Game4:Champs(2,1) @ Rockets(3,0)

[MikeA28]

Being from Toronto, I have always been a big houston fan...

Houston should have had that game last night no doubt.... One less bad call or play, and they would have been fine.... Sigh..

Houston-Boston Nba finals this year!

[Alex_De_Large]

We don't even have a backup for the SF position without the guy we miss.

we were awful in the rebound, there was no need to make the comeback in the first half, because celtics should have not taked that easy lead in first time.

[Iggyemu]

Being from Toronto, I have always been a big houston fan...

Houston should have had that game last night no doubt.... One less bad call or play, and they would have been fine.... Sigh..

Houston-Boston Nba finals this year!

Not unless Yao can man up in the face of tough, physical defense. And this team can find a way to get a good shot when teams front Yao.

People can argue that last night was just 1 game. And really it was...but you look at who that game was against. That is a team whose defense is in playoff form for 82 games. If they do nothing else on a particular night...they play that defense that won them the NBA championship. Thats the type of defense that Utah of all teams threw at Yao in 07. And they used Memo which is just ridiculous. So yea it was one game but there seems to be trend a developing with Yao. You get physical with him...and he gets scared..shook as I say...and he just isn't part of the game offensively.

I think we can be soft in a lot of positions and still win but center...when your center is your only legit big guy is the one position we can't be soft at. I want to win...so I am hoping Yao mans up and responds when teams get physical. I am just very disappointed in what I saw from him. If he just had a decent game we would have won.

And as a team I think we crossed that line in trying to give Yao a chance to redeem himself and force feeding him the ball. I think we wasted possessions down the stretch getting him the ball or trying to when we would have been better served trying run the offense through McGrady or Artest.

We have a lot of work to do. But I think in time the offense will come. The defense will be better with Battier. But I worry that the toughness on Yao's end will never come. And I worry this team will continue to waste possessions trying to go to Yao when he isn't effective. Yao isn't Shaq...Offensively..if he isn't scoring he isn't effective. He isn't a specialty player though because he is good on the boards and good defending the paint. Its just offensively we have two other guys that can win us a game and I think these guys have to learn when Yao can win you a game and when he can't. Last night he clearly couldn't and I think we just wasted about 5 or 6 possessions in the 4th trying to force him too.

[King Roosk]

My thoughts from the game that I'm sure will replicate what has been said throughout this thread:

- Artest attempted 10 3 pointers...that needs to change. I'd like to see Artest driving to the hoop and being aggressive. If both him and Mcgrady are in jump shooting mode then that's not a good thing.

- Yao got owned by Kendrick Perkins. This doesn't worry me because I doubt he'll allow that to happen again, and because we're still getting used to the new team additions/chemistry, but man that was pathetic.

- Mcgrady had difficulty guarding Allen. If Shane was healthy, then I think we would've closed that game out in the 4th with a much better defensive showing.

- I'd like to see a lineup starting Scola and Dorsey at PF/C in situations like last night. Yao was off, Scola was playing great, and we needed some physicality on the front line. It would've been nice to see Dorsey.

- Finally, we have to stop shooting so many freakin 3s. Boston was aggressive on offense, and they were able to get the ball in the hoop. Shooting jumpers late in the game only plays into what the defense wants.

- Aaron Brooks was great, the technical on Rafer was bullsh*t, and I'd like to see how that game turns out if Yao and Scola don't miss back to back tip-ins from point blank range in the 4th.

Overall I'm still not worried. We have a lot of kinks to work out, but we almost beat the defending champs in the 4th game of the season. We've got a ways to go, but we'll get there.

[fabio]

My thoughts from the game that I'm sure will replicate what has been said throughout this thread:

- Artest attempted 10 3 pointers...that needs to change. I'd like to see Artest driving to the hoop and being aggressive. If both him and Mcgrady are in jump shooting mode then that's not a good thing.

- Yao got owned by Kendrick Perkins. This doesn't worry me because I doubt he'll allow that to happen again, and because we're still getting used to the new team additions/chemistry, but man that was pathetic.

- Mcgrady had difficulty guarding Allen. If Shane was healthy, then I think we would've closed that game out in the 4th with a much better defensive showing.

- I'd like to see a lineup starting Scola and Dorsey at PF/C in situations like last night. Yao was off, Scola was playing great, and we needed some physicality on the front line. It would've been nice to see Dorsey.

- Finally, we have to stop shooting so many freakin 3s. Boston was aggressive on offense, and they were able to get the ball in the hoop. Shooting jumpers late in the game only plays into what the defense wants.

- Aaron Brooks was great, the technical on Rafer was bullsh*t, and I'd like to see how that game turns out if Yao and Scola don't miss back to back tip-ins from point blank range in the 4th.

Overall I'm still not worried. We have a lot of kinks to work out, but we almost beat the defending champs in the 4th game of the season. We've got a ways to go, but we'll get there.

I didn't want to say anything until seeing the game, which I saw really late in the night, and based on it, I concur with almost everything you're saying. Not sure about the Scola/Dorsey thing though, but I've no idea about Dorsey, so maybe it makes sense.

Personally, I think one of the main problems is Artest shooting a lot. And since Scola has (and always had) a tendency to start very slow and warm engines throughout the end of the game, I'd use more Landry at the beginning (replacing Scola) and play Scola most of 2nd halftime with Landry replacing Artest when needed (ie when that tall chinese guy is unable to do anything at all).

[Ribalding]

Don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care.

Oh wait. Almost forgot. Did I mention I don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care?

"If there's anyone out there who still questions the power of our democracy...."

SCORE BOARD!!!


P.S. As of last night, weed has now been de-criminalized in Boston. So don't hate on the Celtics.

[Jaykoolzboy]

Bad game, but we need those bad games to help up improve, I can't believe we only lost by 4 points with the crappy performance by Yao Ming and Rafer, this team has great potentials. Can't wait to see Shane Battier coming back somewhere next week, then we'll talk .

[tisbee]

Down the road alert. Lakers are using Boston's defense. Unless you have quick ball reversals or bigs flashing from FT line to basket the defense is very difficult to penetrate and encourages looong jump shots.

[abcdef]

Not unless Yao can man up in the face of tough, physical defense. And this team can find a way to get a good shot when teams front Yao.

People can argue that last night was just 1 game. And really it was...but you look at who that game was against. That is a team whose defense is in playoff form for 82 games. If they do nothing else on a particular night...they play that defense that won them the NBA championship. Thats the type of defense that Utah of all teams threw at Yao in 07. And they used Memo which is just ridiculous. So yea it was one game but there seems to be trend a developing with Yao. You get physical with him...and he gets scared..shook as I say...and he just isn't part of the game offensively.

I think we can be soft in a lot of positions and still win but center...when your center is your only legit big guy is the one position we can't be soft at. I want to win...so I am hoping Yao mans up and responds when teams get physical. I am just very disappointed in what I saw from him. If he just had a decent game we would have won.

And as a team I think we crossed that line in trying to give Yao a chance to redeem himself and force feeding him the ball. I think we wasted possessions down the stretch getting him the ball or trying to when we would have been better served trying run the offense through McGrady or Artest.

We have a lot of work to do. But I think in time the offense will come. The defense will be better with Battier. But I worry that the toughness on Yao's end will never come. And I worry this team will continue to waste possessions trying to go to Yao when he isn't effective. Yao isn't Shaq...Offensively..if he isn't scoring he isn't effective. He isn't a specialty player though because he is good on the boards and good defending the paint. Its just offensively we have two other guys that can win us a game and I think these guys have to learn when Yao can win you a game and when he can't. Last night he clearly couldn't and I think we just wasted about 5 or 6 possessions in the 4th trying to force him too.

After the last time Yao sucked it up against Boston (Jan. 1 I think last year) I proclaimed Yao finished as an elite player. He proved me wrong and won Player of the Month. Maybe he'll prove me wrong again. But he was awful yesterday in every way and there is no getting around that. I'd like to see him show me that it was really just one bad game. If he really is an elite player he needs to come back strong from this pathetic performance.

[ShaY]

Not unless Yao can man up in the face of tough, physical defense. And this team can find a way to get a good shot when teams front Yao.

People can argue that last night was just 1 game. And really it was...but you look at who that game was against. That is a team whose defense is in playoff form for 82 games. If they do nothing else on a particular night...they play that defense that won them the NBA championship. Thats the type of defense that Utah of all teams threw at Yao in 07. And they used Memo which is just ridiculous. So yea it was one game but there seems to be trend a developing with Yao. You get physical with him...and he gets scared..shook as I say...and he just isn't part of the game offensively.

I think we can be soft in a lot of positions and still win but center...when your center is your only legit big guy is the one position we can't be soft at. I want to win...so I am hoping Yao mans up and responds when teams get physical. I am just very disappointed in what I saw from him. If he just had a decent game we would have won.

And as a team I think we crossed that line in trying to give Yao a chance to redeem himself and force feeding him the ball. I think we wasted possessions down the stretch getting him the ball or trying to when we would have been better served trying run the offense through McGrady or Artest.

We have a lot of work to do. But I think in time the offense will come. The defense will be better with Battier. But I worry that the toughness on Yao's end will never come. And I worry this team will continue to waste possessions trying to go to Yao when he isn't effective. Yao isn't Shaq...Offensively..if he isn't scoring he isn't effective. He isn't a specialty player though because he is good on the boards and good defending the paint. Its just offensively we have two other guys that can win us a game and I think these guys have to learn when Yao can win you a game and when he can't. Last night he clearly couldn't and I think we just wasted about 5 or 6 possessions in the 4th trying to force him too.

After the last time Yao sucked it up against Boston (Jan. 1 I think last year) I proclaimed Yao finished as an elite player. He proved me wrong and won Player of the Month. Maybe he'll prove me wrong again. But he was awful yesterday in every way and there is no getting around that. I'd like to see him show me that it was really just one bad game. If he really is an elite player he needs to come back strong from this pathetic performance.

I love both of our stars and this is not to bash them it's just my opinion.
Yao is not an elite player because he doesn't have that swagger and confidence imo , he let some early fouls and missed shots really hurt him and he was playing scared.
I am not basing this on one game , last night just was a good example , Yao doesn't have the attitude , swagger or even cockiness of a superstar.

Mcgrady used to be a superstar when he was in Orlando , he is not a superstar anymore because injuries slowed him down and because he doesn't have the mental toughness to be a superstar , and I don't mean that he is weak for missing game because injuries , I mean during the game , he is so good and talented and I think he could do more , still.

Both of our stars can rise to superstar lever from time to time but they are not superstars imo.

Our managment used to think that if both Yao and T-Mac healthy it doesn't really matter what we have around them we will be contenders , this isn't the case , they learned that now and got us more help with guys like Artest and Scola for example that can hold their own.

[rockybalboa11]

yao was taking it strong and doing what he normally does, except he WAS NOT JUMPING

he is injured again.

[mpsniper101]

I think we played a good game. Yao was a problem in the 2nd half and Adelman needs to substitute better.

AB should have played the WHOLE 4th Q instead of Rafer and the same for Hayes instead of Yao.

[ChinaTown]

History being made > early season lost to champs.

We tried...we are not quite there yet. Yao really has to man up. When teams play him physical he loses confidence in himself. McGrady played well...can't carry us to a win against the champs. His defense on Allen sucked but Artest should have been on Allen..that was a bad call by Adelman.

We'll be back..gotta take care of this road trip. If we only lose to the Lakers on this trip we are well on our way to being a great team.

You talked for one year Iggy. You are all right with your remarks about Yao and I start to feel disappointed on him for good, if after 7 years in the league, one of the best offensive arsenals, your 7,6 tall and you are still afraid of playing the game then were are in serious troubles believe me? I think that Yao sometimes is afraid of his own shadow.

In resume Yao problem start and end with confidence, hopefully Artest can do some magic here and help take out that kid hiden on that big boddy and put a man on it.