10/12/05 - [Magic @ Houston] - Preview & Postgame <div align="center"> @ <font color=""RoyalBlue"">Orlando Magic</font> (1-0) @ <font color=""Red"">Houston Rockets</font> (1-0) Preseason Game <font color=""Red"">Toyota Center</font> Wednesday, October 12, 2005 - 7:30 p.m. CT Local TV: <font color=""Red"">Ch.51</font> Starting Lineups: C - <font color=""Red"">Yao Ming</font> PF - <font color=""Red"">Stromile Swift</font> SF - <font color=""Red"">Tracy McGrady</font> SG - <font color=""Red"">David Wesley</font> PG - <font color=""Red"">Rafer Alston</font> C - <font color=""RoyalBlue"">Tony Battie</font> PF - <font color=""RoyalBlue"">Dwight Howard</font> SF - <font color=""RoyalBlue"">Grant Hill</font> SG - <font color=""RoyalBlue"">DeShawn Stevenson</font> PG - <font color=""RoyalBlue"">Steve Francis</font> Coaches: VS As HOU Coach (96-68) <font color=""Red"">Jeff Van Gundy</font> / <font color=""RoyalBlue"">Brian Hill</font> (191-129) As ORL Coach</div> <div align="center">It's only the second preseason game so don't expect the starters to play alot minutes. The starters will get around 20-25 minutes so the bench players can get more playing time. Also expect to see each coach trying different lineups during the game. The game doesn't count, so the coaches will use this time to prepare for the upcoming season. Centers: VS (19ppg, 4rpg, 1bpg) <font color=""Red"">Yao Ming</font> / <font color=""RoyalBlue"">Tony Battie</font> (2ppg , 3rpg, 3bpg) With Kelvin Cato still rehabbing his left shoulder it's not likely he'll play. So that brings up Tony Battie to start for the game. Tony Battie is a decent rebounder, and is not really known for scoring. Tony may also not have the size (240lbs) to handle Yao. Last year Yao Ming had success against the Magic averaging 21ppg, 8rpg, and 1.5bpg. This was all with Cato starting so you can expect Yao to have no problems up against Battie. Expect alot of double teams on Yao when he gets good position.</div> <div align="center">Power Forwards: VS (--ppg, --rpg, --bpg) <font color=""Red"">Stromile Swift</font> / <font color=""RoyalBlue"">Dwight Howard</font> (15ppg, 7rpg, 0bpg) Stromile Swift missed the first preseason game due to a minor injury. But you can expect him to play in this game. The Rockets will need Swift's speed and athleticism to keep up with Howard. Dwight has a greater size advantage on Swift. But Dwight doesn't have Yao as a teammate. So you can expect Swift to get a good amount of scoring opportunities. Dwight has the advantage over Swift, but expect him to have trouble on defense if Yao gets going. Small Forwards: VS (15ppg, 1rpg, 2apg) <font color=""Red"">Tracy McGrady</font> / <font color=""RoyalBlue"">Grant Hill</font> (12ppg, 4rpg, 2apg) Tracy McGrady will be playing his former team for the second time since he was traded last year. T-Mac may be slightly motivated to outperform his former team, but don't expect much since it's preseason. Tracy will be matched up against his former teammate Grant Hill. Grant is a smart veteran who can still put up great numbers if he gets hot. So T-Mac needs to remember to play defense because you don't want Grant to get hot. I expect T-Mac to win this matchup, but I still think Grant will have a solid game being the smart veteran he is. Shooting Guards: VS (3ppg, 5apg, 0spg) <font color=""Red"">David Wesley</font> / <font color=""RoyalBlue"">DeShawn Stevenson</font> (15ppg, 6rpg, 1spg) David Wesley is still the starting SG as we saw from the 76ers game. DeShawn may have a tough time chasing Wesley around. David is good moving off the ball, and he always gets open shots. DeShawn will have to know where Wesley is at all times. Stevenson, usually a bench player but is now starting. Deshawn is a true SG unlike Wesley and has the height advantage. David Wesley will need to use his smarts to defend Stevenson who also has the ability to score. Point Guards: VS (7ppg, 7apg, 2spg) <font color=""Red"">Rafer Alston</font> / <font color=""RoyalBlue"">Steve Francis</font> (12ppg, 6apg, 2spg) Steve Francis is back to the PG spot, and back in Houston for the second time since the trade. And that means a really tough matchup for Rafer. Steve Francis has the ability to score big numbers and get his team involved. Rafer will need to use his speed to stay in front of Stevie and limit the number of times he penetrates to the basket. But it's really unlikely that Francis will be stopped. So Rafer's role in this game will be to set up his teammates with shots, make his open shots, and do the best he can against Steve. 6th Man: VS Being that it's only the second preseason game there won't really be a 6th man. All the bench players will get more minutes so the coaches can fill out their depth charts. Expect the 2nd string players to have a good game, but don't be surprised if a rookie or a 3rd string player has a good game.</div> <font color=""Red"">Prediction:</font> I pick the Rockets to win the game. I predict a close game in the 1st half, but I see the Rockets gaining control in the 2nd and taking the win. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- <font size=""4""> Postgame Analysis after the Game</font> JuLiO-R-
Ahhhh, my 1st one. It takes alot longer than I thought lol. Oh well I had fun doing it and I hope you guys like it. As for the game, I can't wait to see Stevie again. Even though I was all for the trade, I'm still a Stevie Franchise fan. I would go to the game, but the Astros are gonna be playing ,and that's more important right now. **Oh yeah I forgot to mention: <font size=""4"">All the Player Stats are based on what they've done in the preseason.</font>
Good Preview.. Really insightful. Good set-up as well. I want Head to play big minutes. Maybe at the 2 guard. So bench Wesley tommorow, atleast for the first half. Let's see what Luther's got. My take: Center: Yao. 19 points in 21 minutes last game. Unreal. Doesn't matter to me who he's playing against, Yao's bringing it this year. Power Forward: Too early to tell with Swift and a Second year kid with Howard. I would think they'll put up equal numbers. Small Forward: T-mac really beats anyone not named Artest, Kobe or LeBron. And even against those three he's got SOME edge. Shooting Guard: This and PG will be the most rotated position so it's hard to tell. Point Guard: I'm in Love with Rafer. 7 assists and he didn't look like he was trying at all. I think he can get 9 this season. I am also hoping to see Jon Barry play tommorow. Hopefully Luther gets some more PT.
I expect Swift to struggle with his shot at first. But also expect him to get some offensive rebounds, and putbacks. I think Tmac will go off!!
Van Gundy should sit guys like Wesley, TMac and Yao. He's already seen what they can do and it'll be wiser to give the young guys more time to show themselves. I'd like to see guys like Keith Langford, Chuck Hayes, Baxter and Head play more. They're all great prospects for playing time when the season rolls around and they should get a chance to prove how they'll do as main guys in the rotation. We also shouldn't prejudge right after the first game because for a lot of these rookies, they're just going on adrenaline. The battle for starting power forward is on. Btw, good preview Julio-R-, nice work.
Yeah as much as I can't wait to see Yao and TMac, I would like to see more of our young guys like Head,Stro,and Baxter.......man there's so much going on tonight Astros,Rockets,and Lost.
man, baxter was awesome yesterday, but he had too much turnover and stuff. langford and hayes need to show what they can do if the want to make the team. nice preview
Great job Julio. Nice analysis and format. Anyways, I think this game should be pretty exciting, even though its only the preseason. Most notably, this is another game where old Steve Francis is in town. Look for in this game some major minutes going to Head, Baxter, and Alston for Van Gundy to test them out. Especially, this game is crucial for Luther Head. In these couple of games, he's going to have to fight hard to show his stuff to the coach and hopefully get minutes during the regular season. I'll take an Orlando win, with McGrady and Yao not getting major minutes and the Magic being spurred on by their young duo of Howard and Nelson.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">nice preview..j/w why stromile isnt playing?? can someone explain this to me</div> Apparently a bruised right forearm.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AznxBaller:</div><div class="quote_post">Apparently a bruised right forearm.</div> thanks..
Wow, alston is turning out a lot better than i thought. He looks like he can give us a good 8 assists every night and bring some strength at the point. Head hit some big shots. He is a terrible playmaker though and a ballhog. Definetley not earning much playing time.
Luther Head did well... it's kind of weird a couple months ago I shot basketball with him at his apartment and now hes in the NBA!
Nice preview Julio-R! It was a close game than yesterday. Aside from Yao and TMac, Head and Rafer have their usual numbers. Head should learn to orchestrate the offense properly if he wants to be effective on the floor. He's good on defense but has yet to workout on playmaking. I wish we could see Stromile in the next few games.
A great solid win today. I'm likin what i see in Head and Alston. Hopefully Alston can do this consistently in the regular season and average like 8 assists for us. That would be great for the team. Luther is very good today in shooting the ball. Keep his up and he'll get game time. All he needs to do is pass a little bit more and run the offense a little more. TMac and Yao are business as usual. Great to see Yao being more aggressive and getting to the free throw line. Hes even knocking all of them in! If this is what we can expect to see this season, I say the first game cant come soon enough.
I'm looking at the box score here, and I'm more impressed with Jon Barry than I am with Head and Alston. Barry came out into his first game in 5 months, and proceeds to hit 2-3 from three and 4-4 from the line. I also don't see how Anderson has beat out Wesley for the starting two yet. Wesley went 1-7, Anderson 1-5. Doesn't make much difference to me.
Im gonna be honest and say I didnt really watch the game last night. The Astros had me distracted. I had planned to do a Postgame Analysis of the game but I didnt see enough of the game to do so.
if anderson and wesley keeps on playing even at the last game of the preseason, i would say start barry or even head, since moochie is also doing good at the first game and see wat happens
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Avery:</div><div class="quote_post">You can view highlights of the game by clicking here.</div> You can also get the highlights here or here.
