I agree with Uprising. This team has been very competitive against a #2 seed with 4 hall of famers in the starting lineup. This is a tough team to match up with and the Rockets could, with a few less mistakes be up 3-1. As far as the Rockets losing games in the same manner during the playoffs as they did during the season, I agree, but you can only expect a team to play harder during the playoffs. I don't think that we can just expect them to start playing like they have been together for years and have championship chemistry. That's just not the case and it takes time. If this group stays together(with a little bench improvement) I guaruntee you that they won't give away games in the final minutes. In due time, this group will compete for titles. Nobody just comes in plays at a championship level this early in their playoff lives. Experience means a lot.
a pg who can pass? Let me see..... with the way our outside shooters have been in this series besides game 3....whats the point of having a PG who can pass and the shooters bricks the outside shots?
I'm not happy about being down 3-1. But I did not expect Rockets to be a championship team this year and although mistakes by Ming, Francis and Mobley have been confounding at times - I'm not going to give up on the triumverat - I like their effort and their spirit. Just because they don't bring it home this year - doesn't mean they won't ever get it or contend for it. They took a big step forward to earn a playoff spot and they are putting up a good fight against a very good team. Lackers may go down - but you will see that they don't go down easy. For all Rockets faults and errors - they are only 2 missed shots away from a 3-1 lead in this series.
I would sign that card to Steve - he's not a quitter - but not yet a winner either - gotta get us out of the first round of the playoffs first! - I like his chance though. Thanks Steve!
Boy, I hope you don't have kids. What are you gonna do the first time they fail a quiz, give up on them? Lakers swept, 1999. Rockets swept, 1990. Bulls swept, 1988. Spurs, in the cellar, 1997. Almost every dynastic team starts off this way. Then, you build as you go along. Steve was the 1st piece, Yao the 2nd, Jim Jackson the 3rd, etc. I think a little bit of retooling can take this team from 1st round and out to WCF. Definitely. And this series is not over yet. Phoenix, 1995!!!!!!!
With all this bashing of Steve, I would like to just point out one thing. If every other player on this team elevated their game to the next level the way that Steve has, we would be the one's in the driver's seat and winning the series. The guy has come out huge. There have been flashes where his teammates have stepped it up, but not as consistently as SF has. Even if they did half as much as Steve has to respond to playoff basketball we'd be doing great in this series. All the past problems and everything may have just been a part of the process. This is his first playoffs and we are getting the best basketball out of him at just the right time. Are we getting the best basketball of their careers from all of the other players? I'm trying to bash everyone but Steve, and I do think that Steve has still made some mistakes, but he's the last person on the team we should be blaming for our losses.
For Rockets, the first step is to get to playoff, taste what it is like in playoffs and what it takes to win playoff basketball and start from there, which we actually had done this year. The young, inexperienced Rockets gain invaluable experience from these war-type first round games from former champion. Hopefully these experience will only add great value to their future growth. Once we are in playoff, we evaluate what we have and decide which peices are a championship material/right pieces(Players that can help you win playoff games in different ways) then add/trade right pieces to be a championship contender, which we'll do this off season. This is the most difficult step under current NBA cap rule since if you make a mistake here, it can bring your teams back 1-2 years. In order to get the right championship pieces, we are going to 1) Add Free Agents 2) Trade non championship-material pieces for Championship materil pieces 3)Trade Championship-material pieces for other Championship material peices 4)Get lucky in the draft This could be one of the most important summers in Rockets history, Rockets Dynasty in the making or....
I think francis has had a spectacular series, and so far he has been our playoff MVP. But, I think a reason he has put such big numbers this series is due to that he is playing against an old below average defender(Payton). Also, can we expect Francis to play with the intensity and the determination of going to the basket like he has done in the playoffs for next season?
By the way, Xenogears, Just how productive has Yao been in any of these 4th quarters? I would say that the reason the Rockets are down 1-3 is because Yao hasn't stepped up his game to the level that is expected. So if that means someone has to go, you trade the guy that doesn't perform in the playoffs, not the one that does. Actually neither of them needs to be traded. But if you want to lay blame for what the Rockets have lost, look at your hero for disappearing in the 4th of each game. And for fouling out on a stupid play in the last game.
I dunno why u want to trade SF so much Xeno..... yeah, if a really really good deal comes by, u trade whoever it is..... even Yao.... but I really dare not trade him away now just for a passing PG and shooter.... not when Yao has not shown me his dominance in the paint yet......
Steve has had a good series, not great, but good. But keep in mind this...the Lakers are ALWAYS torched by PG's...damn Bibby got a max contract based on his play against this team, and Troy Hudson looked like a gd all-start last year against them. What has spelled our doom this series has been the late game decision making, Yao's foul problems and the weakness of our PF position. That means we need a few things for next season, two of which can be addressed with personnel moves...a REAL pg who can control the tempo and set up teammates, and a more well-rounded PF.
Do we have to bash Yao t give props to Steve?, Do we have to bash Steve to give props to Yao? How about Steve has played great.(period) Yao has done his best against Shaq. (period) Steve still gives and then takes away, with a turnover or poor desicion. But he has raised his game and has cut down on turnovers and has elevated his leadership 10 fold this series. My beef with Steve has always been he blesses us with a great play and then takes it away with a blunder. He has improved alot during this series giving us a glimpse of what we knew he could become. He outplayed everyone on the Lakers until he forced the airball at the end of regulation and then had the killing turn over dribbling out of bounds in OT. The difference in Steve now and where he needs to get to is, Kobe on the other hand would never had made those mistakes. He would of put the knife through the heart. I want to say I love Steve, I want him to stay, he showed me who he is this year and especially this series. I am believing in him, he will continue to play smarter and stronger next year. Stay the course Jeff Van Gundy will have this team playing championship level play next year or lose all his hair trying
This is a great point BigCountry. I felt that SF would play well VS. the Lakers because he always has. But if we played SA, Sac, or Dallas it'd be totally different. Steve doesn't have to expend half the defensive energy against Fisher and Payton as he would against Nash, Bibby, or Parker. He looks great this series, no doubt, but everyone acts as though Steve will be like this every game from here on out...just like everyone's thinking that Yao will be playing badly like this too. Once Yao has another offseason of training under his belt and we get a competent PF we'll be able to cover up some of our weaknesses...but eventually you'll need to address the problem with your main ball handler and his sub 2:1 A/TO ratio. You can have the best PFs and Cs in the world but it doesn't do you a lot of good if you can't get them the ball consistently.
same old juggie always yaos fault blah blah blah... Doesent yao and shaq have around the same numbers for the series if im not correct.
The Lakers went to Kobe in the last two minutes of game 3. He missed 3 shots, turned the ball over once. Kobe did not have much success last night until Yao fouled out. His drive mostly resulted in missed shot when Yao was under the basket.
Did he score 8 points on 4-5 shooting in the 4th quarter in game 3? And on the contrary to what most you people believe, I never expect Yao do outplay the Lakers frontcourt when they have both Shaq and Marlone. The Lakers doubled on Yao in lots of occasions and I am not expecting him to have too much success against that in his first playoff series. Your expectation is what I have for Yao in 2-3 years when he makes a case for league MVP. He is simply not that yet.
