SB Nation - Yao Ming

Engaging The Enemy: The Houston Rockets

Phillip Baggett — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:28:33 -0000

More photos » by Mike Fuentes - AP

Well folks it is game night again, and I have had about all I can stand, for this week anyhow, of trying to design a new template for my usual game previews. So what I thought we would do as a simple diversion from the norm, was get with tonight's opponent for a little Q&A.

I reached out to Lee Grammier over at The Dreamshake and he so graciously accepted the invite. Since I am a refugee in Houston from Arlington, Texas I have the privilege of listening to all the Dallas smack talk. Generally speaking people from Houston despise everything in or from Dallas. When ever a Dallas team plays a Houston team it is a big deal around here.

Another blowout of the Rockets tonight would be awesome. Make sure you stop over and pay a visit to those guys, they will be posting my answers to their questions.

So without further delay here are my questions to The Dreamshake, and what they had to say.

Rockets vs Mavericks preview Rockets vs Mavericks coverage

Before the season began, many would have said that this year would be a disaster for the Rockets. So far however, it has been anything but disastrous. Playing without a "superstar" the Rockets have been very cable of holding their own. What do you believe this teams realistic goals are for this season?

I legitimately thought this team would be a few games over .500. Considering they have played the hardest schedule in the league to date and are 3 games over with 2 games they should have won in those losses, I'm very pleased where they are. Christian wrote a good piece about this today: 25 games into the season. The realistic goals for this team are pretty similar to my few games over .500 scenario: A 5-8 seed in the playoffs, and depending on the match-up a potential upset in the first round but likely no chance to get out of the second.

The Mavericks and Rockets play two completely different styles, the Mavs have always been more of a finesse team relying largely on the jump shot skills of Dirk, and Terry. While the Rockets are a much more physical team that plays with a lot of ball movement and unselfishness. There have always been match up issues for both teams, what are some of the more concerning match up problems for this years Rockets when facing the Mavs?

Jason Terry. I'm almost tempted to just leave it at that, but that wouldn't be fair. Terry absolutely torches the Rockets and it's getting to be personal. Dirk is Dirk and there isn't any team in the league that matches up with him. The rest of it? I really don't know. I wish I did, so I could send a note to Rick Adelman so that the Rockets could fix it. Some of it is that the Mavs are more talented at the upper level and when they are one of the few teams in the league willing to match the Rockets intensity level.

In the first two games of the season series, we have seen both teams at different points of the game shoot unbelievably well. Typically one would say that the defensive effort dropped allowing the other team to get clean looks at the basket. In this case though, on many occasions it has been an individual player just getting extremely hot, and most of the time for the Mavericks it has been Jason Terry a.k.a. "The Rocket Killer". Is there anything the Rockets can do to stop this from happening on Friday?

Terry is a defensive match-up nightmare for the Rockets. There has been no one on the team that can really guard him, and that's saying something because Shane Battier can guard just about anyone. The Rockets theory is to make Terry take the ball out of Dirk and Kidd's hands. Frankly I think it is a terrible idea because Terry has proven it as such. Ideally Trevor Ariza guards him and that makes a difference. He has the lateral and overall quickness to keep up with Terry but we'll see if he has the dedication.

On Tuesday Tracy McGrady made his official return from micro fracture surgery against the Pistons, playing 8 minutes. He then played another 8 minutes on Wednesday against the Nuggets. What is the feeling amongst Rocket fans about T-Mac's return? And will the Rockets try to move McGrady before the deadline? Or are they content to just let him walk after the season?

Among "Rockets fans" those that typically just know the superstars I think people are excited he's back overall. Amongst the diehards I think it is split pretty much down the middle. Everyone wants to see him play though, no matter if you are on the "trade him" or "keep him" bandwagon. Otherwise what's the point? Just cut him or put him on injured list. Might as well see if he can 1. Help the team on the court or 2. Help the team via trade and the only way to do that is for him to play. If there is a good trade he'll get traded, if there isn't, he'll be gone after the season. Daryl Morey will not trade him just to do it.

Looking forward to next season when the Rockets are back at full strength, will this team have to change the way it plays with the return of Yao Ming? Or will this team be in a much better position to utilize his skills?

Sure they'll change it a bit, but Yao runs better than anyone will ever give him credit for. His defense is underrated in every way, just look at the Rockets with him and without him. Now maybe everyone will shut up about it and stop proving how little they know about basketball. Yao's presence in the middle is intimidating and he controls the paint. What's kind of funny is that people try and challenge him because of that idiotic idea of him not being great defensively and it plays right into the Rockets hands.

Mavericks Vs Thunder Highlights

Rockets Vs Nuggets Highlights

Houston Rockets Still Ballin'

aramnath — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:56:45 -0000

More photos » by Rick Bowmer - AP

Head coach Rick Adelman's kept his team competitive even with his two best players out with injuries so far this season. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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It's time to show some love to this year's Houston Rockets. They have been playing without their two superstars, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, all season and have managed to start out with a 14-10 record. That's good enough for second in the Southwest Division and for fifth in the conference. To put things in perspective, the Rockets have had to replace a combined 35.3 points, 14.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game without both Yao and McGrady.

Most predicted the team would be lucky to be competing for the 8th seed in the conference with a roster full of role players. This team of role players however has thrived utilizing a long lost art previously used in the NBA to great success called sharing the ball. They have been led by point guard Aaron Brooks with valuable contributions from Carl Landry, Luis Scola and a bench that has shown surprising depth particularly rookie Chase Budinger.

Their major free-agent signing Trevor Ariza, has been a disappointment offensively so far, averaging 17.0 points per game while shooting an abysmal 38.3% from the field. To his credit however, Ariza and the No Stats All-Star, Shane Battier, have teamed up to harass opposing teams' wing players to help lead a Rockets defense that has been able to remain effective without their 7'6 Chinaman shot-blocker in the middle.

Special praise is in order for head coach Rick Adelman who has done a phenomenal job calling the shots from the sidelines. I don't think it's much of a debate for who should be Coach of the Year. It would have been easy for this team to simply play out the year listlessly without their two stars, but Adelman has kept them on the winning path and has extracted more from his players than anybody could have expected.

Here's to the Houston Rockets for playing team ball with a bunch of role players and still getting the job done when nobody gave them much of a chance.

Tracy McGrady's family must be really, really bored

grungedave — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:34:28 -0000

More photos » by Bob Levey - AP

about 1 month ago: Houston Rockets' Joey Dorsey, left, and Tracy McGrady sits on the bench during a NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009 in Houston. (AP Photo/Bob Levey)

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So, uh, the NBA released the first round of vote totals for the All-Star Game.

You have your usual suspects... including Tracy McGrady. WHA?!?!?

Just to be clear, here are T-Mac's stats for 2009/10:

0 games played
0 games started (ask Allen Iverson, this one is important)
0.0 ppg
0.0 rpg
0.0 apg
1 times put on uniform

Look, I know there is a long history of players being voted into the All-Star Game who haven't even played that particular season. Hell, Magic Johnson had HIV (past tense), and had already retired - yet he was voted into the game - and he even won the MVP award. On multiple occasions, Yao Ming has been voted into the game when he was injured. So, I'm not necessarily surprised that McGrady has received a few token votes this year.

But, come on, it's Tracy McGrady. Are you seriously telling me there are fans/people that look at the ballot... see the names "Bryant, Kobe", "Paul, Chris", "Roy, Brandon", "Nash, Steve" and "Williams, Deron" at the guard position... and then somehow decide that McGrady deserves to receive their vote instead??? Really!?!?!?!

To make it even crazier, this might have made more sense if Yao were once again the leading vote-getter at center. But he's not even on the ballot. Yet McGrady is?

The only conclusion I can draw? T-Mac's family is very, very dedicated.

Yes, LeBron is in town tonight... No, don't get used to it.

grungedave — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:44:12 -0000

More photos » by Amy Sancetta - AP

2 months ago: FILE -- This May 28, 2009, file photo shows Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player LeBron James during Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference basketball finals, in Cleveland. James tells a newspaper that a cancer scare earlier this year was "nerve-racking" and had him on edge for a few days. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)

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Richard Justice is at it again. Instead of writing about something interesting (or writing about Vince Young for the 436,849th time)... he is taking the opportunity to "pitch" the city of Houston to LeBron James. Who just happens to be in town tonight to take on the Rockets.

Hey, while you are at it Dickie, why not just ask for a raise... or for a $50M car... or for the Texans to trade Mario for VY (Oh, wait, bad example)?

For the last time, people - The Rockets have a 0.00000% chance of signing LeBron this summer. It's not going to happen and making public pleas for the impossible reeks of desperation. Not to mention a lack of ideas when it's your job to write about the Rockets.

I mean, how hard must it be to come up with interesting topics for tonight's game?

I know the mere mention of the name "LeBron" generates page views/hits, and it usually makes for good headlines. But there are soooo many more interesting topics for tonight's game. In fact, off the top of my head, here are 5:

1. Chuck Hayes vs. the FatAss. Will Shaq mistake Chuck for a donut and try to eat him? We're talking about the biggest player in the NBA versus what may be the smallest starting center in the history of the league. And the smaller player is better.

2. If only Tracy McGrady were healthy, today would have been one of the three days all season he would play real, actual defense! (He only plays hard on defense when facing LeBron or Kobe).

3. What the hell is up with Mike Brown's glasses? Did he get a special discount if he ordered frames that covered every shade in the spectrum of colors?

4. Can Trevor Ariza and Shane Battier shut down LeBron the same way Shane and Crazy Pills did last year in Houston? (sidenote: I miss Von Wafer. So much.) The Rockets' beat-down of the Cavaliers last year was one of the best games I've ever watched. Can a repeat be in the making?

5. Without Yao Ming available, we miss out on what may be one of the final Yao/Shaq matchups. And as much as I like the make fun of the FatAss, his games with Yao have always been epic.

See, there's five topics that are far more interesting than the drivel Justice published this morning. And I'm not even a journalist (nor do I want the title). I'm sure Tom has even better suggestions for Dickie - considering that Tom is actually good at journalistic stuff.

Oh, and...

GO ROCKETS!!!

update: Looks like Feigen and I were on the same page! Cool.

What's wrong with the Rockets' defense?

Tom Martin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:31:55 -0000

More photos » by Steve Slocum - AP

Despite Chuck Hayes' effectiveness as a one-on-one post defender, he hasn't been able to make up for the loss of Yao Ming as far as team defense is concerned. Take a look at the height difference between the two, and that should explain why. (AP Photo/Steve Slocum)

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The Rockets used to be good at defense. Then Yao Ming left. And now, because of that, they aren't good at defense anymore.

That's the simple, dumbed-down analysis. But there's more that can be studied, with help from Hoopdata.com, to try to explain the reason for our sudden defensive decline:

We will come back to Yao Ming's direct impact on the Rockets in a second. For now, let's look at the changes that his absence has indirectly caused:

1. Pace

Without a solid post option such as Yao to build an offense around, the Rockets have had to up the tempo. Common sense tells us that pace and points allowed most likely share a positive correlation, meaning that the more we run, the more points we allow. Statistics prove common sense to be correct, as teams with a lower pace, such as Portland, Detroit, Charlotte, Miami, Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, and San Antonio, give up fewer points per game.

If you look at defensive efficiency, you notice that the same correlation exists for the most part, but there are plenty of outliers. Detroit's defensive efficiency is up around 106.1, meaning that they give up 106 points per 100 possessions. Every other team in the group that I listed above is between 101.2 and 95.4. This means that Detroit doesn't do a great job defensively. Instead, they give up less shots per game than most teams do.

That's your introduction to pace. So, where do the Rockets fit in? Currently, this is where we stand:

Pace: 97 possessions used per game -- 9th overall.

Points Allowed: 101.3 points allowed per game -- 20th overall.

Defensive Efficiency: 104.1 points allowed per 100 possessions -- 18th overall.

Here are the same statistical categories, but from 2008-2009 (along with where they would rank this season):

Pace: 92.8 possessions used per game -- 18th overall (tied for 25th in 2009-10)

Points Allowed: 94.4 points allowed per game -- 6th overall (6th 2009-10)

Defensive Efficiency: 101.4 points allowed per 100 possessions -- 4th overall (11th in 2009-10)

The game itself has sped up, too. Even Golden State, leaders in pace each of the past two seasons, are up to 104.7 possessions per game this season, as opposed to 100.9 last season. Yet, what's odd is that the defensive efficiency of the league is down this year (treat it like golf, lower is better). What can we attribute that to? Most likely the OTOR, or Opponents Turnover Rate. Turnovers are up, at 13.84 in 2009-10 compared to 13.256 in 2008-09. It's not a gigantic difference, but it could help explain the paradox before us.

Anyway, the whole point of the statistics is to show that without Yao, our pace has increased, thus making it tougher for us to defend. Yao impacts our defense when he's on the court, but his role on offense indirectly affects our defense as well. Remove Yao from the offense, and it hurts the defense that much more.

2. Yao's Direct Impact in the Paint

Above are screenshots of Hoop Data's "Shot Location" tab under the team statistics bar. Here, we are looking at shots around the rim, i.e. dunks, lay-ups, and tip-ins. The first statline is from the current season, and the second is from last season.

From left to right, the bar shows the following per game statistics: Shots made, shots attempted, field goal percentage, and percent of assisted field goals on shots made at the basket. Clearly, there is a distinction from last season to this season. Not to say that Chuck Hayes isn't a good defender, but Yao's ability to help and force shot adjustments is near-impossible to replace. It is this statistic that effectively illustrates Yao's importance on defense, as opposed to rebounds or blocked shots per game.

3. Yao's Impact Elsewhere

Talented NBA shooters have their limits, at least statistically. In the previous segment that dealt with offense, we learned the most efficient places to shoot from on the floor (three-pointer, at rim, and then jump shots from closest to farthest). When it comes to forcing opponents to take inefficient shots, the Rockets are in the top quarter of the league (8th, in fact). According to Hoop Data's OXeFG% (Opponent's Expected Effective Field Goal Percentage, based on where the opponent is being forced to shoot from), opponents should be shooting around 49% from the floor against us. It's not the greatest statistic, but when paired with shot locations, it does make sense.

However, this season opponents are shooting 51% against us, placing us in the bottom quarter of the league in Defensive Ratio (OXeFG% / OeFG%). Last season, we were in the top quarter of the league in Defensive Ratio, but had the same OXeFG% at 49 percent. We held our opponents below their expected effective field goal percentage, as they shot 47%. This season, as I have pointed out, opponents are making more shots than they are expected to make. Blame this on defensive rotations and closing out.

Without Yao in the middle of the paint, perimeter defenders are forced to show more help, thus delaying rotations and leaving opponents more open. So, despite the fact that opponents are taking the same amount of bad shots as last season, they are having a much easier time making them this season. It's probably due to poor closeouts and rotations. With Yao, everything becomes much easier.

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While the dumbed-down analysis is actually correct, seeing as Yao Ming's absence has severely hurt our defense, isn't it nice to see exactly what has been affected? I think so. But really, who cares what I think?

Game 5 Pre-Game: Oklahoma City at Houston

Zorgon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:36:35 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

The Thunder were blown out by the Rockets in the Pre-Season, but does that translate to a regular season win? Rick Adelman doesn't seem to know.

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This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 7:30 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma, Fox Sports Houston

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): The Dream Shake

Backstory: The Thunder are coming off two close losses to the Lakers and Trail Blazers, and are looking to get back above .500 with a win against the Rockets, which is seeming just as possible now than it was at the start of the season, but in a different way. At the start of the season, I'd think we'd have a chance to win because we were a sub-par team facing a par team, but right now it's looking like we have a chance to win because we're a par team facing a good team.

The Rockets are the NBA's enigma. To the casual fan, losing Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest, Yao Ming, and Dikembe Mutombo while gaining no real talent but Trevor Ariza does not equal a 3-2 start, especially with quality wins at Utah and Portland. But, if you've been following the Rockets all along, you know that they've played without the aforementioned players before. And when they do, their whole game plan changes, but they still manage to win games and play as a .500 team. They score a lot, small balling it up and down the floor. Trevor Ariza has proven himself to be a lockdown defender, Shane Battier is still there providing defense and 3 balls, Luis Scola is one of the best scoring big men in the league, Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry can both score well, and Aaron Brooks is quietly becoming one of the leagues better point guards, something the Rockets have been searching for ever since they landed Yao. In reality, this team is no surprise. They've just finally been given a chance to show their stuff.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups:

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Chuck Hayes

Chuck Hayes is pretty short for a Center, but that's not a good thing. It means that if Nenad Krstic even tries to make a jump shot, Hayes will be all over him. The only hope for Krstic to win this matchup will be to bang with Hayes inside or out rebound him somehow, but I really doubt that's going to happen. Hayes will easily outperform Krstic tonight.

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Luis Scola

Scola will almost certainly out-rebound Green here, but the real question will be who can out score the other. Scola is limited to an inside repertoire, and with Thomas and Collison being able to defend him in the post off of the bench, I think that Jeff Green will have more opportunities to score.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Shane Battier

Shane Battier is a good defender and can shoot a hell of a 3 ball, but I don't think there's any stopping Durant here. Durant will score about the same as normal, so his main concern should be with taking care of the ball and making sure he doesn't leave Battier open for gut-wrenching 3s. Still, Durant is the clear winner here.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Trevor Ariza

Two fierce defenders going at it. Can they combine to score more than 10 points? I have a feeling that Ariza will be all over the floor tonight, so he might be guarded by Durant or on fast breaks at times, so I see him winning this matchup.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Aaron Brooks

At the start of the year, or at pretty much any other time, I'd give the win to Westbrook. But Brooks is looking like a mean, lean scoring and assisting machine right now. And Westbrook as been in a total slump. So, while I think Westbrook's performance won't be negatively affected, I think his numbers will, in the end, be slightly worse than Aaron Brooks'.

Battle of the Benches

For how good the Rockets are, they don't have much of a bench. Kyle Lowry and Carl Landry get heavy minutes, and you'll see dashes of Chase Budinger and/or David Andersen. They're all solid players, but in all truth, they're about the same as our tandem of Kevin Ollie, Etan Thomas, James Harden, and Nick Collison. If our bench plays like it has been recently, then it's a dead tie. But, if they revert back to the way they played the first couple of games, then I say the Rockets win this one.

Coaching and Intangibles

This one's a dead heat too, as we're both coming off a recent close loss to the Lakers, both of us have had surprisingly good starts, and both of us are well-rested. I guess I'll give it to the Rockets though, simply because they're at home and Rick Adelman is a darn good coach.

Bottom Line

This should be a close, high scoring game, the perfect thing for a Thunder or Rocket fan to unwind to on a Friday Night. But, I don't see us slowing it down from the Rockets pace of game, and when we play at their pace and on their floor, they're going to win more often then not.

Prediction:

Rockets 105, Thunder 100

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

And, again, feel free to drop any comments you might have during, before, or after the game below. I might be here during the game to drop my thoughts as well. Go Thunder!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

10 votes

The Houston Rockets

29 votes

39 votes | Poll has closed

Thoughts on 103-102 loss vs Lakers

Xiane — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:16:40 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

You are not seeing two fouls here. That would be un-possible. (This is old, though - see the scruffy Catalonian? He wasn't there tonight.)

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Bullet Points - The Lazy Man's Friend ^TM

This is the first game I have attended this season, and the first with an eye to writing for TDS. I tried to watch action away from the ball as much as I could, and also to the view the Lakers as dispassionately as possible. It made for an interesting night.
It's a big night for The House, isn't it? Lakers win another OT game on the road, the Yankees win the World Series. I think if you are not from New York or LA and you root for the Yankees or Lakers, respectively, it's like rooting for the house in blackjack. Or maybe rooting for cancer.
Do they even SELL any jersey but the Kobe Bryant one for the Lakers? There were a fair few supporters of the evil empire at Toyota Center tonight, and every single one I saw had "Bryant" on the back. Except for the seedy-looking guy who had his own name of the back of a #24 jersey. Well played. I respect those imaginative Laker fans. I wonder how many know of any historic Laker players, other than Magic, maybe.
Chuck Hayes - Just a splendid game from the Chuck Wagon. He scored the same number of points as Lamar Odom, and on six fewer shots. Everyone laughs at our tiny center, but no one has walked over him yet.

Trevor Ariza and Ron Artest had a Freaky Wednesday. Trevor shot 21 times and made 5 in a truly Artestian performance, meanwhile, Crazy Pills goes 6-14 with only 1 foul - 1 called foul, anyway. He was, annoyingly, 3-7 from 3pt range.

Why were people booing Artest? The Rockets weren't interested in signing him at the money he wanted. LA was. He never gave anything less than his best effort here. Why the hate?

IF LA (meaning Kobe) needs overtime to beat us with our lineup, I'm encouraged. With a bit better shooting, we win this one. And we need to win games that are there for the taking. This one was. This result looks good, in a moral victory sense, but looking deeper, this should have been a Rockets "W" - an actual victory.

Aaron Brooks drove and dished too often, mainly to Scola, who was immediately guarded by either Odom or Bynum. Luis often looked surprised by these passes, and appeared to be trying to position himself for a board off Brooks' shot most of the time. Put the shot up, Aaron, or find a guy who doesn't have a 7-footer 1 foot from him. That play would work great if the guy standing there was Yao, but, as they say, Yao isn't walking through that door, Mr. Brooks.

Too much dribbling late in the game. Far too much dribbling. Not enough movement without the ball. There was plenty of ball movement in the 1^st quarter, and it slowly melted away, until Houston seemed to be running nothing but unlikely-looking ISO plays. It recalled the heady days of scoring 74 points a night with JVG. Not getting a shot off in the last 24 seconds of overtime, down 1, that's not acceptable.

Along the same lines - no more behind-the-back passes for either Brooks or Lowry until their assist-to-turnover ratio improves. We gave away either 3-4 possessions on errant behind-the-back passes. In a one point loss in OT, all that stuff is magnified.

Watching the game, and focusing on movement away from the ball, I can tell you this: LA would be a bad team without Kobe. Not "barely a playoff team", not an "average team", a bad team. Its not just forcing the offense through him and him delivering. Due to what seems to be the lackadaisical character of the rest of the Lakers, they would be exposed on D and rarely find an open look without him. I wonder how long he can keep this up at 31? We'll see.

The NBA has apparently instituted a "No D on Kobe" rule this year. Players are no longer allowed to remain in place, or jump straight up when Kobe is shooting. That is now a foul. Watch for lots of FTs at an arena near you! The NBA: where marketing-oriented-favoritism-happens-all-too-frequently.

LA's bench looked horrible. Jackson couldn't leave them in the game against us. This was supposed to be a Laker strength. If Gasol and Bynum can't carry more of the load, I think LA (meaning Kobe) will wear down and be vulnerable.

If LA (meaning Kobe) needs 41 points and 48 minutes from Kobe to beat us in OT, on a bad shooting night for us, that is either a very good sign for us, or a very bad sign for them.

Could Hakeem don a Rockets jersey? I wish he had tonight. I think he could push Bynum around, even now. (I kid. Sort of.) Where did this plague of soft or inept 7 footers come from anyway? Gasol is a more forceful player than Odom or Bynum.

The "Fan Contests" - Prizes range from a bag of burritos, to a signed ball, to a cell phone, to some Greek food, OR a trip to Shanghai, or Amsterdam, or Rio, or San Francisco. Please, let me be in the Continental shooting game!

Phil Jackson always does something to remind me why I hate him so much. Tonight he stopped a Rockets inbounds play near the end of the game twice. Why? Presumably there was some dangerous object on the floor near LA's bench. The ref looked around, and didn't see it. So Phil stopped the inbounds play to get him to look again. Still no object. But the Lakers got a good look at Houston's set. What a pudwack.

A Jacksonian sort of respect from Silver Screen and Roll.

VOTE: Hakeem Olajuwon as Mr. Basketball

Tom Martin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:53:58 -0000

Folks, before doing anything else, read this press release. It will fill you in on what is going on:

DAPHNE, Ala. - There is less than a month remaining to help the United States Sports Academy in its efforts to name "Mr. Basketball."

Voting to name the new sculpture dedicated to basketball in the Academy's environmentally-friendly Sport Sculpture Park closes on Thanksgiving Day, 26 November 2009. Through the Academy's website at www.ussa.edu/ballots/basketball-player, people are invited to help name the player from a list of 15 legends of the game. Voters may also write in another nominee if their desired choice isn't on the list, giving the vote a "Sweet 16" flavor.

The list of players to select from includes, in alphabetical order: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Michael Jordan, George Mikan, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Hakeem Olajuwon, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson, Bill Russell and Jerry West.

I want Hakeem Olajuwon to be sculpted. Not Yao Ming. So vote for The Dream here.

Let's be honest: Yao Ming hasn't come close to Hakeem as a player. As an international icon, yes. But not as a player, nor as an all-time great. I think we can make this happen. VOTE HAKEEM!

RECAP 0.5 Game #1- Warriors 107, Rockets 108 - The Meaningless Buzzer Beater

Atma Brother ONE — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:15:54 -0000

UPDATE 2 (10/30/09 1:31pm): The Dream Shake recaps the Rockets win: Game 2 Recap: Scola, Ariza fuel Rockets' 108-107 victory over Golden State

UPDATE (12:51pm): My sincerest apologies for forgetting to name a Warrior Wonder. Chalk it up to opening night craziness. We take our Warrior Wonders seriously around these parts. To make it up to all you golden folks there's a game highlights video from NBA/Yahoo! added to the end of this piece in addition to the Warrior Wonder.

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Nellie to "Captain" Jack: "Look man- Riley's on the phone right now trying to trade you.

Please do something- anything- to boost your trade value tonight."

Trade Talks Heating Up? Jackson Could Be Moved By the End of the Week [SB Nation.com Story Stream]

Preview/ Game Thread (1475+ comments)

Final Box Score

Blog Buddy: The Dream Shake

Final - 10.28.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Houston Rockets	26	26	35	21	108
Golden State Warriors	28	34	19	26	107

Complete Coverage >

We'll have much more in store for you on the Warriors season opener, but here's a first recap to get things started off right in 2009-2010. Jump for some quickies.

Quick bullets:

Thanks to all 600+ of you who came to GSoM Night 7! It was great seeing so many of you cool folks at the game rocking some very fly blue and yellow jerseys. Your continued support of this entire project is most appreciated.
Overall the crowd was relatively subdued and quiet- it was a like a LA Fakers or San Antonio Snores home game. The frenzy of the Roaracle that we've come accustomed to just wasn't there- thank you Chris Cohan, Robert Rowell, and Stephen Jackson. There were quiet a bit of empty seats as well- not that I blame anyone with the sad state of 1) the economy, 2) the Bay Bridge, and 3) the Warriors.
Props to the Houston Rockets. They are not fielding a good team at all because of all those injuries, but they're a smart squad especially on defense. Rick Adelman and the rest of their coaching staff does a fine job keeping this squad prepared. It was a like a chess game and the Rockets knew the Warriors next move every time. Part of this is undoubtedly due to the low IQ-ness of the Warriors personnel, but let's give credit where credit is due.
Aside from the 6 turnovers I was pretty impressed with Trevor Ariza. Isiah Thomas sure knows how to pick them. Clever Trevor was knocking down his WIDE OPEN shots and sprinkled in some dimes and boards. It was like he was playing with Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, and Pau Gasol again. Playing the Warriors will do that to you.
The Rockets are NOT a good team. They came into Oakland tonight on the second night of a back-to-back after a tough loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and beat the Warriors on their home opener. That's unacceptable from the Warriors. If the tables were turned and the Warriors lost of the road under this scenario, we'd be hearing a ton of excuses from the usual homers.
Stephen Curry really showed me something in his debut tonight. On D he was very quick and pesky which is reflected in his 4 picks. It's nice to see some scrappiness on some D from a Warrior rookie, because the vets (Andris Biedrins, Stephen Jackson, and Corey Maggette) sure weren't bringing that on defense tonight. I also appreciated Curry's sharp passing and ability/ willingness to distribute the rock and try to run an offense. Sure he made some mistakes (that pass towards the end of the 4th to a cutting Biedrins in the key which just needed a little more masala), but he's the last guy to blame about the season opener loss.
Anthony Morrow aka Chocolate Rain aka Ammo- did the rest of his teammates pay any attention when he received the award for being the 3pt % champ earlier this evening? Any attention at all? Seriously can the Warrior do a better job of setting him up and getting him the rock? It was painful to watch how under-utilized he was the entire night.
Andris Biedrins was very sloppy with the ball, didn't show any improvement on D, and didn't bring it on the boards tonight. Ronny Turiaf did very little positive as well. Very disappointing performance from the starting 4-5 combo against a non-elite NBA frontline.
Monta Ellis had some nice drives to the bucket, but also looked very stoppable on a few of them which wasn't the case back in his breakout season of 2007-2008. I wasn't too impressed with him handling and distributing the rock overall, but it's just one game so we'll see. It was a decent enough performance. I wouldn't put this loss on him.
Why did Anthony Randolph even play 10 minutes? I thought he was hurt. Major props to him for that swat on a fast breaking Rocket though. I love that don't quit mentality. Too bad it was erroneously called as a foul. The story of the Warriors right there.
Stephen Jackson's line doesn't look all that bad at 17-4-4, but to tell you the truth he didn't look that good out there. The body language just seemed off, but my perception could be distorted by all those (deserved) boo's. They aren't at that Mike Dunleavy boo-bird level or anything, but it is noticeable. I wonder if the boo's are a wakeup call for the former "Captain" and his negotiation buddy Robert Rowell. What a disaster. It all could have been avoided too.
At the end of the day it's just 1 loss. Sure it's a bad loss to a bad team at home, but still- just 1 loss.
Props to the Warriors for holding BOTH Houston Rocket superstars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady scoreless tonight. Who says the Warriors don't play any defense!

Rudolph and Masala Ain't No Joke!

Don't sweat the technique.

Blogtastic Shout Outs

DT and Meschery over at Fear the Beard - Behold the dichotomy of a team divided: meet your 2009-10 Golden State Warriors.
JG from BallHype
AlanaG from Yardbarker

Please do make sure to see what our buddies in Houston thought about tonight's festivities over at The Dream Shake. These guys are pretty hilarious and make far less bad jokes than you're accustomed to reading from me.

Looking for more of the Dub-ness? Don't miss out on our 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview Super Blowout Special:

Micro-Warriornomics :: GSoM's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview (Part 1 of 2) [Player Previews]
Macro-Warriornomics - WE BELIEVE WE SUCK :: GSoM's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview (Part 2 of 2) [Team Preview]

Stef-fun Curry gets the game 1 honors and I have a feeling this rook will be collecting many Warrior Wonders this year and beyond.

Stephen Curry's debut: 14 points (7-12 FG), 7 dimes (only 2 turnovers), 2 rodmans, and 4 picks, tying him for the best plus/minus on the Warriors last night with Kelenna Azubuike at +7.

Don't sweat the technique ya'll!

Oh and for all you Nellie haters constantly spouting that nonsense that he doesn't play rookies (um, he simply doesn't play players who aren't good regardless of age) ROOKIE Kid Curry played nearly 36 minutes last night second only to Monta Ellis. ROOKIES Chris Webber and Mitch Richmond won the Rookie of the Year honors under Coach Don Nelson back in the day. ROOKIE Tim Hardaway made the All-Rookie 1st team under Coach Don Nelson.

With Blake Griffin sadly out for a few weeks, anyone think Curry has a chance to win the 2009-2010 ROY? I know, I know it's only 1 game, but watching Curry this year is going to be fun. Here's to Stef-fun.

Game Highlights

Poll

How would you describe Stephen Curry's buzzer beater to lose the game by 1 point instead of 3 on opening night?

Funny like Marc Jackson's "Unstoppable Baby!"

528 votes

Frustrating like a "Captain" Jack tantrum

360 votes

888 votes | Poll has closed

Game 1 Recap: Outlaw's offense, Oden's defense lead to 96-87 victory over Rockets

Tom Martin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:04:04 -0000

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

about 1 month ago: Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, right, towers over Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry as he shoots during the second half of their NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009. Oden had 12 blocked shots as the Blazers beat the Rockets 96-87. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Browse more photos »

Boxscore

Game Analysis

Ladies and gents, your beloved Houston Rockets have returned. Notice anything different? Okay, notice a whole lot different? Yeah, me too.

Many NBA teams discuss shifting to an up-tempo offense throughout the course of an offseason. Few teams, if any, actually do it. Based off last night's game against the Portland Trailblazers, it's clear that the Rockets intend to put their money where their mouth is; they will be off and running in 2009-2010. Not so much due to choice, but rather due to necessity. Feeding it to Yao Ming is no longer an option, and feeding it to Luis Scola will not suffice in the same manner.

Last night, in stepped a pair of new cast members at the center position: Chuck Hayes and David Andersen. Hayes played his role brilliantly, virtually eliminating the hype surrounding Greg Oden's supposedly drastic improvement on the offensive end during the summer. He was one step ahead of Oden each time Portland fed their big man the ball, forcing Greg to throw up awkward hook shots eerily reminiscent of his underwhelming rookie season (and that's when he even got a shot off - other times Chuck knocked the ball loose or forced a travel). On the other end, Chuck made lay-ups. That is -- and should be -- 100% of his offensive production.

Where Chuck wisely chose not to contribute on the offensive end, Big Dave Andersen thrived. It's time that Houston fans embrace Big Dave's "Mehmet-ness." He's much quicker than I had imagined, though Gersson Rosas, of the Rockets front office, once called him "a less athletic [Andrea] Bargnani." That seems accurate enough. Dave won't drive through the lane like Andrea, but he showed that he's a lethal pick-and-pop shooter and can post up comfortably on the block. Andersen provided a much-needed spark in the second half, prompting a Rockets comeback that fell just short in the final five minutes.

Much of the blame for the Blazers enormous second-half lead can be placed squarely on the shoulders of one Travis Outlaw. Imagine how excited Outlaw was to see Trevor Ariza matched up against him at tip-off, as opposed to Shane Battier, who shut down Outlaw in last year's playoffs while Ron Artest guarded Brandon Roy. Outlaw didn't do much different than what he usually does; he simply made the same pull-up jumper that he has been perfecting for years now. A 23-point output in about 25 minutes (he didn't shoot much at the end) isn't going to manifest itself often - he just happened to play well tonight. Luckily for the Blazers, Outlaw and Martell Webster were able to step up, as Roy was held in check by Battier, shooting 5-18 from the field. Typical numbers for a Battier foe.

Unlike Portland's pair of young forwards, the Rockets wings weren't able to get it going. Trevor Ariza was able to knock down two three-pointers early, but soon after began to dribble his way into turnovers. That's not Trevor's game, and it, that being usage, is one of the reasons why the Rockets let go of Ron Artest in order to obtain Ariza. Ron constantly wasted Rocket possessions last season - Ariza doesn't need to fall into the same mold. However, I was certainly impressed by Trevor's driving ability. His ball-handling skills aren't great, but he can sure blow by a defender without exerting much effort. Hopefully he will utilize his quickness when in isolation, as opposed to taking on the entire defense.

Carl Landry had a tough night. We'll leave it at that. He didn't make his jumpers, and he couldn't finish inside. In other words, the bread and butter was never brought to the table. Quite unusual for Carl indeed. Yet, there's got to be some concern regarding number of blocked shots that Landry and the Rockets yielded to Portland.

As Dave has constantly pointed out, the Rockets are undersized. It's not a problem that is fixable in any way, at least not for this season. At the end of the day, point-blank shots are going to have to be converted. Yes, Portland is one of the best shot-blocking teams in the NBA, but it's not going to get much easier. It will be a process of adaptation. Brooks will have to learn to avoid driving head-on against big guys like Oden, and Landry will have to work the pump-fake and draw a foul if he can't convert the bucket. As an undersized team, if the Rockets aren't going to convert inside shots easily, they should at least draw contact and make frequent visits to the free throw line, as they did tonight. Free throws are going to be a huge chunk of the Rockets' scoring production - they must be made.

It should be intriguing to see how an up-tempo offense affects Houston's defensive numbers as the season progresses. Not only will running the break prevent players from getting a short breather on the offensive end, but it will also lead to more turnovers and subsequently more fast break points for the other team. Stamina will obviously be an issue, but so will ball control.

Lastly, the most prominent reason why the Blazers came out victorious was quite basic: they made shots, and Houston didn't. Portland wen't 10-21 from behind the arc, whereas the Rockets went 5-18 from deep. In all, the Rockets shot 37%. It's easy to say, "Well, Aaron Brooks won't go 0-6 from three, Landry won't go 3-12, and Scola won't shoot 1-6 again." However, with this team, and with the new roles that each player is embracing, you just don't know that to be true yet. The Rockets only have one or two "pure" shooters in Chase Budinger and possibly Andersen. Brooks has never shown much consistency from deep - he's not going to suddenly become reliable because McGrady and Yao are on the bench.

Despite the negatives, the Rockets were able to turn a piss-poor start into a decent opening night. Needless to say, Portland is very good, and for Houston to hang with them was quite impressive. It certainly helps for the Rockets to be free of lofty expectations going into games. You have to think it will play into their favor.

Three Up

Kyle Lowry -- Had arguably his best game as a Rocket, going 12/8 with 2 steals and 1-1 from three.

Chuck Hayes -- Made Greg Oden look softer than usual, which is saying something. Had three steals, but contributed to six or seven forced turnovers.

Aaron Brooks -- Inside the arc, he was very effective. 19/5 is a good start to 09-10.

Three Down

Luis Scola -- Got into foul trouble early and was never able to get going. He's going to have to continue to learn to adjust post moves on the run, as opposed to spinning regardless of the help defense that is likely to be present.

Carl Landry -- The jump shots will fall. It's only opening night.

Shane Battier's Offense -- Yeah, he guarded Kobe well, but it's not time for Shane to attempt to echo Kobe on the offensive end. Keep the acrobatic aerials to a minimum, buddy.

Next Game: Tonight @ Golden State

Blazersedge Recap -- Just realized Dave and I chose the same picture to summarize the contest. Sometimes, there's no escaping the sad reality that is Greg Oden's defensive dominance against midgets.

SB Nation - Yao Ming

Engaging The Enemy: The Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets Still Ballin'

Tracy McGrady's family must be really, really bored

Yes, LeBron is in town tonight... No, don't get used to it.

What's wrong with the Rockets' defense?

Game 5 Pre-Game: Oklahoma City at Houston

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

The Houston Rockets

Thoughts on 103-102 loss vs Lakers

VOTE: Hakeem Olajuwon as Mr. Basketball

RECAP 0.5 Game #1- Warriors 107, Rockets 108 - The Meaningless Buzzer Beater

Macro-Warriornomics - WE BELIEVE WE SUCK :: GSoM's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview (Part 2 of 2) [Team Preview]

How would you describe Stephen Curry's buzzer beater to lose the game by 1 point instead of 3 on opening night?

Funny like Marc Jackson's "Unstoppable Baby!"

Frustrating like a "Captain" Jack tantrum

Game 1 Recap: Outlaw's offense, Oden's defense lead to 96-87 victory over Rockets