1) Front Yao He's not a quick lateral mover. It's the best way we can deny him the ball. Game 1 showed we can't let him catch and then contain. 2) Give Bayless some minutes He's the only PG we have who is fast enough to guard Brooks. He's also our 2nd best penetrator (1st Roy). By giving the Rockets different looks at PG we can get opportunities at both ends of the floor.
1) Agree about fronting Yao. I'd also like the help to be ready react to swipe at the ball if/when he puts the ball on the floor. And for godsakes don't foul him if he's got good position. Dude is not likely to miss those each shots, and we're apt to give them an and-1. 2) Any of our jump shooters have an open shot, take it. 3) Do the things that got you here? Swing that ball from left to right. Allow those double teams to come and find that open man. 4) Rebound. Rebound. Rebound. 5) Uptempo at the beginning of any possession. High percentage shots. Get them on their heels. Where out Yao. No to Bayless. We don't need him. Blake and Sergio can get this done. They can do this. We've seen it all year long. This team can fucking win.
The old football adage is, use the running game to open up the passing game. Sometimes, though, you have to use the passing game to open up the running game. The old basketball adage is, use the inside game to open up the outside game. Similarly, though, you sometimes have to use the outside game to open up the inside game. Me thinks the Blazer need to use their outside game to begin brining Houston out. They were tentative in doing that in game 1. Aldridge in particular needs to start with his 15-18 footer and go from there. Otherwise, Houston will continue to pack the middle and dare us to shoot.
I like the idea of putting Batum on Brooks during some stretches. His length can negate some of Brooks' speed.
Not only that, but force him away from the key and toward the baseline so that he has to swing it to the other side. Repeat. Rinse. Win.
Yes. Especially with LMA. He is so comfortable in his midrange game, let him start that to get his juices flowing and then he can move in where applicable. If they are going to pack the inside, then we should be able to swing the ball on the outside and get Rudy, Blake, Roy and Outlaw some good open looks early and force Houston to come out. Lot's of picks and 20+ assists are needed. ball movement is key. I just wanted to point out that it is really amazing how good Brooks is as a tiny rook. Also, I think that we can stand to be beat by 2-4 as long as we contain Brooks and Yao. They are the keys to the Houston offense.
The key term is "stretches." Maybe it is a strategy used as part of a big lineup,or when another player is there that Blake can guard.
