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Jump-Shooting
T'Wolves Roll Over Lethargic Rockets
By Jon
Hey all basketball fans, I'll be
recapping all the NBA games I have the
privilege to watch this season.
Since I'm from the Twin Cities area, most of
the time you'll be hearing from
me after your team plays the Wolves. In
truth, I am a die-hard Suns fan,
so I'll try to stay unbiased and tell it how
I see it. Without any further ado...
Final: Minnesota (106) Houston
(98)
Recap:
Jump shooting T'Wolves roll over
lethargic Rockets
Figuring out all
too quickly that the T'Wolves aren't a lame duck
franchise, the Houston Rockets played
a sloppy and uninspired first half,
leaving the team in a hole large
to climb out of in the 2nd half.
Houston started
the game doubling up on Kevin Garnett every time he
touched the ball, and it simply
didn't work.Garnett, offering up the ball to
his wide open teammates every time
down the floor (something a young Houston
squad should pick up on), quickly
made Houston's defense look hideous.
Terrell Brandon
and new T'Wolf Chauncey Billups were the immediate
recipients of all the open looks,
and hit open J after open J. Brandon ended
up with 16 points in the first half.
Flip Saunders
clearly had his team prepared, as they executed their
motion offense flawlessly. Houston
was helpless as the Wolves got easy looks
the entire half.
On the other
hand, Houston looked like a team in disarray. The effort on
defense was hideous, and the offense
was disorganized; playcalling was
nonexistent. Steve Francis, Cuttino
Mobley, and Walt Williams forced their
shots. Many were awkward, and low
percentage, the concept of team completely
forgotten.
Their execution
was off as well. While the Wolves committed only 2
turnovers, they forced Houston into
countless petty mistakes. This was most
obvious in the Terrell Brandon/Steve
Francis matchup, where the veteran once
again got the best of the young
gunner.
Clearly, first
half played right into the hands of the Wolves. The tempo
was slow-it down and execute, something
the Rockets couldn't handle. Even
when Francis or Mobley tried to
push, they ended up forcing plays at the
other end. Minnesota scored the
first 9 points of the game, and never looked
back. It was a 20+ point lead at
half-time.
The second half
was a different story all together. Houston stopped
double teaming KG, and actually
started playing as a team. The team switched
to attack mode, on both ends of
the floor.
Francis and Mobley's
pressure bothered Minnesota's guards, leading to
numerous Minnesota mistakes, and
Rockets players decided to start moving off
the ball (and take care of it, imagine
that?)
Mobley, after
a hideous first half in which he shot 4-11 (the vast
majority of those shots ill-advised),
started to break free. He ended up with
33 points.
Francis still
struggled, and continued to force things. Except for a few
highlight dunks, this game shows
that Francis still has quite a bit to learn
about running an offense. Brandon
frustrated him into 6 turnovers, and
several came at important junctions
in the game.
Despite falling
behind by 26 in the 3rd quarter, Houston made a run. They
cut it to single digits midway through
the 4th, but couldn't pull any closer.
Rasho Nesterovic's
16 point, 13 rebound showing kept the T'Wolves from
losing all their momentum, and Garnett
also was scoring easily.
In the end, it
was Mobley that single-handedly kept this game
interesting. His ability to get
to the basket and the line surprised many.
Unfortunately, the his ballhogging
ways probably cost his team the game in
the first half.
Player analysis
Rockets
Francis: Taken completely out of
his game by Brandon. Didn't even try to be a
teammate, only passing the ball
after a fancy drive to the basket looked like
it might not result in two points.
He would be smart to take a page out of
Brandon's book.
S. Anderson: Never got in the flow
of the game. Rudy should have given him a
chance when Mobley was chucking
up bricks late in the 2nd quarter.
Olajuwon - Hit a few jumpers, but
overall I was disappointed with his
performance. He looks a step slow,
and wasn't the interior presence this team
desperately needs on the defensive
end of the court. Rasho made him look
foolish in the 2nd half.
W. Williams - His numbers were mediocre,
his game was worse. Shot the ball
every time he touched it, and his
poor shot selection was one of the reasons
the Rockets went down early. At
least one of his bad shots led to that sweet
put back dunk by Francis. Props
to Rudy T. for not playing him much in the
2nd half.
Taylor - Really surprised me with
his range. He didn't miss a shot until late
in the 2nd half. Blew by KG for
a sweet reverse lay up in the first half.
Needs to be more physical, and play
more under the basket.
Mobley - Showed what a player he
can be with 2nd half explosion, but what was
he thinking in the first half? During
one stretch, he must have taken 4
horrible shots in a row. He may
have scored 33, but most of the points were
meaningless. Nice buzzer beater,
tho.
Cato - He can jump, he can dunk.
Same old story. Why in the hell was he
trying to strip the ball from Minnesota's
guards all night? Is he as stupid
as he looks?
Norris - The best player on the court
for Houston, when the outcome was still
in doubt. He did what a point guard
is supposed to do, and took it to the
hoop strong when he was given the
opportunity. He deserved the big minutes he
got tonight.
Bullard - Surprisngly enough, Rudy
put him in early, for a good stretch. He
really didn't do much.
C.Rogers - Didn't do anything in
his limited time on the court.
Collier - Played 3 minutes, and didn't
have the opportunity to prove
anything. Ho Hum...
Rudy T: Where was he in the first
half? Seriously, it looked like Rockets
guards weren't being coached. He
did make the right adjustments for the 2nd
half, however. I'm not going to
question a master....
Wolves
Brandon - Abused Francis all night,
his experience shows. Not a creator, but
is a steady team player, who doesn't
make mistakes. Just what the T'Wolves
need. Incredible scorer.
Billups - Really surprised me. I
always thought Chauncey was an athletic
scorer who had problems shooting
the ball. Tonight, he was the opposite. His
ballhandling was shaky at best,
and something bad always seemed to happen
every time he tried to drive. But
his shooting was HUGE, and if you want a
reason for the big first half breakout,
all signs point to this guy.
Nesterovic - Holy cow, what a game.
Hakeem was a step behind him all night,
and Rasho proved yet again to be
a great rebounder. Trust me, this guy has
always been a lot better than
most people think. Tonight he proved it.
Garnett: Played creator in the first
half, when the double teams came his
way. When they stopped coming in
the second half, he racked up the big
numbers. Another complete game for
the most complete player in all of
basketball.
Szczerbiak: Still coming back from
a knee injury, tonight the shots were
given to healthier members of the
team.
Peeler: While the numbers don't show
it, AP is trimmed down quite a bit from
last season. 8 rebounds is nice,
and his late 4th quarter three from the
corner put the game away.
S. Mitchell: More of a lockerroom
presence at this point.
LaPhanso Ellis: Looked very tough
in limited minutes. His mid-range post game
left me thinking that this could
be a big year for LaPhanso.
Garrett: The Monkey man played well,
but when he was out there, it was
obvious Rasho was on the bench.
More a complement to Rasho than anything
else.
Flip Saunders: The superior coach
tonight. Came out with the right gameplan,
and simply torched the opposition
until there was nothing left. Congrats to
one of the most underrated coaches
in the L on a great performance.
Team Analysis
Houston:
To be honest
with you, I was shocked and appalled by the way this team
came out of the gate. Lazy, selfish,
and soft. And nobody seemed to care.
Steve Francis was a disappointment,
and now I see why Walt Williams doesn't
have a good rep around the league.
The second half reminded me that this team
still will be tough. It was real
up tempo basketball, frantic pressure
defense, with constant movement
and slashing on the offensive end. This isn't
a playoff team yet, but I saw flashes
of one tonight. Get Steve Francis in
the right frame of mind, and teams
will start getting scared.
Minnesota:
This isn't a
team in disarray. They played as a unit, and really looked
good. Peeler and Rasho showed significant
improvement over last season, while
Billups and Ellis both looked like
great additions. I can't help but like
this team, especially if Rasho's
performance wasn't a fluke, and KG's targets
keep hitting their jumpers.
Game Ball: Chauncey Billups;
His 3-point shooting opened a lot of eyes. It
wasn't a fluke, he has great form,
and really makes it look easy. On the
offensive end, he'll take over for
Sealy without a hitch. Tonight, his
outside shots really broke the game
open, even if he didn't end up with
spectacular numbers.
Honorable Mention: Moochie Norris;
the only Rocket who showed up for the
first half. Technical foul for the
hair, but he can ball.
____________
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