http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets_ho...-203292-34.html<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>HOUSTON -- The Rockets have survived a hot shooting half from Memphis forward Mike Miller and outlasted the clutch shooting of Seattle star Ray Allen without Yao Ming.Now, comes quite literally their biggest test.The Rockets will face one of the league's most physical front lines Friday night when the Northwest Division-leading Utah Jazz come to town.Utah is the league's best rebounding team in terms of rebounding differential and has one of the NBA's bulkiest front courts led by power forward Carlos Boozer. That should prove to be a hefty challenge for Houston. The Rockets, of course, are a significantly smaller team without Yao and haven't faced a formidable front line like Utah's since losing their big man. "They're playing at a very high level and they're probably the most physical team in the league," Rockets forward Shane Battier said of the Jazz. "We're going to have to get our rest (on Thursday) because it's going to be a physical game."The Rockets (20-12) have been rolling along without Yao by winning four of their past five games.Besides getting a lift inside from Dikembe Mutombo and Juwan Howard, the Rockets have maintained their winning ways by limiting turnovers and controlling the glass. Houston is actually winning the rebounding battle by a margin of 6.8 boards per contest over the past five games.The Rockets, however, haven't had to keep a team like Utah off the boards over that stretch."It's definitely going to be a toughness game," Rockets forward Chuck Hayes said. "We're going to have to bring it because they're going to be aggressive and try to push us around." Utah didn't have much trouble doing just that in the season opener.Even though Houston had Yao for that game, the Jazz overwhelmed the Rockets inside by outrebounding them by 11 boards and scoring 17 second-chance points. Boozer finished with 24 points and 19 rebounds.The Jazz ended up with a 107-97 win. "We have to do the things we didn't do in the first meeting, which is take care of the basketball and play perimeter defense," Battier said. "We have to have five guys rebounding the ball and just work our tails off to limit them to one shot." The Rockets will clearly be relying upon a smaller lineup to get it done.Houston has one healthy seven-footer on the roster (Mutombo at 7-foot-2) and the team's only other player standing at least 6-foot-10 -- Steve Novak -- isn't exactly a banger in the paint. Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said his team simply has to play with a ton of energy without their primary big man. "It just comes down to discipline, technique and multiple efforts," Van Gundy said of keeping opponents out of the paint. "The overall theme is to cover for each other. We're tiny and when Chuck is out there, McGrady is our tallest guy. That's an unusual thing. But if we cover for each other and play with great passion, we can hang in there."</div>Records: Houston (20-12), Utah (23-9) Day/Time: Friday, 7:30 PM CST<u>Projected Starting Lineups</u><span style="color:#FF0000"><u>Houston Rockets</u></span>PG: <span style="color:#FF0000">Rafer Alston</span>SG: <span style="color:#FF0000">Tracy McGrady</span>SF: <span style="color:#FF0000">Shane Battier</span>PF: <span style="color:#FF0000">Juwan Howard</span>C: <span style="color:#FF0000">Dikembe Mutombo</span><u>Injury Update</u>Yao Ming (fractured tibia), Bonzi Wells (sore back), Kirk Snyder (broken hand) and Bob Sura (knee/back) are out for the Rockets.<span style="color:#48D1CC"><u>Utah Jazz</u></span>PG: <span style="color:#48D1CC">Deron Williams</span>SG: <span style="color:#48D1CC">Derek Fisher</span>SF: <span style="color:#48D1CC">Andrei Kirilenko</span>PF: <span style="color:#48D1CC">Carlos Boozer</span>C: <span style="color:#48D1CC">Mehmet Okur</span><u>Injury Update</u>No injuries for the Jazz.<u>My Predicition</u>95-90 <span style="color:#FF0000"><u>Rockets</u></span>LETS GO ROCKETS!
20 point lead! TMac is on fire! 35 points in the 3rd.Once again I can't watch this. A channel on Sopcast played a different game instead of the Rockets and Jazz game. Playing the Mavs and Spurs <_<They didn't play it because they supposedly got a the wrong signal. Or some sh*t like that...
TMAC IS A MOTHER EFFIN BEAST! 44 POINTS AND 9 REBOUNDS! HE WAS KILLING IT OUT THERE!Deke was a monster on the glass. 19 FREAKEN rebounds. 1 point away from a double double. AWESOME game from the Rockets. THAT'S what I want to see on a consistent basis.Recap for now.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>HOUSTON(AP) Tracy McGrady scored a season-high 44 points, Dikembe Mutombo grabbed a season-best 19 rebounds and the Houston Rockets beat the Utah Jazz 100-86 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory.McGrady hit 14 of 31 shots and went 13-for-16 from the free-throw line, reaching 40 points for the 39th time in his career. He fell four points shy of his high game in three seasons with Houston, set against Dallas in December 2004. McGrady's career high is 62 points, reached in his final season with Orlando.Mutombo had a double-digit rebound total for the fifth consecutive game. The 40-year-old center has ably filled in for the injured Yao Ming, out at least six weeks with a broken right leg. The Rockets are 5-1 without Yao.Carlos Boozer had 15 points and 17 rebounds and Deron Williams scored 19 points for Utah, which never recovered from Houston's game-opening 15-3 spurt.McGrady led the opening run, swishing two 3-pointers in the first 2 minutes, then blowing by Derek Fisher for an easy layup. McGrady ended the burst with a 3-pointer from the wing, confidently nodding as he trotted down the court and setting the tone for his big night.</div>http://www.nba.com/games/20070105/UTAHOU/recap.html
I didm't watch the game cause I was out all night, but when I came back and heard that Tmac had 44 points I was extremely pleased. Its great to see him play with force and energy, and to see him succed out on the court. Like I said when Yao went out, Houston was still going to do as well cause they were going to pick up the slack, and because Tmac was gonna once again kill the competition.
