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Monday December 11, 2006 10:45 AM


Rockets relying more on three-point shooting


Houston is on pace to break several of the franchise's long range records


Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer

HOUSTON -- Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy realizes that the numbers might be a little startling to some.

The Rockets are second in the NBA in three-point field-goal attempts and are on pace to establish new franchise records for three-pointers made and attempted in a single season.

How does the coach feel about those stats? Van Gundy is actually not alarmed by Houston's torrid shooting pace through the first month of the season.

"The three-point shot is our third scoring option and that's where we've generated a lot of offense from," Van Gundy said. "I just want to see the right decisions being made. The question that you have to ask yourself when evaluating any shot is whether you like it or not before it goes in. Is it a good shot? We've had some games where we could have made better decisions, but I think we're getting good shots."

The Rockets could once again be relying on their long-range shooting when they visit the Charlotte Bobcats Friday night.

Being forced to take more perimeter shots against teams that are doubling Yao Ming and shutting off the lane to the Rockets' perimeter players, Houston is making 8.7 three-pointers and attempting 23.7 long-range shots per game.

The high-flying Phoenix Suns are the only team in the league pumping up more three-pointers than the Rockets.

The early returns have Van Gundy's team easily on pace to make over 700 three-pointers and attempt over 1,900 shots from long distance for the first time in franchise history.

The Rockets would obviously prefer to get the ball inside to their big man instead of taking such shots, but they are fine with simply taking what's being given to them.

Just ask Luther Head.

"We definitely want to get the ball inside to Yao, but that's what defenses are giving us right now," said Head, who is shooting a team-best 50 percent from downtown. "Yao and Tracy draw so much attention that you've got to have good outside shooting."

Despite some cold shooting spells here and there, the Rockets have been solid shooting team from beyond the arc.

Houston enters Friday's game ranked seventh in the league in three-point shooting at 36.8 percent and that's with Tracy McGrady shooting an uncharacteristic 29.5 percent from that distance.

Van Gundy said that he doesn't mind seeing his team put up a large number of three pointers.

His only stipulation is that he wants to see such shots coming from within the offense. He doesn't like watching his team shoot a quick three-pointer, but he also doesn't want his team passing up a wide-open look after Yao passes out of a double team.

Van Gundy pointed out that the Rockets probably took too many three-point attempts against Phoenix on Nov. 29. Houston attempted 38 three-pointers in that game, which was the second most in franchise history.

"We have an unselfish team," Van Gundy said. "In the Phoenix game, you could make a case that we would have been better advised to make a better decision with some of the threes that we took. But the three point shot is going to be a big part of what we do. It's just all about shot selection. There are times where we have to ask if that's the best we could have done."

The Rockets are finding on most nights that that has been the case.

"The majority of threes that we're getting have been in-rhythm shots and they're good shots," Rockets point guard Rafer Alston said. "They've been doubling Yao and he's made some good passes out. Those are shots that we have to take. It's just a matter making them."