Kleeman's Last Word

Loss to Mavs a Wake Up Call

The Rockets knew their stretch without Yao Ming would be a tight fit of games, but they needed the Mavs to show them how much.
As the final score read 109-96, the Rockets watched any chance of an extended win streak evaporate as quickly as Tracy McGrady's hot hand had in the fouth quarter. Jeff Van Gundy needed this 13-point lesson so he could see the kind of improvements that need to be made.
Championships are never won with two players. If you're raising your hand and interjecting the names Scottie and Michael, perhaps you've forgotten the names Paxson, Kerr, Longley, Rodman, Harper and Kukoc. And while the Bulls dynamic duo would prove to be one of the greatest professional basketball has ever seen, they had helping hands.
And last year's willful 4th quarter performances by Miami superstar Dwyane Wade were allowed to happen because other players on the Heat flourished in their supporting roles. The Heat reserves outplayed the Mavs reserves just enough to secure the victories in Miami and ultimately, the title cclincher in Dallas.
You wouldn't be afraid of the Lakers if Kobe was the only threat.
The Rockets now know they have a ways to go in securing consistent offensive help for McGrady and Yao. Howard and Alston kept things rolling, but no one else could answer the challenge. Battier finished with only five and Head and Hayes were mostly non-factors.
The defense, for the most part, has been solid as a freight train. Last night, giving up 109 points, the effort left a little to be desired.
As a defensive mined basketball guru, I consider run-and-gun offense fool's gold. The Mavs resorted to such old tendencies in the third quarter of last night's game. When a team decides to start playing this fun to watch, yet ridiculous style of play, the Rockets must lock down defensively and slow them before they explode.
Holding teams to less than 90 points is not one-dimensional, it's championship material. The Mavs didn't run up and down the court in high energy fashion in last year's finals, so why the hell do they need to do it in the regular season?
The fact is, Avery Johnson is witty and intelligent enough to craft a game where his team can get defensive stops without sacrificing speed. This is where the Rockets need someone other than T-Mac to be a consistent threat.

Below, I will post the recorded rosters for both teams and you will see what I mean when I say the Rockets don't have personnel issues. Houston has all of the right parts, but some are working more functionally than others. Sure another defender and scorer would be nice, but let's not get needy. The Rockets can win a title with what they have and here's why.

NUM PLAYER POS HT WT DOB FROM YRS
13 Maurice Ager G 6-5 202 02/09/1984 Michigan State R
11 Jose Barea G 6-0 175 06/26/1984 Northeastern R
1 Greg Buckner G-F 6-4 210 09/16/1976 Clemson 7
44 Austin Croshere F 6-10 235 05/01/1975 Providence 9
25 Erick Dampier C 6-11 265 07/14/1975 Mississippi State 10
7 DeSagana Diop C 7-0 280 01/30/1982 Oak Hill Academy HS (VA) 5
40 Devean George G-F 6-8 235 08/29/1977 Augsburg 7
34 Devin Harris G 6-3 185 02/27/1983 Wisconsin 2
5 Josh Howard F-G 6-7 210 04/28/1980 Wake Forest 3
28 Didier Ilunga-Mbenga C 7-0 255 12/30/1980 Congo 2
8 Anthony Johnson G 6-3 195 10/02/1974 Charleston (SC) 9
21 Pops Mensah-Bonsu F 6-9 240 09/07/1983 George Washington R
41 Dirk Nowitzki - C F 7-0 245 06/19/1978 Germany 8
42 Jerry Stackhouse F-G 6-6 218 11/05/1974 North Carolina 11
31 Jason Terry G 6-2 180 09/15/1977 Arizona 7


NOW, THE ROCKETS


2006-07 Roster
NUM PLAYER POS HT WT DOB FROM YRS
12 Rafer Alston G 6-2 175 07/24/1976 Fresno State 7
31 Shane Battier F 6-8 220 09/09/1978 Duke 5
44 Chuck Hayes F 6-6 238 06/11/1983 Kentucky 1
2 Luther Head G 6-3 185 11/26/1982 Illinois 1
5 Juwan Howard F 6-9 253 02/07/1973 Michigan 12
15 John Lucas III G 5-11 165 11/21/1982 Oklahoma State 1
1 Tracy McGrady - C G-F 6-8 223 05/24/1979 Mount Zion Christian Acad. HS (NC) 9
55 Dikembe Mutombo C 7-2 260 06/25/1966 Georgetown 15
20 Steve Novak F 6-10 220 06/13/1984 Marquette R
35 Scott Padgett F 6-9 240 04/19/1976 Kentucky 7
13 Kirk Snyder G 6-6 225 06/05/1983 Nevada-Reno 2
10 Vassilis Spanoulis G 6-4 195 07/08/1982 Greece R
3 Bob Sura G 6-5 200 03/25/1973 Florida State 10
6 Bonzi Wells G-F 6-5 210 09/20/1976 Ball State 8
11 Yao Ming C 7-6 310 09/12/1980 China 4

I don't look at these two rosters and see sharp differences. Neither should you. And yet, when you look at the records of both teams and the comparison of win streaks, Dallas has an easy advantage.
The gap, you ask? The Rockets have just as many young players as the Mavs and age-ridden players on both teams cancel each other out. The difference is simple - confidence.
With the Mavs, George, Stackhouse, Johnson, Croshere and Ager all have the confidence to be great bench producers. They've played enough minutes to become reliable, significant helping hands.
For the Rockets, Novak, Head, Spanoulis, Wells, Snyder, Padgett, Lucas III and Hayes have all been spotty this season. Notice, I listed more Rockets players than Mavs players. I believe Houston has more depth than Dallas, but you wouldn't know from the way these two teams have been playing.
Obviously, missing Yao and Wells is injury to this team. But if all the pieces fit together and can begin playing consistently, look out Avery, you just might be out-depth-ed.
Getting to this point will be cumbersome for Van Gundy and the Rockets. The role players will have to learn to knock down the shots that Yao and T-Mac's penetration sets up for them. And Battier's 25 point nights will need to come with greater frequency.
The Rockets have a chance to win a title this year-a big chance-but the Mavs reminded the team last night that's it's still a chance and not an absolution.

posted by Robert Kleeman @ 3:51 PM