Rocket report

Well, I called it the other day, but now it appears that the prophecy may come true sooner than later. The Rockets loss last night was UGLY and the game was not nearly as close as the score would indicate. Here's what went wrong:

1. Missed free throws. Free throws aren't called "free" for nothing. A professional basketball player has no excuse for not hitting at LEAST 80% of his free throws. The Rockets as a team are hitting more like 60%. This lack of concentration and effort is absolutely inexcusable.

2. Rebounding. Time after time, at least until Carl Landry came into the game, Houston got only one shot and there was NO ONE going to the offensive glass. I know that transition defense is at a premium against Utah, but NO ONE was going to the offensive glass. No one!!! What's worse, Utah got multiple opportunities WAY too often because Houston did not box out and protect its own defensive glass. The back-breaking straw there was the offensive rebound off of a free throw attempt that Houston allowed on the last possession. If Houston rebounds that basketball, they have the basketball with a 2-point deficit and at least have an opportunity to tie the game or go ahead. To allow an offensive rebound in that situation is absolutely inexcusable!

3. Help-side defense. I don't know how many times Rafer Alston got beat on isolation, but it was at least 3 or 4. Rafer's hurt, so it's not really his fault, but here's the question: Where was the help? No one came from the weak side to help out and, in a 2 point game, any one of those ties the game; stopping two of those penetrations wins the game for Houston.

4. Offensive execution. Houston loves the high screen. I'd call it the high "screen-roll" except that the screener NEVER rolls to the basket in Houston's version. Utah hedges every time against the high screen, setting up a mismatch for the roller IF the screener would ever actually roll off of the pick! I know there's weakside help coming to stop the penetration, which mean whoever Houston has on the weakside baseline has got to cut back door and look for a pass. Uh....basketball 101?! Houston hasn't figured it out, which means that we wind up reversing the basketball weak side around the 3-point line and settling for a poor shot when we could have done much, much better!

Okay....these are the things Houston has to fix if this series is going to continue. Here are the things the NBA needs to do:

1. Hire some referees who own a whistle and know how to blow it when there's a foul. Luis Scola is the new Yao Ming when it comes to "one-way" calls. He gets called for every little ticky-tack thing and he gets POUNDED on the other end and there's no call. Carl Landry got both arms taken out from under the basketball AND knocked down on one layup attempt and there was no call then HE was called for an over-the-back on the other end and he wan't within 2 feet of the guy he supposedly fouled! Uh....there are three officials calling NBA games for a reason; they're supposed to be in position to make the correct call! NOT to be in position is inexcusable! Get it right, NBA!

2. Change the rules to punish "flopping." In years past it may have been "smart basketball," but now its epidemic and guys fall over as if shot close range with a 30-06 every time someone breathes on them! A flop by Utah probably cost the Rockets game one and subsequent flops have sent Rockets players to the bench prematurely in foul trouble on several other occasions. Flopping is changing the fabric of the game and the league owes it to its audience to figure out a way to stop it before individual achievement awards in the league are Oscars.

Oh well. Maybe some of this will help the Rockets next year. I'm afraid its too late to change anything THIS year! - Dan