<div align="center">http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/RocketsPreview/backcourtver1.jpg"> [b]Rockets _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ This pretty much depends on how Alston and Anderson play defense. Tonight, their job will be to stop or at least slow down Parker and Ginobili at all costs to the Spurs tandem from driving into the lanes and drawing fouls on Yao. Offensively, they are really no match for Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili but if they step it up, it will help loads for the Rockets and narrow the gap between the these two backcourts. Meanwhile, Ginobili will be looking to regain his shot and hopefully, exploit his matchup against Anderson. Parker shouldn't have too much trouble driving past Alston and wrecking havoc. The Spurs team just has way too much going for them in the backcourt- defense, offense, intangibles, they've got it. Meanwhile, our two guards' scoring and defense are both a bit suspect. In other words, this is a San Antonio advantage. http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/RocketsPreview/frontcourtver1.jpg"> [b]Rockets Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, and Yao Ming At last, we get to the meat of things for the Rockets. We've got Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, and Yao Ming laced up, geared up, and ready to blow up for tonight's game. Although McGrady's nursing a back injury, he showed us all against the Nets and Celtics that he's got it in him to dominate the other team. Popping jumpers in his man's face, driving past them, taking it strong, you name it, McGrady can do it. At this point, I'd say he's around ninety percent, but still, he's deadly. Meanwhile, Juwan Howard has been doing his job so far in this campaign adding a couple of boards and rebounds. Howard provides average defense and a midrange jumper but its obvious he'll have to step it up tonight if he wants to win. As for Yao, what can be said? He needs to stay out of foul trouble as always and control the boards. Yao will pretty much always get a rhythm going offensively provided he doesn't get two fouls in the first couple minutes so its hard to gauge how he'll play. As always, we'll see. Spurs' Frontcourt Bruce Bowen, Tim Duncan, and Rasho Nesterovic Tim Duncan. Mr Fundamentals. Oh, and we've got Bowen and Nesterovic here as well. Arguably the best powerforward in recent memory, Duncan has got the shot, the low post skills, and defense. In short, he is the definition of a superstar and hall of famer. At 6-11, Duncan has shown that he can dominate the inside but he's just as happy dishing it out for assists. Defensively, he's solid. Averaging over two blocks a game and just over eleven rebounds so far this season, Duncan can control the low post for tonight. Speaking of defense, there's always the gritty All Defensive First Team player in Bruce Bowen. Sometimes said to play dirty, Bowen sticks to his man like glue dirty or not and almost always frustrates his opposition into making mistakes on offense. Offensively, Bowen does his job and knocks down the open jumpers. He has been hot from three this season and has been smart about taking shots- he's a .451% shooter from the field. Although he's a starter, Nesterovic doesn't see that much minutes. And its easy to see why- he's an average center and the Spurs have got Mohammed who put up some nice numbers in the playoffs backing him up. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Two very important things when it comes to comparing the frontcourts. How McGrady fairs with a back injury with Bowen guarding him and how Yao plays against a great low post enforcer in Tim Duncan. Most likely, McGrady will be getting his points regardless of how Bowen plays him as we've seen time and time again that he can't be stopped. Meanwhile, the big question who controls the low post. If Yao stays out of foul trouble, no doubt Duncan and Nesterovic will have a hard time controlling things in there while Howard is bound to pop out at the key for the easy jumper. Still, Duncan will even things out a bit on the offensive side. With an average defender in Howard, Mr Fundamentals definitely has everything going for him to explode and put up a lot of points on the scoreboard. Nothing really to say about Nesterovic. He'll be the center for the Spurs... Slight Houston Advantage. Rockets are facing the possibly the best bench in the league. Seriously, does any other team boast the type of bench the Spurs have? They've got Van Exel, Michael Finley, Brent Barry, Robert Horry, and Nazr Mohammed sitting on the pine with Fabrico Oberto waiting in the shadows. San Antonio has three great offensive punches in Exel, Finley (although he's struggled somewhat), and Barry (yes, the one with more hair). Meanwhile, you always know Horry can make the clutch shot if needed while Mohammed holds down the center spot for them. Still, don't count out the Rockets' bench. They've got a three headed monster for the guard positions with Head, Wesley, and Barry (yes, the bald one) who can all stepped up on occasions. Then there's Stromile Swift and Bowen as the sparks off the bench. Well, Swift should be anyway, Bowen's an above average defender who showed it stuff against Nowitzki. Oh, and Mutumbo, the ever great defensive presence coming off the bench for the Rockets this year. Slight San Antonio Advantage Key Matchup Yao Ming vs Tim Duncan Okay, okay, so they don't play the same position. But still, this is the most important matchup of the game. Who wins this low post fight will dictate how the game will run and who will be the victor. Duncan has got better defense over Yao while if given the minutes, Yao will drop a ton of points in the inside or outside the paint with his jumper. Here's their projected stats for tonight's game- Yao Ming- 23 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block Tim Duncan- 21 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks After a win over Minnesota Tuesday night, the role players like Rafer Alston, Derek Anderson, and Stromile Swift showed some glimmers of hope for this coming game. Still, this is the Spurs we're talking about who are known for being the top defensive team in the league. With McGrady back, the Rockets have a good chance of winning this game, but its hard to deny how hot the Spurs have been these early games. Meanwhile, the Rockets have been below expectations for the most part due to the new players learning their role for this team. On the other hand, again that was against a disoriented Minnesota team. The Spurs just have way too much going for them this game- the backcourt, the bench, and the homecourt. San Antonio win, 92-89. </div>
Great preview and I agree that the guards cutting down the penetration and Yao playing good (and staying out of foul trouble) will be the keys...I'm gonna say Rockets 87 Spurs 82.
Nice preview man that said the bench will be the difference it is not a slight one spur 102 rockets 86
Well, after the 1st half, Yao is playing super (and with ZERO fouls, what is this, a record?), unfortunately we can't say the same for the rest of the team. That's sad.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AznxBaller:</div><div class="quote_post">Man, not looking good so far. On the brightside, Head impressin.</div> yeah I know it's quite childish. But can't help but to laugh, hell I'm laughing right now thinking about Head hahaha. And wow T. Parker had a Hakeem Olajuwon move and that layup inbetween Swift and Yao was it was amazing too. Only Yao and Head haha are doing anything offensively. And I just realized that damn I like watching Yao's offensive game. He just can't keep it up for the whole game. But he has no fouls so he can play aggresively throughout the whole game now.
Head needs more minutes in the 2nd half. I like the way he plays, he doens't think too much, he just goes out there and does the best he can. Alston and Wesley seem unsure of themselves right now. Head has no fear right now and is playing well.
We look like Yao, T-Mac and a bunch of Ryan Bowens out there rite now. Wait...make that Ryan Bowens minus the hustle. I can't watch anymore. Makes you wonder if were ever going to get it together.
Wow we are only down by 9 with 5:39 left. 63-74 I don't know how, but we snuck back in. I hope we pull this win. Edit: wow with 1:30 left, only down by 5, I thought we had a chance to take the win. guess not...
When you say Yao and T-Mac 1-2 punch does it mean Yao scores only in the first half and T-Mac only in the second half? Well...T-Macs shooting spurt had me going there for a bit but i guess miracles don't happen twice. T-Mac and Yao seem to be playing well but not playing well together. I know ive seen them play 2 man basketball and Id luv to see it again. They had a coupla nice plays in the first quarter too but nothing after that. As far as the rest of the team is concerned...i hope their excuse is they were saving their energy for tomorrow coz thats looking more n more like a blowout. Another thing thats bothering me beyond belief. When we hav a guy whose 7-6 and another one who can jump out of the building on the court Y CANT WE GET A DEFENSIVE REBOUND?? The only guys who seemed to be rebounding in the fourth quarter were DW and Tracy. Kudos to Tracy for playing hurt and still giving us a show. Also...our D finally figured out how to stop penetration in the 4th quarter. If only we culdve done that a few quarters earlier.
Wow...Only T-Mac and Yao can score in the Rockets team. This is horrible, the two starter guards, Alston and DA ony score 4 pt in total. What's wrong with this team? Swift, Wesley...Nobody can contribute a lot. Head is the guy outscore all the others beside T-Mac and Yao. I start to wonder is it because Van Gandy's bad coaching or we just have so much bad luck so that all players can't score at the same game.
good game cant ask for more from the rockets execpt a lil better D on the the guards. but other then that nice 4th quarter come back. wow detroit is next.
I think it's about time for a starting lineup change. And we have to have better perimeter shooting. Jon Barry and Luther Head are our best 3-point shooters by far, and they should get more minutes.
JVG idea of game is horrible and I'm tired to see that man coaching the Rockets. Yao had a very good game in the 1st and guess what? Didn't touch any ball in the second (just two). You can even have 5 superstars but JVG will always create plays for one of them. JVG seems also not to be able to motivate the team. We always start playing in the 4th while watching every games in the first 3 quarters. I'm sure we'll all be happy after a winning streak in the near future, but with this kind of game we are going nowhere.
Late Rally Too Late as Rockets Succumb To Spurs 80-86 By Dennis L. Silva, II. 11/17/05 For a minute it looked like Tracy McGrady was back to his old antics. There he was, in the fourth quarter, hitting a tough 3-pointer over Manu Ginobili. There he was pump-faking a shot and moving in to hit a tough 15-foot bank shot. There he was again, hitting yet another three with Bruce Bowen draped all over him. Yes, for a short while, it looked the closing to Thursday night’s game against the Spurs would be a repeat of the Spurs-Rockets matchup in early December last year, when McGrady scored 13 points in the game’s final 33 seconds to secure an awe-dropping 81-80 Rockets win. Unfortunately, due to silly turnovers and enough mistakes to fill a blooper reel, McGrady’s efforts were ignored as San Antonio won 86-80 before 18,797 at the SBC Center in San Antonio. San Antonio entered the contest leading the league in points scored in the paint, averaging 48. keep that in mind because that will be a recurring theme throughout tonight’s recap. The Rockets started off the game struggling offensively (stop me if you’re heard this before). Yao Ming was able to get off to a nice start with 8 first-quarter points, but he had no help. McGrady, who was almost going to sit the game out due to his back causing more problems, struggled from the field. Defensively, the Rockets allowed the Spurs’ guards to drive the lane at will. Tony Parker was able to get by Rafer Alston time and time again, as was the case with Manu Ginobili, as he slithered in and broke down double-teams with his quickness. The Spurs went on a late quarter run, outscoring Houston 8-2 in the quarter’s final minutes to gain a 21-12 advantage heading into the second quarter. An early Rockets run in the second period would make things more interesting. Luther Head scored five points to spark a 9-2 Rockets scoring spree and only a 23-21 deficit with 8:30 remaining. Unfortunately, the Rockets’ defense was no complement for their newfound offensive ability as the team failed in its defensive rotations, allowing Robert Horry and Tim Duncan (who would finish the half with 14 points and seven rebounds) to attack the glass and hit a few easy inside shots. Yao continued his stellar play as he would finish the half with 18 points on 8-16 shooting, but he too often allowed rebounds to slip through his fingers. The Spurs were able to regain their composure following the Rockets run and hold a 49-36 lead heading into the game’s final 24 minutes. The Spurs’ starters outscored the Rockets’ starting five 41-24, and San Antonio also managed to score 36 of its 49 points inside the pain, further evidence of Houston’s non-resistance towards penetration (Parker finished the half with 6 assists while Ginobili scored 11 points by easy drives to the basket) and rebounding. After 0-7 shooting in the first half, McGrady awakened in the third period. He scored six early points in the quarter, and was more aggressive offensively, taking seven of Houston’s first nine shots. Still, the Rockets were unable to find any consistent offensive rhythm and went scoreless in the period’s final three minutes, allowing the Spurs to build an 18 point lead heading into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter, Houston went on an early 10-2 run (if you can’t already tell, the game was a game of runs) to close San Antonio’s gap to 74-63 with 5:39 remaining. San Antonio missed nine of its first ten shots to begin the quarter as McGrady sparked a late Rockets rally. But when Horry hit a long 3-pointer, following two consecutive Spurs offensive rebounds, with 3:47 left, all the hope was drained from Houston. McGrady closed the quarter strongly, finishing with 13 points in the quarter, but late three-pointers from Luther Head and Jon Barry weren’t enough to put fear in the Spurs. The win marked San Antonio’s 16th consecutive victory at home against the Rockets. There were a plethora of careless mistakes on Houston’s part. There were three or four rebounds that they slit slip out of their fingers and out of bounds, giving the Spurs more possessions. There was their inability, or just shear reluctance, to stop dribble penetration, where San Antonio outscored Houston 52-22 in the paint. The three veterans (Stromile Swift, Derek Anderson, and Rafer Alston) who were added in the offseason for the simple purpose of competing against San Antonio combined for ten total points between them. The Rockets’ starting backcourt was outscored by the Spurs’ 32-4. Wherever you choose to put the blame, the realization is that the Rockets resemble nothing of the preseason squad that was hyped by media and fans alike to be the second-best team in the Western Conference and the lone challengers to San Antonio’s throne in the West. Those predictions stopped tonight. It’s not as if the Rockets aren’t talented enough. Talent-wise, and on paper, this team is in fact the second-best team in the West. However, until the Rockets realize that their games matter on the hardwood, and not NBA 2006, then their collection of talent is a shameful waste. Houston will fly back to San Antonio and return home to face the Detroit Pistons tomorrow night in yet another nationally televised game. The Rockets won two of the five games off this past road trip and surely would love to be back in the friendly confines of Toyota Center. All we want out of Houston is some fire and effort; some signs of life and hustle on the court. It’s acceptable to be beaten by a team who is just flat-out better than you (which San Antonio is), but to be outworked by your opponent is another issue in itself; an issue that Houston has yet to conquer. Rockets Recap · Head had another stellar game after not playing at all in the previous game against Minneosta. Head scored 11 points on 3-4 3-point shooting · Tim Duncan scored only 5 points in the second half, and shot 2-5. · San Antonio outscored Houston 10-1 in transition points. · McGrady finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists after ending the first half with only 4 points and 4 rebounds. · The Rockets, once again, failed to move the ball efficiently, finishing the game with 12 assists while the Spurs compiled a total of 23. http://www.nba.com/games/20051117/HOUSAS/boxscore.html
What's the point of having 2 superstars if your not having them score in unison. tmac and yao might as well be on 2 different teams because it seems that none of them play off each other. Yao scored 1 point in the 2nd half tmac 4 in the 1st. Does tmac tell Yao "well im going to start scoring, yao you can stop now"? Remeber how well kobe and shaq worked off each other and they hated each other.
now we are very very bad situation. FG% is 29th of the league Yao and Mac and oll other guy not well. also D rotation is bad now. maybe we losing again tommorow I think T-MAC needs more attacking to the rim
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting OhMacRock:</div><div class="quote_post">now we are very very bad situation. FG% is 29th of the league Yao and Mac and oll other guy not well. also D rotation is bad now. maybe we losing again tommorow I think T-MAC needs more attacking to the rim</div> Relax!!! We win Detroit tommorow! The situation is bad, no doubt, but the roster is very very good, we can't lose games for a long time... Don't be passive! The roster is better then last year, no reason for us to fail this season.
They won 16 straight at their home against Rockets. Even a slight Linger of hope is destroyed after seeing that record. Those who said Rocks would win would be highly delusional or are newbies. You could see it's over when Robert Horry the 38 year old is outplaying Stromile Swift and making jumpers. Tmac was still good even though he didn't use his all star ability of driving to the hoop much. Maybe because he didn't want to risk his back..the main problems are the role players. Wouldn't name any names because some of the fans might be sensitive in this G rated forum.
