First of all, we actually played better than last game. I'm not sure if it's becaused the Heats were just bad, but our offense did look better, the ball movement were much better. Second, both Yao and our back court lost patience in the 4th qtr when the Heats started fronting Yao. The guards either moved the ball to the other side too quick, or Yao was too easy to give up the fighting, just came up to set those stupid picks. I guess he was real tired, becuase those stupid picks didn't free either him, or the dribbler at all. Third, about Rafer, I never watched him play before,so forgive me if i am wrong about him, but based on his showing so far this season, the guy is very timid, does not look like someone who in running a team. DA took a lot of shots, but I believe that's what JVG wanted him to do due to lack of scoring w/o TMac. I don't think he is capable of handling that many shots a game. Finally, JVG needs to tell Yao to stop setting those stupid picks, and stay under those picks when the Heats couldn't hit any outside shots. I'm not saying it's JVG's fault that Yao easily give up the fighting for the post, or the guards didn't have enough patience to wait to Yao to settle down in the 4th qtr. But as a coach, when you see that happened over and over agin, you need to call the timeout, tell your players to have confidence, not that easily give up. A tough loss, but I did see the improvement over the last game. And I noticed something fantastic about Yao: I saw several times where Zo drove it in and was obviously trying to get a foul called against Yao. And most of those times, Yao did exactly what he should have. At one point he stood with his hands up and didn't jump. He gave Zo the shot and Zo made it, but what Zo really wanted was a foul against Yao. Yao didn't fall for it, and the refs didn't call it. I saw Yao play like that a LOT tonight, and I was really happy to see that. In fact, I can't think of much I'm unhappy with in Yao's game. Though he didn't score as much in the second half as I would have liked him to, I blame the backcourt for that - they weren't making the Heat defense pay for clogging the lane.
Hey guys...I'm the Rockets beat writer for other sites so I'm gonna post my own recap following each game for the purpose of discussion and/or a detailed account for any of those who missed the game... =============================== Same Ol’, Same Ol’ as Rockets Lose To Heat Down The Stretch By Dennis L. Silva, II. 11.10.05 Prior to Thursday night’s contest against the Miami Heat, Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy stated that his team became the “Rockets Gone Wild” (a reference to “Girls Gone Wild”, the raunchy teen video series) when it came to finishing games down the stretch. Thursday night’s nationally-televised game did nothing to disprove that notion as the Rockets allowed Miami to outscore them 14-9 within the closing few minutes and to allow the Heat to capture a 88-84 victory before 19,600 at American Airlines Arena in Miami. The game started in sloppy fashion as the two teams combined for five turnovers within the game’s initial three minutes. From the first play, it was clear what the Rockets’ mission was: establish Yao Ming in the post against the undersized post defenders of Miami. They did just that as Yao scored four quick points on 2-4 shooting but committed his second foul just five minutes into the game. Thankfully, the Rockets had Juwan Howard shooting the ball well. Howard scored eight points in the quarter on flawless 4-4 shooting from the field. Miami held a 22-20 lead going into the second quarter after forward Antoine Walker hit a long three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left. The Rockets showed an improved ability in feeding the post as they were able to get Yao back in rhythm as he re-entered the game early in the second stanza. With 9:01 remaining, Yao scored on an emphatic dunk over Heat center Alonzo Mourning, and was fouled in the process, that had the Rockets bench exploding off their seats. Yao missed the free throw, but rookie Luther Head snuck inside to tip-in the basket and tie the game at 28. Yao, who would compile 14 points and eight rebounds in the half, scored easily inside, but could have had an easy 20-point half if he chose to dunk the ball on many of his shots instead of just laying the ball up and in. Forward Stromile Swift made an immediate impact when he came in the came, rebounding the ball with aggression and scoring on a nice balance of jumpers and interior acrobatic shots. Swift, who would finish the quarter with 10 points and five boards, scored consecutive baskets late to tie the contest at 44 points apiece after Heat guard Dwanye Wade went on his own little scoring spree to give Miami the advantage. Down by four points at the break, Yao continued his dominance on the interior by scoring eight more points in the first four minutes of the third quarter. Unfortunately, those would be his last points for quite awhile as he would engage in a seventeen-minute scoring drought that would not end until late in the fourth period. The Rockets were able to survive Yao’s sudden ineffectiveness due to a combination of additional scoring from Derek Anderson and stifling defense that limited Miami to only 12 points overall in the third quarter on 6-18 shooting. The Rockets held a 71-67 lead with 8:40 left in the fourth, due mostly in part to guard David Wesley’s newfound jump shot. Wesley staved off Heat scoring sprees with two jumpers early in the period, first on a running jumper from inside the free-throw line, and then on a long 3-pointer as the shot clock was about to expire. Unfortunately, from that point, Miami fine-tuned its defense and Houston lost its ability to get the ball intoYao. The Rockets suffered two 24-second shot-clock violations within the game’s final six minutes, missed seven of its first 11 shots in the quarter, and also turned the ball over five times in the fourth stanza alone. Miami took advantage and, led by the clutch shooting of guards Dwanye Wade and Jason Williams, outscored Houston 14-9 to close the game and secure an 88-84 victory. The problem with the Rockets is that, aside from Yao, they have no one who is willing to step up and score clutch baskets in a game. And when Yao struggles to get deep post position, or if the opponent chooses to front or double him, the Rockets’ offense becomes stagnant and indecisive. Derek Anderson has the ability to be that other primary scorer, but he looks uncomfortable and unwilling to accept that role, as for now. The Rockets did a better job of scoring in the paint. Houston entered the contest last in the NBA in points in the paint (averaging 26 per game), yet managed to outscore Miami 34-32 in the paint tonight. The defense also has looked more aggressive and spirited the past two games, and that may be attributed to forward Ryan Bowen, Swift, and Head. Houston held the Heat, who entered the contest shooting 47.7% from the field, to 43% from the floor. However, a team can play the best defense in the world, but it becomes irrelevant if the offense is sputtering and inconsistent. The Rockets have shot 8-33 from 3-point range, which accounts for a significant part of their offense, the past two games. The Rockets continue their five game roadtrip Saturday when they go to New Jersey to face the Nets’ explosive trio of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson. However, there may be a positive as Van Gundy told TNT prior to the Heat game that Rockets guard Tracy McGrady may be ready to return to action for the Nets game, as he is now day-to-day due to back spasms. McGrady would be a welcome sight to a Rockets team who are desperate for his leadership and ability to create and score on offense. ================================================== =================== Rockets Recap: · Miami’s Dwanye Wade and Jason Williams each had standout performances in the game, particularly in the clutch. Wade finished the game with 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists on 10-23 field-goal shooting. Williams’ hit a couple of huge 3-point shots and scored 13 points on 2-5 three-point shooting. · Derek Anderson had a solid all-around game with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, but managed only 6-17 shooting. · Swift continued his tendency for contributing exceptional first-half performances, and then coming up empty and ineffective in the second half: Swift scored only 2 points and had no rebounds after the halftime break. · Howard scored 11 points on 5-7 shooting, and for the past two games has been the only consistent offensive performer for the Rockets. ================================================== =================== http://www.nba.com/games/20051110/HOUMIA/boxscore.html
DA and Stro were forcing it many times. Last nights showed something: the Rockets' possessions go well when the Rockets get the ball down to Yao early. There were many times when Yao had good position down low, but the Rockets perimeter swung the ball to the other side of the floor before getting it to Yao with 4 seconds left on the shot clock. While Juwan Howard had a good offensive game, he didn't box out on rebounds at all and many Heat players get rebounds over him. Alston played okay but I felt he was looking for his shot too much, especially when he's shooting as poorly as he was.
