GAME: Houston Rockets(6-7) vs. Utah Jazz(7-5) LOCATION: Delta Center, Salt Lake City TIME: Friday November 26th, 8:00PM PROBABLE STARTERS SF Jim Jackson/Andrei Kirilenko PF Maurice Taylor/Carlos Boozer C Yao Ming/Jarron Collins PG Tyronn Lue/Carlos Arroyo SG Tracy McGrady/Gordan Giricek TEAM LEADERS Rockets: Tracy McGrady-21.5 points per game Yao Ming-8.1 rebounds per game Tracy McGrady-5.7 assists per game Jazz: Carlos Boozer-20.7 points per game Carlos Boozer-10.5 rebounds per game Carlos Arroyo-6.3 assists per game I've gotta head out to the movies in a while so I won't have time to throw up a full preview. However, I feel the Rockets can win this game if they do the following: -Get Yao involved. The Jazz do not have anyone capable of stopping Yao, and that should guarantee a big night from him. However, the Rockets have shown somewhat an incapability to give it to Yao when he's hot or needs the ball. We will have to make sure he gets it whenever he wants it tonight. -Contain Jazz Supporting Cast. Although stopping Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko on defense is close to impossible, the Rockets still have to guard Carlos Arroyo, Mehmet Okur, Raja Bell and Gordan Giricek. If Boozer and Kirilenko gets their regular 20 points tonight, we have to make the rest of the team doesn't get over 45. -Rebound. The Rockets are the worst rebounding team in the league with under 40 a night, and they allow 42 to opponents. Our team is great on defense at limiting opponents to bad shots, but what's the good of their misses if they get it back? The Jazz are in comparison a much better rebounding team, so we would have to box out tonight. I don't care if Yao gets 0 rebounds; it's all good as long as the rebound is in our team's hands. GAME PREDICTION Rockets-96 Jazz-89
Nice preview Trip, I need to get around to helping Ice out with 10 or more of these for the season, I got you Ice . Back to the preview, The Rockets definently need to get Yao involved in the post to make the easy buckets, he can really get this team going once he get in the feel. Also the Jazz defense is going to be hard to get around which will make this a tough matchup for the Rockets. I see the Jazz winning this one due to the fact that the Rockets can't rebound and they're defense might come through again for them tonight. Jazz by 6.
Yao needs to get involved early and often. Yao is the big key for the Rockets to get started, they need to get him involved early in often. They need to contain C Boozer and Kirilenko. I think it will be too much for the Rockets though as Utah is at home, I take Utah by 5.
No one on our team can contain Carlos Boozer, and Yao must neutralize his prescence and more by putting up some nice numbers and out rebounding him, something I hope that will happen. He must battle with Boozer for control of the low post and needs to dominate when he needs to, or just hold Boozer to some low rebounding. Mutumbo also must play a part in this a defensively hold the low post to some low scoring with his excellent blocking and rebounding like the other night. Those are big NEEDs. Also, Jim Jackson must try to defend Kirilenko as best as possible without getting into foul trouble. Another important aspect of this game is that McGrady has to put up some big numbers tonight and pass the ball effectively, and often. Giricek on the Jazz can't guard McGrady that well, and the Rockets must use it to their advantage. But uh, Ty Lue is starting? Wow, didn't see that coming. Theres a mismatch at the point, but Lue is a decent defender, so he should be able to not let Arroyo break out in this game. I see the Utah Jazz win by 4, AK49 and Boozer probably won't be guarded effectively enough and Yao might get into foul trouble, which will be a big problem for us.
Tough one for the Rockets. Utah have been playing brilliantly at the begining of this season. I agree with trip on out strategy. We should go for the approach that last year's chapions took. Dismantle the supporting cast and we can win this. While this is very achievable, i don't see the rockets doing this. T-Mac will probably score in the low 20's and Yao about 15. There will be strong defense on both sides, expect a low scoring game. HOU: 71 UTA: 75
After being down by 13, we're back in the game, down by only 6 -- thanks to Andre Barrett, and Scott Padgett. Hope we don't slip up now. Ward's position on this team is now in danger. I hope Barrett is here to stay. Please Rockets, sign this guy..
Rockets lose, sad. The Main with the Rockets are pretty easy, they need to play better defense, they need to get offensive rebounds, they need to hit open shots, McGrady needs to have a much better shot selection, and Maurice Taylor needs to get traded. The defense from the Rockets was atrocious they were allowing wide open shots. Not too add there offensive rebounding got no better as they gave continous chances. Van Gundy brouhgt in his bench and they put in effort, but after a few good shots, even they werent hitting shots which doesnt lead to wins. Now my main problem, MAURICE TAYLOR. He doesnt defend,or rebound, and when he gets the ball he just takes his man one on one and does nothing, he needs to be gone because hes hurting this team. The only positives I saw tonight were Tyronne Lue,Bostjan Nachbar at times, and Andre Barret, who I must say played very impressive and is a cold point guard.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Rockets lose, sad. The Main with the Rockets are pretty easy, they need to play better defense, they need to get offensive rebounds, they need to hit open shots, McGrady needs to have a much better shot selection, and Maurice Taylor needs to get traded. The defense from the Rockets was atrocious they were allowing wide open shots. Not too add there offensive rebounding got no better as they gave continous chances. Van Gundy brouhgt in his bench and they put in effort, but after a few good shots, even they werent hitting shots which doesnt lead to wins. Now my main problem, MAURICE TAYLOR. He doesnt defend,or rebound, and when he gets the ball he just takes his man one on one and does nothing, he needs to be gone because hes hurting this team. The only positives I saw tonight were Tyronne Lue,Bostjan Nachbar at times, and Andre Barret, who I must say played very impressive and is a cold point guard.</div> It's better said than done. First of all, Maurice Taylor has a pretty expensive contract and obviously, doesn't make up for it. The problem with their defense is that the players are still trying to learn Van Gundy's overly complicated defense system. McGrady has to know when to pass the ball, plain and simple. If he has a bad shot, he needs to know that he can't make it and pass it to someone that can instead. McGrady needs to create some double teams and then find the open man. Rocket's rebounding is horrible. Aside from Mutumbo, sometimes Ming, and Jackson, there are no rebounders on the team.
Boooooooooooo T-Mac. He ruined our team. BOooooooooooooooooo. Booooooooooo. Give Yao the ball more. Boooooo T-Mac. Booooooo. He s messing Yao's game up , the Rockets need to let Yao take at least 30 shots a game.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting YaoMing03-04:</div><div class="quote_post">Boooooooooooo T-Mac. He ruined our team. BOooooooooooooooooo. Booooooooooo. Give Yao the ball more. Boooooo T-Mac. Booooooo. He s messing Yao's game up , the Rockets need to let Yao take at least 30 shots a game.</div> Yaoming04 nds to grow some basketballs stop getting foul trouble play like he's 7'6 and not like shawn bradley disgrace!!!!!!!!!!! girlyman!! if yao was a plant he's a pansy..stop crying and making excuses to other players
Didn't get to watch the game, but it looks as if Yao and McGrady have equal blame. Yao looks to have picked up too many early fouls, or he was hurting...and he didn't contribute much on the boards or scoring...while McGrady wasn't pulling down anything, either, and threw one assist the entire game. I don't see the need to go off and say that they need to be traded though...it's not January.
I only got to see the tail end of this game. What a dissapointment -- two games under .500. It looks like Van Gundy may start favoring a smaller, more energetic lineup which includes Barrett and Padgett. Padgett is actually a better rebounder than Taylor and Howard, and he's quicker to loose balls and can hit the 3-point shot. It's dissapointing that Howard has played so poorly, and I think its a good idea to move him behind Padgett in the lineup.
Hey Trip just wanted to tell you the rockets didn't succeed in any of your 3 points for the rockets to WIN the game. This just pisses me off
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting drm2dnk:</div><div class="quote_post">Hey flip just wanted to tell you the rockets didn't succeed in any of your 3 points for the rockets to WIN the game. This just pisses me off</div> Flip?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting realdealbneal:</div><div class="quote_post">Flip?</div> i meant Trip..oops
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting drm2dnk:</div><div class="quote_post">Hey Trip just wanted to tell you the rockets didn't succeed in any of your 3 points for the rockets to WIN the game. This just pisses me off</div> That should come as no surprise, deeming that they lost the game. Had the Rockets followed my points and still lost, then it would have been a surprise. This game was just awful. The Rockets failed to get Yao involved, and McGrady and Jackson took way more shots than they should have. Another thing that pisses me off is Mo Taylor's lack of productivity. 0 points in 26 minutes? That's unacceptable for a supposed offensive machine. Another stat is the fact that Boozer and Kirilenko combined for only 36, but yet we saw Mehmet Okur kill us in just 13 minutes, and Giricek getting 10 in just 24 minutes. I'm really at a loss with our team. It's obviously too early to break up the team again, but something has to be done to change our current state, be it playing Weatherspoon more often or benching Mo Taylor.
