Greg Oden, Channing Frye, & Rudy Fernandez. With a lot of bitching and moaning going on, I'd like to give some props to these 3 guys who really stepped it up in Game 3. GO: The defense on Yao is getting down right scary. He is looking more leaner and athletic and that pick n roll is lethal, run it more often. We probably could have got closer had he not got into foul trouble (one was VERY questionable at best). I love his swag after the dunks as well. He is growing up and once that 1 year time period is up for the recovery of the MF surgery, he should be better than ever. I really hope we put the ball in his hands more often in game 4. Channing: Man, was I scared or what when CFrye came in the the 1st, but he stepped up nicely. He kept us afloat in that first half with timely jumpers. No, he was not spectacular by any means, but he did not look or play scared like half the team in the 1st half. There has to be some praise for him there, strictly on that alone. Rudy; Welcome to the NBA Playoffs, Mr. Fernandez. We finally found a way to get him going in game 3 and he was lights out. He should have been playing much more, got to question Nate on that one. We will need him to continue to be hot in Game 4, in order for us to spread the floor. maybe run some pick and rolls with he and Greg or LaMarcus. On another note, Brandon needs to sit down with LaMarcus and talk with him. I have NEVER bought into the L-Train is "soft" philosophy, but tonight, he was as soft as a twinkie. He literally played scared to death, not wanting to attack Yao, not taking jumpers in rhythm, but when he did shoot in rhythm, they went in. As we know, Roy is the leader and now close friends with LMA, he needs to tell him to just play ball. What's there to be scared about, you're not going to die playing basketball or get shot. They are people just like you and me. go out and outplay Louis Scola..ONE TIME *Bill Walton Voice*! Finally, Steve Black Giveth, and Steve Blake Taketh Away. Yes, the statline reads nicely, 16 points and 10 assists, but what was that clusterfuck moment with 10 seconds to go? 10 seconds is an eternity in the NBA and we could have worked it around for a better look. Hell, lets say he does make it, the Rockets still would have had 8 seconds for a game winner. Horrible clock management. Bottom line, if Steve is not hitting from deep, which he wasn't in the 1st half, he gives us nothing. He'd probably make a great backup, but KP should be doing a lot to get us a solid PG who can run an offense. It should be noted, that in no way shape or form am I blaming Blake for the loss. It was a team loss, that happened 2 hours earlier in the 1st half, when we decided to give them open jumpers, while we stood around and watched Von Wafer throw down on us, and on offense we played hot potato only to jack up a contested 20 ft jumper. Yes, we didn't get to the foul line and the refs were bias against us again, but we need to be more assertive, flat out. For ONCE, just ONCE, can we come out and be the aggressors and take a 10 pt lead after 1? We will not win if we have to fight back from 17 down again. I am confident we can win in game 4, not sure it will come to fruition though. It seems like every time we figure out Houston, we decide to go against it. Hopefully, there is more pick and roll, with the screener ACTUALLY receiving the ball after the pick is set and more hard-nosed D like we saw in the 2nd half where HOU only scored 38 2nd half points and had to rely on 3 bailout 3's to seal the game. BELIEVE!
I completely agree. The reason they could not get Yao the ball was Greg was fronting him and nobody was brave enough to try and lob it over him. All of their entry passes are so used to coming from the same side of him, they were unsure of what to do. How many teams have a big that can do that? I know Greg committs some bonehead fouls, but half of the fouls he gets per game, are 100% BULLSHIT. Rudy is playing great. I just wonder why the coaching staff does not utilize him more. We do not see very much of the running Rudy off of screens right now, and I sit back and wonder why. He is also getting steals, which a lot of folks do not talk about. Frye on the other hand has been a mixed bag IMO. In game one his soft play is part of why it was a blowout. His play last night was much better. Better than the other guy who plays backup PF and who has decided not to show up for the playoffs at all......
I was hoping for a better game from LMA as well - but let's remember that he had a family emergency before the game as well - might have had something affecting him more than we know. Hope the emergency is all going to get better soon if it is not already (with or without him playing better in the next game - some things are more important than a game).
I really do not mind if LMA is missing, but I don't want to see that scared, tentative play he had last night. Be aggressive, assert some swag and look for your shot and shoot it with confidence. You miss 100% shots you don't take.
The thing with LaMarcus is I am positive he will learn and grow from this and next year we will not see it at all. He works hard on his game.
Who's the poster that has called Rudy, "Derek Anderson" throughout the year? He needs to be called out. Awesome post, and I would agree, all three guys were highlights.
