<u>Game</u>: Seattle Sonics at Houston Rockets <u>Location</u>: Toyota Center <u>Date</u>:Monday, December 29th, 2003 <u>Time</u>: 7:30 CST Head Coaches vs. Nate McMillan/ Jeff Van Gundy Starters vs. Rashard Lewis/Jim Jackson vs. Vladimir Radmanovic/Kelvin Cato vs. Jerome James/Yao Ming vs. Brent Barry/Stevie Francis vs. Ray Allen/Cuttino Mobley Sonics Outlook Offensively tonight the Sonics have to get the ball to Rashard Lewis early and let him go to work. He plays his best ball against Houston and we will look to impress the hometown crowd tonight. Add to that he has a size and speed advantage on Jim Jackson. Look for him to have a huge night. The Sonics also need to do a good job of moving the ball on offense and spread the court. Radmanovic should look for his shot tonight. Cato does not like playing on the perimeter. If Radmamovic can make a few perimeter shots, then Cato will be forced the guard him. This allows for Radmamovic to take the ball to the hole. On defense the Sonics have to do several things. They have to rebound the ball extremely well. They are the worst team in the league at rebounding the ball and playing Houston will not make it any easier. All 5 guys need to crash the boards. The Sonics should also double Yao any time he gets the ball on the block and make the Rockets perimeter players make open shots. Containing Steve Francis will be a big thing tonight. I have a feeling that he will torch Brent Barry tonight. Rockets Outlook Yao Ming has not shown that dominance this year as everyone would have liked. He has showed glimpses of his power however he has not been able to play at the dominant level throught this year like many expected. He will be tested tonight heavily. Jerome James will be able to push Yao around tonight down on the block because of his enormous frame. Yao will have to execute tonight and provide at least 20 points on offense. One key area that the Rockets can take advantage of is at the point guard position. Brent Barry returned Saturday after being out with a hip-flexor. He has in the past had a problem containing the quicker guards, so Francis should take advantage of this tonight. On defense, the key tonight is to stop Rashard Lewis. He is a Houston native who went to Elsik HS. He will be pumped up tonight and look to take over and impress his Houston supporters. He always has a big night against Houston. The last time we met he scored 37. Jim Jackson has his work cut out for him tonight. Also, Kelvin Cato will be called upon a lot tonight. Radmanovic is a more of a perimeter player than an inside presence meaning Kelvin Cato will be playing defense in an uncomfortable area tonight. Look for Maurice Taylor to play a lot tonight at the PF slot due to his quickness. Dexter's Prediction I think this game is pretty even. The Rockets have the inside advantage while the Sonics have the perimeter one. If Yao can get active early, that will take a huge weight off of the Rockets permiter player's shoulders. Look for both Rashard Lewis and Steve Francis to have huge games. I would not be suprised if they both went for 30+ tonight. Overall I think this will be a close game and come down to the wire. Bench play I think will be the X-Factor in the game. Whoever wins the bench play tonight, I think will win the game. My prediction: Rockets 95 Sonics 92
Great preview. Seattle will want to get 'Shard going early, he always has a point to prove against Houston. Franchise may have the better of Barry, but Ridnour and Daniels provide a nice rotation off the bench. I'll tip the upset here Sonics by 6
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Sir Desmond:</div><div class="quote_post">Great preview. Seattle will want to get 'Shard going early, he always has a point to prove against Houston. Franchise may have the better of Barry, but Ridnour and Daniels provide a nice rotation off the bench. I'll tip the upset here Sonics by 6</div> Thats a bold prediction. Even though you have Ridnour and Daniels I dont think you will be able to stop Francis and Mobley defensively. Rashard will have a killer game, no doubts about that. Also Taylor has been playing very weill lately. It will be interesting to see his influence on the game when he comes in for Cato or Yao.
Wow, what a heatstopping finish that was. Sonics had no right to take that one, with the way they shot all night. The big game from 'Shard didn't come, though he nailed some clutch freebies at the end, but it was Seattle's other star who took this one. My game recap here.
<font size="2"><u>Dexter's Game Recap</u></font> The last few minutes of the 4th quarter were tragic if you are a Rockets fan. The Rockets controlled the Sonics for most of the game however they never were able to put them out completely like great teams can. They let them hang around and it came back to bite them in the end as the Sonics won 87-86. As Seattle coach Nate McMillan said, "We stole the game tonight." Both teams did not play well overall tonight at all. Seattle shot a dismal 28-of-79 from the field and 9-of-32 from beyond the arc. However the one thing Seattle did very well was rebound the ball. They got crucial rebounds when they needed to and that led to their victory. Brent Barry gave the Sonics an 80-78 lead with 2:16 left in the game. Radmanovic drilled a clutch 3 pointer later on. Houston had a chance to go for a tie being down by 3 however Francis overthrew a pass to Yao Ming on the inbounds play(I mean he is only like 7 ft. freaking 15 inches tall. It cant be that hard to miss him). Major props to the Seattle defense who held Francis to 25% shooting from the field. They also did a good job defensively on Yao. McMillan used three different centers and fouled Yao over 15 times with them. The Rockets failed to do the little things in tonights loss. This loss can be blamed on turnovers, missing free throws at crucial times, lack of rebounding, and fouls down the stretch. This loss extends the Rockets record to 6-12 when scoring under 90 points. Key Players - Sonics Ray Allen - 28 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists Brent Barry - 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists Rashard Lewis - 13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals Vladimir Radmanovic - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals Jerome James - 5 points, 4 rebounds Reggie Evans - 0 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals Calvin Booth - 4 points, 6 rebounds Ronald Murray - 6 points Key Players - Rockets Cuttino Mobley - 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals Steve Francis - 12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 turnovers Jim Jackson - 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists Kelvin Cato - 0 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks Yao Ming - 15 points, 6 boards, 5 fouls, 5 turnovers Maurice Taylor - 13 points, 7 rebounds Eric Piatkowski - 14 points, 3 rebounds Moochie Norris - 4 points, 2 steals Key Stats Total Rebounds - Seattle 47, Houston 42 Offensive Rebounds - Seattle 17, Houston 11 Field Goals - Seattle 28-79 (35.4%), Houston 33-77(42.9%) Points in the Paint - Seattle 26, Houston 32 Turnovers - Seattle 16, Houston 19 Free Throws - Seattle 22-27 (81.5%), Houston 12-15 (80%) The Rockets next game is Wednesday at home against the Sixers.
