I could go through a lot of the details of the Rockets-Lakers game that Houston lost Wednesday night, but I think before people start panicking, it’s more important to address some of the things I think the Rockets need to fix to win games like this one.

Yao Ming throws down a dunk Wednesday against the Lakers, two of 16 points he would score on 7-of-9 shooting in a 102-96 loss. Click here for more photos from the game.

Let’s face it. For the Rockets to try to manufacture a player like Kobe Bryant is not an option. Kobe, who torched the Rockets down the stretch like he has does everyone to everyone, is one of a kind. Obviously, he can score at will when his team really needs a bucket.

There was a time awhile back when Kobe’s future with the Lakers was so much in doubt, there were rumors the Lakers might be willing to give up Kobe for McGrady and some other assets (referenced here in this Chronicle article early last year). For some reason, the Rockets thought the McGrady-Yao combination could still work, so they didn’t pursue it.

That may have been the worst deal the Rockets never made. If they had, this would be a completely different Rockets team in the clutch. Oh well.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love this Rockets team, but how they close out games now would be completely different.

I still think the Rockets can still find a way to win games in the clutch, and I’m not going to freak out because I believe Houston has guys who can hit shots: Yao Ming, Aaron Brooks, Von Wafer, Carl Landry, Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry, and Brent Barry.

I think the Rockets can do it “by committee.” Jonathan Feigen in the Chronicle does a good job here of describing how one of the answers lies in doing pick-and-roll with Brooks or Lowry.

I like Feigen’s suggestions, and the thing I’d like to point out to Yao fans is that Yao would not be the guy setting the pick. That’s because the guy who sets the pick has to be able to cut to the basket once he receives the ball after setting a pick, and probably put the ball on the floor for one dribble before putting up a shot. We all know that when Yao has to dribble, the chance of a turnover goes up. Instead, Landry and Scola are better at that.

Also, on a pick-and-roll, the big guy needs to be able to hit the outside shot. Although I think Yao can hit those shots, he doesn’t seem very comfortable shooting outside of the paint any more. Again, Landry and Scola are better outside shooters than Yao.

So where does that leave Yao? Of course, like Feigen said, I think the first option is to get the ball down low into him. But when you’ve got an aggressive defense like the Lakers were playing Wednesday night on Yao, that’s not always going to work. It will work most of the time, but not against one of the league’s quickest teams, especially when the entry pass is so predictable that it’s easy for players like Pau Gasol to gamble and go for a steal.

That forces you to Plan B, which to me is having Yao kick the ball out to open shooters, kind of like when Yao threw that pass to Brooks late in Wednesday’s game, and AB hit a 3-pointer and was fouled by Derek Fisher, turning it into a 4-point play.

Brooks has proven he can hit the open shot late against Dallas and Phoenix. And Wafer did it in Boston. And I believe Artest has proven it many times this season and his career, too.

The problem arises when no one is hitting outside shots during a particular game. Do you keep going with that strategy or go with something else?

That’s where the pick-and-roll option discussed above might work. I’d say that pick-and-roll should be Plan B2, right behind Plan B1, kicking it out to open shooters.

I heard a lot of nonsense Wednesday night on the Houston telecast that the Rockets are missing McGrady’s scoring ability in the clutch. But let’s face it folks, when’s the last time he delivered like that? Get over it TV people, McGrady is gone and the Rockets are better without him. Don’t let this one loss make you think the Rockets are doomed because they don’t have a player like Kobe or D-Wade.

Remember, the championship Rocket teams in ’94 and ’95 didn’t have a “superstar” player outside of Hakeem who had a reputation of hitting big shots. Instead, they had other players who delivered with big shots, like Vernon Maxwell, Robert Horry, Mario Elie, Sam Cassell and Kenny Smith. Not superstars, but solid players.

I believe that’s what the Rockets have now with players like Artest, Brooks, Wafer, Landry, Scola, Barry, Artest, and maybe even Battier (I’d also love to see what scoring-extraordinaire James White can do, just like what we saw with Wafer when he was given a chance).

Here’s the reality: this loss Wednesday night was arguably against the best team in the league. The Rockets were fortunate to have this “measuring stick” of a game to see where they need to improve heading into the stretch run of the season. If you love basketball like I do, it will be fun to watch how they try to do it.

Assuming Yao is going to be double-teamed late in games, do they bring in Barry earlier in the game so he can get warm and hit big shots like he has done so many times in his career? Give it more to Wafer? Let Brooks become the guy?

We all know the Rockets’ chances of winning a ring this season isn’t all that great given the Lakers stand in their way. So let’s use this season as a crucible in which the players they currently have can prove they are worthy of hitting big shots when Yao is smothered by the defense.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 12th, 2009 at 3:29 am and is filed under vs. LA Lakers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.