Post-Game Analysis: Rockets 103, Blazers 87

saleem · Mar 2, 2011

mr. 13 in 33 said: ↑

i give lowry and scola players of the game after watching the game
Click to expand...

Lowry has really stepped up as a leader. Luis made a solid comeback against a team which he has difficulty with because of their height,length and quickness.
They set the tone,and the rest of the team followed them in this game.

HombreDeHierro · Mar 2, 2011

Nero said: ↑

Maybe it is just my perception, but when I watch the last few games since the deadline activity, and ask myself 'WHY are these guys suddenly playing with some heart and some grit?', it seems that it cannot be a coincidence.

So is it really JUST the removal of Battier and Brooks from the roster? Yes, I know we added 3 more players to the mix, but I am not prepared to credit the presence of Dragic, Carroll and Thabeet just yet for this new-found intensity.

So is it just removing those two guys?

Maybe so.

I think it is a given, we all love Battier. He is a remarkably *good guy*. And a very smart basketball player, especially on the defensive end. But we are all so aware of how *smart* he is, because we have all always also been painfully aware of how much he is lacking in the 'naturally athletically gifted' department, which necessitates his 'smartness', in order to compensate for his lack of sheer natural talent.

I do not mean to kick dirt on the guy, but he is what he is - a solid smart defender who will occasionally knock down threes.

And Brooks? Well, we all saw over the last couple of seasons what he COULD do, which made us again painfully aware of what he was NOT doing this season, for whatever reason (or combinations of reasons).

So, is it just the removal of these two guys? Is it likely that 'chemistry' was harmed by these two players, and the mere fact of their absence has suddenly granted the magical Holy Grail of *chemistry* onto the remaining players?

There is probably not just one answer to this question. Regarding Battier, I find it impossible to believe that Shane could ever do anything but enhance and increase that mythical 'chemistry' on any franchise. So, where he is concerned, the answer I think is no.

But for Brooks, it's a different story.

Here was the MIP of last season, a player you could have legitimately expected to be an All-Star in any season from then forward, and he had the bad fortune to have his contract situation be such that his backup, the very feisty and capable Kyle Lowry, came up for renewal and a big payday a year before Brooks was due his.

Now Brooks knows the same thing that everyone else knows - oftentimes players will have their contracts renewed or renegotiated earlier than their due date, and the fact that the Rockets paid a premium to keep Lowry, while at the same time being content to make Brooks wait for his big payday - well, anyone who believes that this did not absolutely destroy Brooks' mental state simply hasn't been paying attention.

Now that might have all been tolerable, were it not for that slime-ball Ginobili, who without a doubt dealt a dirty play unto Aaron and the Rockets by pointlessly undercutting Brooks on an end-of-quarter 3/4-court heave - thus effectively ending Brooks' Rockets career. This really nasty injury, coupled with his shattered attitude, ruined Brooks' chances to repeat his performance of last season.

So, in Brooks' case, I think the answer is a solid 'yes'.

But really, we are talking about the play of this Rockets team NOW, not the play of Brooks and Battier. WHY would it be that removing those two players would transform the play of the remaining players?

It's easy to see that Chase is more comfortable as a starter being integrated into the flow of the offense from the beginning. He is still working on his consistency, but without question, he is growing in confidence daily, and it shows.

But the real reason, I think is Lowry.

All season long, Lowry has played like a man being pulled in different directions: on the one hand, he is the backup to Brooks, and nobody ever questioned that Brooks was the 'starter'. Nobody ever questioned that Brooks was therefore the *better player*. And while Lowry 'filled in' as the starter all season long, and admirably-so most of the time, he played as though he (and everybody else) always knew that he was just a fill-in for the REAL starter. He was the second-best point guard on the team, and therefore he wouldn't, he COULDN'T be the true leader of the team. On the other hand, he had been paid (some said over-paid) like a starter, and he was playing the lion's share of the minutes. He had seen his shot become better and better, and he seemed to be growing bit by bit into a leadership role, out of necessity rather than anything concrete. And it could all be taken away at any moment, because, well, *he was just the backup*. He couldn't really be 'all he could be', so to speak.

The result of this situation, I believe, was that on many nights, the team just seemed rudderless, listless, lost and lacking passion and fire. We all saw those nights.

But what happens when all of a sudden the team, the franchise, the whole city really, stands up and says 'Kyle, you are 'The Man'. You are the leader of this team. You have the kind of guts, fire and determination that we all admire, that we all need. Here are the keys to this team, Kyle. You are not the backup - you are the Top Dog on this team. Now get out there and show everyone that this is the right decision!'

In particular, the last couple of games, Lowry has gone above and beyond, and really shown, both physically and vocally, how much heart and desire he has, and has been seen genuinely angrily demanding it of his teammates - 'COME ON!' he yelled at his team as they were making their come-back against the Hornets. Again he screamed as he willed himself to another bucket amidst the trees in Portland.

Youth, passion, fire, energy, swelling confidence.. and not really so much because of the subtraction of those two players themselves, as much as the change in the remaining players, whose time it is now to shine.

Could this all come crashing down again, as early as tonight in Clip-land? Maybe. They are exceedingly young, these guys, and there will no doubt be plenty more bumps along the road.

But with each successive game, and each new challenge overcome, this team may begin to scare the hell out of some other franchises as we come down to the end of the season. Suddenly the Rockets are starting to have the look of a team nobody wants to face in the playoffs.

Regardless of how things go, I wish Shane and Aaron the best, and I will definitely be watching the remainder of the season with keen and renewed interest.

Keep it up guys!
Click to expand...

great post. Wish I could rep you

Deckard · Mar 2, 2011

Nero said: ↑

Maybe it is just my perception, but when I watch the last few games since the deadline activity, and ask myself 'WHY are these guys suddenly playing with some heart and some grit?', it seems that it cannot be a coincidence.

So is it really JUST the removal of Battier and Brooks from the roster? Yes, I know we added 3 more players to the mix, but I am not prepared to credit the presence of Dragic, Carroll and Thabeet just yet for this new-found intensity.

So is it just removing those two guys?

Maybe so.

I think it is a given, we all love Battier. He is a remarkably *good guy*. And a very smart basketball player, especially on the defensive end. But we are all so aware of how *smart* he is, because we have all always also been painfully aware of how much he is lacking in the 'naturally athletically gifted' department, which necessitates his 'smartness', in order to compensate for his lack of sheer natural talent.

I do not mean to kick dirt on the guy, but he is what he is - a solid smart defender who will occasionally knock down threes.

And Brooks? Well, we all saw over the last couple of seasons what he COULD do, which made us again painfully aware of what he was NOT doing this season, for whatever reason (or combinations of reasons).

So, is it just the removal of these two guys? Is it likely that 'chemistry' was harmed by these two players, and the mere fact of their absence has suddenly granted the magical Holy Grail of *chemistry* onto the remaining players?

There is probably not just one answer to this question. Regarding Battier, I find it impossible to believe that Shane could ever do anything but enhance and increase that mythical 'chemistry' on any franchise. So, where he is concerned, the answer I think is no.

But for Brooks, it's a different story.

Here was the MIP of last season, a player you could have legitimately expected to be an All-Star in any season from then forward, and he had the bad fortune to have his contract situation be such that his backup, the very feisty and capable Kyle Lowry, came up for renewal and a big payday a year before Brooks was due his.

Now Brooks knows the same thing that everyone else knows - oftentimes players will have their contracts renewed or renegotiated earlier than their due date, and the fact that the Rockets paid a premium to keep Lowry, while at the same time being content to make Brooks wait for his big payday - well, anyone who believes that this did not absolutely destroy Brooks' mental state simply hasn't been paying attention.

Now that might have all been tolerable, were it not for that slime-ball Ginobili, who without a doubt dealt a dirty play unto Aaron and the Rockets by pointlessly undercutting Brooks on an end-of-quarter 3/4-court heave - thus effectively ending Brooks' Rockets career. This really nasty injury, coupled with his shattered attitude, ruined Brooks' chances to repeat his performance of last season.

So, in Brooks' case, I think the answer is a solid 'yes'.

But really, we are talking about the play of this Rockets team NOW, not the play of Brooks and Battier. WHY would it be that removing those two players would transform the play of the remaining players?

It's easy to see that Chase is more comfortable as a starter being integrated into the flow of the offense from the beginning. He is still working on his consistency, but without question, he is growing in confidence daily, and it shows.

But the real reason, I think is Lowry.

All season long, Lowry has played like a man being pulled in different directions: on the one hand, he is the backup to Brooks, and nobody ever questioned that Brooks was the 'starter'. Nobody ever questioned that Brooks was therefore the *better player*. And while Lowry 'filled in' as the starter all season long, and admirably-so most of the time, he played as though he (and everybody else) always knew that he was just a fill-in for the REAL starter. He was the second-best point guard on the team, and therefore he wouldn't, he COULDN'T be the true leader of the team. On the other hand, he had been paid (some said over-paid) like a starter, and he was playing the lion's share of the minutes. He had seen his shot become better and better, and he seemed to be growing bit by bit into a leadership role, out of necessity rather than anything concrete. And it could all be taken away at any moment, because, well, *he was just the backup*. He couldn't really be 'all he could be', so to speak.

The result of this situation, I believe, was that on many nights, the team just seemed rudderless, listless, lost and lacking passion and fire. We all saw those nights.

But what happens when all of a sudden the team, the franchise, the whole city really, stands up and says 'Kyle, you are 'The Man'. You are the leader of this team. You have the kind of guts, fire and determination that we all admire, that we all need. Here are the keys to this team, Kyle. You are not the backup - you are the Top Dog on this team. Now get out there and show everyone that this is the right decision!'

In particular, the last couple of games, Lowry has gone above and beyond, and really shown, both physically and vocally, how much heart and desire he has, and has been seen genuinely angrily demanding it of his teammates - 'COME ON!' he yelled at his team as they were making their come-back against the Hornets. Again he screamed as he willed himself to another bucket amidst the trees in Portland.

Youth, passion, fire, energy, swelling confidence.. and not really so much because of the subtraction of those two players themselves, as much as the change in the remaining players, whose time it is now to shine.

Could this all come crashing down again, as early as tonight in Clip-land? Maybe. They are exceedingly young, these guys, and there will no doubt be plenty more bumps along the road.

But with each successive game, and each new challenge overcome, this team may begin to scare the hell out of some other franchises as we come down to the end of the season. Suddenly the Rockets are starting to have the look of a team nobody wants to face in the playoffs.

Regardless of how things go, I wish Shane and Aaron the best, and I will definitely be watching the remainder of the season with keen and renewed interest.

Keep it up guys!

Click to expand...

A pleasure to read.

Fyreball · Mar 2, 2011

Nero said: ↑

Epic post
Click to expand...

Awesome. Simply awesome. +1 for you good sir.

kmav23 · Mar 2, 2011

is patterson playing ?

do we have full line up...

we should win.. mo williams is a chucker....

stick hayes on griffin.... post up scola... and we win

Hakeemtheking · Mar 2, 2011

Great post, Nero. Much better written than many so-called pros.

davestrate · Mar 3, 2011

solid effort, I still wish Thabeet had gotten some action. I guarantee most if not all of those shots/rebounds by Jordan and Kaman would have been blocked or taken away. I also feel for the "squid" who's so buried in the bench that's hard to see him during timeouts and before/after games.

davestrate · Mar 3, 2011

davestrate said: ↑

solid effort, I still wish Thabeet had gotten some action. I guarantee most if not all of those shots/rebounds by Jordan and Kaman would have been blocked or taken away. I also feel for the "squid" who's so buried in the bench that's hard to see him during timeouts and before/after games.
Click to expand...

crap.................wrong thread

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