Rockets Mailbag : Catching the Spurs, Jazz

[달려라티맥]

Mail Time: Can the Rockets catch anyone out West?

Rockets.com's Damien Pierce opens his mailbag to answer fans' questions

Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer

(-_- 표정..)

Rockets.com beat writer Damien Pierce opens up his mailbag each week to answer fans' questions.

So ask Pierce anything about the NBA or the Rockets. He’ll come up with an answer or an answer that sounds right. His answers, of course, are entirely his own opinion.

Guess what is on everyone's mind this week? With the playoffs about a month away, fans want to know if the Rockets can catch the Spurs and Jazz in the Western Conference standings.

Pierce will be fielding questions again on March 23, so send in your queries.

로켓츠 Mailbag 시간 입니다.. 아 요즘 정신없네요..

Do the Rockets have any chance of catching the San Antonio Spurs or Utah Jazz in the Western Conference?
-- Dave Marshall, Houston

The Rockets certainly have time to catch the San Antonio Spurs with 17 games remaining on their schedule, but it won't be easy.

San Antonio is (surprise, surprise) suddenly playing great basketball with the playoffs right around the corner. Manu Ginobili has been unstoppable for about two weeks and Tim Duncan is dominating again. The Spurs are riding a 13-game winning streak and have a comfy 6 1/2 game cushion over the Rockets.

With that said, I think the Rockets are more concerned with trying to catch Utah. Really since January, Houston has been pushing for home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Jazz are leading the Rockets by 3 1/2 games, but Houston appears to have a more favorable closing schedule. Utah is playing nine clubs that are at least .500 over the final month of the season, while the Rockets are only playing six teams with winning records over that span.

The Rockets also get two shots at the Jazz over the next 17 games. Win those and Game 1 could be in Toyota Center.

1. 서부컨퍼에서 샌왕이나 유타를 따라잡을 수 있을까?
아직 17경기 남짓 남앗기 때문에 충분히 가능하지만, 쉽지 않겟죠..
샌왕은 슬로우스타터 답게 올스타뷁 이후로 굉장한 성적 보여주고 잇죠.. 지노빌리는 거의 2주동안 대단한 플레이를 선보엿고.. 덩컨은 여전히 골밑을 지배하고 잇습니다..
(이 글이 올라온 날) 13연승 중이엿구요.. 6.5 경기 차이로 휴스턴에 앞서 잇습니다..
최근성적이든 어느부분을 보더라도 샌왕보단 유타를 잡는게 더 수월할거라고 생각합니다..
유타는 로켓츠를 3.5경기 차로 앞서고 잇습니다.. 하지만 두 팀의 스케쥴을 보면 로켓츠가 유리합니다..

유타는 5할이 넘는 팀들과의 경기가 많구요.. 그에 비하면 로켓츠는 연승 기록을 가진 상대팀은 6팀 뿐입니다.. 
이제 로켓츠는 남은 경기 중 2번을 유타와 갖게 됩니다..
유타 따라잡고 홈경기 어드벤티지 가지자!!
현재 유타는 43승 21패..(.672%)
로켓츠는 40승 25패(.615%)네요..

Who grades the referees and who determines which referees will officiate in the NBA Finals?
-- Glenn Garig, Magnolia

Stu Jackson, the NBA's Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, is in charge of supervising officials. He's got a six-man team that analyzes how the men in stripes are performing.

Beyond that group, the league has standard observers at each game. The observers grade calls, analyze each official, see how the referees are working together as a group and report to the league's Director of Officiating and the Director of Performance Analysis. The league's coaches and general managers also have some input by reporting to the league how they think officials are doing.

The zebras -- although I guess they don't wear stripes in the NBA -- that get high performance scores are selected to officiate the playoffs and eventually the NBA Finals. Usually, the referees hand-picked for that highest honor are fairly tenured.

2. 누가 심판의 능력을 판단하고, 또 누가 파이널의 심판을 결정할까?
NBA 부사장님. Stu Jackson.. 이분이 이쪽 관리를 맡으신다네요.. 
그리고 그 분 밑에서 심판들의 플레잉을 분석하는 6명의 팀원들이 잇구요..
이 팀 말고도, 리그엔 각 경기마다 정식관찰자들이 잇나봅니다.. 이 사람들이 심판들의 경기력을 각각 면밀하게 분석해서 상위그룹에게 보고하는 일을 하는군요..
그리고 리그의 감독이나 GM들도 심판들의 경기력을 평가하고 보고하기도 한답니다..
이렇게 까다로운(?) 평가 이후에 가장 높은 점수를 받은 심판들이 파이널의 심판으로 결정된답니다..

Rafer Alston is always left open by other teams because of his shooting. What's it going to take for him to improve? Why does Jeff Van Gundy not allow Vassilis Spanoulis to play for five to 10 minutes when Rafer is having a bad game?
-- Amish Karani, Houston

I'm surprised that we've managed to go over a month in the Mailbag without a more significant push in the Bench-Rafer-for-another-point-guard campaign.

Alston might not be burying jumpers with a high frequency, but it's unfair to judge whether the point guard is having a good or bad game based on his shooting numbers alone. The ball moves around the perimeter better when Alston is on the floor. He might not always be the guy that's getting an assist on a play, but he's often the guy that makes the pass before the pass that found an open man. That, to me, is really his most important asset. Are the Rockets at their best when he's at point guard? Yes. If he's running the offense effectively and efficiently, then he's having a positive impact even on those nights when his jumper isn't dropping.

Alston rarely gets credit on the nights when he's hitting. Did anyone notice that he was 7-of-10 against the Clippers on Wednesday? But overall, the Rockets would certainly benefit if Alston was sinking at a higher rate than 36.9 percent. He could improve his overall numbers by driving a little bit more because he takes a ton of three-point shots, but then he would be passing on the look that he's already being given. Alston's adjusted field goal percentage is actually a respectable 46 percent when the number of three's he's taking are factored in.

But at some point, Alston deserves credit for getting the rest of the team in a flow. The Rockets don't quite click as good when he's not on the floor.

3. 엘스턴.. 요즘 슛난조를 보이면서 상대팀 선수들도 제대로 막지 않는 모습이 보이는데.. 어떻게 할건가.. 또 엘스턴이 부진할 때, 왜 스페놀을 뛰게 하지 않는건가?
요즘 좋은 모습을 보여주지 못하고 잇긴 하지만, 한 팀의 포인트 가드를 슛팅숫자로만 판단하는건 옳지 못합니다..
엘스턴이 코트에 잇을 때, 로켓츠의 볼 움직임은 훨씬 좋구요.. 항상 어시가 많은건 아니지만.. 종종 패싱에서도 좋은 모습 보여주구요.. 이것이 엘스턴에겐 최고의 장점이라고 봅니다..
그가 포가로 나설 때 로켓츠가 제일 낫지 않던가요? 그가 공격을 아주 효과적이고 효율적으로 이끌어 간다면, 슛이 안좋다 하더라도 분명 좋은 효과를 보일 것입니다..
엘스턴.. 요즘 들어서 그의 슛팅력이 제대로 나오지 않고 잇죠.. 클립스전에선 7-10의 아주 좋은 모습 보여줫엇는데.. 하지만 종합적으로 볼때, 로켓츠는 엘스턴이 36.9% 이상의 슛%를 보여줄때 큰 도움이 되죠.. 엘스턴이 3점을 비교적 많이 던지기 때문에 슛%가 좋지 않은거죠.. 더 많은 드라이빙을 한다면 전반적으로 나아질 겁니다.. (플로터도 만만치 않은데..) 
하지만 어떤 점에서 보면, 엘스턴은 충분히 다른 선수들보다 신임을 받을만합니다.. 지금까지 그가 코트에 서지 않을 때 로켓츠는 더 나은 모습을 보이지 못햇기 때문이죠.. (스페놀에 대한 언급은 없네요.. )

Why is Shane Battier in the starting lineup even though he does not put big numbers?
-- Alex Yulo, Houston

Now, this one shocks me. Shane Battier certainly doesn't put up arcade numbers. But is he really that hard to notice on a basketball court?

Here's a hint of what to look for: He's usually the guy chasing the other team's All-Star all over the hardwood, picking up someone else's man with his superb help defense, diving for a loose ball out of bounds to get the Rockets an extra possession or, on occassion, cooly stroking a three-pointer from the corner.

Once you see all that, you'll have your answer on why he's a starter.

4. 베티에가 점수를 많이 못내는데 왜 라인업에 끼나??-_-; 이런..
이거 정말 쇼킹스럽네요.. 물론 득점을 많이 뽑아주지 못하지만.. 베티에가 그런 선수이던가요....
베티에는 에이스킬러죠! 상대팀의 올스타급 선수는 도맡아서 수비하고 잇습니다.. 게다가 헬프디펜스, 허슬플레이에 3점슛 확률도 높은 편이죠! 정말 경기를 제대로 보셔야할거 같네요..

Will the Rockets have a nine-man rotation when Bonzi Wells returns from his foot injury?
-- Robert Jones, Houston

Bonzi Wells could be a difference maker in the playoffs if he's healthy and productive. But he's running out of time to solidify his spot in the rotation.

Before Wednesday's game against the Clippers, Jeff Van Gundy said he's going to play at least eight guys over the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. No, he wasn't already excluding Bonzi (or even Kirk Snyder). He was merely pointing out that eight guys are for sure going to get minutes as the season unravels. He left the door open for someone else to get into the mix, but the coach is obviously looking to tighten his rotation more than expand it at this point in the season.

Wells could work his way back in. But he isn't guaranteed playing time because he's been in and out of the lineup. The swingman has missed eight straight games with a sore left foot. For those keeping track at home, he's now missed 49 games this season.

Since Wells was a bona-fide Spurs killer during last year's postseason and he gives the Rockets a slashing scoring threat, my hunch is that he will eventually expand Van Gundy's rotation to nine. But he's certainly going to have to be on the floor over much of the final month of the season if that's going to happen.

5. 반지가 돌아오면 9명의 로테이션으로 돌아가게 될까?
반지.. 건강한 몸상태로 플레이오프에 돌입한다면 분명 엄청난 모습을 보여줄겁니다.. 하지만
클립스 전에 밴건디님은 인터뷰에서 현재 선수들을 중심으로 해서 적어도, 8명의 로테이션으로 갈거라고 말햇답니다..
하지만 벌써 반지나, 스나이더를 제외한건 아니구요.. 단지, 남은 시즌의 경기 동안에 이 선수들이 많은 플레잉타임을 부여받는다는 걸 지적하려고 햇던거 같습니다..
그렇지만, 반지가 돌아온다 하더라도, 워낙 라인업에 들엇다말앗다 햇기 때문에 플레잉타임을 보장받기는 힘들거 같습니다.. 왼쪽발 부상으로 8경기째 결장중이구요.. 이번 시즌 총 49경기 결장햇습니다..
반지는 지난 시즌에 샌왕을 상대로 엄청 강한 모습을 보여주면서 로켓츠의 득점원이 되기엔 충분햇엇죠.. 이런 영향으로 볼때, 그는 아마 밴건디님의 9명 로테이션에 들거라고 예상됩니다..
하지만 만약 로테이션에 든다면 가능한한 많은 경기를 치뤄봐야 하겟죠..

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하 요즘 힘들 생활을 하니까

아주 정신이 없습니다~

내일 중계일정이 잇네요!

드뎌 생중계를 보는구나..

Go Rockets!!

궁금한점이 생겻습니다..

유타랑 3.5경기 차이인거 같은데요..

이번 플레이오프 시드 대진 시스템이..

일단 디비전 1위 셋이랑, 나머지 승률 높은 한 팀

이렇게 넷이서 승률대로 시드 잡는거 아닌가요?

아니면 무조건 승률대로만 하는걸로 바뀐거엿나요?..

p.s : 티백타임님 내일 머하시나요?ㅎㅎ..

[(티맥 + 엔서니)]

믿습니다 휴스턴~

[Colorado-Denver]

배티어 부분에선 저도 당황스럽네요... 근데 뭐~ 전문가가 쓰셨으니~~~

[달려라티맥]

질문은 현지 팬들이 하는거 같은데.. 도저히 이해가 안되네요..

[PennyToAmare]

완소 베티에를 -_-;;;

[Robinson50]

시드는 그대로지만... 홈코트 어드벤티지가 바뀔수 있습니다.. 결국 4번시드와 마찬가지가 되죠...