I think the Rockets are going to be playing better because a. Yao is finally coming back into form after being worked to death in the olympics b. J Howard is playing better c. We still have a little help from the bench in maurice taylor or jim jackson and the big man Deke and d. we still have Sura a true point guard . i know some of you may be wondering why i didn't mention T-Mac and thats because he's already playing All-Star caliber offense and thats all fans care about
Their effort has improved, I think, but we've yet to beat a good team on this little win streak of ours. Let's see how we play in our next two games against San Antonio and Dallas.
Wow Flames. You should change your name to JumpingToConclusions. Yao hasn't shown improvement, he's just shown that he can either put up big scoring numbers or big rebound numbers on a consistant basis, but not on the same night. His maneurisms have not changed...the ball has just bounced his way a little more the past couple of games. Juwan Howard had ONE good game where he had 10 points and 9 rebounds. I guarantee the 9 rebounds was a fluke. Personally I like this lineup: PG - Barrett SG - Bob Sura SF - McGrady PF - Padgett C - Yao I like the lineup because they can penetrate effectively, they can run the break, it's got some of our better hustlers, and considering how often we seem to run the shot clock down on the perimeter, it's nice to know that 3 of the 5 guys on the court can put the ball on the floor with confidence.
Yeah, we can't really judge that our team is getting better from the last two games that we played. The Sixers and the Hornets currently are horrible and are almost guaranteed wins if either McGrady or Yao play a decent game. Van Gundy still has a horrible offensive strategy, bad lineups, and a way too confusing defense strategy for the players to get used to. They center the offensive too much on Yao, when they have a great offensive player in McGrady. How about switching it up once in a while? I'm thinking maybe a cutting move by McGrady with a nice pass by Yao, something they have yet to utilize. I know, I know, players are still adjusting like Sura is currently, but they have little time left. Patience is wearing out on players like Howard, Taylor, Lue, and Ward. I agree with Durvasa, until the Rockets beat the Spurs or Mavericks, the hype is not being lived up to.
The Rockets spend so much time trying to throw the ball down low. I don't think any other team has to work so hard just to get a decent shot off. There also doesn't seem to be fluid movement. Compare the Rockets movement on offense to the Kings. They make sharp cuts to the backet, and nice crisp passes. Ours seems so sluggish in comparison.
Against San Antonio, I'd believe our best strategy would be to let McGrady take over just like he did against Dallas. Yao would be troubled all night with Nesterovic, Duncan and Rose on him, and he will most likely get pushed out of the post and will not get good shots. Bruce Bowen might be a good defender, but McGrady can take him on offense, and beat him off the dribble. Perimeter defense would have to be key against San Antonio too, since Barry, Parker, Ginobili and Bowen all sink threes off passes from inside by Duncan and Nesterovic. Defensive rotation is very important against a team like the Spurs.
I think our offense is gonna be real important. We always struggle against them and end up with like 70 points though hold them to a low score too. I cant tell if weve improved with the last two games, them being a little closer than they needed to be, hopefull atleast we can win the dallas game.
After struggling to score against the Philly and New Orleans, I expect our offensive output to be downright anemic against the Spurs. Maybe if JJ comes back and lights it up from down town, we'll do alright. McGrady needs to push the ball and look for transition baskets. Our transition defense will be very important, as Parker and Ginobili do a very good job of pushing the ball up the court. Preventing their penetrationg will also be a difficult task. And defending the pick and roll with Duncan. In the end, they have too many weapons, and we're still having problems executing simple plays. The Spurs will win easily, unless we have our best game of the season.
The Rockets must exert extra efforts to win the next two games. As for now they are one of the most predictable team and easy to scout with. You know who's gonna score and there are those players in the team who seems afraid to take shots like Boki, Gaines, Bowen,Padget unless they are widely open so the defense always collapse on Yao and TMac with the opponent having less concern on those said players who can't create a shot of their own. I just hope there would come a time wherein the Rockets can match evenly the Spurs and Mavericks in terms Texan team competition. An even 2-2 for the season would be acceptable or fair. Ever since Hakeem's career was on the downside we began to struggle against the two. We haven't even won a game in San Antonio(Alamodome/SBC Center) ever since Duncan started playing for the Spurs. If they overcome the next two games then that will be the time you can say that they are seriously back on track. I hate to be pessimistic but I predict the Rockets would have a very-very hard time against the Spurs and it's just like happening over and over again wherein they go home losing.
It's good to see the Rockets getting some more wins. They're always gonna have problems with offense, cos JVG doesn't coach offense; it's all about D. Hopefully he'll realise that he has a player who can score madly and use him more.
