<div align="center"> <span style="font-size:24pt;line-height:100%">@</span> December 22, 2006 - 8:00 pm ET<span style="color:#FF0000">Game on ESPN</span></div> <span style="color:#FF0000">Houston Rockets</span> <span style="color:#000000">(15-10)</span><span style="color:#000000">PG</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Rafer Alston</span> <span style="color:#000000">SG</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Luther Head</span> <span style="color:#000000">SF</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Shane Battier</span> <span style="color:#000000">PF</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Chuck Hayes</span> <span style="color:#000000">C</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Yao Ming</span> <span style="color:#000000">Key Bench Players:</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Bonzi Wells, Juwan Howard, Dikembe Mutombo, Scott Padgett</span> <span style="color:#000000">San Antonio Spurs</span> <span style="color:#808080">(20-6)</span><span style="color:#808080">PG</span> <span style="color:#000000">Tony Parker</span> <span style="color:#808080">SG</span> <span style="color:#000000">Manu Ginobili</span> <span style="color:#808080">SF</span> <span style="color:#000000">Bruce Bowen</span> <span style="color:#808080">PF</span> <span style="color:#000000">Tim Duncan</span> <span style="color:#808080">C</span> <span style="color:#000000">Francisco Elson</span> <span style="color:#808080">Key Bench Players:</span> <span style="color:#000000">Michael Finley, Brent Barry, Fabricio Oberto, Robert Horry</span> Injury Report<span style="color:#000000">HOU:</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Tracy McGrady is questionable (back spasms)</span><span style="color:#000000">HOU:</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Kirk Snyder will not play (recovering from right hand surgery)</span> Who To Watch Out For<span style="color:#FF0000">Yao Ming</span><span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 27.0 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.3 bpg</span><span style="color:#000000">Tim Duncan</span><span style="color:#808080">Season Stats: 21.0 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.7 bpg</span><span style="color:#000000">Tony Parker</span><span style="color:#808080">Season Stats: 19.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 6.1 apg</span><span style="color:#000000">Manu Ginobili</span><span style="color:#808080">Season Stats: 14.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.6 spg</span> Rookie Watch <span style="color:#000000">HOU:</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Vassilis Spanoulis</span><span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: Undrafted</span><span style="color:#000000">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">3.3 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 1.3 apg</span> <span style="color:#000000">HOU:</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Steve Novak</span><span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: 32</span><span style="color:#000000">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">2.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Houston's X-Factor</span><span style="color:#FF0000">Bonzi Wells</span><span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 5.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.1 apg</span><span style="color:#FF0000">Bonzi needs to start stepping up and playing well. He's starting to get minutes, and he needs to start producing.</span> <span style="color:#000000">San Antonio's X-Factor</span><span style="color:#000000">Francisco Elson</span><span style="color:#808080">Season Stats: 5.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg</span><span style="color:#000000">Elson needs to do what he does best: bring energy, rebound, and play solid defense. He's going to have his work cut out for him tonight with Yao, he's going to have to bring his best efforts defensively.</span> <div align="center">Key Matchup vs. <span style="color:#FF0000">Yao Ming</span> <span style="color:#000000">vs.</span> <span style="color:#00000">Tim Duncan</span></div><span style="color:#000000">These two won't be guarding each other all night, but they will be at times, and these two bigs are incredible. Yao is arguably the best center in the league, while Tim Duncan is probably the very best PF in the history of the NBA.</span> CelticBalla's Extra Thoughts/NotesThese two teams always have good matchups, it will be exciting to see. Also note that San Antonio is on a 5 game winning streak right now. CelticBalla's PredictionI think this will be a good game, and I see San Antonio keepnig their winning streak alive. Their defense is just too much for Houson, IMO.
I'm going to have to go with the Spurs on this one. They are playing great together as of now and I don't see the beat up Rockets beating them.
Finally, I can watch a Rockets' game since I lost my League Pass. Rockets games were daily stuff for me, but now I have to wait for nationally televised games. I think this will be a very close game. The Rockets have lost a lot of games recently but most of them have been pretty close, and I think this will be no exception.
