Rockets/Blazers - the one where Rick Adelman gets outcoached. Badly.

by grungedave on Nov 7, 2008 8:56 AM CST in Random Commentary Comment 21 comments

First of all -- great, great clutch shots by both Brandon Roy (twice) and Yao Ming. That ending sucked considering I am a Rockets fan. But I appreciate good basketball and true highlight plays when I see 'em. That was a classic (stomach-punch) ending to a heavily contested game.

The game overall, however? Well... the Rockets got to overtime almost in spite of their coach and overall strategy.

Is Rick Adelman narcoleptic?

... I just have to ask. I mean, why the hell is Chuck Hayes playing 26 minutes????? Chuck played almost the entire 4th Q and would have played the entire overtime, but for the simultaneous act of fouling out and injuring his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Luis Scola plays a fantastic 1st Q... and stays aggressive in the 2nd half. What's his reward? Only 23 minutes of game action and a very, very early seat on the bench. Even Reggie Miller was asking why Scola was glued to the bench when the Rockets had trouble scoring to close out the game.

Adelman can't be happy with his decision making tonight. First he takes way too long to realize that Aldridge and Outlaw are actually making open shots. By the time he makes the defensive adjustments sometime in the 3rd Q, Nate McMillian had already countered the expected move and got Fernandez, Rodriguez and Roy back involved in the game. Ricky's counter to that? Uh, leave Chuck in the game.

Yeah, McMillian realized that T-Mac was hot. Nate didn't sit back and let T-Mac beat him. No. He double-teamed. And 99.9% of the time, the Blazers rotated away from Chuck Hayes to double-team McGrady. That's just smart basketball.

The smart counter move would be to remove Chuck and put a 4th scorer on the floor. I guess the page for "smart counter moves" was removed from Adelman's playbook last night (and it would not surprise me that it would only be one page long either).

In the last two offensive possessions, the Rockets came out of time-outs with the score tied. At any point Rick could have inserted Scola (or even Carl Landry). Instead, he chose to leave offensively-impotent Chuck Hayes on the court. Which only allowed Portland to double-team McGrady with no fear of being burned for the gamble. This happened TWICE. Both times, the Rockets failed to get even a modicum of a good shot off. Ugh.

Free Luis Scola!!!!

(Oh, and whatever happened to the Rockets' vaunted team defense? Artest is a great on-the-ball defender, but the Rockets' team D is lacking. Allowing too much penetration to the middle, no rotations to the open men. No rebounding in traffic. Too many uncontested 15-18 foot jump shots.)

I'm going to consider last night a mulligan for the team. We made a miracle shot, only to have it followed by another even more miraculous shot. It happens. My only problem is that it should have never gotten to OT. Not if our coach was awake.

In closing, I like Chuck Hayes. He's a solid basketball player. But we have Scola and Landry and even Joey Dorsey. Guys who do the same things as Chuck - and more - and are much taller and able to actually put the ball in the basket. So, yeah, I like you Chuck, I just like winning more!!!

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Rick Adelman

Yeah, I couldn’t agree more. It seems this isn’t the first time he has left the player with the “el fuego factor” on the bench. Scola (every night it seems) and once with Artest. I think it was the Memphis game. If you think back to the Celtics game, oh never mind….. It is just that, as dramatic as this game was, I felt the loss the Celts worse.

Your a ten, but I'm on eleven!

by JakedaSnake on Nov 7, 2008 9:08 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

one follow up note

WHY THE HELL WAS McGRADY THE ONE ASSIGNED TO COVER ROY ON THE LAST PLAY!??!?!?!?! Good call, Ricky.

by grungedave on Nov 7, 2008 9:10 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

They were counting on Outlaw screening down for Roy...

and then Artest would pick him up on the switch. McGrady just assumed the switch was still on. Artest, in a deep bearhug on Outlaw (preventing the screen), consequently could not disengaged quickly enough to pick up Roy

"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy

by Honka Playboy on Nov 7, 2008 12:50 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

but that's precisely the problem...

T-Mac assumes too much. And he gambled on D by omitting to stay with Roy there.

by grungedave on Nov 7, 2008 12:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree - it was poor defense

both McGrady spacing out (not even finding another player to guard) and Artest way too engaged with Outlaw

"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy

by Honka Playboy on Nov 7, 2008 12:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

McGrady should not have been on Roy at all. Everyone knew he was taking the shot

by UofTOrange on Nov 7, 2008 2:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Great Break-Down

A couple of things, I totally agree about Chuck Hayes. I liked that he was working his but off out there, and trying to make moves for the hustle plays, but c’mon you have Luis Scola, how is he not in the game?

The team defense was kind of interesting, it seemed like the Rockets relied a lot on talk, instead of teammates just knowing what to do in a given situation. That has got to be because of Ron Artest; he makes the right individual defensive moves, but sometimes he is left out of position, only because he gets so far up in an offensive player’s grille. This team is going to figure out some insane team defense, and I really look forward to when the Rockets are going to be able to predict what RA is going to do on defense and then fill the passing lanes accordingly.

Decent job by the Rockets tonight, but I know they are a much better than we saw last night. The next time they match-up against the Blazers this game will be different, it is inevitable: too many good players and too many smart players. The Blazers were able to steal one, but I can’t see the Rockets’ problems lasting longer than this opening month. Good luck you guys…

Jaws were hitting the floor as Greg repeatedly attempted to tear the rim off the backboard...

by TheOdenator on Nov 7, 2008 10:45 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Great Game

Wow. I turned to watch that game right after the Utah Utes finished TCU. I really question that a shot can get off that quick. But hey, we’ll just have to carry a little more of the “undefeated” load as Jazz fans. It’s cool, we can handle it.

We bleed True Blue.
www.truebluejazz.com

by CB Jack on Nov 7, 2008 11:31 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

actually we can agree on something

Thank you for beating the dirty Horned Frogs of TCU.
Much appreciated!!!

by grungedave on Nov 7, 2008 11:33 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Did he forget to mention he went to SMU?

by UofTOrange on Nov 7, 2008 12:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

great "boreing" game last night

Blazer fan here, just wanted to come over and say great game, instant classic in my mind, even if it had gone the other way. I love teams fighting it out until the end. I have to agree with you questioning the decision to leave Hayes in the game, is he a better defender than Scola? That is the only reason I can see to leave him in, as LaMarcus was tourching Scola in the early part of the game, and then in the second half LaMarcus shot more 15 ft jumpers than the jump hooks he was getting early.

The range of emotions for this game was almost unbarrable, that is what the NBA is suppose to be like. Good luck this season, except against the Blazers!

by usmcr3049 on Nov 7, 2008 12:48 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Hayes played great defense on Aldridge...

…and frankly, I think the Rockets four competent offensive players on the floor then (Ron Ron, McGrady, AB, Yao) should be able to score on 5 Blazers. Ron too strong, McGrady too much, AB too quick, Yao too big for any individual Blazer defender, especially on the perimeter. One pass out of a Blazer double team and it should have been an easy basket

"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy

by Honka Playboy on Nov 7, 2008 12:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I really like Scola

cuz I have a soft spot for Argentines, plus he was great in the Olympics this summer. But last night, he was just getting torched by LaMarcus on the right block. I definitely don’t know enough about the Rockets or their personnel to say if Hayes’ defense is a legitimate trade-off for keeping Scola’s hot offensive hand on the bench, but from a Blazers fan’s perspective, the going was a hell of a lot harder for LMA once Hayes was up in his grille.

by BlazersOrBust on Nov 7, 2008 2:50 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

While Scola was very efficient on offense, if he got more minutes, Aldridge would get a career high in points.

by goingforthecorner on Nov 7, 2008 2:51 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't buy that

LMA was making everything early… Scola wasn’t out of position or out played or anything of the sort. These things happen. LMA is a hell of a good player. Scola was making all of his shots on the other end, too. But in the game of coaching chicken, Adelman blinked first and took out our hottest shooter… Scola. It cost us.

by grungedave on Nov 7, 2008 2:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

And Scola's D on LMA was actually really good

by UofTOrange on Nov 7, 2008 3:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I read from somewhere else

that LMA went something like 1-7 in the 4th when Chuck was on him. While he gives us nothing on offense, shutting him down was a key in getting the game into OT.

by goingforthecorner on Nov 7, 2008 3:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Chuck definitely played good D on him, but some of that was just shots not falling that fell earlier from outside

by UofTOrange on Nov 7, 2008 3:17 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

And to be fair, since they played to a virtual stand still while both were on the court, you could surmise that Scola would have gone for a career high too

He was 7/10 on the night for goodness sake, no one could guard him and then he goes to the bench for an eternity

by UofTOrange on Nov 7, 2008 3:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

completely disagree

I Iove Scola. I do. He is great. But he was getting beaten like a left handed step child on the defensive end by LaMarcus. When the Chuckwagon came in Lamarcus disappeared. Completely. He had 1 point on chuck in like 12 minutes of action until the bs call that had chuck fouling out. Chuck shut down Lamarcus just like he shut down Dirk in the 4th in Dallas. He is a defensive stopper who was a vital part of us getting back in the game. Scola was scoring well but couldn’t do a damn thin to Lamarcus. Chuck used his strength to push around Lamarcus (who is softer than pau gasol) and in so doing he shut him down. Rick Adelman was not out-coached. Period. He shut down their best scorer on the night by using his inerior defensive stopper. We should have won. If you think that Luis, Carl, or Joey can do what chuck does on defense you are mistaken. Chuck is a GREAT defensive player and it showed yet again.

Additionally, I think you are quick too criticize Coach Adelman. He presided over the longest winning streak in franchise history and the second longest in leauge history. He has over 800 wins and he made the SMART move of leaving Chuck in to shutdown soft Lamarcus. Great move and not a poorly coached game at all.

Also, watching Chuck defend the pick and roll is a thing of beauty.

by clutchcity on Nov 7, 2008 4:04 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

one game only

Adelman was terrible last night. Terrible.

Overall he’s great, but last night was an exception.

Everyone has off nights.

And Chuck plays good D, yes, but he cost us at least 10-12 points by not being able to catch the ball, make layups or contribute in any way offensively. When the other team can double-team without penalty – that hurts just as much as Scola being unable to “stop” LMA.

by grungedave on Nov 7, 2008 4:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs