The Rockets, winners of two straight, take on the struggling Hornets. March 25, 2005 New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana FSNSW (local) Inside The Numbers <font color="red">Rockets</font> Leading Scorer: Tracy McGrady (25.5 PPG) Leading Rebounder: Yao Ming (8.4 RPG) Assist Man: Tracy McGrady (5.9 APG) The 'X' Factor: Bob Sura <font color="teal">New Orleans</font> Leading Scorer: Lee Nailon (14.3 PPG) Leading Rebounder: Jamaal Magloire (9.6 RPG) Assist Man: Speedy Claxton (5.6 APG) The 'X' Factor: JR Smith, Boki Nachbar Probable Line-ups <div align="center"><font color="red">Rockets <font size="1">Bob Sura, David Wesley, Tracy McGrady, Clarence Weatherspoon, Yao Ming </font></font> <font color="teal">Hornets <font size="1">Dan Dickau, JR Smith, Lee Nailon, PJ Brown, Jamaal Magloire </font></font></div> Position By Position: Point Guard: I have followed Dan Dickau ever since he joined the Blazers, and I have always seen him as a player who just needs a chance. Him and Bob Sura will probably cancel each other out point wise, and by looking at the numbers, the assist column should be even also. So, to keep Hornet Fans happy, I'll call it even, but Sura has a clear Advantage. Advantage: Even Shooting Guard: Hmm. The Explosive Smith versus the veteran shooter in Wesley. Wesley should outscore the kid, who's jump shot might be off, as Wesley plays stellar defense. JR should also reconsider driving into the lane, with 2 guys combining at 14.5 Ft. clogging the lane. Advantage: Rockets Small Forward: Nailon should be ready for this game, but T-Mac is up for MVP consideration. MVP's get the job done, no matter who the opponent is. McGrady is coming off a good night, so he wins this. Advantage: Rockets Power Forward: Though well into his 30s, Brown is one of those guys that can put the ball in the basket. Weatherspoon, hasn't scored over 10 points in a Rockets jersey. Advantage: Hornets Center: As even as this could be, Yao was rested a whole lot last game, expect him to be looking for the ball. Magloire is a great rebounder, so Yao has to bring his 'A' Game, which he will. Advantage: Rockets <div align="center">KEYS TO THE GAME </div> <ul>Get Yao involved. Yao has to take advantage of any mis-matches and pick-n-roll options he has. His teammates have to find him in the paint, or on a screen. If Yao has 25+ this game, we should win.[/list] <ul>Keep the Game out of reach. A team like New Orleans has nothing to really play for, so we have to win this early, instead of letting them grab the upset late in the fourth. Control the tempo (I know I say that a lot, but it works!), and the game is won.[/list] <ul>Stay Aggressive. If the ball isn't going in the basket, we have to find a way to score. Get to the Free-throw Line as much as possible. Keep attacking the basket and grabbing boards. The Hornets are not known for transition defense, so keep the ball moving on the break.[/list] Prediction: Rockets are not going to take this team lightly, and after coming off two fantastic wins, they should want more. Here's to another streak! Rockets: 109 Hornets: 92
i remember it well, if im not mistaken (<----kinda ironic statement) it was Dickau who continuosly attacked the basket when we last played the Hornets and absolutely killed us on the drive, had like 26 points from layups alone.
its his knee, and he couldnt walk off with his own power, mutumbo and braggs or sum1 carried him to the locker room; hyperextended knee mabye? there goes the season sry over reacting but i would like a report sometime soon.
it actually his hip; he must of reinjured it from his other injury, hes questionable to return i say rule him out not worth the risk. Nothing serious or career ending thank god.
Bill says T-Mac is out for tonights game but Jon Barry is making up for some of T-Mac's missed jumpers
Jesus...Hope T-mac is fine. Please be okay!! Step it up Yao and dominate!! T-mac doesn't have to play against the Spurs. I think he should take a rest since the spurs are without Duncan and it won't be that difficult
Yay.. Rockets win! It has been said that McGrady's injury is not as bad as first thought. This is before the MRI though. Keith Jones (supposedly) told Jeff Hagedorn (sp?), that McGrady should be ready for the Spurs game, if not that game, then the Utah game. Let's hope it's not serious.
Well look at it this way, without McGrady, Sundays game has potential to be one of the sloppiest games in NBA history!
Phew, thank god the injury isn't too serious. With all the season-ending injuries that are plaguing teams, I feared it would do the same to McGrady. As for the game, it was a win, but the game was sure ugly. I didn't see it but I can tell how bad it was from the box score alone. Good rebounding from Mutombo, Weatherspoon and Padgett, but Yao is really beginning to concern me. He had some foul trouble, sure, but he's been scoring about 13 a game for the past five games. We need at least 18 from him every night. Even with McGrady out, he still couldn't take advantage and score some points. He really needs a confidence booster.
Ive observed that in the past, JVG would often encourage Yao trying to fire him up and make him feel better about himself. All of a sudden it seems that JVG has just given up on Yao, and at the same time Yao seems to be comfortable with just a Role players mentality.
you guys remember about that 5-6 game span where yao was like 20+ about 6 or 7 boards a ngiht for five games in a row then he started to slip ? you guys ever wonder what happen to that yao because i dont know hat happened to him and the game against phoenix what do you guys think made him play that way?
JVG isn't giving Yao enough playing time!! I watched the game via flash and the only time JVG let Yao play in the 2nd half was the last few mins of the 4th quarter..Trust me I love Mutumbo and what he brings to the team but sometimes I wish he wasn't so good that JVG would actually prefer him on the floor over Yao. C'mon JVG treat Yao like the star that he is..
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Eduardo:</div><div class="quote_post">JVG isn't giving Yao enough playing time!! I watched the game via flash and the only time JVG let Yao play in the 2nd half was the last few mins of the 4th quarter..Trust me I love Mutumbo and what he brings to the team but sometimes I wish he wasn't so good that JVG would actually prefer him on the floor over Yao. C'mon JVG treat Yao like the star that he is..</div> I think Van Gundy has his reasons for playing Yao just 20-25 minutes. He played 25 minutes against Miami because of foul trouble, 24 against Cleveland because Mutombo was just amazing, and 24 last night because of foul trouble again. It's bad for his development, but good for the team overall as Mutombo has been doing a better job off the bench than Yao starting.
