Game 62 Preview: Rockets at Pistons
by ak2themax on Mar 7, 2010 12:00 PM CST
in Game Previews
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PrintI don't feel bad today since we won a game. I don't want to jinx the Rockets, and if they had lost to Minny I would have been pretty pissed. So anyway, nice win, but you've gotta move on.
The Pistons stand at 21-41, a disappointment for such a proud franchise, made worse by the fact that they spent a ton of money last summer on Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon. The big story for them right now is the injury of the Rodney Stuckey, who collapsed into a coach's arms during the Pistons' game against the Cavaliers on Friday. He was released from the hospital on Saturday, but he'll be undergoing further testing and is out indefinitely. He's a great young player and I think I speak for all of us when I say that I hope he's going to be okay.
The Rockets won the first meeting between these two teams back in December, which was also known as the first game where Tracy McGrady was allowed to play came back from injury. I stayed up late that night to watch that game, forsaking my physical chemistry final studying to see him play.
Point Guard
I'm not sure if Bynum or Ben Gordon will start. Bynum is averaging ten points and four assists per game. but most importantly is one of Gus Johnson's most recognizable phrases (Bynum...TO THE BUCKET!!!). He also has mad hops.
Ben Gordon is exhibiting the classic signs of a player who played hard during his contract year, then signed for the money and is cruising through the next couple of seasons. It's always difficult to predict how a player will respond after signing a fat contract. Some set out to prove their worth, while others coast like Gordon. He almost helped knock off the Celtics last season the playoffs, but this season has just been awful. Of course, that means he'll kill the Rockets.
AB's gotta be exhausted, but I say he's still better than Bynum or Gordon.
Edge: Rockets
Shooting Guard
Kevin Martin vs. Richard Hamilton
I expect to see Shane chasing Rip around the court rather than Martin. That being said, both have great offensive skills and can shoot their teams to victory or to defeat. Rip is averaging 19/5/3 and has always played the Rockets well.
Kevin Martin has been playing really well since coming the Rockets, and I get really excited every time I think about next year when he gets paired with Yao. Brooks, Martin, Scola (please Morey, make it happen), and Yao is disgusting to think about.
Edge: Even
Small Forward
Shane Battier vs. Tayshaun Prince
Prince has always been known as a defender, but I think his offense is very underrated. Since the Pistons won the championship, he's been improving steadily on offense and is no longer a liability of the offensive side of the ball. His scoring is down, but he dealt with an injury for most of the first half of the season. Last but not least, he's straight outta Compton.
Shane returns to where he grew up in Detroit. I'm sure he's going to want to play well. Neither of these guys will guard each other much at all. As stated earlier, Shane will most likely chase Rip around and Prince will probably stick with Martin.
Edge: Even
Power Forward
Luis Scola vs. Jonas Jerebko
Only if Luis was matched up against Amare or Dirk would he not get the edge. He's playing ridiculously well and carrying the offense at times. His 25/21 against the T-Wolves was thoroughly impressive and downright badass.
Fortunately, he's not matched up against either of the guys listed above. He's matched against Jerebko, a rookie out of Sweden. He's averaging 9 points and 6 rebounds per game, and stepped up his game when Ben Wallace went down with a knee injury. He played poorly against the Cavs on Friday, but I'm sure that having a player collapse wasn't easy for anyone in the game. In the previous three games he averaged 14/10, so his play has certainly improved. I look for him to play well, but not well enough to balance out Luis.
Edge: Rockets
Center
Chuck Hayes vs. Jason Maxiell
Maxiell is filling in for the injured Wallace, averaging 10/8 since Wallace went down. He's a banger and plays with the same intensity as Chuck. News flash: he's also taller thank Chuck.
Edge: Pistons
Bench
Pistons: Either Gordon or Bynum will start on the bench, plus Kwame Brown and Villanueva. A lineup full of guys who had/have talent, but haven't reached their full potential/just don't care.
Rockets: You know, Chase, Jeffries, etc. Andersen sat out last night's game with a sore lower back. I have no idea about his availability for this game.
Edge: Rockets
Out
Pistons: Wallace (knee), Stuckey (TBD)
Rockets: Lowry, Ariza, Andersen?
Prediction: Coming off a game last night in Minny where the starters had to play a ton despite winning big, I'd say Rockets lose by 8 in a close one.
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This game would be great to have Ariza in
Guarding Rip over those screens isn’t easy, and I don’t think Shane will be able to get around them very easily.
And Gordon and Villanueva suck, so they’re nothing to worry about. Prince guarding KMart might be an issue though.
I'd say the Pistons have the edge on the bench
You can’t keep claiming we have an edge on the bench without Kyle Lowry and ultimately I think that we’ll be the reason we’ll lose the game… though if Shane starts draining 3s we might have a chance
by Carlos_HoustonSportsFanatic on Mar 7, 2010 2:28 PM CST reply actions
agreed
Gordon is having a crappy year, but he hasn’t forgotten how to shoot. He’s still a threat for 20 points any particular night. Charlie V is an overpaid bum, but a pretty good overpaid bum capable of scoring inside and out.
Chase and Jeffries are great contributors off the bench, but don’t have the experience of the Piston’s bench.
"Hip-Thrust!"
How can you be pretty good, overpaid, and a bum?
by RedRowdy420 on Mar 7, 2010 5:33 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
thoughts
I’d be pretty surprised if we lost this game. Remember, when the pistons came to TC, they were riding a sizable winning streak, and we promptly ended any notion of that continuing. I imagine them scoring a lot at the point, and maybe Villanueva has a good game, but we should win by at least 5.
Wafer . . . again. (Marv Albert, HOU v. CLE Feb 2009)
-one of the FEW at Toyota Center who has the Wafer jersey
by olivarezq1 on Mar 7, 2010 2:43 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Bench
Chase has really stepped up his game, other than him unless Andersen comes back, I don’t think we have an offensively producing bench – we can’t tighten the rotation too much since they played yesterday…we’ll see I guess
My prediction: Rockets win by 8 in a not so close one
Terrible D by both Brooks and Martin
just weak
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
Scola not too good either
people blew by him on several occasions already
by RocketsAstros on Mar 7, 2010 5:32 PM CST up reply actions
man we miss Ariza and Lowry
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 5:34 PM CST up reply actions
Seriously
we just don’t seem to be able to give up less than 30 points per q.
by RocketsAstros on Mar 7, 2010 5:36 PM CST up reply actions
Finally goes up strong
He should do that every time. If he tried to dunk every one of those tons of putbacks he gets he would shoot a much higher percentage.
feels like kings game...
getting killed on boards
by EveryHoustonTeamRox! on Mar 7, 2010 5:38 PM CST reply actions
yo
big game tonight. portland plays denver tonight, we really need to gain a game on them. especially since we’re playing the piss-tons
Knee-jerk reaction about a young player… he was putting up insane numbers in the D-League. I don’t think you can judge a guy on limited minutes in a few games. He probably has crazy nerves right now.
i don't think he's ready for the NBA
not that he can’t improve
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 5:50 PM CST up reply actions
yes
it says okla vs sacramento upcoming on mine. i love how i paid 100 dollars to not be able to watch multiple games
Barring another trade that send him elsewhere, I think he will be a big player for us down the road.
A burst of brilliance
Playing with lots of poise tonight
by RocketsAstros on Mar 7, 2010 6:02 PM CST up reply actions
What's the record?
anyone know?
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 6:30 PM CST up reply actions
So
One second the Rox have the ball for what should be the last possession of the half, and the next second the Pistons have scored 4 points. Gah, oh well, anyone’s game .
by RocketsAstros on Mar 7, 2010 6:12 PM CST up reply actions
look at that look on his face
he knows exactly what he did haha
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 6:32 PM CST up reply actions
technically
he’s not a threat from outside, but somehow its always those guys that nail the wide open shots
"Hip-Thrust!"
we just have to run last
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 6:43 PM CST up reply actions
I don't understand why he couldn't pick that up when Lowry was doing it every night
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 6:46 PM CST up reply actions
We're REALLY missing Ariza right now!
He could slow down Prince
by Carlos_HoustonSportsFanatic on Mar 7, 2010 6:49 PM CST reply actions
Yeah that last one
pretty impressive-too bad battier didn’t convert
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 6:51 PM CST up reply actions
wow again!
He’s not just throwing it out of bounds when he gets in the air.
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 6:52 PM CST up reply actions
Villanueva is killing us with 3s
Idk why he was overlooked on the preview, he scored averaged 30 something points in one stretch when he played with the Bucks
by Carlos_HoustonSportsFanatic on Mar 7, 2010 6:56 PM CST reply actions
Is it just me
or does Bill seem more excited tonight than usual?
Probably too much coffee
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
Nice job passing up the fast break Shane
I guess he’s too smart for this game.
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:18 PM CST reply actions
Blazers fan here...
ughhhhhhhhhhhh as much as i hate the rockets for knocking us out of the playoffs hot damn scola’s been on a flippin tear the last three games.. big ups to scola for getting it done…….also FU lol (just messin) but really wth kevin martin arron brooks battier ariza scola and yao next year yall gonna be damned good
Wow Shane is killing us!
First he essentially passes up points by killing a fast-break himself because he’d rather drain clock. Then he single handedly starts a 1-0 Prince fast-break by tipping the ball to him.
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:26 PM CST reply actions
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
why the fuck was Prince playing offense with us? He wasn’t even defending
by Carlos_HoustonSportsFanatic on Mar 7, 2010 7:26 PM CST reply actions
battier is killing us.
and aaron brooks STOP shooting!!!!
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
can we please post up hill on jerebko
hill would bull dozer right through him.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
and someone else has a career high against us
of course…
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
kevin martin
is usally the guy getting that blame lmao…. you blamin brooks and battier now wow..
foul on hill!!!!!!!
jerbeko grabbed his jersey. that is ridiculous!!!! he would have that.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
Shane misses his 2nd straight three
Wow. I know he’s the smart veteran, but Budinger should be playing after that.
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:28 PM CST reply actions
these refs have baby sat the pistons big time.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
they have missed 2 charges
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
by Rockets 4 Life on Mar 7, 2010 7:31 PM CST up reply actions
now the 4 minute time out.
terrible crew.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
FFS
Need to get Hamilton to foul out!
by Carlos_HoustonSportsFanatic on Mar 7, 2010 7:32 PM CST reply actions
Hill looking real good
he may not be as good as Landry, but I think he could be our #1 backup to Yao in the future.
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:36 PM CST reply actions
roflmao
houston cant get it done for some reason in ot lmao…..
bad bad bad
bad bad bad call check my nick…lol
by These Refs Suck on Mar 7, 2010 7:40 PM CST up reply actions
These refs are horrible
not only against us but against the Pistons too
Unfortunately they’re horrible calls are against us when it counts
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
ladies and gents
may i introduce the black version of joey crawford.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
brooks shot
was all ball… hate to say it but its true… the other were bad calls
it doesn't matter
they owe us a call or too
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 7:42 PM CST up reply actions
oh that's what it is
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 7:43 PM CST up reply actions
Just run the offense around Martin
he’s actually getting the call
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:44 PM CST reply actions
argh, and Scola takes a contested J
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:44 PM CST up reply actions
caught a break there!!!
so do we go for the win? NOO!!!
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
The ONE time I want Aaron Brooks to take the three
he passes it up and now the game is lost
by Carlos_HoustonSportsFanatic on Mar 7, 2010 7:45 PM CST reply actions
rick....
anit gonna have them run in a three. Hes going to run a few picks and have someone pick and pop or iso for a two to put it into double OT detroit has 24 fouls to houstons 16 and will be easier…. Also complaining about the calls.. if the pistons had a fan base I bet they would be bitchin up a storm….
by These Refs Suck on Mar 7, 2010 7:47 PM CST up reply actions
Please Adelman, run this play for Martin
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:45 PM CST reply actions
we need to go for the tie-we're not clutch enough
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 7:46 PM CST up reply actions
we need to bench brooks
so he does not take the last shot, he always misses big shots. and if he goes to the bucket he wont get a call because he never does.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
It's easy to say the refs are cheating us...
but we should’ve finished this game in the 4th quarter
Drive to the bucket with about 5 secs left
at least if there’s a miss, Jordan Hill will put it back in
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:46 PM CST reply actions
LOL great play Adelman!
nothing like not getting your best player the damn ball. Instead lets give the unclutch Brooks the ball.
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:47 PM CST reply actions
i could not have called that any better.
aaron brooks you complete fucking moron.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
by Rockets 4 Life on Mar 7, 2010 7:48 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
rec.......lol
rick is retarded i guess.. he shoulda explained to brooks to run a play for kevin
by These Refs Suck on Mar 7, 2010 7:49 PM CST up reply actions
I am so mad right now
brooks is tired and NOT CLUTCH!!! you should know that RA!
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
another miss FT!
one more chance. 5 seconds to shoot a three. Give it to Bud!
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:49 PM CST reply actions
the pistons are trying to help us maybe.
kevin martin you HAVE to CALL for the ball. aaron brooks needs to be benched.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
WTF
We only needed 2 pts!!!!!!
by Carlos_HoustonSportsFanatic on Mar 7, 2010 7:49 PM CST reply actions
I know!!!
uggh!
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 7:49 PM CST up reply actions
Ok please Rick
time for Kevin to try his hand at being clutch
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
actually
we should probably go with brooks this time since the pistons probably don’t expect it… who knows
"Hip-Thrust!"
we should just leave the game at the two minute mark.
it would save us some minutes and the guys can get an early rest.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
LOL
It’s not like we have a game tom
by Carlos_HoustonSportsFanatic on Mar 7, 2010 7:51 PM CST up reply actions
martin had a tougher shot.
martin was fading to the left where brooks has his feet set.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
by Rockets 4 Life on Mar 7, 2010 7:51 PM CST up reply actions
Martin ALWAYS fades to the left when he shoots
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 7:52 PM CST up reply actions
wasn't that a two anyway?
it looked like his foot was on the line
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 7:54 PM CST up reply actions
yeah probably not :/
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 7:55 PM CST up reply actions
That was a much tougher shot
wow you are such a Brooks apologist it’s crazy. Brooks’ shot was a horrible decision given we had more time.
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:52 PM CST up reply actions
My point was actually scathing sarcasm at the entire idea that “clutch” exists. They’re both great shooters. Great shooters sometimes miss shots. Give it up.
"clutch" imo
does exists
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 7:55 PM CST up reply actions
Except it was horrible shot selection
hard to believe Adelman actually drew that up, considering we were only down 2.
It’s not just about missing the shot.
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:56 PM CST up reply actions
this game is on rick as much as brooks
I kinda feel bad for Brooks-he really can’t hit that shot-so he always ends up looking like an idiot…
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 7:57 PM CST up reply actions
“Clutch” exists as a word to describe a high-leverage situation, but it does not exist as a repeatable skill. There is such thing as a clutch play, but there is no such thing as a clutch player, because nobody can consistently perform better in high-leverage situations, and nobody can magically improve his skillset just because the game is on the line.
actually i think it does happen
its just like how statisticians say “every shot has the same percentage of going in”, totally untrue. i think the same goes for clutch shots, some players can just get into that “zone” where they perception and adrenaline increases. i play alot of intramural ball so i’m merely speaking from that.
"Hip-Thrust!"
I agree
A person will not be “clutch” 100% of the time. For instance Kobe missed a clutch shot tonight to tie the Magic game. But what separates Kobe from Brooks is an intangible quality to have nerves of steel to knock down those shots under-pressure. Kobe probably missed that shot because of A) defense or B) just a bad shot …not because the nerves overcame him and he couldn’t hit it.
You gotta embrace those moments to step up and win the game-Brooks hasn’t. Nerves of steel-that’s all “clutch” is. Robert Horry, Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, etc. all embraced the moment and mentally prepared themselves to hit that shot. Brooks imo just looks a bit scared…
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 8:11 PM CST up reply actions
well
in some sense, “intangibles” might matter in basketball. It actually does matter whether or not a guy is a good “leader,” because you have to coordinate five different players on the court.
But “clutch” probably doesn’t really exist. Not in any significant form, anyways. On the whole, players shoot worse at the end of games (they’re more tired, defense clamps down, etc.), and some players are able to shoot better than most other players do (relative to their own shooting percentages) at the end of games, but it doesn’t seem like this is anything more than luck. It isn’t consistent across time. Kobe has years when he’s a great “clutch” performer. Other years, he’s not so great. And across time, he actually isn’t that good in the clutch.
But we’ve seen him hit a lot of big shots (partly because he’s in a lot of situations where big shots would pay off – the playoffs – and he’s given the opportunity to make those shots), so intuition says he’s clutch.
As you’ve said, it is definitely hard to measure “clutch-ness”.
Personally, I define “clutch” as a player’s performance at the very end of a game on the line. I believe that there are certain players that tend to “take over” games during crunch time, at least most of the time. Human imperfection means that there is no player who can always hit big shots in the “clutch”, but there are a handful of players who consistently perform extremely well in such situations, and I consider those players “clutch”.
"Hip-Thrust!"
Aww shit, Budinger was WIDE OPEN for three
this is a bad loss. We let them back in, late in the 4th quarter.
Was this Hill’s coming out party? I want to see more minutes from him, especially if we continue to fall out of playoff contention.
by goingforthecorner on Mar 7, 2010 7:51 PM CST reply actions
Wow
just wow…blew a lead, couldn’t freakin score in OT and the refs! can’t even wrap my mind around how they still have an effin job!
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
maybe scott foster was possessed by joey crawford tonight.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
it sucks because that phantom travel call on scola cost us 3 points.
we would have won. we get screwed in regulation and in OT. that is messed up.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
by Rockets 4 Life on Mar 7, 2010 7:55 PM CST up reply actions
yea dude
the NBA needs to change the system where refs just guess what goes on inside the paint
"Hip-Thrust!"
Maybe the NBA should take a page from the NFL
let couches “challenge calls” like in the last couple minutes of the 4th quarter or OT-just like the replay rules for the refs…
That way RA could of challenged that BS call on Luis…probably woulda won the game
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 8:01 PM CST up reply actions
If only...
couches had arms to throw flags!
jesus the wizards have been taking it to the celtics.
javale mcgee is going to block our every shot we take in the paint.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
Rockets have 24 back to backs
LA, by comparison has 19.
I keep mentioning the schedule, but holy crap its been bad.
Significant gravitas shortfall expected in 2010.
LA gets babied by the league because they have kobe and phil.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
by Rockets 4 Life on Mar 7, 2010 8:10 PM CST up reply actions
To change the subject
anyone watch the Magic vs. Lakers game? I think Matt Barnes might be my new favorite player lol-he took it to Kobe. 34 point on 30 shots-not bad…
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
Rotation?
Why did david andersen not play at all and why did buddinger only 15 minutes? Any insights?
idk why Bud didn't play more
but DA is “injured” apparently…
"I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong." - Sir Charles
by ressaliance_00 on Mar 7, 2010 8:25 PM CST up reply actions
perhaps you did not see jordan hill play more than above average in DA's role.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
by Rockets 4 Life on Mar 7, 2010 11:31 PM CST up reply actions
The best thing about this game was JORDAN HILL!!! He can play
Our present line-up though is still beset with the same problems.
Bad endgame management. We had an 8pt lead in the last 2 min of regulation. Couldn’t score and we kept fouling to put them on the line. AB has problems making plays at the end when opponents double him. I thought Kevin was going to bring it in so he could get fouled. We had no concrete game plan in the end, other than those outside jumpers from Scola, AB, Kev, Shane. Will Lowry coming back solve that? Let’s see.
Still no clutch shooter at the end of games. Of course, we could say AB, Kev, Scola were gassed at the end. But who’s in charge of making sure they have enough? Right, RA! he didn’t sub them the entire 2nd half. Could they have made the shots if they were more rested. Can’t be sure. But Ariza coming back would lessen the minutes somewhat.
I’m beginning to question Kev’s reluctance to take the shot in the endgame. Coach really has to tell him to attack the basket, less of this passing along the perimeter and taking outside shots. Here is where I wish we could morph together Ariza’s aggressiveness and Kevin’s shooting efficiency. Oh, for a perfect world.
I’m so used to us losing this kind of games, I’m not even that upset anymore. Hmph!
Seriously
I know Kevin Martin shoots a decent percentage from outside, but I still think he throws up treys at the worst times possible (in T-Mac fashion). Just like how Yao could probably average 20% from 3pt range if he wanted, not that he would ever try, Kmart needs to holster that threepoint shot as long as there’s a lane open for him.
"Hip-Thrust!"
The same could be said for Aaron Brooks
who AGAIN went 2-10 on 3s in a game we lost
by Carlos_HoustonSportsFanatic on Mar 8, 2010 12:48 AM CST up reply actions
I think we will really end up 41-41
just as many of us predicted before the season. For two months there (Nov-Dec) we had something special. Anyway, back to the drawing boards.
Start looking beyond this season and develop the younger guys. Don’t wear down AB, KM and Scola anymore. Play CB, JH, JJ, TA and KL.
Can't Give up though.
With Lowry and Ariza back on Tuesday, we could close out the season in a 2007 Golden State Warriors fashon, if anyone remembers that. They ended the season on a 9-game streak and stole a 8th seed spot. I think we can do something similar but this has to be our last screw up.
Yeah, can't give up!
Portland is bound to lose to Denver tonight (down 66-49 at the half) and we got two games left against Memphis, we CAN edge both of them out
by Carlos_HoustonSportsFanatic on Mar 7, 2010 11:09 PM CST up reply actions
the good news for us is that we come to play against top notch teams(with lowry and ariza).
but our achilles heel right now is sub .500 teams. we had an embarrassing lost to indiana at home, we lost again at home to a young, talented sacramento team that had no business beating us, and now tonight we give up an 8 point lead in the 4th. of course we ended regulation by allowing detroit to go on an 11-2 run. in order for us to win we have to come out blazing. we have to have a strong third and a good first half of the 4th quarter. i think it is inevitable that we will have our 3 minute collapse in the 4th(even with kmart, brooks is taking horrible shots and forcing way too many turnovers, its time for coach sleepy to design the plays for kmart). it is going to be interesting the week after we play new jersey. we play 3 top notch teams (memphis is no slouch) in denver, memphis, and boston. we can beat denver and memphis i believe, but boston is a game that we are probably going to lose. i know that they have had some problems of late, but their post defense is the best in the league and when luis does not play well for us we usually lose. plus rondo may be one of very few people who can slow down brooks. all three of those games are not back to backs so each game we have a day’s rest. if we can take 2 out of three of those games, we can still be a playoff team.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
by Rockets 4 Life on Mar 7, 2010 11:42 PM CST up reply actions
The only way to find out if we can improve on our endgame management
is having lowry and ariza back. If the problems still persist, then we should definitely be worried.
Judging by
you guys’ comments and the scoreboard it appears to be a story all too familiar: Rockets get off to a sloppy start, then catch fire and fight back BUT fail to close and an opponent player has a monster game. So tired of that, I so hope that Lowry and Ariza can change that.
I have a bad feeling that we now miss the playoffs
because of this game as well as the Sac game.
PORTLAND should get the 8th seed, hopefully they can knock off LA
Shane it's time to shave that creepy 'stash
I have the same feeling
However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I doubt that even if we qualify we could do anything other than getting crushed in the 1st round.
by RocketsAstros on Mar 8, 2010 3:59 AM CST up reply actions
I have had that feeling for a long time now.
What a season—we go from an overachieving team celebrated for its effort and hustle to a team that cannot win even with so many chances given it.
I kept believing
that we can recreate the December magic once more for too long.
by RocketsAstros on Mar 8, 2010 4:11 AM CST up reply actions
What is frustrating is that we have given away so many winnable games
We have already changed our line-up. We have lost with Landry. We have lost with Martin. We have lost with Lowry and Ariza. We have lost without them.
The one consistent factor is coaching. Wait! When will coach recognize he needs to make line-up changes when the team gets into an offensive drought? When will he realize his system does not work in the endgame? We need plays to help us attack the basket. We need him to use his bench. We need him to make key adjustments.
My fear is even with Yao back next year, we will continue to have coaching woes. Weren’t we complaining Artest kept jacking up shots last year? And which Trevor was doing earlier part of this year? And now our endgame woes are the same. Coach has fallen into a rut. Maybe he should consider retiring. He’s not the only one who can do Princeton.
Well, obviously he did fine in October and December
but he got complacent and refused to adapt. He was using the same gameplan even though teams had already figured out our strengths and adjusted.
Just like last year’s playoffs when teams figured to front Yao and Adelman didn’t change anything in order to get Yao the ball. Now this year, we keep losing games in a painfully similar manner and again nothing is changing.
by RocketsAstros on Mar 8, 2010 4:16 AM CST up reply actions
I hope someone on the team management sees this and does something about it.
C’mon, Morey, do something.
Yes, please
Every Rockets game is turning out to be like every Sunday of this past fall and the Texans: They got it, they are gonna win, THIS time they will pull it off, surely they won’t lose this one…heartbreaking loss, excuses about injured players, talks about next year.
by RocketsAstros on Mar 8, 2010 4:57 AM CST up reply actions
lol wut.
In general, what you’re asking is for the coach to take a very hands-on, managing style in the vein of JVG. Adelman doesn’t do that in the end, as he feels that it’s more important to have the players work things out than have him dictate every decision.
You criticize him for not using the bench in a game where he sent Jordan Hill out for decent minutes for the first time, you complain about Trevor even though he had stopped jacking shots quite so much before he got injured again, and you complain about teams fronting Yao in the playoffs when that never even worked – Portland tried it and we just sent Scola in to destroy them, and the Lakers never really did it.
I will suspect that just like Phil, Adelman is a coach who frankly isn’t overly concerned with getting regular season wins – developing the players and the execution of the offense is more important for him than winning games. And there is a logic to that approach given that we probably won’t make playoffs.
What this team needs above all is a good backup PG and a tall, reliable scorer, and well, those things are missing. Honestly, at this point, I would make getting a third-string PG the urgent priority next season – I wouldn’t say Lowry is injury-prone, but his style of play lends itself to injury like Martin even though that injury was a fluke.
Minnesotan Rockets fan
but he got complacent and refused to adapt
What should he be doing?
Easy Mode: “Make adjustments”
Normal Mode: Give some examples of specific “adjustments.”
Hard Mode: Pay attention to defense.
What I’ve typically seen is that fans get all pissed off about Adelman “not making adjustments,” but they’re ignoring several important things:
1) He actually does make adjustments, but they’re typically very small. He works with what he has, but right now the loss of Lowry complicates things.
2) He has to factor in more than “We’re not making shots right now.” Sure, he can throw Andersen in for Hayes (which might or might not improve the offense), but then he has to deal with a massive loss on the defensive end. That matters just as much (probably more, actually) as whether or not the Rockets score in the next 30 seconds.
Adelman is a great coach, and he’s done a spectacular job this year.
beyond that
What else was he supposed to do last night? He stayed with Hill, for the most part, and that worked out. Maybe Budinger could have gotten more time, but once again you get into the defense issue.
The Rockets win the game if a few other good things happen (maybe AB could hit one or two of the 8 three pointers he missed). Those things didn’t happen. Ideally, you want to blow other teams out, but that wasn’t going to be possible w/o a great defensive performance. Why did the Pistons win? It has a lot to do with Rip and Prince looking like all-stars again, and that might have been helped had Ariza not been injured.
“The Rockets win the game if a few other good things happen”
I blame it on the burst of sloppiness at the end of the 1st half when we had the ball for the last possession and somehow we turned the ball over 2 times in quick succession and allowed 4 Piston points.
It’s just WAY too many games like this one that are completely winnable but end up as an L.
by RocketsAstros on Mar 8, 2010 10:33 AM CST up reply actions
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