to getting Yao the ball is to have him come further out, but that removes him from the low post where he dominates. When he gets the ball on the perimeter, it's very easy to stop Yao when he puts the ball on the floor to get closer. 2 Try harder to get him the ball. Yao can still get better at boxing his man away from the ball to open up a pass even though he has improved a LOT at this already. The other players can also be more cognizant of the split second when there is an opening to zip the ball in. The problem with both of these ideas is defenses will still collapse on him late in games and not allow him to shoot, even if it takes 3 or 4 players. One idea they should work harder on is setting low block picks to spring him. When he gets the ball that close, it's too late. 3 The real solution is to punish teams that overcommit to stopping Yao. This could be 3 point shooting, mid-range jumpers or (best) slashing to the basket and finishing. Sometimes the lanes are so wide open I yell at the screen. One time Shane had the ball on the wing and his whole side of the floor was wide open. Yao is so effective right now he commands more attention (close to the basket) than any other player in the NBA. When teams like Phoenix go way overboard to stop him, it's a shame the other players can't score 75% of the time. It's on them, Tracy and JVG to solve the problem.
Part of it is foul trouble then getting out of the offensive flow: Season: 35:30 mpg Phoenix: 28 mpg I understand how that happens, but I'm confused about why it's so hard to get him back in the offense. Maybe he plays less aggressive when in foul trouble and doesn't fight for position?
Agreed. It is not deliberate- but when you have a 7foot 6''giant right next to the basket you dont need a back up calibre PG trying to make a tear drop or an off balance shots- and miss most of the times. That is what Rafer has been doing. Funny last year he had really no issues- past 4 games it appears Tmac has enterd Rafer's body! Yao should be getting 20 possessions a game- it is not easy- but that is what will win us games. We do not fully appreciate what this guy is capable of if we have a quality Point Guard.
Question: Can you understand the concept that defenses can deny Yao the ball when they commit 3 or 4 players? Is it that hard to understand? Is it also hard to understand that when he gets the ball they will collapse on him and not allow him to shoot? That is what the Rockets will face in the 3rd and 4th quarters until other players take advantage of wide open opportunities. The easiest way to open up Yao more is by OTHER PLAYERS SCORING when they are basically unguarded. This will force defenses to adjust.
What has this got to do with passing him the ball? Are you expecting a 7foot 6 guy to jump to get the ball? 1 One easy solution to getting Yao the ball is to have him come further out, but that removes him from the low post where he dominates. When he gets the ball on the perimeter, it's very easy to stop Yao when he puts the ball on the floor to get closer. 2 That is whole point of the thread! 3 That did not work too well in Phoenix- it not how many open 3 pointers we take - it is how many we make consistently. Rafer and Tmac are not great 3 point shooters- I will give Tmac leeway, but Rafer does not shoot well. Sure people do talk about his "clutch" 3 pointers- if he did not brick the first 7 shots- we dont need his clutch shots- those shots are for Tmac to make.
I am not sure what you are trying to say here. I never saw 4 players on Yao at Phoenix- sure double teaming. That is not an excuse to get him the ball. Sure there will be turnovers- but if Yao does some acting he can get a helluva lot of fouls too ( ie if the referees dont do their normal stuff) It is great theory to suggest that open shots should be made- sadly we are not making them, we just do not have a consistent shooting guard for a couple of years now!
