<u>Game</u>: Indiana Pacers at Houston Rockets <u>Location</u>: Toyota Center <u>Date</u>:Tuesday December 23, 2003 <u>Time</u>: 7:30 CST vs. Jermaine O'Neal/Kelvin Cato vs. Jeff Foster/Yao Ming vs. Kenny Anderson/Stevie Francis vs. Reggie Miller/Cuttino Mobley Pacers Outlook The Pacers come into Houston as the best team the Eastern Confrence has to offer which is good considering that Houston is 8-1 against Eastern Confrence teams this season. For the Pacers to be successful they must have a huge night from O'Neal on both sides of the court. On defense he must control the lane. That means he needs get every rebound and be prepared to help out on Yao. On offense, he has to be the man tonight. He needs to use his quickness and agility to get by Cato. Ron Artest is a key componet on defense. He is arguably the best one-on-one defender in the league. If I was Rick Carlisle, I would put Ron Artest on Steve Francis tonight. Controlling Francis will be a big factor tonight if the Pacers want to win. On defense, they need to just let the Rockets perimeter players shoot as the Rockets have shot under 40% in most of their games of late. Rockets Outlook Tonight is a test for the Rockets. Its called "Mistake Response". As of late the Rockets have played horrid basketball. Yao has been a non-factor and shots just are not falling. Their "manhood" will be tested tonight. Will the Rockets crumble at the sign of adversity or step up and show the league that they are the real deal. Hopefully we will see the fired up Rockets tonight.On defense, the Rockets need to do a good job of Jermaine O'Neal. Like KG is to the Wolves, he is to the Pacers. He is their "Do Everything" player. We need to make him a non-factor tonight. Jim Jackson will be tested tonight. Artest loves to play a physical game. I think it will be key to take him out of his game and force him to hit the outside jumper. On offense, Yao Ming must be a force tonight. He needs to establish himself early tonight to help take some of the pressure off of the Rockets perimeter players. The Rockets must also shoot the ball well tonight. They have shot under 40% in many of their past losses. Shooting will be key tonight as it is every night. Dexter's Prediction When Yao Ming if a force on offense, the Rockets win games. When he isn't, they lose games. It is that simple. Both teams need their big men to be dominant tonight if they hope to win. Look for Maurice Taylor to play a huge part tonight for the Rockets. He will be called to step up if Cato get's in foul trouble or if he gets "owned" by O'Neal. Tonight will be a close game and I think it will come down to the wire. I do think the Rockets will win this game though. Rockets 87 Pacers 84
I say Rockets by 5. They have suprised me alot this season and will suprise me again if they beat the pacers like I predicted. If Yao can be awsome on Offense then they'll take this easily. If he can't they have to go the hard way.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting allnet:</div><div class="quote_post">Rockets need to win this game going into their showdown with the Lakers on christmas day.</div> I agree It's going to be a Good christmas gift for the winner of that game
I just don't understand why Yao isn'y being that effective in the low post. He has a great teacher in Ewing, so coaching cannot be the issue. I think we should bring The Dream in to coach him. Really though, his low post play will be vital not only this game, but in all our upcoming plays. We need Yao to step up his game.
I am getting more and more frustrated at the Rockets' play of late. I cannot express how important it is for them to be more focused on offense. Van Gundy has done a good job on defense but Yao has to step up tonight for the Rockets to have a good game. I think the Rockets face a tough task in winning but if they do, the game against the Lakers will probably be a lot easier mentally on the team. If they don't win tonight, we could be looking at a losing streak.
These past few weeks have to be horrible if you are a Rockets fan. They lost once again last night, this time to the Indiana Pacers. The final score was 79-71. The Pacers played great team basketball and did a good job of sharing the rock. As a team they combined to have 20 assists while only having 11 turnovers. Jermaine O'Neal clearly won the battle tonight down low against Yao Ming. Speaking of Yao, he didn't have a stellar night by any means, grabbing 8 boards and scoring only 12 points. Yao only took 4 shots. He needs to shoot the ball 12-18 times a game at the minimum. Cuttino Mobley also had a horrid night shooting as well(2 of 13). He was booed by the Houston crowd for his horrible showing. Key Players - Pacers Reggie Miller - 6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists Ron Artest - 21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists Jermaine O'Neal - 21 points, 14 boards, 2 steals Jeff Foster - 6 points, 5 rebounds Anthony Johnson - 13 points, 3 assists, 2 steals Scott Polard - 2 points, 5 rebounds Key Players - Houston Steve Francis - 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals Cuttino Mobley - 4 points(2-13 shooting), 4 rebounds Jim Jackson - 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists Kelvin Cato - 6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks Yao Ming - 12 points(3-4 shooting), 8 rebounds Maurice Taylor - 4 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks Eric Piatkowski - 3 points Both teams shot under 38% from the floor. Lets hope Houston can give us the Christmas present all Rocket fans want, a win over the Lakers on Christmas day.
