Kleeman's Last Word

Take it From Somebody Who Actually Watched the Phoenix/Houston Game

When the average basketballl analysts looks at the final score of Wednesday's Houston/Phoenix matchup-100-91-they'll likely reach a pedestrian conclusion.
Especially if that person is Bill Walton. I can hear it coming now:
"The Rockets just don't have enough firepower. They are not on the same level with Dallas, Phoenix and San Antonio. This loss proves that."
Of course, I doubt Walton or any of the other Rockets naysayers actually watched the game. If they did, however, they'd come to a much different conclusion.
With T-Mac suffering from another round of back spasms and Yao still injured, taking on the lightning hot Suns would be a monstrous task. The Suns score a lot of points and they do it in the blink of any eye. That's why the Rockets through three and a half quarters looked so impressive. The stifling Houston defense held Phoenix to just 19 points in the first quarter. The Suns had scored less than 50 at the half. The third quarter could have ended with a more emphatic Rockets defense, but they were still hanging in there.
Rafer "skip to my lou" Alston, who would finish with a brilliant 29 points (a career best), rose to the challenge. Shane Battier dropped 16 and Luther Head added 16. Bozi Wells, returning from injury, offered a mediocre 6 points.

With less than 3 minutes left in the game, the Rockets were down by four, still hanging around with the biggest guns. It seemed the victory was right there for the taking. Just score on the next possession and get a defensive stop, something Phoenix struggles to do in close games.
But the Rockets stopped themselves, thanks to a rookie mistake from John Lucas on the fastbreak. It's funny how one play can alter the course of a close game.
Head picked Nash's pocket for the steal to get the crowd reved and ready, but when he got to the other end in a one on one situation, he broke the cardinal rule of the fastbreak. He shot a 3 pointer and missed.

And in case you don't know why that's a mistake, here's a brief lesson:
1) You NEVER take a jumpshot or a three pointer on the fastbreak, especially in a one on one situation. Especially when the game is on the line.
2) Fastbreak points are uncontested points, so you always go for the layup dunk to make sure all your hard work on the defensive end isn't lost with a miss. Even if Ray Allen is on the fastbreak, there's no gaurantee his three pointer would go. You go for inside shot, one that has a 98 percent chance of going in. And unlike shooting a jumper or a three, if you miss, you're near the basket to get the rebound.

Because Lucas was still behind the arc after chunking up his three, Amare easily grabbed the rebound, allowing Phoenix another possession. Two plays later, four Rockets literally stood and watched Leandro Barbosa take a three-pointer and swoosh it in. That, in a nutshell, cost Houston the game.
It wasn't firepower or lackthereof. It was stupid decisions down the stretch.

Take it from me, I actually watched the game.

posted by Robert Kleeman @ 8:47 PM