<div align="center"> <font color="red">Rockets (42-25)</font> vs <font color="blue">Pacers (30-35)</font> Tuesday, March 20, 2007, Toyota Center, Houston, TX 8:30 Central; TNT, SportsRadio 610 AM <font color="red"> <font size="1">(R. Alston, T. McGrady, S. Battier, C. Hayes, Y. Ming)</font></font> <font size="1">Leading Scorer: Yao Ming - 24.5 PPG Leading Rebounder: Yao Ming - 9.3 RPG Assists Leader: Tracy McGrady - 6.2 APG </font> <font color="blue"> <font size="1">(J. Tinsley, M. Dunleavy, D. Granger, J. O'Neal, T. Murphy)</font></font> <font size="1">Leading Scorer: Jermaine O'Neal - 19.8 PPG Leading Rebounder: Jermaine O'Neal - 10.0 RPG Assists Leader: Jamaal Tinsley - 6.8 APG </font> <font size=""1""><font color="red">Luther Head (6th Man)</font></font> <font size="1"><div align="center">27.7 MPG, 10.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.5 APG</div></font><font size=""1""><font color="blue">Darrell Armstrong (6th Man)</font></font> <font size="1">14.9 MPG, 5.3 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 2.2 APG</font> Predictions: <font color=""Red"">Rockets 98</font>, Pacers 83</div> Keys To The Game: <font color=""Red"">Rockets:</font> T-Mac had an OK game after the blowout win against the Sixers. Yao was playing pretty good but needs to stay more positive on the offensive side of games. The Rockets had a great offense after blowing a few games before and the Rockets need to continue that. Bonzi may also play in this game so it will be good for the Rockets. T-Mac needs to continue the offense but also now the Rockets need to start using Yao on offense alot because the Rockets will need it for the playoffs. The Rockets defense needs to continue and they need to lower the opp ppg. We have to contain Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy because they are great shooters. Juwan needs to continue to do good, and Yao also needs to continue and do a good job on O'Neal. The Rockets need to rebound, score, and defend. Jamaal Tinsley and Danny Granger are big players to so they need to contain them. It will be tough to defend Jermaine O'Neal but the Rockets need to their best to limit the touches in the post for him and defend him as best as possible. The Rockets have to contain the penetration of Jamaal Tinsley. <font color=""Red"">Luther Head hit some 3's!! </font> <font color=""blue"">Pacers:</font> Keep Tmac from scoring more than 30. The Pacers need to rebound and get points in the paint. Tinsley should continue what he is doing and keep scoring on and on. Darrell Armstrong will come off the bench so he needs to contribute well and they also need Granger to score. The bench needs to produce and Dunleavy needs to give them energy with Points. Murphy is also a key player because he is offensive minded and he can help the Pacers on the offensive end. Granger needs to use his perimeter offense to force the Rockets to open the paint a little bit. Use Jermaine O'Neal on the post as much as possible because the Pacers have an advantage. The offense needs to go through Tinsley and Armstrong. Cover luther head on 3's! <font color=""Black"">Bottom Line:</font> This is another game to help the Rockets to maybe get a home court advantage in the playoffs to the Rockets need to win this. The Rockets need a streak because every good team has been on a streak lately and they need to prove that they are good and also to clinch the playoff berth. The Pacers have been struggling this season so the Rockets need to put them away early. The Rockets mainly need to score because you cannot win a game if you do not score. All the Rockets need to do is pickup their offense and defense and not play Lazy then they will win. If the Rockets can close the game out well they will come away with the victory. The Pacers are still a tough team to beat because they have Murphy at the C to contain Yao and O'Neal at PF and they are both 7 footers, nonetheless the Rockets should do good. The Rockets lost the game earlier in Indiana so they need to go good, but also close it out early. Hope for a great game at the Toyota Center and may the best team win.
After the Pacers have lost so many in a row, there's no way they can hold on against the Rockets. Houston should take it to them early and build a big lead so that Yao and TMac can be rested.
Rockets are playing at home and on national tv (with Rockets hater Charles Barkley watching). We'll blow them out of the building.
One thing we need to do to gurantee this a win will be to get off to a good start. We've been doing that in the past games and we've blown teams out.
Remember last game thread when I said: <div class="quote_poster">Quoting ROCK4LIFE:</div><div class="quote_post"> I just get concerned, because when the jumpers aren't falling, how will we win ball games?</div> This game is what we look like when our jumpers aren't falling. If this were a playoff game against Dallas, Phoenix or San Antonio, we'd be gettin blown out by 15. I wonder when Bonzi's coming back........
<div class="quote_poster">Rock4life Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Remember last game thread when I said: This game is what we look like when our jumpers aren't falling. If this were a playoff game against Dallas, Phoenix or San Antonio, we'd be gettin blown out by 15. I wonder when Bonzi's coming back........</div> What the hell happened to Snyder?!?! The one guy who can finish(Tonight at least)and he's sitting on the pine...........jeez!!!
<div class="quote_poster">durvasa Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Rockets are playing at home and on national tv (with Rockets hater Charles Barkley watching). We'll blow them out of the building.</div> Well, that was a bad prediction.
Yao doubled back to Tmac for 3. Yao with a good defensive possession. Then Tmac in to Yao for 2. I dont know about you guys, but the Tmac-Yao combo is looking better and better (especially in the last few games).
Quick someone, grab a pen and pad. The great Chuck Bark predicts NY will not make the playoffs, Houston wont make the playoffs, the Nets will win it all, and the Rockets have no chance at taking the cake. Guess who decided to hop on the bandwagon? Smith........Kenny Smith. Oh yea, Steve Kerr exploded all over Houston Rockets fans at the Toyota Center due to an excess amount of smug which accumulated slowly with each and every article he wrote. His lower intestine could not handle the influx of smug during his most recent NBA broadcasts. I still think TNT is better than ESPN.
Rockets are going to win, but this was a very poorly played game. Very sloppy offense. They won by relying on the stars in the fourth and playing consistent defense.
<div class="quote_poster">igotask8board Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Quick someone, grab a pen and pad. The great Chuck Bark predicts NY will not make the playoffs, Houston wont make the playoffs, the Nets will win it all, and the Rockets have no chance at taking the cake. Guess who decided to hop on the bandwagon? Smith........Kenny Smith. </div> You are kidding right? I know Barkely says some pretty off the wall stuff, but this is just crazy. Won't make the playoffs? Nets win it all? Are you sure he wasnt joking? Anyways the game was really sloppy, but a wins a win.
<div class="quote_poster">foo82 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">You are kidding right? I know Barkely says some pretty off the wall stuff, but this is just crazy. Won't make the playoffs? Nets win it all? Are you sure he wasnt joking? Anyways the game was really sloppy, but a wins a win.</div> His preseason picks were the Rockets wouldn't make the playoffs. I think he said the Nets would win the East.
<div class="quote_poster">durvasa Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">His preseason picks were the Rockets wouldn't make the playoffs. I think he said the Nets would win the East.</div> He also blabber out (In between eating a BUFFALO) that the Rockets CAN'T beat the Jazz, this guy is a moron with a mike, thank god he didn't win a ring with us.
A low scoring game but a win is a win. The Rockets must win most of their remaining 14 games and hope that the Jazz lose enough games to give up the home court advantage for the playoffs. I think the top 5 western conference positions are settled with only the Rockets and the Jazz fighting for the home court. Looks like Yao Ming is closer to being dominant again. His shooting touch is back. It would be nice if he could cut his turnovers down. He should never try to dribble the ball in traffic as well as keeping the ball low for more than few seconds.
<div class="quote_poster">blueracer Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">A low scoring game but a win is a win. The Rockets must win most of their remaining 14 games and hope that the Jazz lose enough games to give up the home court advantage for the playoffs. I think the top 5 western conference positions are settled with only the Rockets and the Jazz fighting for the home court. Looks like Yao Ming is closer to being dominant again. His shooting touch is back. It would be nice if he could cut his turnovers down. He should never try to dribble the ball in traffic as well as keeping the ball low for more than few seconds.</div> Funny thing is, to me Yao Ming doesnt look anywhere close to where he could be. Even scoring 30 points, it still felt like he was playing at 50%. Anyways there were tons of baskets that rolled around the rim (when he was fouled). Imagine if all those had went in.
A win's a win! I kinda agree with you foo, I want to see the Yao that finishes with dunks and lay ups, not just his jump shooting. Screw Charles..btw Utah won today so we're still 1.5 games behind them. Lose Utah, loooose!!!
<div class="quote_poster">durvasa Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">His preseason picks were the Rockets wouldn't make the playoffs. I think he said the Nets would win the East.</div> Acctually when the Rockets won there 11th game becoming a pretty convincing 11-5 team that would make the playoffs. Chuck said, "and the Rockets, they're not going to make the playoffs..." which he followed up with something like T-Mac needs to lead us, and Yao can't dominate games. 3 more wins and we clinch our playoff berth baby. <div class="quote_poster">Blurr#7 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">He also blabber out (In between eating a BUFFALO) that the Rockets CAN'T beat the Jazz, this guy is a moron with a mike, thank god he didn't win a ring with us.</div> 3 rings? why not? Maybe Kenny Smith was making up for all the love and public bias he was giving to the Rockets, so he took it out on...so he kicked the Rockets while they were down (injured.....rhetoric never gets picked up at just bbal for some reason) it seemed like any chance he got to say something bad about the Rockets, he would. now he think's they have a chance....
