<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Flames:</div><div class="quote_post">I predict Yao will get 8 pts and 4 rebounds and 1 block.I predict T-Mac will make 15 free throws and finish with 32 points.I predict David Wesly will go 4-16.I predict Bob Sura will do nothing to help the Rockets.I predict JVG will regret losing Jim Jackson. I predict the Rockets lose by 12.</div> Any reasons for predicting so? You need proof to back up your arguments you know.
oh ok ill give proof i think Yao will get 8pts and 4 rebounds because Chris Mihm has an uncanny way of getting the good centers(even though yaos not that good) in foul trouble somehow and Yao has been playing the entire year in foul trouble.T-Mac always gets a lot of free throws and i just have a feeling he will have a good game.David Wesly is unconsistant and throws up a ton of bricks.Bob Sura has been doing nothing for the rockets all year why should it stop now?The prediction that JVG will miss Jim Jackson was a joke.Also no other person had to back up their predictions .
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Flames:</div><div class="quote_post">oh ok ill give proof i think Yao will get 8pts and 4 rebounds because Chris Mihm has an uncanny way of getting the good centers(even though yaos not that good) in foul trouble somehow and Yao has been playing the entire year in foul trouble.</div> Yao scored 32 points against LA in the first meeting. A better reason that Yao will struggle is that he normally plays poorly on the road. But then, if I remember, Rudy T didn't double Yao in the first game and he probably won't do so this time as well, and Yao plays much better when he gets single coverage. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">T-Mac always gets a lot of free throws and i just have a feeling he will have a good game.David Wesly is unconsistant and throws up a ton of bricks.Bob Sura has been doing nothing for the rockets all year why should it stop now?</div> The knock on T-Mac for most of the year has been that he doesn't get to the freethrow line enough. Wesley has struggled all year with his shooting, but he's a solid offensive player and I've seen signs that he's improving in the Rockets system. And while Sura has been inconsistent game to game, he has done quite a lot for the Rockets this year with his hussle, rebounding, and transition offense. Perhaps you haven't watched many Rockets games in the past month.
37-61...AT THE HALF!!! we've only scored 2 pts more then what they've scored in the second quarter alone!
Ugh, the Rockets are playing horrible defense. They're just letting some guys like Atkins, Brown, or Bryant drive into the lane way to easily, which ends up in some easy points for the Lakers. So far, neither Yao or McGrady have shown any signs of aggressiveness- both have not gotten their shooting touch and desire. In addition to that, Bryant is just blowing away everyone that has tried to guard him. I mean, he's just consistently making shots and is aggressive to the basket for drives. Kind of like what McGrady should be doing on the offense. Everyone on the Rockets are having a horrible game. Inconsistent shooting, lackluster defense, no aggressiveness. I really hope they pick up their game in the second half.
For all the hype surrounding the acquisition of TMac over the summer, he has yet to show that his skills are playoff, let alone championship, worthy. The Lakers are running triangle plays; not as well as in the past, but I like what I'm seeing.
wtf was this bullshit at the end, they just gave up instead of fouling, it's not like they haven't done it before.
I know why didnt they foul, they had enough time for a T-Mac miracle!, anyway at least we came out fighting and even scored 37 pts in the third!
Yeah, I don't understand why they didn't foul with 25 seconds left. They were only down 7 points. For some reason they didn't want to foul Kobe, and given that he had struggled from the line all game it makes zero sense. The Rockets defense was pitiful all game, and they couldn't even foul right at the end. Yao Ming was in a nice rhythm defensively for a few games getting 3 and 4 blocks a night, but now he's back to his old ways and I'm sick of it. The Rockets didn't practice yesterday, and it showed. They didn't seem to have learned much from th Phoenix loss. Transition defense leaves much to be desired.
I'm not liking what I see from Tmac when the game's close (6 points or so) towards the end. He's just standing there on offense asking for the ball, not really playing a team game.. I hate it when people do that. They stand on the wing, not getting position or anything, they have their hand out expecting the PG to give him the ball and let him do his thing one on one. Why not play team ball instead?
wow we played bad defending ..lakers shot 55% ..if we actually played real in the 1st quarter mainly YAO, we would have won easily..
Im starting to get frustrated with yao, he can score and help this team but he seems to only do it in the second half. If yao had a decent first half it would have been a different game. I like the way they played in the 3rd qtr but we need that all 48 minutes. Now something positive out of this game. McGrady had 26 pts, Sura had 20, and Kobe had 27. They had a total of 73pts = $73,000
^"If we would have played well in the third quarter than we would have won by thirty points or so easily!" Oh, and where was T-Macs "will"?
You guys should put Yao on the trading block....he really doesn't play to what he should. I think he is a bust and very overrated. He is not that good.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Billa_Bong:</div><div class="quote_post">You guys should put Yao on the trading block....he really doesn't play to what he should. I think he is a bust and very overrated. He is not that good.</div> Exactly what i've been saying. People say that most of Basketball is just mentality, well that's Yao's biggest problem. His mentality. He doesn't know how to pay attention, get agressive, or block a shot that should be blocked. Basically his Basketball IQ also seems to be very low.
Great game, Houston. Rockets gave us a scare in the second half. Geez...and Yao, I don't know. I don't have much to say about him that's positive. He should've been destroying Mihm and Grant out there...well...Grant couldn't do anything with him. McGrady isn't waiting for guys to play off the ball, and that could be a reason as to why the Lakers took a huge lead like they did. As for Kobe and the Lakers, it got sloppy. I don't understand the stupid fouls Mihm, Grant and even Odom make sometimes...just doesn't make sense. Kobe had a great game...but there's always something negative, and it's going to be him helping out on defense way too much. It didn't hurt him in this game, because Caron was getting owned by McGrady, but it'll catch up to him. By the way, Rocket fans...Kobe's suggestion did work. If you didn't know, he suggested that the Lakers run the triangle through him...which, if you don't know how that goes, it's Chicago Bulls/MJ style. The Rockets really didn't capitalize on that early...but the problem was, the Lakers assumed that the center position was weak, and in turn, they didn't work it into Mihm and Grant as much. However, when you're moving Yao around, making him step out and back in, etc...he's going to foul...and that's why he fouled out. Again, great game.
I'm not saying that Yao will always be this way, but CURRENTLY he has the mentality of a little b*tch. He seems to expect to get bullied, and when he doesn't, he looks scared...like he's apologetic for actually doing something good, and that he pissed of his defender and is going to get a retaliatory owning on the other end of the court. He will NEVER be consistantly effective, and certainly not dominant, UNLESS he realizes how to play AMERICAN NBA basketball. He'll need to develop the mentality that he is the biggest and best post player on the court and nobody is going to stop him. If his Chinese upbringing won't allow him to play in a way that puts his opponents to shame, then he really needs to leave the league, because a player with that kind of mentality will never win a championship, and therefore will always cause his teammates to fall short of one. It's the sad truth.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I predict Tracy and Kobe to play generally even, Odom should get his against Howard and Taylor, and Yao will get his points but struggle to grab rebounds against the more agile Mihm and with Odom lerking near the paint. </div> Just had to toot my own horn for once cuz that is a damn near perfect prediction. I also predicted a 5 point Laker win, which was close.