Blazers/Rockets Game 3 Recap
Feel that gust of wind? It’s Houston breathing a sigh of relief.
Allow me to ask a quick question to Rockets fans everywhere. Aside from getting a win, which is clearly key, how confident do you feel about Houston after they nearly let a 17 point lead and control of this series slip away? The Rockets came out on top, but it should not have been that hard. The Rockets are the anti-Paris Hilton. Nothing comes easy for them.
Houston got by without the offensive production of Yao Ming, who scored all 7 of his points in the quarter, by relying on Shane Battier, Luis Scola and Carl Landry. If you were to tell me a week or so ago that Yao Ming would score 11 and 7 points in Game 2 and 3 respectively, I would have told you the Rockets were in trouble. Instead, Yao is being supported by a total team effort. That will be huge if the Rockets get to the 2nd round against L.A., I mean … Utah still has a chance. Cough.
Brandon Roy got his 19 but it didn’t come easy. He shot 6-18 because the Rockets finally committed to making him work for baskets. If I am Rick Adelman, I am daring anybody but Roy to beat me.
Give props to Nate McMillan, who calmed his team down after they were at risk of another massacre at the hands of the experienced Rockets. The Blazers were able to get back into the game with the help of the 3, the great equalyzer. Rudy Fernandez, my second favorite Spanish player aside from Ricky Rubio, finally gave help off the bench, shooting a ridiculous 5 of 7 from three. Steve Blake, who I am convinced was a stunt double for the alien from Mac and Me, blew a chance to tie the game at the end, firing up a weak three. You’d think that a point guard would know better.
We also saw flashes of the player the Blazers thought they were drafting in Greg Oden. Yao got 3 blocks in the game but didn’t look comfortable guarding him, even going 18 feet from the rim to guard him. Why would you guard Oden that far out? On defense, Oden fronted Yao and made it nearly impossible to get him the ball. Yao is going to have to pull Oden from the basket with consistent perimeter scores. The Blazers are insistent that he isn’t getting in the post anymore.
Game 4 presents a rare opportunity for the Rockets in the Playoffs. They can basically end this series with a win, although you can’t take anything for granted with Houston. The keys to Houston’s offense will be Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier. Brooks has been brilliant in moments and boneheaded at others, and saved face by grabbing a rebound off his missed free throw at the end of Game 3. Battier is going to get open looks from three all the time, because Roy is overhelping on Yao. It is his job to knock that shot down, like he did tonight on way to a 16 point night. If that happens, Portland can’t double Yao, the lane opens up and the Rockets win.
Portland must mature quickly and continue to be aggressive. I don’t care what Marc Jackson says, Portland does not seem afraid of Yao Ming in the paint. Well, maybe Joel Przybilla is, but I think the thought of offense is more of his fear. Mark it down Webster’s. Pryzbilla-itis is the fear of scoring. For example, Johnny’s prom night was ruined by Przybilla-itis. The 3’s fell tonight for the Blazers, but they can not expect similar success like that in Game 4. If they take the ball to the rim, they can tie this game up. It’s how they won Game 2. If they don’t, well we can always talk about the future of Portland, right?
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The rot (imo) started as soon as Scola went out midway through the 3rd quarter with his fourth foul. The intensity of the Rockets defense went out the door and Oden/Aldridge/Outlaw all got dunks/layups/wide open looks and thats what gave Portland an opportunity.
Shane has to be ready for that pass out to the 3point line- and keep hitting that shot (like you said Adam).
Ron Artest didn’t ATTEMPT a shot until the second half. ATTEMPT. Funny that him being the facilitator worked reasonably well. Wafer was real good in the 2nd quarter, and helped get that 10-15pt lead up.
Brooks is argh to me, Lowry is more consistent, but less explosive offensively and he helps out more defensively than Brooks does.
I’m thinking that Brent Barry might leave an impact on the series, especially if he matches up with Batum at some stage- who has appeared totally out of his depth thus far.
Oh, and wasn’t Portland expected to take this series? Probably 70% of people on the site expected them to take it. They still might though, so I’ll bite my tongue.
PS- Ron and Yao (the two leading scorers for the Rockets) combined for 16 points. COMBINED. So, um, there’s that too.
Scola was great today, and he and Landry just need to keep hitting that free-throw line/elbow jumper that they’re being left with. They can hit and doing so helps to create more spacing for the Rockets, finding gaps etc.
There was a guy on the court called RUDY FERNANDEZ, who was a stud on the field yesterday, but this squarehead , who cant even modificate his blackboard and does not even deserve to be sitting on our bench, can´t apply what he is seeing on the court.
What if instead of moving the bench like if it was a schedule (batum out 5 min 1st quarter, rudy in 2 min left to second, etc….) u move it depending on the production of the players. specially when the starting players are not producing. 1- S. Blake out and playing with two SG?? OMG!! What for? im open for suggestions (i think we still have another PG, correct me if im wrong) 2- Rudy Fernandes, i mean this guy proved to be a great player on crunch time during the olimpics and the regular season. i dont know if u guys shaw the final game but this guy, had all the weight in the final moments of a game that we won by not many points to spain. so he is used to play under presurre againt the best players, but our coach keeps underestimating him over and over and yesterday he got pissed off when got changed in the last quarter (man u are right, nate does not have a clue) when making our team emerge. Did anybody had the feeling that the game would have had a different colour if nate wouldnt have take the wrong decissions? 3 does anybody have the feeling that the only offensive strategy nate has in crunch time is ball to Roy?? i mean brandon is our flag but if he does not have the day, well, we got much more or at least i think so. Is not brandon fault to miss all those shots yesterday, cause he is just doing what the coach is asking him to do, but a true leader is not the guy who scores the most points but the one who takes the right decissions on the court to get the game and brandon is yet far from that cause he is young (im one of those who thinks KOBE is much better player now than he was when he had better numbers, and that is just matturity) For all this and much more Nate out. point..
Sorry dear Adam Sweeney but I believe that you didn´t watch many Rudy´s match, in ACB he shoot in a lots like the last of the match, and advice for McMillan if you want to learn Basketall tactic come to Spain and start to watch ACB match
Also, are you foreign or something? Because if English is your first language it is fu*king terrible. If it’s a second or third, then it’s pretty good lol.
and that we have more than one player capable of assuming on crunch time. if a player is hot, what´s the point of taking him out if he is doing it pretty good? of course kobe and any player can have a bad day, they are human, but it is his duty to understand that and try to fix it, he just proved incompetent. just saying that i like more the kobe that makes 26 points and let everyone else play than the one that makes 33 and thinks that the team is him. Brandon is our franchise player and has to take the shoots, that is what he´s here for, but maybe there is more options that just him. if not, we´re easy to read, a predictable team that will not last for long in the playoffs. point..
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