Who is most responsible for the Rockets winning streak?

[Lakers_4_Life]

It starts and ends with Rick Adelman. Jeff Van Gundy is a great color commentator and a top level defensive coach, BUT he is a horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE talent evaluator, player motivator, personnel manager, offensive coach, coach for Euro players, coach for rookies, etc.

I cannot believe that there were so many Houston fans that thought this guy was a "great coach".


If the Rockets would have Adelman since T-Mac and Yao were there they would have made the playoffs that injury riddles year they missed and it would have for certain beaten the Mavs and Jazz in those playoff series.

Jeff Van Gundy has absolutely ZERO business being a head coach in the NBA and maybe some Houston fans will wake up from there dream world now and realize it.

Easiest way i can say it is, Vassilis Spanoulis talent level >>>>>>>>>>>than Luis Scola talent level. You have Jeff van Gundy as your coach Spanoulis will never play.

You have Adelman as your coach he will hold Scola's hand for half a season getting him ready. Not to mention how the guy looks at players who play ONLY defense like Chuck Hayes, or who ONLY shoot a 3 pointer like Luther Head as major players, rather than bench specialists like Adelman properly rates them.

Also you have Van Gundy as your coach he would of have bitched and bitched and complained and been trying to force his GM to get rid of Carl Landry and bring in a "veteran big man."

It's the absolute truth. All the years of him on the Knicks of sabotaging the draft, and forcing the team to keep adding veterans with big contracts and never developing any young talent is what led to their horrible demise, yet no one even grasps this. The Rockets got rid of him just in time before it happened to them too.

[Optimism Prime]

Flame away:

It's as much JVG as Adelman. Same reason we're playing so well is why the Pistons played so well to start off in Flip's first year--they were unstoppable. Why? Because they had an insanely talented defensive squad, and then learned to put the offense together around it. That's why the Rockets were able to keep teams at what, .414 FG% in February? While still averaging 12ppg more than the other team... that's a combination of good offensive execution and defensive pressure. Adelman's taken JVG's foundation and then improved the missing facet, offense.

Someone more knowledgeable than me--has Adelman ever coached a squad that's top-5 defensively? From the reputation I've heard of, I'd be surprised.

Also, I'll give a shoutout to the media for claiming the Rockets were finished, which inspired them to play even harder.

[fadeawayjae]

it is Luis Scola ever since he was inserted in the Starting Lineup we went 17-0 no coincidence?

[Lakers_4_Life]

Flame away:

It's as much JVG as Adelman. Same reason we're playing so well is why the Pistons played so well to start off in Flip's first year--they were unstoppable. Why? Because they had an insanely talented defensive squad, and then learned to put the offense together around it. That's why the Rockets were able to keep teams at what, .414 FG% in February? While still averaging 12ppg more than the other team... that's a combination of good offensive execution and defensive pressure. Adelman's taken JVG's foundation and then improved the missing facet, offense.

Someone more knowledgeable than me--has Adelman ever coached a squad that's top-5 defensively? From the reputation I've heard of, I'd be surprised.

Also, I'll give a shoutout to the media for claiming the Rockets were finished, which inspired them to play even harder.

There is zero basis for this argument of yours in reality. Flip Saunders was never a good defensive coach in Minny.

Rick Adelman was always an outstanding coach in his career on the defensive end. If he just had teams with capable players for defense he always had great defensive teams. Hell with the Kings with horrid defenders like Bibby and Webber he would get them in the top tier teams of defensive efficiency and defensive field goal percentage, statistically Adelman is a GREAT defensive coach over a long period of years.

In Portland with guys that could play D he had GREAT defensive teams. In fact Rick Adelman was also as an NBA player one of the best defensive point guards in the NBA during his player era, it's how he stayed in the league 7 years without having an offensive game. He also has two assistant coaches that were tremendous defensive players in their player career, shut down type defenders that obviously know how to teach and game plan defense. Jeff Van Gundy the defensive guru was cut from Yale's basketball team as a player.

Also it is true that Jeff Van Gundy will NEVER make a defensive assignment adjustment. He would leave Yao on say Carlos Boozer all the way until a series defeat. He would let a team shoot wide open 3 points all day like the old Suns team. He would actually expect Yao Ming to guard pick and roll and 30 feet from the basket.

Jeff Van Gundy is a top-level defensive coach but Rick Adelman is and always was a better defensive coach than Gundy and the offense side of the ball it's light years difference.

Jeff Van Gundy and his fans which is a very odd bizarre thing he has fans believe this guy is Popovich, Jackson, Adelman, he's not, he's nowhere close to that level as a coach.

Van Gundy knows only what in the NBA is called either "ugly ball" or "Gundy ball" and frankly it's just about unbearable to even watch. The only guy that's worse than this with this same stupid coaching philosophy is the Cav's coach who doesn't even deserve having his name mentioned or the title of NBA coach. He's just like Van Gundy only worse.

[xcomputerman]

And for that poster that said Battier got McGrady to play like he did in Orlando. I can tell you don't watch the Rockets. McGrady still cruises through games...he shows up a) when we are in trouble. b) when he knows its a big game. His two best performances during the streak have been against NO and Dallas. Both games on the road...both games were against good teams.

Actually, the case for Battier isn't so much about his intangibles and professionalism -- it's the fact that after that horrible loss to Philadelphia early in January, it was he (and Chuck Hayes) that called a team meeting and woke everyone up about the need to save the season and start playing ball for real -- no more excuses. At least a couple of the younger players have referred to Battier as being the "team leader". But overall, I agree with the sentiment that it's not just one guy -- it's everyone. Adelman being smart enough to realize he needed to make adjustments to his game plans to fit his players' strengths, Rafer Alston elevating his game and coordinating the offense, T-Mac doing his thing within the flow of the offense, Battier doing everything needed to win on both ends of the court, the Scolandry two headed monster at power forward, Deke with his "inspirational" play, Luther Head shooting lights out, Bobby Jackson providing a much needed boost off the bench at PG, Chuck Hayes being able to come in and instantly solidify the defense whenever it starts getting shaky, Novak with his pure shooting stroke....

And you guys need to get off the silly JVG argument. It's true that he was never as good as Adelman at making adjustments, but he is the reason Yao is as good as he is today, he built a great defensive foundation (yes, Adelman is a good defensive coach in his own right, but even he credited JVG with laying the foundations), and contrary to what is being said, JVG was great at relating to his players especially on a personal/emotional level. He does deserve a lot of credit.

[MrCheerios]

The real answer is Steve Novak. If he didn't hit that game-winning shot against the kings this winning streak would be cut in half. The rest of the rockets blew an 18-point 4th quarter lead and he bailed them out.

[jradMIT]

Van Gundy is a good coach, I think he is well above average. Remember that later Rudy years? Van Gundy came in and they were instantly a much better. But supposedly his heart wasn't in it. Adelman is a better coach. a better fit for the team.

[JoshB914]

A big part of it is Alston. He has been so inconsistent and so have they. Now he's playing great ball and they are flourishing.

[Mr. Fundamental]

The same person i blame for their crap start to the year.......

The schedule makers

[thamadkant]

Mutombo... all the good things he has done for his people in Africa... good karma.