Rockets' Game Five Grades

Last nights game was an embarrassment to the entire city of Houston. The Rockets lost by 40 points in the biggest loss in franchise playoff history. The game started off well, and we jumped out to an early lead in the beginning of the first quarter; however, we never got anywhere near the lead after that point. The game was no one player or coaches fault, so the grades are going to reflect that.

Aaron Brooks C- : Aaron led the Rockets with 14 points on 4-11 shooting and had some three pointers almost go in. However, our offense's stagnation and turnovers fall on Brooks because it is his responsibility as the point guard to run the offense. Also, his two assists are way to low for a point guard and he needs to put his teammates in better positions.

Ron Artest F- : 4-15 from the field, 1-7 from behind the arc, 0 free throws, and 4 turnovers. Crazy Ron refused to play in the flow of the offense after he made two shots early in the game, instead choosing to dribble the ball around before jacking up a bad shot. He made lazy passes and wasn't careful with the ball, so the Lakers took advantage. Ron hijacked the offense and probably deserves most of the blame after last night's debacle.

Shane Battier D : When Shane takes seven shots, he better make half of them because he only shoots when he is wide open. Last night, he shot 2-7 including only 1-4 from three. He wasn't able to replicate his game 4 performance on offense or defense. Kobe was a very efficient 10-19, and he was able to get in the paint several times. This falls on Shane, and Shane must play D like he did on sunday if we want to win.

Luis Scola F : Scola has not played well at all this series. Last night was no different. He had two turnovers and struggled to catch the ball all night. He is not making his shots because the length of the Lakers is bothering him. Luis needs to figure out how to play before our next game or we will lose.

Chuck Hayes C : Chuck scored six points!!! SIX!!! Thats THREE made shots!! However, after his three baskets, Chuck didn't do that much. He got in foul trouble early and was not able to make a difference like in game 4. He needs to stay out of foul trouble and play great D on thursday.

Carl Landry B- : The highest shooting percentage on the Rockets at 67%, he scored 9 points. Another good performance for Carl. I think we need to see more of him than Scola in game 6.

Von Wafer B : Please explain why Wafer played the second least minutes on the team (13, James White had 5). He scored 13 points in 13 minutes. His only turnover was when Vujacic pushed him out of bounds. He had five quick points off the bench then was replaced. Adellman needs to get past his grudge and let Wafer play. We need to score more points.

Brian Cook F- : I wonder why Cook never plays for us? Maybe its because he sucks: 0-7 from the field. Why is he even playing? I would rather see Joey Dorsey get a few minutes than this bum.

Kyle Lowry D : 1-7 from the field and 0-3 from three, Lowry did not shoot well at all. However, he did have 4 assists and no turnovers. We need to cut down on turnovers, so maybe Lowry should play more.

Brent Barry B- : 3-5 for 8 points, but he had 3 turnovers. We cannot turn the ball over, period. Their is no place for Brent's turnovers on the court.

James White D : He got in the game. However, he didn't dunk the ball and went 0-6. Oh well, its just garbage time.

Joey Dorsey Inc. : Maybe he should play. At least he didn't do anything wrong.

Rick Adelman F : The Rockets played terribly on Tuesday, and a lot of the blame must fall on the coach. While he deserves a lot of credit for getting the Rockets this far, last night was a disaster. Brian Cook played 19 minutes. End of story. There is no way in hell that Brian Cook should be allowed to suit up for the team, let alone play significant minutes. Also, Adelman's feud against Von Wafer is hurting the team and he needs to get over it.