<div align="center"> <font color="black">New Jersey Nets</font> VS <font color="red">Houston Rockets</font></div> When: Saturday November 12th, 8:00PM EST/7:00PM CT Where:Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford Local TV: YES, FSNSW <div align="center"> <font color="blue">Nets</font> <font color="blue">Jason Kidd - PG / Vince Carter - SG</font> Can anyone say best backcourt in the league? The Nets have the great luxury of having top 3 players at both guard positions. Jason Kidd is a triple-double constantly waiting to happen, and his pass-first mentality and confidence while pushing the break makes him a favorite teammate whichever team he plays on. Vince Carter is a walking poster whose ferocity at attacking the rim and competent outside game makes him hard to guard. This duo combines for 37 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists a night and you can count on them to have similar numbers against the Rockets. <font color="red">Rockets</font> <font color="red">Rafer Alston - PG / Derek Anderson - SG</font> Compared to the New Jersey superstar backcourt, the Rockets' counterparts look pale in comparison, but Rafer Alston and Derek Anderson are good players in their own part. Both are seasoned veterans who have put up good numbers on previous teams. Both are new to the Rockets, but have already taken big roles. Alston is a blindingly fast point guard who has good courtvision and perimeter shooting skills, but can tend to be a bit self-centered at times. Anderson is a good outside shooter and slasher but his shot selection can be worked on. In a game where the focus will be on the opposing backcourt, the Rockets' backcourt duo could have good, quiet showings. <font color="blue">Nets</font> <font color="blue">Richard Jefferson - SF / Jason Collins - C / Nenad Krstic - PF</font> The Nets frontcourt is comprised of three young, solid players. Richard Jefferson, since coming back from a wrist injury which caused him to miss 49 games last year, has been sensational, averaging 23.6 ppg, 11.2 rpg, and 5.8 apg in five games. Jefferson is unstoppable when going to the rim and has an improving outside game. Nenad Krstic, a second-year player from Serbia, is averaging 14.4 ppg and 6 rpg. Krstic has a good outside shot and is a strong offensive rebounder, but he needs to be more of a force in the low post. Jason Collins is a complimentary role player who won't get you many points or rebounds, but is a tough player inside and plays physical defense. Collins will be counted on to limit Yao Ming's touches and hold him to a low shooting percentage. [red]Rockets[/red] <font color="red">Tracy McGrady - SF / Yao Ming - C / Juwan Howard - PF</font> The outcome of this game might very well be decided on how effective Tracy McGrady will be. The Rockets All-Star small forward has missed the past three games because of a back injury but has made incredible strides in recovery, and he has hinted that he will play against the Nets. On opening night against the Kings with the same injury, McGrady scored 23 points. If he can put up anything over 20, the Rockets will get a much needed boost. Yao Ming, the Rockets' oft-maligned center, has had strong games in McGrady's absence. Against the Heat on Thursday, Yao dominated the game, scoring 24 points with an array of dunks, hook shots and turnaround jumpers. He also had a game-high 14 rebounds with just one turnover in 33 minutes. Against a physical Jason Collins and with McGrady back on the court, Yao might not put up such numbers again, but expect him to continue to be a force on the boards. Juwan Howard is a smart veteran player who takes good shots and stretches the floor with his mid-range jumper. As previously stated, the outcome of this game might hinder on Tracy McGrady's effectiveness in his first game back from injury. If McGrady plays well, the Rockets will be very difficult to contend with. If McGrady does not shoot well from the floor and is clearly bothered by his back, then the Rockets might be too overmatched. The Nets' trio of superstars are all extremely fast and can be hard for the Rockets' veteran players to guard. New Jersey will have to attack the rim and try to draw fouls on Yao, and also push the break in transition at all times. The Nets excel in an opencourt offense and the Rockets are a slow-it-down type team. Which team controls the tempo will likely be the winners in the final score.</div>
Now 3:57 left in the 2nd quarter, we winning by 14 pts, and oh my, Luther Head with 3-3 treys for 9 pts, hope he gets major minutes! Yao is leading once again with 12 pts, I really hope the Rockets don't fade down the stretch.
HE IS SUPERMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he started 1-9 but finished 50& on the fields. what a scorer
Didn't see the game but Yao Ming had only 2 rebounds? It's this kind of inconsistency that drives me crazy. McGrady was huge tonight, I was following the game on Yahoo and man, he IS the Rockets. We needed this win, and McGrady's return gave us a boost, not to mention 35 points and 10 rebounds to go along with that morality boost. Seems David Wesley is officially out of that funk huh?
T-Mac in the fourth was unstoppable, that's what we've needed the past games and he came through! great game, also does anyone know why Yao didn't play many minutes? He wasn't in SEVERE foul trouble and he was playing great, but during the third when the Nets went on a run I was expecting him to come in but I kept seeing him on the bench...Anyone know why?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Dan Le:</div><div class="quote_post">T-Mac in the fourth was unstoppable, that's what we've needed the past games and he came through! great game, also does anyone know why Yao didn't play many minutes? He wasn't in SEVERE foul trouble and he was playing great, but during the third when the Nets went on a run I was expecting him to come in but I kept seeing him on the bench...Anyone know why?</div> With T-mac in the line, their scored 99, without him, they averaged 84 pts per game. That shows how much of an impact he has. About Yao not playing enough minutes, I think JVG wanted a smaller lineup against NJ's fast break team and Yao wasn't getting much rebounds. But I really think he should be allowed to play at 30+ minutes per game. Otherwise, not only will his stats go down, haters are gonna call him mediocre again.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting devin:</div><div class="quote_post">With T-mac in the line, their scored 99, without him, they averaged 84 pts per game. That shows how much of an impact he has. About Yao not playing enough minutes, I think JVG wanted a smaller lineup against NJ's fast break team and Yao wasn't getting much rebounds. But I really think he should be allowed to play at 30+ minutes per game. Otherwise, not only will his stats go down, haters are gonna call him mediocre again.</div> Yao was also in foul trouble. When you gotta worry about fouls it can make you less aggressive. But who cares? The only thing that matters is the W.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting JuLiO-R-:</div><div class="quote_post">Yao was also in foul trouble. When you gotta worry about fouls it can make you less aggressive. But who cares? The only thing that matters is the W.</div> True, but in the 4th quarter, he didn't play until about 4 minutes left. He had 4 fouls before the 4th quarter and could have started the whole 4th quarter. But anyways, tonight we'd DEFINITLY have lost if T-mac didn't play. At the 4th quarter, Nets trailled by only 3 pts, then T-mac did his clutch plays and we won 99-91.
McGrady is clutch in the 4th. 5 of the teams 7 3pointers in the 4th were made by him and scored 20 in that quarter alone, now thats crazy, bumping up his 1 for 9 shooting to make it a .500 shooting night. He was the thing we've been missing in the past games, a star who can get the job done when it matters most. The shooting for the team was great overall and its good to see Head makin the 3s and Wesley getting his shot back. I was kinda dissapointed in Yaos rebounding but his scoring when Tmac was cold was awesome, it helped set the game of and got the team running and gunning up the score. Hopefully there'll be more games like this for McGrady to come.
Rockets Halt 3-game skid; Snap Nets 99-91 By Dennis L. Silva, II. 11.12.05 For the fourth consecutive contest, Saturday night’s game against the New Jersey Nets was tight and close entering the final quarter. While before the Rockets might have frozen in their tracks, preparing for yet another fourth quarter collapse, they relaxed and remained poised as they had a confidence they had not had the previous games. That confidence came in the form of All-Star guard Tracy McGrady. In his first game back after sitting out the previous three contests due to back spasms, McGrady scored 20 points in the fourth quarter alone to lead the Rockets to a 99-91 victory before 20,098 at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey. Right from the opening tip, McGrady’s presence in the lineup was a huge boost for his teammates. After New Jersey ran off to an early 7-2 lead, Houston went on a late scoring run of their own, outscoring New Jersey 15-4 late in the period to gain a 27-22 advantage heading into the second stanza. While McGrady was a mere 0-4 from the field, he did manage to dish three assists and snare two rebounds. Just with him being on the floor managed to do wonders for the Rockets offense. Yao Ming scored 10 points on 4-5 shooting, Juwan Howard hit two early baskets, and guard Derek Anderson nailed his two three-pointers due to so much of the Nets’ defense attending to McGrady. Houston held a 35-24 lead with 9:05 left in the first half after rookie guard Luther Head hit a corner 3-pointer. New Jersey struggled to put the ball in the basket, shooting only 33% from the floor in the first half. The Nets missed twelve of their first 16 shots in the second quarter. Houston’s rebounding was more aggressive and alert as the Rockets outrebounded the Nets 22-16, but it was their bench play that earned them a 48-37 halftime lead. Led by Head’s nine points (all in the second quarter, and all on 3-point shots), the Rockets’ second unit outscored New Jersey’s 17-10. While Houston’s offense was more efficient than it has been all season (15-34 field-gaol shooting, 5-9 from 3-point range), McGrady struggled by only hitting 1-9 from the floor (mostly on fallway jump shots), but also dishing three assists and grabbing 6 rebounds. McGrady’s offense awakened in the third period as he scored four early points as part of a 6-0 Rockets run to start the quarter. McGrady scored ten points in the quarter, but was the only sign of offensive spark as New Jersey turned up their intensity on offense and defense. Led by Jason Kidd and Vince Carter (who had finished the first half with only 2 points, with 3 fouls in 8 minutes), the Nets outscored the Rockets 27-22 in the third to close the Rockets’ lead to only 70-64 heading into the fourth. After that it became the Tracy McGrady show. McGrady ignited a late 13-5 Houston scoring spree with a barrage of 3-point shots, runners, and jump shots. New Jersey started aggressively double-teaming and trapping McGrady, which only opened up scoring opportunities for David Wesley and Jon Barry, both of whom hit late 3-pointers from the corners to stave off a New Jersey run. On the floor, it was amazing how much confidence the team showed due to McGrady’s leadership and willingness to take the clutch shot. McGrady finished the game with 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. He scored 30 points in the second half on an absurd 12-16 shooting display from the floor. It was a refreshing sight to see the Rockets gain confidence and close out a game effectively. After all, it’s not like the team was competing against a conference bottom-feeder. They were playing an explosive New Jersey team who likely will boast three All-Stars (Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson) once February comes around. However, the Rockets did a masterful job of stopping the Nets’ explosive transition game, holding New Jersey to a mere 4 fast-break points. Yao had another solid outing with 18 points on 5-7 shooting, but he only had two rebounds, and was in foul trouble for most of the game, hence his 21 minutes played. David Wesley had a nice scoring game, breaking out of a miserable shooting slump by hitting 4-9 from the field (3-6 on threes) and scoring 15 points along with 4 assists. The Rockets’ offense also received contributions from Juwan Howard (8 points on 4-8 shooting) and Head (9 points, 3-6 on threes), who continues to impress with his ability to run the team and control the flow of the offense. The Rockets’ defense was again in full-force tonight, limiting New Jersey to 37% shooting. While McGrady looked slow and sluggish in the first half, he was back to his old, superstar self in the second. While many fans might feel as if he was rushed back too soon, McGrady himself stated that he was ready to play Thursday night in Miami, but that team doctors and officials told him that it was best he sit that game out and just be ready for tonight’s game. The real test will be to see how his back, and overall health, holds up tomorrow as the Rockets travel to Boston to play against a young and vibrant Celtics squad in the second-game of a back-to-back set. ROCKETS RECAP · The Nets’ trio of Kidd, Jefferson, and Carter shot a combined 16-44 from the field. · Rockets guard Jon Barry’s veteran basketball IQ and passing ability was apparent in that he had 4 assists in his 12 minutes on the floor. · Derek Anderson shot only 3 shots in 21 minutes and compiled five fouls, but did an excellent job in containing Carter and holding him to 6-19 shooting. · While Wesley’s shooting looked much better, his defense has fallen dramatically. Wesley is now holding and grasping more to make up for his lack of speed and height, as evident in the 6 fouls he claimed tonight. · Rafer Alston runs the team remarkably well, and while he is not a scoring threat, he doesn’t look for his shot. He’s more concerned with setting up his teammates and doing the dirty work. Alston finished the contest with 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 0 turnovers http://www.nba.com/games/20051112/HOUNJN/boxscore.html
Good job Rockets. This should accelerate the momentum of the team and give us a winning streak, hopefully. I am still pretty disappointed with Swift's performance so far, as he is averaging maybe 5 points a game and isn't doing much of the dirty work he was hired to do except for help at the rebounding end. His blocks have gone down too, and it seems even Luther Head may be doing better than Swift. But anyway we came out with the W, which is most important. McGrady for 2005-2006 MVP anybody?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting houston_owns_u:</div><div class="quote_post">McGrady for 2005-2006 MVP anybody?</div> Aye to that . I also forgot to give Alston his props. He didn;t really looked for his own shot but instead went on to help others, something that impressed me today. His 0 turnovers were also great, showing that he takes care of the ball and his 5 rebounds were also real good. Hopefully we'll see more of this type of performance from him, but with his fair share and points.
Yao only had 2 rebounds tonight because: 1. Foul trouble. One offensive and one phantom. Enough to sit him on the bench. 2. They plugged the middle up pretty well so there weren't that many short rebounds. Nets were bricking for a while from mid to long range so there were a lot of long rebounds. 3. While Yao was in the game shortly rockets were shooting pretty well so no offensive rebounds to grab either. I'm happy with his performance tonight in the limited time he had,maybe JVG just rested him for tomorrow's game.Otherwise I think he would play more mins inthe 4th. And man,T-mac is just amazing,no words can describe it,simply amazying.I agree,he IS the rockets and should be the MVP this year!hehe GO Rox!
McGrady scored 20 of his season-high 35 points in the fourth quarter as the Rockets held on for a 99-91 victory over the New Jersey Nets. welcome back t-mac we missed you
w0000000t rockets won. I missed T-Mac. Now we wait for Sura's return. Yao didnt get many minutes because He deserves the rest. He as played hard for the past 3 games, and deserved to rest his body for the upcoming schedule. Welcome back Wesley, we missed you lol.
That is if Sura returns. If Sura returns im assuming alston will still start because sura is no where near conditioned. He will come off the bench, but stromile, luther head, sura of the bench is crazy.
