Why is T-Mac guarding Dirk almost the whole game now? Even when Bowen is in, T-mac still guards Dirk. Why is this? Not even Jordan guarded the best player, he knew he had to save some of his energy. The best player was reserved for Pippen. Like in the finals against portland, Pippen guarded Drexler not Jordan. So why is JVG wanting T-Mac to guard Dirk. Even if T-mac requests it, JVG should say no. Maybe only if Bowen is on the bench. Its too exhausting to do that the whole game. Its not productive when you have someone who can almost do just as good of a job.
His point is that T-Mac was dead tired at the end of the game and guarding Dirk for a good chunk of it was a major factor.
The point is TMac is: bringing the ball up, shooting from outside, penetrating inside to draw fouls, creating opportunities for others, and guarding Nowitzki - Dallas' best player, while playing the entire 2nd half. TMac was mentally and physically exhausted and completely inffective in the 4th quarter.
Yes that is my point, guarding him is makin him tired. Not even the greatest can carry a team on both ends. So does anyone have a logical explanation for why this is going on? I mean i thought Bowen did a pretty good job hence dirk stopper title.
Because this team has no substitute for McGrady doing it all. Even when he does it all, that only keeps the Rockets in the game, and his teammates have to step up and help him out. One of the main things that MUST happen this coming offseason is to sign a decent 3 to give McGrady rest. The amount of minutes/duties he has to carry are going to make him not last for a few more years. His health won't hold up if there is no one to share minutes with him at the 3. The guy is simply doing too much at one time, he is asked to be the perfect player and carry the team, until Yao matures and develops in the star we are all hopeful he will become. Tell me ONE player in the league that is asked to do as much as McGrady is in every aspect of the game, and that has succeeded at it. Lebron? Kobe? Garnett? You get the idea.
But bowen does a pretty damn decent job on Dirk, so why wear mcgrady out. Like Jordan relied on Pippen to guard the best player on the opposing team.
Your exactly right. The Rox need to trade 1 or more of the 4 combo guards and get themselves a PF and/or someone to back up T-Mac. I think we are lucky that T-Mac hasn't physically broken down due to the work load he has the entire year.
two stars just doing too much especially TMAC. our big deep hole on PF show up!! TMAC has to play 1.8 position (SG+0.5PG+0.3PF) and YAO play 1.5 position (center+0.5 PF) and make him into foul trouble.
Because McGrady ain't got no Pippen my friend, who is arguebly the best one-on-one defender in history of the game. Bowen is soo crap on offense it ain't even funny. If I lace 'em up, I can make a 20 footer once in a while You should examine what you just said youself...think about it...we are ACTUALLY relying on an NBDL-level guy named Ryan Bowen to play PF for us!! When you think about it that way, it is amazing we are even in this series I think the only solution for next year is for the Rockets to sacrifice experience and go after a couple of solid role, young role players who can help us to fill our voids. In order to do that, and I hate to say it or see them go, but Barry and a few other expiring contracts will have to be let go, or packaged with something to get players we need on the roster. We are too old, too slow, have role players who are not dependable night-in and night-out, etc. We are in the Western Conference, so we are going to have to build our team accordingly. EVERY single season we are going to be battling very deep teams with lots of talent on their squads. How are you going to do that if you keep DW, JB, Padgett, and Sura/MJ as your role players? How are these guys going to battle with rosters like Dallas and the Suns? That is just how I see it
I feel so bad for Yao this year, because all those foul troubles he gets into would not be the case if we still had a defensive PF to have his back and help him out on defense (like Cato last season). Les Alexander and CD have SOOOOOOOOO much to do this off-season, the real work for them hasn't even started yet.
Well, but we do have a superstar and all-star. and if we can find a average level D-power forward. we can join the elite club!
That's pretty much it. Our role players are good teammates, sometimes good at spotting up and hitting the 3, and not much else. We don't have anyone who can drive and finish. We don't have anyone who is really good at defending 1 on 1. We don't have anyone who is a fanastic passer. We hustle, play good team defense, but we lack a really athletic player. When TMac is on the bench, the offense shuts down completely. And no, he can not play 45 minutes for 24 playoff games.
Carter over NBATV was saying that Tmac wore down by guarding dirk, and JVG cannot do that. But if you look at the stats, Tmac got his 36, Dirk shot like crap, so the battle was won there for us. Our guard's defense sucked the ball big time if you ask me. How many times we missed Terry wide open. It's not like they have a big inside game. JVG gotta adjust a little bit to close down the long range shot, coz that's what Dallas does. Inside, we have Deke/Yao, that's enough.
Hindsight If Bowen was on Dirk and he went off for a quick 20 in the 4th, everyone would be asking WTH wasn't TMac on him at such a critical juncture. It wasn't just gaurding Dirk that tired TMac out, it was 45 minutes of trying to do everything. Have you ever seen TMac tired? Even when he plays 45+ moniutes I haven't. How could anyone have known that the trade-off might not be worth it? You play to win, and TMac was shutting Nowitzki down. period. Someone needed to stop Terry and Finley, and then you wouldn't have had to worry about TMac energy at the end.
Right on. Our best perimeter defender is 35 year old D.Wes, that says something. Neither Sura nor james are big on D, and if they dont score, their contribution is minimum.
Tmac wouldn't have to carry the entire offensive load if the officiating crews would just let our other superstar stay in the game as opposed to benching him every time he drops an eyelash on a maverick.
LOL! That is exactly what I said (in another thread I think, if not this one) Ahh...Who would have thought that the day would come in which we would be longing for the Pip note to self: prepare for the hate replies
