Homecourt advantage evaporates after Game 1 loss to Jazz
Sunday, April 20th, 2008
by John
Yao Ming watches pre-game festivities of Game 1 of the Jazz-Rockets series on the Toyota Center big screen Saturday night in Houston. To see another photo of Yao in street clothes at the game, click here (updated with more photos 11:45am Central time).
With two starters out of their lineup (Yao and Rafer Alston), the Rockets were going to need an almost perfect game and at least 1 or 2 guys off the bench to step up and win Game 1 vs. the Jazz in Houston.
None of that happened as Utah bolted away late in the third and early in the fourth quarter to easily beat Houston 93-82.
There were several reasons why the Rockets lost this game, and no one can blame Tracy McGrady for all of it:
• The Rockets were killed on the offensive boards in the first half which put them in a big double-digit deficit. The Jazz had 7 offensive boards in the first quarter and 11 by halftime. It was like all that rebounding help the Rockets got after last season (Luis Scola, Carl Landry) didn’t make a bit of difference.
• Many missed shots around the rim against a scrapping Jazz defense down deep in the paint. Rick Adelman lamented after the game, “We didn’t finish all night long.”
• Too many missed free throws. 18-of-29 for 62% is NOT going to get it done.
• Alston’s replacement, Bobby Jackson, struggled mightily from the floor (3-of-15 shooting, including easy ones missed around the basket).
• Just not enough offense. They had only 67 points midway through the fourth quarter. That and their 36.7% shooting is not going to cut it. Neither will 6-of-22 shooting from 3-point territory.
• As Adelman and McGrady said after the game, after McGrady would pass out of a double-team, the guys who got the ball didn’t attack the Jazz defense like their game plan had dictated.
Yao Ming watches pre-game festivities of Game 1 of the Jazz-Rockets series on the Toyota Center big screen Saturday night in Houston. To see another photo of Yao in street clothes at the game, click here (updated with more photos 11:45am Central time).
With two starters out of their lineup (Yao and Rafer Alston), the Rockets were going to need an almost perfect game and at least 1 or 2 guys off the bench to step up and win Game 1 vs. the Jazz in Houston.
None of that happened as Utah bolted away late in the third and early in the fourth quarter to easily beat Houston 93-82.
There were several reasons why the Rockets lost this game, and no one can blame Tracy McGrady for all of it:
• The Rockets were killed on the offensive boards in the first half which put them in a big double-digit deficit. The Jazz had 7 offensive boards in the first quarter and 11 by halftime. It was like all that rebounding help the Rockets got after last season (Luis Scola, Carl Landry) didn’t make a bit of difference.
• Many missed shots around the rim against a scrapping Jazz defense down deep in the paint. Rick Adelman lamented after the game, “We didn’t finish all night long.”
• Too many missed free throws. 18-of-29 for 62% is NOT going to get it done.
• Alston’s replacement, Bobby Jackson, struggled mightily from the floor (3-of-15 shooting, including easy ones missed around the basket).
• Just not enough offense. They had only 67 points midway through the fourth quarter. That and their 36.7% shooting is not going to cut it. Neither will 6-of-22 shooting from 3-point territory.
• As Adelman and McGrady said after the game, after McGrady would pass out of a double-team, the guys who got the ball didn’t attack the Jazz defense like their game plan had dictated.