Suns vs. Rockets

[slinslin]

27pts 8reb 10ast 11/21FGs Probably the best JJ game yet.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Saw some more of Lampe there at the end. It was funny when the pass went between his legs. My first thought was, he needs better hands.

Then he did a perfect catch and shoot just right of the free throw line on the next play. Looks like you just need to hit the kid in the hands but he is definitely ready to shoot.

The next play he flies down the court once the Suns have the ball. I mean seriously fast.

Finally he tries a ball fake at the three point line that no one bites at. You need to show you can make that shot first before you fake it.

You can certainly see he has raw talent.

 

[Joe Mama]

Originally posted by Chris_Sanders
Saw some more of Lampe there at the end. It was funny when the pass went between his legs. My first thought was, he needs better hands.

Then he did a perfect catch and shoot just right of the free throw line on the next play. Looks like you just need to hit the kid in the hands but he is definitely ready to shoot.

The next play he flies down the court once the Suns have the ball. I mean seriously fast.

Finally he tries a ball fake at the three point line that no one bites at. You need to show you can make that shot first before you fake it.

You can certainly see he has raw talent.

That one that went between his legs was a flat out terrible pass by JJ. He needs a lot of work, but he conceived and the talent is definitely there. I would love to see him run a good pick and roll with one of the guards.

Joe Mama

 

[arthurracoon]

Originally posted by slinslin
27pts 8reb 10ast 11/21FGs Probably the best JJ game yet.

Sooooo close to the triple double D'Antoni asked him about.

Wonder what D'Antoni will ask him today.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Good game. Had a chance to attend this one.

Since our seats were just off the baseline on the Suns end (row 9). I got to get a good look at the warm ups prior to the game.

Lampe looks good to me. He needs to add some muscle, but his is young. He has a good looking shot. Nice rhythm and effortless release.

 

[cardsunsfan]

he conceived? right there on the court?

 

[Billythekid]

Wow what can you say about JJ. He's been absolutley amazing since the trade.

The best thing about the recent trade... we got Joe Johnson.
I'm stumped for words, i'm that impressed. I was very critical of his inconstistancy's in the past but he's made me believe he's capable of being one of the best SG's in the league.

 

[cardsunsfan]

yup it is pretty amazing...I wouldn't give up on possibly wanting to get Kobe though...how many 40 points games did he have in a row!? Now that's impressive...

 

[zett]

Billy, your not the only one here thats eating a healthy dose of crow, most on this board were all for getting rid of the guy,either by benching him or trading him!

 

[George O'Brien]

When the Suns are hitting from the outside, they can almost impossible to beat. The Rockets have the best defense in the NBA and the Suns shot 46.8% and 38.5% for 3. Hitting their shots helped across te board because the Suns outrebounded the Rockets 48-41.

JJ had another fantastic game (ho hum) , but the key was Marion. It has been a long time since Shawn looked that good on offense.

Voskuhl played as well on defense as he has ever played. It was a struggle because Yao is so big, but he kept Yao from totally destroying them by fighting to deny him the basket.

Lampe was not in for long, but he hit a jumper and more important played pretty well on defense. In the short time I've seen him, I think he may be doing better on defense than Zarko.

They have not yet had him defend the post, but his defense on the outside is very impressive for a guy his size.

Huge win.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Originally posted by zett
Billy, your not the only one here thats eating a healthy dose of crow, most on this board were all for getting rid of the guy,either by benching him or trading him!

For once I was right!! Of course I never predicted it would take the departure of Marbury for it to be "JJs year" as I proclaimed to everyone I knew all summer long.

 

[Joe Mama]

Before the Marbury trade I was all for trading Joe Johnson. I just didn't think he would have much value. I would have preferred that he was getting about half the minutes. I said repeatedly that he would never be a good player.

It sure looks like I was wrong, and I'm happy that I was.

Joe Mama

 

[schutd]

I wonder how Matt Whitlock feels about these happenings?????

 

[SirStefan32]

Originally posted by Joe Mama
Before the Marbury trade I was all for trading Joe Johnson. I just didn't think he would have much value. I would have preferred that he was getting about half the minutes. I said repeatedly that he would never be a good player.

It sure looks like I was wrong, and I'm happy that I was.

Joe Mama

Me too Joe. I though Johnson would never be a decent player.

 

[George O'Brien]

Originally posted by SirStefan32
Me too Joe. I though Johnson would never be a decent player.

I think it is good lesson on the dangers of being too quick to judge young players. I kept seeing this brief flashes of total brilliance and held the hope that he would get over the hump. Boy, did he.

On a similar note, it seems like every time I really rag on Voskuhl he has a big game just to prove me wrong (I'm sure he reads every post ). I'm still convinced the Suns need to upgrade the position, but if you had asked me a year ago I'd have considered Jake a complete lost cause.

On a team with this many young players, it is easy to dismiss them after less than two years. That's how the Suns got JJ cheap and Voskuhl even cheaper. JJ was a #10 pick in the 2001 draft and was considered a great offensive player in college - but he wasn't ready for the NBA.

Now he is.

 

[F-Dog]

If anybody hasn't seen it already, here's the opponents' view, a recap from the Houston Chronicle:

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2384675

...The Rockets did rally, cutting the 22-point deficit to five by halftime despite making just 40 percent of their shots in the second quarter. Yao triggered a three-point play with a dunk and a scream, and Jim Jackson ended the half with a driving jumper to complete a 21-3 run.

"We (competed) in the second quarter for a bit, but they were playing their JV team at the time," Van Gundy said. "They trotted out guys just to develop them."

Having regained the Suns' attention, the Rockets quickly and quietly surrendered. They did little to slow the Suns, leaving shooters too alone for Phoenix to miss as it had in the second quarter.

The Suns made seven of 13 3-pointers in the second half, six in the third quarter. By the fourth quarter, they were penetrating to the rim too easily to have to pass to an open shooter, usually finishing drives easily.

Marion sank four of his seven 3-pointers to finish with 31 points. Joe Johnson had 27 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, finishing the rout with a drive to an uncontested slam.

But that was a fitting end to a day that for the Rockets began a man short. When it ended, it was clear they were missing more than their point guard...

 

[George O'Brien]

Here is another part of the article:

Power forward Scott Padgett started for the Rockets on Monday night.

The lineup change, the Rockets' first this season not forced by injury or suspension, had nothing to do with Steve Francis' absence. Mark Jackson started for Francis, and Padgett started in place of Kelvin Cato to offer a better matchup at power forward against Shawn Marion.

Marion ended up with his best game of the year.

 

[F-Dog]

Originally posted by George O'Brien
Marion ended up with his best game of the year.

Yeah, I think starting Padgett instead of Cato was a big mistake on JVG's part; Cato would have tired out Marion and given the Rockets somewhere else to go for offense, and Padgett didn't exactly shut Marion down on the other end.

Of course, they started Cato in the last game and still lost, so I guess I can't blame JVG for trying to shake things up a little.

 

[Joe Mama]

Originally posted by F-Dog
Yeah, I think starting Padgett instead of Cato was a big mistake on JVG's part; Cato would have tired out Marion and given the Rockets somewhere else to go for offense, and Padgett didn't exactly shut Marion down on the other end.

Of course, they started Cato in the last game and still lost, so I guess I can't blame JVG for trying to shake things up a little.

I agree. I thought they made a huge mistake not playing Cato more.

Joe Mama

 

[JCSunsfan]

These are the big questions for the Houston Rockets:

Will Houston coaching ever design an offense to go through Yao?

Will Houston players (especially guards) ever figure out that a dunk by Yao is a higher percentage shot than their own contested runner?

Will Yao ever jump--especially on defense.

 

[schutd]

I dont think Houston CAN design an offense to go through Yao as long as that selfish turd "the franchise" is on their squad. I dont think theres a player in the league I dislike more than Steve Frncis.

 

[George O'Brien]

Originally posted by schutd
I dont think Houston CAN design an offense to go through Yao as long as that selfish turd "the franchise" is on their squad. I dont think theres a player in the league I dislike more than Steve Frncis.

Fortson.

 

[Dr. Dumas]

Malone

 

[Errntknght]

GrahmCrackr, "For once I was right!! Of course I never predicted it would take the departure of Marbury for it to be "JJs year" as I proclaimed to everyone I knew all summer long."

I don't want to rain on everyone's parade but we can't be too euphoric about JJ just yet. He sure seems to have a delicate psyche and he hasn't been tested under serious pressure so far. The games now are roughly as important as summer league play and JJ shined in those from the beginning, according to those that saw him play - including his teammates. He's played quite well in the fourth quarters of the games and that's a slight bit of pressure, which is a good sign. Still I want to see him playing when we're fighting for playoff position and in the playoffs where the pressure peaks. I'm not predicting his shooting will fall apart but it is a legitimate concern.

I'm not at all sure the departure of Marbury had a lot to do with the startling turn around in jj's play. For one thing JJ attributed it to the not having the spectre of Penny hanging over him. He may be wrong about that, of course. Another possibility is that with Marbury & Penny gone and the team's record what it was, the team was believed to be out of the playoff hunt; sudden drop in pressure. With three things happening at once we're all guessing as to what was the key element for JJ but the parallel with his equally startling negative turn around with the change in pressure from summer league to regular season causes a nagging doubt that we know the final story on JJ now.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

I agree with a lot that you said, however the departure of Marbury has a big deal to do with I think. Joe has been playing much better when he intiates the offense. Even if he doesnt bring it down, if he is able to start up the play, he does much better. He also takes it inside a lot more now. When Marbury was on teh team, he constantly drove it inside, clogging it up to much for anyone else to penetrate.

The fact that Penny is gone is a big deal for sure. I don't think anyone can argue that.

About the suns not facing any pressure, therefor he feels relaxed. I personally think that statement is off. What do you think causes more pressure? Being the 4th option on a team that is supposed to be in the playoffs, or playing for your next contract??? JJ is up for an extension this summer I believe, you have to assume he feels just as much pressure to perform well in order to cash in off of this.

Contracts after your rookie deal usually pave the way. If you get screwed on your first contract because you didnt show enough, you could be locked up at a bargain price for years. Look at Michael Redd at 3 million a year.

All I am saying is if you assume JJ felt pressure from being on a team with expectations, you have to assume he is pressured by performing up to his personal expectations.



Of course we will be able to see how it all works out next year when the suns are in the playoffs (hopefully)