<div align="center"> [/b] Date: November 26th, 2005 8:30 PM (eastern time) Venue: Toyota Center, Houston TV: WGN (away) or Fox SW (home) http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/RocketsPreview/backcourtver1.jpg"> [b]Bulls http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/RocketsPreview/frontcourtver1.jpg"> [b]Bulls http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/RocketsPreview/benchver1.jpg"> HereChicago advantage.[/b] http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/RocketsPreview/predictionver1.jpg"> IUnderdogs are always fun to root for.[/b]</div>
Michael Sweetney is a tractor down low and Juwan Howard/Stromile Swift will have a load to handle. Yao will definitely need to box out Chandler, especially on the defensive end. While it might look like the Rockets aren't better than the Bulls at almost every position, we are desperate for a win and finally home after a road trip, the team might put up its best night yet. Either that or we get blown out. Going for the Rockets here, Houston by 7.
I guess everyone's off at parties or something, there's no discussion at all. I'd be at a party too but damn Canadian winters. Anyways, Yao entered the fourth Q at 3-12 from the field but has now pushed it to 7-16 and 26 points. The Rockets were down 11 heading into the quarter but have now came back, making a run. Down by four at the moment, with no one in real foul trouble. Momentum's on our side, let's hope to ride it to a win.
we lost... now we;re 3-11... can we repeat like last season? i dno't think so.... right now.... i would want t-mac to rest as much as he can and same with bob and alston... lets think of next season... i can't watch taht many game this year either...i would want yao use to being the number one scoring option and let the veterens take as long as they want to come back.... next year if we are a lottery team... we need some one like Miles... PS. barry got hurt too.... i can wait another year for a ring... i don't know about yall... but i prefer them to lose alot this year and not make the playoff and get someone like Miles in draft and tracy, barry, alston, bob in full health instead of having tracy hurt all season and off season and bob coming early to play and have another surgery etc... and go to the playoff.... its common sense isn;t it???
Rockets lose again. It's seven straight. It seems that it's always like the same ending wherein the Rockets make a push then again and again and again lose in the end. You're always hoping they win but what else can you do. Other teams lose their superstar for a while but they always manage to win. Anyway things can still turn around for the Rockets. Let's just be positive about it.
another one, good thing is Yao played better hopefully he plays like this every game. Still havnt lost hope in the Rockets yet. We can still have a good season.
The effort is still there, the Talent to finish a game just isn't there. They work hard to stay close but thats about all the guys playing can do. Outside shots are starting to drop and our shooters finally shaken off that terrible start. I rather see TMac out for 10 more games then for him to come back because of the tough loses in the last week. If he isn't healthy more than 3/4 of the season and at the end it wont do us any good.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting tr@cy&ya0:</div><div class="quote_post">we lost... now we;re 3-11... can we repeat like last season? i dno't think so.... right now.... i would want t-mac to rest as much as he can and same with bob and alston... lets think of next season... i can't watch taht many game this year either...i would want yao use to being the number one scoring option and let the veterens take as long as they want to come back.... next year if we are a lottery team... we need some one like Miles... PS. barry got hurt too.... i can wait another year for a ring... i don't know about yall... but i prefer them to lose alot this year and not make the playoff and get someone like Miles in draft and tracy, barry, alston, bob in full health instead of having tracy hurt all season and off season and bob coming early to play and have another surgery etc... and go to the playoff.... its common sense isn;t it???</div> I dont think so. Lets at least find out how good this team is w/ Mcgrady. Come on Houston DROP A SEASON?
Without t-mac, there's just no way we can beat anyone in the 4th quarter, not close games. And without t-mac we won't be able to lead by more than 4-6 pts. Yao was great in the 4th quarter but made a costly foul that fouled him out in the 4th quarter, otherwise, we still had a chance in the 4th quarter, but a lose is a lose, we lose in the stretch AGAIN, so what else is new?
Theoretically if this season is a total wash, the Rockets may come up like the Celtics and grab one of the brighter young stars in college. (We could seriously use a shooter like Reddick, though there may be better options, I just don't watch college ball) I believe that year the Celtics lost Bird for most of the season, and I know they were able to pick up Lenny Bias in the draft. So who knows, but its still too early to look into the future. I need a break from Rocket basketball, I just can't watch them like this.
<font size="5">Rockets’ Rally Falls Short as Bulls Prevail 94-89</font> By Dennis L. Silva, II. 11.27.05 At least give Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy credit for realizing when and where a change was needed. Going into Saturday night’s contest against the Chicago Bulls, Van Gundy decided that the starting lineup needed a blot of energy. Therefore, he inserted forward Stromile Swift into the lineup in the place of Ryan Bowen. Unfortunately that change would not alter the Rockets’ recent string of misery as Houston dropped their seventh consecutive contest to the Bulls 89-94 before 18,005 at the Toyota Center. Swift’s addition to the starting five benefited his play early. Swift started the quarter with six early points and him and Yao combined for all of Houston’s first twelve points. But the lack of offensive support, as well as the inability to put a defender on Bulls post Othella Harrington (who scored 8 points in the quarter), enabled Chicago to run off a 8-0 run late and gain a 27-22 advantage entering the second quarter. The Rockets shot a mere 7/18 from the floor during the period, while the Bulls managed 11/20 shooting. The Rockets’ went on a run of their own midway through the second period as they took a 37-35 lead midway due to a 25-15 scoring spree. Sparked by the play of Moochie Norris (who took guard Jon Barry’s spot in the rotation due to Barry’s foot injury), the Rockets stayed close with Chicago. Norris grabbed 4 rebounds and dished three assists during his nine-minute stint. The Rockets received a brief scare with 38 seconds left when Yao Ming (who finished the half with 14 points and 3 rebounds) twisted his left ankle after Bulls forward Malik Allen inadvertently stepped on the ankle following his foul on Yao’s layup attempt. The injury, thankfully, was not serious and Yao continued to play well afterwards. Both teams engaged in a 44-44 drudgematch heading into halftime. The Rockets were able to maintain an even contest despite shooting only 36% in the first half, and with the Bulls’ bench outscoring the Rockets’ second unit 21-8. However, the Rockets’ aggression accounted for 16-18 shooting from the charity stripe, while Chicago mustered a mere 9-14 percentage from the line. Both teams failed to score during the first three minutes of the third period, and combined to shoot 0-9 from the field. The Bulls were able to regain their offensive flow quicker than Houston’s and went on a 10-3 scoring spree for a 62-54 lead with 3:28 remaining. Matters only got worse when Chris Duhon (11 points, 6 assists) hit a 3-pointer and Harrington (who finished the game with 16 points on 7-13 shooting) added a jump hook, in all provoking a 19-9 closing Chicago run and a 71-60 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Twelve of the Bulls’ 27 points came in the paint. Chicago built their lead to 75-60 with 11:30 left in the quarter before the Rockets revved up their offensive engine. Houston went on a 9-1 run due to the inside play of Yao, who scored 10 points early in the fourth. Yao’s sudden emergence as a clutch go-to threat allowed Houston to close to within 80-83 with 3:05 remaining. And when David Wesley hit a 20-foot jumper and was fouled in the act of shooting, the Rockets had survived the huge early deficit and tied the game at 85 with only 1:37 remaining. However, the Bulls’ Ben Gordon (18 points on 6-9 shooting) hit a huge 3-pointer, and Kirk Hinrich scored on a driving layup that also attracted Yao’s sixth and final foul, as Chicago never relinquished the lead, ultimately claiming the victory, 89-94. The Rockets’ played with a lot of heart and effort but, as we have witnessed way too many times this season, those intangibles mean little towards the final result. Yao finished with a season-best scoring effort of 30 points (14 coming in the fourth quarter) and six rebounds, and five other Rockets scored in double figures. With McGrady, Alston, and now Barry, out for the past few games, it’s a positive sign that other players are stepping up offensively. Defense (or lack thereof) is what cost the Rockets the game as six Bulls points in the last ninety seconds of the game came off dribble penetration and easy layups by Chicago’s guards. While the Rockets do a commendable job of guarding the 3-point line and interior, they are very vulnerable in the midrange area, and the Bulls were able to take advantage of that due to the shooting of Othella Harrington, Ben Gordon, and the penetration of Hinrich (8 assists). The Rockets have a couple of days off before the struggling Atlanta Hawks come to town on Tuesday. But no game is a given, and expect Atlanta, who is coming off a two-game win streak, to give the Rockets fits with their energy and athleticism. ROCKETS RECAP · Juwan Howard compiled a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds in 27 minutes of play. · In his first start this season, Swift accumulated 12 points and 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 21 minutes, but did have five fouls. · Derek Anderson had 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 38 minutes off the bench. · Chicago shot 35-73 from the floor (47%) while Houston shot only 28-76 (36%). · Houston outrebounded Chicago 47-37. http://www.nba.com/games/20051126/CHIHOU/boxscore.html
Confusing Ｉjust want to ask you guys a question : is Yao's last faul could have been avoided? Was this Yao's fault? I figure that is absolutely rockets' outside players fault. How come Hinrich got rid of rockets guards' defence and faced Yao directly. Is Hinrich the guy Yao supposed to take care of? Especially in that crucial stage. Rockets' defence is a joke, not their strength.They left so many open three pointers from the downtown. But honestly this game rockets played not bad. I suppose they gonna win a bunch of games when t-mac is back.
didn't catch the game last night, but it sounds like the same ole thing happening again and again........quick question, why in the hell does JVG start Bowen?????
saw improvements.. rockets improved their playing last night, tho there were still flaws defensively. i could see how they got more courage to win a game. but seriously, that yao last foul could hv been avoided and that foul did lose the game by changing the momentum to chicago. it was partly yao's fault as he could hv avoided that pull, BUT mainly it was the gaurds fault. WHY was hinrich being gaurded by yao?? i kno it was a switch but c'mon man, wesley D is so fake. it seemed to me he HAS to be faked on a crossover. a few possessions, some gaurds just fake right go left slowly, wesley HAD to be faked to the right and oooops the guard went to the left... also, if there were help after hinrich hesitated and blew past yao, instead of an open lane, yao did not have to commit that foul. yao still needed to imrpove mentally, he caught up the game for us but he just didn't want hinrich to take the lead again, so only thing he could do was to ...pull him... to prevent, but he forgot there are fouls.... almost guys, we r getting closer each game to a win....... hope tmac be back soon and should solve most of the problesm.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting THE DREAM:</div><div class="quote_post">didn't catch the game last night, but it sounds like the same ole thing happening again and again........quick question, why in the hell does JVG start Bowen?????</div> Swift and Howard started in the frontcourt last night, Bowen didn't log more than 10 minutes. It came up with mixed results though, Howard had a good night but Swift suffered stat-wise. Still better to bring him off the bench IMO. Yao had a good fourth quarter but man, he just couldn't help fouling out. Just to spark some discussion: Rockets - McGrady = Worst in the West?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Locke:</div><div class="quote_post"> Just to spark some discussion: Rockets - McGrady = Worst in the West?</div> Heh yeah, obviously. But if put T-mac in and you take Yao out of there, Rockets wouldn't be good either as witnessed from the Magics two years ago. They both have to play.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Just to spark some discussion: Rockets - McGrady = Worst in the West?</div> I still want to give the team some time to gel before I say the obvious. Players like Anderson and Swift just haven't grasped Van Gundy defensive system yet. If they do, I think we'll be at least average but right about now, yes we suck in the West.
LOL here we go again Last season: Phoenix w/o Nash = 0W-6L Seattle w/o Ray Allen = 0W-7L or 8L 2 great examples. Im sure you could take out the star player out of many great teams (not SA or MIA because they are just a group of all stars that sign for no where near what they are really worth with the exclusion of some players like Duncan and Shaq). Throw away the season? You guys are crazy. I don't even consider you guys Rockets fans. PS late in the second they called a bad foul on yao when he tried to shoot the ball. Once again bad officiating may have caused our loss. Antother bad foul when Yao was just standing up and one of the officials ACCTUALLY SAW THIS but didnt call it or correct it, is when the Chicago center pulled down yao ming and Yao fell on top of him. They called the foul on yao. Then they got 2 free throws. I hate the NBA officials.
