<div align="center"><font color="red">Rockets (18-29)</font> at <font color="blue">Sixers (24-23)</font> Monday, February 6th, 2006 Wachovia Center, Philadelphia 7:00 CT; FSNSW and NBALP </div> [div=50%] <font size="3">Projected Starters</font> <div align="center"><font color="blue"> <font size="1">(Allen Iverson, Andre Iguodala John Salmons, Samuel Dalembert, Chris Webber)</font></font></div> <font size="1">Leading Scorer: Allen Iverson - 33.7 PPG Leading Rebounder: Samuel Dalembert - 10.1 RPG Assist Man: Allen Iverson - 7.6 APG The 'X' Factor: Samuel Dalembert (9.5 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 3.3 BPG)</font> [/div] <font size="3">Projected Starters</font> <div align="center"><font color="red"> <font size="1">(Rafer Alston, David Wesley Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Juwan Howard) </font></font></div> <font size="1">Leading Scorer: Tracy McGrady - 26.9 PPG Leading Rebounder: Yao Ming - 9.1 RPG Assist Man: Rafer Alston - 6.0 APG The 'X' Factor: Stromile Swift (9.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 0.7 BPG)</font> <font size="3">Keys to the Game</font><ul>[*]<font color="red">Contain Big Two</font> - Allen Iverson and Chris Webber live off the pick and roll and backdoor cuts. The Rockets have to play smart defense or the duo can have 60 between them.[*]<font color="red">Ride the streak</font> - The Rockets are on a modest two-game win streak, and just beat New York 93-89 on the road. A win here can give them the morale boost to make a push for the playoffs.[*][*]<font color="blue">Draw Fouls</font> - Allen Iverson is a top penetrator and he should do so often tonight. Yao Ming is very foul prone and if he has to sit due to foul trouble, the Sixers will have a much easier time guarding the post.[*]<font color="blue">AI Goes Off</font> - No one on the Rockets can consistently stay with Iverson. He's scoring a career-high 33.7 this season and he shouldn't find it hard to at least match his average likely against a 35 year old, a playground legend, and a rookie.[*][/list] <font size="3">Prediction</font> Yao Ming dominates the Sixers' big men down low while McGrady gets shut down by Andre Iguodala. The game will be close throughout but Iverson sticks the dagger into Houston's heart with a game-winning shot. Rockets: L, Sixers: W
The "defense" has hurted the Sixers real bad this season. If it wasn't for their horrible defense they would probably be 8+ games over .500 but as of late(since Salmons has started) the overall team defense has been improved a lot. Also take the fact that AI has been idle with an ankle injury but then felt as if his last game against Cleveland was the first game of the season for him...expect him to come out strong playing in his first home game in about 2 1/2 weeks. I got the Sixers by 8. T-Mac will go for 40 while Yao gets 20 and 15. (Star players tend to have huge nights against the Sixers, what can I say). <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Yao Ming dominates the Sixers' big men down low while McGrady gets shut down by Andre Iguodala. The game will be close throughout but Iverson sticks the dagger into Houston's heart with a game-winning shot. Rockets: W, Sixers: L</div> But yet the Rockets still manage to win? =p
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">But yet the Rockets still manage to win? =p</div>Oops, forgot to edit my prediction.
Were down 33-27 in the second, but I think T-Mac will dominate the 2nd half. and Yao will dominate the 3rd Q. AI will be tough to contain, but Houston takes it 88-84
Phili doesnt have a consistent defense.. T-Mac is against John Salmons.. We gotta give the ball to t-mac in the third quarter bcoz he can take over in the third quarter. All i expect from yao this game is getting a few offensive rebounds and blocking some shots...
Allen is really struggling tonight, and if this keeps up the Rockets should pick up the win. I'm still thinking both Allen and Tracy will pick it up big time in the second half.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting igotask8board:</div><div class="quote_post">Were down 33-27 in the second, but I think T-Mac will dominate the 2nd half. and Yao will dominate the 3rd Q. AI will be tough to contain, but Houston takes it 88-84</div> Wow we were down by 5 and now we are up by 13 points with 6:48 to go in the third hehe .... This game should be ours....
Rockets outrebounded by 20 and Chuck Hayes barely got off the bench. This game should not have been as close as it was.
Yay we got our 4th win in a row! We won 87-81, I was close when I said it would be 88-84. Good performance by Yao and Rafer (who went 5/8 from 3, 5 steals, 8 assists, and 19 points). They doubled T-Mac every time, so Rafer had to step up and he did just that. Man AI got a foul if some one so much as breathed on him (as Bill Worell said). Very dissapointed with todays officiating.
Yao got a huge night today. When T-MAC is down, he should keep up like this. That's why CD pay them top salaries. Go rockets!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting durvasa:</div><div class="quote_post">Rockets outrebounded by 20 and Chuck Hayes barely got off the bench. This game should not have been as close as it was.</div> Van Gundy seems intent on playing Swift without regard for Hayes and Baxter. When Stro and Yao were out, Hayes and Baxter more than proved their worth, and they haven't gotten a chance to do the same once Yao and Swift got back. Hayes has worked too hard to be a benchwarmer.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Locke:</div><div class="quote_post"> Van Gundy seems intent on playing Swift without regard for Hayes and Baxter. When Stro and Yao were out, Hayes and Baxter more than proved their worth, and they haven't gotten a chance to do the same once Yao and Swift got back. Hayes has worked too hard to be a benchwarmer.</div> Well, I think you may have a higher opinion of Juwan Howard than I do. I would rather see Hayes take more of Howard's minutes than Stro's. I honestly don't see any use of putting Howard in the game with Yao and McGrady. We need a strong rebounder/finisher and strong defensive player in the starting lineup -- precisely what Chuck Hayes provides and Howard lacks.
Great defense by Houston in the 2nd and 4th quarters...Alston stepped up big time and Bowen's defense sparked our 23-5 run in the second...Yao also came around to have a good game...
Rockets played down to their competition. No way should it have been that close. Same thing in the NY game. Good to see Yao stronger in the 4th. Stro made some good plays but fouls made him sit. TMac doesn't seem comfortable yet shooting that, off the screen shot from Skip. Once he starts hitting that, it looks easy. TMac has got some good looks from it but has not shot the ball well lately.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting durvasa:</div><div class="quote_post">Well, I think you may have a higher opinion of Juwan Howard than I do. I would rather see Hayes take more of Howard's minutes than Stro's. I honestly don't see any use of putting Howard in the game with Yao and McGrady. We need a strong rebounder/finisher and strong defensive player in the starting lineup -- precisely what Chuck Hayes provides and Howard lacks.</div> I value Howard mostly for his offense. As I've mentioned before, it seems Hayes and Yao on the floor together won't work well because both tend to park themselves in the post, similar to if Yao and Mutombo were on at the same time. Howard is the only power forward we have who has the range to hit the outside shots when left open. It stretches the floor for Yao to operate down low and Howard has proven his worth on the pick and rolls. However, given the way Howard's been playing lately, maybe a change is needed, but I think it should come more at Swift's expense.
