<div align="center"> <font color="blue">Dallas Mavericks</font> VS <font color="red">Houston Rockets</font></div> When: Tuesday November 22nd, 8:30PM EST/7:30PM CT Where:American Airlines Arena, Dallas Local TV: FSNSW <div align="center"> <font color="blue">Mavericks</font> <font color="blue">Jason Terry - PG / Marquis Daniels - SG / Josh Howard - SF / Dirk Nowitzki - PF / Erick Dampier - C</font> <font color="red">Rockets</font> <font color="red">David Wesley - PG / Luther Head - SG / Ryan Bowen - SF / Juwan Howard - PF / Yao Ming - C</font> The Rockets enter this game in a somewhat must-win situation, but also one where they definitely look like they do not have the resources to win the game against a stronger Texas team in the Mavericks. Missing star forward Tracy McGrady for a second straight game will surely take its toll, not to mention starting point guard Rafer Alston will also not be available for tonight's matchup. Backup David Wesley has done a great job in the past two games running the point in place of Alston, and the Rockets will definitely have to depend on him again to at least stay in this game until the very end. Yao Ming, against the Pacers on Sunday night, had a dismal night from the field, but against Dampier who was inferior in the pair's matchups in the playoffs last year, Yao might have a big game. Luther Head, the rookie who got his first start on Sunday and had 7 points, will have to do a good job of guarding Marquis Daniels, who will take and make the mid range jumper with ease. Power forward Juwan Howard quietly scored 11 points and grabbed 8 rebounds against Indiana, and he will have to reproduce or improve on that night tonight. Derek Anderson and Stromile Swift will be looked upon to provide instant offense off the bench and be part of a running lineup which should be utilized fairly often tonight to match Dallas's uptempo game. Although Houston's defense is first in the league, Dallas is a great scoring team and Dirk Nowitzki will be hard to guard. Juwan Howard and Swift will have to keep the ball out of his hands or make sure Nowitzki doesn't get it in the post if he does. Although many optimistic fans still think that the Rockets have a chance against the Mavs, putting up a good game will be very hard, especially on the road and without a 21 point scorer. Yao Ming will have a big night, but is it enough? I don't think so. Derek Anderson and Stromile Swift still are not comfortable in Van Gundy's offense and it might be weeks before they finally get it. Until then and until McGrady's return, it's highly unlikely the Rockets will have a winning record. Against a team which last blew the Rockets out by 40 points in Game 7 of the playoffs, this team faces a daunting task to try and win. Mavericks by 12.</div>
I think the Rockets will have a hard time against Dallas...the Rockets have a problem with teams with speed and who can run and get up and down the floor, although our transition defense has been good this year...with McGrady and Alston out of this one, I expect us to give forth a gritty effort, but come up short...
Ummm...Vince Carter for Mavericks's SG? You mean Marquis Daniels? We have the best defense, but we are also at the pit bottom of the Western Conference...and I thought defense won championships. Anyway, yes we are desperate for a win, and by now, we should be hungry for a win too. I think we will put out a great effort, hit the boards, dive for loose balls and play stingy defense, but then again we are shorthanded I say Mavericks by 1. Hey, if the Jazz can beat the Bucks by 20 without many key players (Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer), and can't see why we can't beat Dallas. I don't know, but I've been longing to see Stromile Swift to start. I can't think of any better results than to totally destroy the Mavericks, rub the loss in their faces in front of their home court, rubb it in their faces that we did it without 2 starters. That would really make my day.
It is almost impossible to win over Mavs. Rocket is the worst offense team in NBA, and most over evaluated team before season starts. People in China thougth Rockets would top the trophy even they are in such big mess. As an chinese, i hope YaoMing can find his way to win the game and show his leadership, particularly, with absence of T-mac. Good luck, Rockets.
After the 1st quarter I can say these are the Rockets I wanna see. First time I see some passion while playing a game.
Man, Luther Head is making a strong case for himself to be my new favorite player. The rookie is seriously well polished and can hit a shot anywhere on the court. He has more of a scoring mentality, but thats alright because he's efficient and actually knows at what times its okay to shoot. At halftime he gets sixteen points, two assists, and two rebounds. Oh, and 5-7 from the field with 3-5 from beyond the arc. Leading the team with points currently.
Damn, I agree. I can only see the stats, but Head is leading the Rocket's scoring with 24 points. He's doing great!
I'm very disappointed with Yao's performance down the stretch. Sure, he's tired, but so do dirk, duncan, KG, shaq and other big superstars. How can he just lazily try to throw the ball in the hoop when his so close to the basket. Dunk it! And he wasn't even fighting for any rebound in the 4th quarter, he looked so lost and missed a catch from head since he wasn't even looking at him...
Yao disappeared in the second half, again. Sigh. Rockets did a terrible job on the boards as well -- again, largely Yao's fault (along with Swift, who had another lackadaisical, crappy game). Silver lining with Head scoring 28. He should remain a starter when McGrady and Alston return. After Wesley got pick-pocketed by Jason Terry, he became useless on the court. It seems to me that he's too easily affected by adversity on the court. Anything goes wrong, and he gets in one of those slumps.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting durvasa:</div><div class="quote_post">Yao disappeared in the second half, again. Sigh. Rockets did a terrible job on the boards as well -- again, largely Yao's fault (along with Swift, who had another lackadaisical, crappy game). Silver lining with Head scoring 28. He should remain a starter when McGrady and Alston return. .</div> Yes, Yao should be blamed for this game. He lacked intensity in the 4th quarter and that costed us the game. It's really pissing me off because this isn't the first time he played haphazerdly in the 3rd, 4th quarter. Head should definitly be in a permenant starting position.
Whoa...sad...just sad...Yao Ming having only 6-17 shots (35%, very crappy for a center)...good job Head though, 28 points, 9-17 shots, kinda sad that your rookie, 24th pick is doing better than any veteran guards. Derek Anderson seeing improved shooting, so he shoots coldly on the start but is good from the bench...kinda like a Ben Gordon. If only we had more production from our starting lineup we could have won, maybe. Where have you gone, Yao and Stro? I guess we would have won if we had TMac, maybe not if we had Alston. Wow...3-8, that's just about as bad as our 6-11 hole in the beginning of last season, but this time we actually have excuses?
It's strange, because Yao was a very good late game performer in his second season when Francis was here. But last season and again this season, fatigue and loss of concentration overcomes him. We can't count on him to score even when he's 5 feet from the basket, because he's liable to leave it short or fumble the ball away. And unless the rebound falls right in his hands, he'll rarely get it. He has almost no instincts on how to go after a rebound. With Swift it's even more severe. Yao at least has an excuse for being a poor rebounder because he lacks jumping ability, has short arms, and has poor reflexes. Swift is a great athlete however; he just doesn't put in the effort to go after the ball. Yao had 13 points and 4 rebounds in the first quarter. In the last three quarters, he has 7 points and 2 rebounds. The Rockets led the Mavs 10 - 0 in rebounds at one point in the first quarter. After that, the Mavs outrebounded us 45 to 24. Ugly, ugly ugly. The only reason it was close is because the Mavs played very poorly in the first half and the Rockets got unexpected performances from Head and Anderson.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting durvasa:</div><div class="quote_post">It's strange, because Yao was a very good late game performer in his second season when Francis was here. But last season and again this season, fatigue and loss of concentration overcomes him. We can't count on him to score even when he's 5 feet from the basket, because he's liable to leave it short or fumble the ball away. </div> Either way I'm just getting angry about this game. Maybe because i'm from Shanghai as well, so i'm even more critical than other chinese fans. I mean come on, he just got a huge extension contract damnit, play like you're worth that much! KG has a huge contract as well, but he plays with so much intensity that his worth every penny. I only have 3 chinese words to say to Yao right now, "Bu Zen Chi"!!
<font size="5">Déjà vu: Rockets’ Heart, Intensity Not Enough As Mavs Prevail 102-93</font> By Dennis L. Silva, II. 11.22.05 Incremental progress. Through each workout, practice, or game, that is the goal of Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy. The Rockets are indeed showing progress, albeit at a snail-like pace, these last four games. The Rockets managed to find their shooting touch Tuesday night but still left Dallas empty-handed as the Mavericks claimed a 102-93 victory before a sell-out crowd of 20,304 at American Airlines Center. The Rockets started off the game in fine fashion, racing out to a 21-14 lead thanks to the play of Luther Head and Yao Ming. With Tracy McGrady (back strain) and Rafer Alston (right leg fracture) watching from the sidelines, Head and Yao combined for 22 points in the fourth quarter. Yao did his damage by getting to the free-throw line early and often, hitting 7-8 from the charity stripes. Head did most of his work from behind the 3-point arc, hitting 2-2 from downtown. Houston also started the game outrebounding Dallas 10-0 to start the contest, which was the primary cause for a 27-19 Rockets lead heading into the fourth quarter. Dallas closed to within four points early in the second quarter due to a 10-2 run, on behalf of Marquis Daniels and Devin Harris, both of whom managed to exploit Houston’s vulnerability in the midrange. However the Rockets were able to sustain momentum in large part because of Derek Anderson and Stromile Swift. Anderson broke down Dallas’ defense with penetration, assisting on dunks by Mutombo and Swift. Despite both Yao and Swift plagued by foul trouble, the Rockets built a 50-38 lead late in the quarter before Mavs guard Jason Terry went on his own personal scoring spree. In what may have been the turning point of the game, Terry scored 8 points in the game’s closing two minutes, as Houston held only a five-point advantage at halftime. Head led the Rockets with 16 points at the break, on 5-7 shooting, while Yao added 15 points along with four rebounds. In what is becoming a common theme, the Rockets’ bench played with energy and made clutch plays, outscoring Dallas’ second unit 17-5. In the third quarter, Dallas went on a 10-5 scoring run to gain a 63-58 lead with 7:07 remaining in the period. The game was turning in Dallas’ favor until the Van Gundy inserted little-used guard Moochie Norris into the game. Originally brought in to foul Mavs center Dasagana Diop as part of a “Hack-a-Shaq” ploy, Norris earned himself more minutes by his play on offense. Norris scored a bucket, while dishing 3 assists and accumulating a steal to spark a Rockets run and to close the Mavs’ lead to only three, 77-74, going into the fourth quarter. The Rockets would have actually regained their lead if they hadn’t missed seven free throws in the quarter (after hitting 13-15 in the first half). The Mavericks rebuilt their lead back to seven until Houston went on an 8-2 run early in the fourth stanza. Luther Head scored 5 points, and Yao had a critical 3-point play as Houston enjoyed a 12-5 run to force an 86-86 tie midway through the quarter. But that would be the last of any Rockets rally as clutch baskets by Dirk Nowitzki and Devin Harris, as well as a closing 10-3 Dallas run, enabled Dallas to keep their undefeated season streak at home secure, winning 102-93. Rebounding was the primary reason for Houston’s downfall in Dallas. The Mavs out-rebounded Houston 45-34 for the game, and 28-13 in the second half. Due to their aggression on the boards, or Houston’s lack of, the Mavericks compiled 14 second-chance points due to an astounding 17 offensive rebounds. Another reason for the Houston loss was the Rockets’ inability to counter the mismatches that Dallas created. Time and time again, Derek Anderson was left guarding Nowitzki, and Swift was left on the quicker, more agile Josh Howard. The problems that these mismatches create left wide-open scoring opportunities for Jason Terry (29 points on 11-18 shooting) and Harris (7 points). The Rockets’ offense did manage to come to life on Tuesday. Houston hit 45% of their shots, including 8-14 from downtown. Led by the 28 points from Head, on 9-17 shooting, Houston also received important contributions from Anderson (19 points on 7-10 shooting) and Swift (9 points). Yao did accumulate 20 points during his foul-marred time on the floor, but again shot a low percentage, hitting only 6-17 from the floor. The Rockets play Phoenix at home tomorrow night as the availability of McGrady or Alston still is unknown and remains on a day-to-day basis. Rockets fans can sleep happy tonight knowing their team gave 100% on the floor, and that these losses are due to the team being severely hindered by injuries and a lack of talent against a schedule that has placed superior opponents against them. ROCKETS RECAP · The Rockets’ bench continued its consistent and reliable play by outscoring Dallas’ bench 34-15. · Dallas outscored Houston 54-40 in the second half. · Of a total 55 fouls called during the game, 33 were attributed to the Rockets’ side. · Dallas outscored Houston 11-2 in transition · Dallas’ duo of Nowitzki and Terry combined for 60 points on 22-37 shooting, including 7-13 from 3-point range http://www.nba.com/games/20051122/HOUDAL/boxscore.html
Holy crap, despite the loss great game by your rookie! I was in need of a SG in my fantasy team and I picked Luther Head up after the game, hope he continues playing well. On the other hand I have Yao as my center, and he's been dissapointing lately... 6 reb is just bad for a guy thats 7'6". He has the size but hasn't nailed the rebounding technique solidly yet. If he had the rebounding instinct of Camby or KG it'd be game over. Anyway, you guys got more games against the Mavs so all is not lost. Good luck on your next game!
Even though the Rockets lost there has been some bright spot for them. Offense has started to click but still not enough to win the ball game. Few more games and they'll gonna figure it out. Head continues to impress a lot. Injuries to key players has plagued the Rockets but it gives opportunities and confidence to others. Yao needs to make his presence felt in the second half. He continues to struggle in the 3rd and 4th quarter. If he has been consistent in the second half we would have won some of the games we lost. In the games without TMac games have been close and was only decided in the last six minutes. It's just too bad that we always fell short in the end.
