# Simple game plan: Give Yao the dang ball



## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

> *Rockets are ready to lift off, but first they need to realize their strength*
> 
> Give him the ball.
> 
> ...


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## Spaceman Spiff (Aug 2, 2006)

The problem is that we don't have the passers to do it. That McGrady guy would have a field day though.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

Spaceman Spiff said:


> The problem is that we don't have the passers to do it. That McGrady guy would have a field day though.


he'd have a field day pulling up for deep 3s and shooting 35% from the floor but occasionally making a decent pass to yao. i'm glad tmac is gone. i just hope artest gets replaced next year by someone who actually knows how to play smart basketball.


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

Prince would be a nice addition especially as his value seems to have dropped after this series.
But I like what Artest brings defensively to us. And he can create his own shot.

Brooks hit 1 of 8 from down town was the major problem. He took 20 shots for 13 points.


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## Legend-Like (Mar 25, 2006)

rocketeer said:


> he'd have a field day pulling up for deep 3s and shooting 35% from the floor but occasionally making a decent pass to yao. i'm glad tmac is gone. i just hope artest gets replaced next year by someone who actually knows how to play smart basketball.


At least when we had T-mac (Im talking about now and the past) he wouldnt take unnecessary shots unlike Artest. We still need T-mac. He's our closer or at least a better closer than Artest and go piece to close out a game along with Yao.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

Legend-Like said:


> At least when we had T-mac (Im talking about now and the past) he wouldnt take unnecessary shots unlike Artest. We still need T-mac. He's our closer or at least a better closer than Artest and go piece to close out a game along with Yao.


tmac didn't take unnecessary shots? what would you call the ridiculous 3s he jacked up multiple times per game instead of actually running an offense?


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## gi0rdun (May 31, 2007)

In McGrady's defense he shot a respectable 37.6% for what he played this season. For T-Mac the 3s that he jacks up are usually his in rhythm 3 that he jacks up in transition that I've seen go in more than Artest's dribble dribble step back 3. McGrady is a much better jumpshooter than Ron Artest but it's easy to say these things when you're frustrated with Artest and there's McGrady at your disposable.

At least now Aaron Brooks isn't our golden child and people can start blaming him for a Rafer-esque performance.


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## mtlk (Apr 25, 2005)

Thank god, finally an expert spoke out what I want to say.:10:


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

gi0rdun said:


> In McGrady's defense he shot a respectable 37.6% for what he played this season. For T-Mac the 3s that he jacks up are usually his in rhythm 3 that he jacks up in transition that I've seen go in more than Artest's dribble dribble step back 3. McGrady is a much better jumpshooter than Ron Artest but it's easy to say these things when you're frustrated with Artest and there's McGrady at your disposable.
> 
> At least now Aaron Brooks isn't our golden child and people can start blaming him for a Rafer-esque performance.


37.6% is not respectable.


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## Hakeem (Aug 12, 2004)

There is no chance that the Blazers would attempt to front Yao anywhere near as much as this if McGrady were playing. This sort of fronting only works when you don't have a guy who can consistently create his own shot from the perimeter.

But it's not just that. Despite the inexplicable pull up threes, T-Mac was the best at feeding Yao in the post. He just had the technical aspect of it down. Only Shane Battier -- far and away the best in the current side at getting Yao the ball -- was even remotely close.


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## ztpc_lukui (Mar 3, 2006)

Giving the ball to Yao  cannot depend on one player ,maybe we need a system .


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## jdiggidy (Jun 21, 2003)

I'm all for it. The Rockets need to remember to be patient and wait for Yao to get position. When Portland tries to overload one side, Houston needs to fake like they are swinging the ball back around to the other side of the court. Swing the ball to the top of the key, fake a pass like you are moving to the opposite side of Yao drawing the defense players back to their assignments then quickly get the ball back to the same spot and re-enter a pass to Yao where he is one on one.

Don't try to get Yao running from one block to the next.


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## Spaceman Spiff (Aug 2, 2006)

You guys sound like Clutchfans. 

Point is T-Mac is our best passer and by far the best at getting a shot for himself and others. I'd rather T-Mac pulling up for a heat check 3 than watching Artest dribble off 15secs off the shot clock, lose control of the ball, then jack up a 25 footer fading to the left with a hand in his face.

Nobody on the team is capable of delivering the ball to Yao under any circumstances consistently other than T-Mac. But we're doing a good job because other guys are capable of putting the ball in the basket.

I'm for what jdiggity said. I've been watching these games and I notice each time the ball has been swung to the top of the key there is a 1second window where Yao is wide open for an easy entry pass, but the ball is swung to the opposite side by then. 1 second is a long time in basketball. We need to show more patience.


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

What pisses me off the most is when Brooks just sits at the top of the key, dribbles forward, then back, through the legs back around then back...etc all while Yao has good position down low to at least catch the ball. And only for Brooks to either A) force something that isnt going to work or B) Hesitate to shoot the open shot and choose a harder one.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

Spaceman Spiff said:


> You guys sound like Clutchfans.
> 
> Point is T-Mac is our best passer and by far the best at getting a shot for himself and others. I'd rather T-Mac pulling up for a heat check 3 than watching Artest dribble off 15secs off the shot clock, lose control of the ball, then jack up a 25 footer fading to the left with a hand in his face.


i'd rather neither of those things happen. and it really doesn't matter what shot tmac gets for himself if he can't make it. this season he hurt the team. you can't argue with that. the team was better off without the tmac that played this season than they were with him.



> Nobody on the team is capable of delivering the ball to Yao under any circumstances consistently other than T-Mac. But we're doing a good job because other guys are capable of putting the ball in the basket.


battier.



> I'm for what jdiggity said. I've been watching these games and I notice each time the ball has been swung to the top of the key there is a 1second window where Yao is wide open for an easy entry pass, but the ball is swung to the opposite side by then. 1 second is a long time in basketball. We need to show more patience.


if the rockets were more patient, yao would get a lot more good touches and the offense would come a lot easier even when teams do front the post. unfortunately some players seem to think throwing up contested and fadeaway 3s is better than being patient with getting yao the ball.


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## Spaceman Spiff (Aug 2, 2006)

rocketeer said:


> i'd rather neither of those things happen. and it really doesn't matter what shot tmac gets for himself if he can't make it. this season he hurt the team. you can't argue with that. the team was better off without the tmac that played this season than they were with him.


This season alone yes. But you make it sound like that's been the norm. IMO Rockets fans never appreciated his effort even while the odds were always heavily against him.




> battier.


He's determined to get the ball to Yao, but he's not nearly as good as T-Mac when it comes to actually giving the ball to Yao.



> if the rockets were more patient, yao would get a lot more good touches and the offense would come a lot easier even when teams do front the post. unfortunately some players seem to think throwing up contested and fadeaway 3s is better than being patient with getting yao the ball.


I have many scrapes and scratches from slamming the table, wall, floor, etc with Artest and Brooks jacking it up. We're gonna have to be a lot smarter than that against the Lakers.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

Spaceman Spiff said:


> This season alone yes. But you make it sound like that's been the norm. IMO Rockets fans never appreciated his effort even while the odds were always heavily against him.


when tmac was healthy, he was great at getting yao the ball even though he did waste possessions himself. not sure why a healthy tmac really matters though as he doesn't exist right now and could possibly never come back. the current tmac hurt that rockets more than he helped.


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## Hakeem (Aug 12, 2004)

Patience in getting Yao the ball can be overrated.

Getting Yao the ball with 5 on the shot clock is not an effective play. They will immediately double, and by the time the ball is swung around, the shot will have to be rushed.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

Hakeem said:


> Patience in getting Yao the ball can be overrated.
> 
> Getting Yao the ball with 5 on the shot clock is not an effective play. They will immediately double, and by the time the ball is swung around, the shot will have to be rushed.


that depends on where yao is getting the ball and what he's doing. if he gets the ball in deep position or already moving to the basket, the double team isn't going to matter.

the ball doesn't have to be forced to yao though. if the rockets are just patient with the offense in general and use the attention yao draws to create open shots elsewhere, points will come a lot easier.


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## Hakeem (Aug 12, 2004)

rocketeer said:


> that depends on where yao is getting the ball and what he's doing. if he gets the ball in deep position or already moving to the basket, the double team isn't going to matter.


Obviously if he's open in the paint or has his man sealed five feet from the basket, it's a good play even with 2 on the clock. But a regular post entry pass to Yao at the edge of the paint with the shot clock running down will usually result in either a weak jumper from Yao, a turnover if he tries to fight through what will always be an aggressive double, or a rushed jumper from the perimeter.



> the ball doesn't have to be forced to yao though. if the rockets are just patient with the offense in general and use the attention yao draws to create open shots elsewhere, points will come a lot easier.


This is true. Both point guards, particularly Brooks, were the biggest culprits. Brooks often appears to see Yao seal his man before deciding to go to the other side. Other times he gives Yao no time at all to establish position.


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## lakeshows (Mar 17, 2009)

I think this team does a great job utilizing Yao. Teams in the past would spend 20 out of 24 secs trying to get Yao the ball, and then they would force up a shot. It used to happen a lot. It's the reason the Houston offense used to get stagnant.

The current team usually looks to Yao and gives him 5 to 10 to get position, then moves on with Scola, Artest, or Brooks. Even a bad shot from Artest or Brooks is better than a TO trying to force the ball to Yao or a rushed jumper at the end of the clock.

Yes, Artest and Brooks get carried away sometimes and don't even look at Yao, but this offense is much more efficient. It's not just Yao, even though Yao still has as much of an impact with defenses concentrating on him.


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## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)




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