<div align="center">http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/RocketsPreview/backcourtver1.jpg"> [b]Rockets _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ This pretty much depends on how Alston and Anderson play defense. Tonight, their job will be to stop or at least slow down Parker and Ginobili at all costs to the Spurs tandem from driving into the lanes and drawing fouls on Yao. Offensively, they are really no match for Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili but if they step it up, it will help loads for the Rockets and narrow the gap between the these two backcourts. Meanwhile, Ginobili will be looking to regain his shot and hopefully, exploit his matchup against Anderson. Parker shouldn't have too much trouble driving past Alston and wrecking havoc. The Spurs team just has way too much going for them in the backcourt- defense, offense, intangibles, they've got it. Meanwhile, our two guards' scoring and defense are both a bit suspect. In other words, this is a San Antonio advantage. http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/RocketsPreview/frontcourtver1.jpg"> [b]Rockets Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, and Yao Ming At last, we get to the meat of things for the Rockets. We've got Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, and Yao Ming laced up, geared up, and ready to blow up for tonight's game. Although McGrady's nursing a back injury, he showed us all against the Nets and Celtics that he's got it in him to dominate the other team. Popping jumpers in his man's face, driving past them, taking it strong, you name it, McGrady can do it. At this point, I'd say he's around ninety percent, but still, he's deadly. Meanwhile, Juwan Howard has been doing his job so far in this campaign adding a couple of boards and rebounds. Howard provides average defense and a midrange jumper but its obvious he'll have to step it up tonight if he wants to win. As for Yao, what can be said? He needs to stay out of foul trouble as always and control the boards. Yao will pretty much always get a rhythm going offensively provided he doesn't get two fouls in the first couple minutes so its hard to gauge how he'll play. As always, we'll see. Spurs' Frontcourt Bruce Bowen, Tim Duncan, and Rasho Nesterovic Tim Duncan. Mr Fundamentals. Oh, and we've got Bowen and Nesterovic here as well. Arguably the best powerforward in recent memory, Duncan has got the shot, the low post skills, and defense. In short, he is the definition of a superstar and hall of famer. At 6-11, Duncan has shown that he can dominate the inside but he's just as happy dishing it out for assists. Defensively, he's solid. Averaging over two blocks a game and just over eleven rebounds so far this season, Duncan can control the low post for tonight. Speaking of defense, there's always the gritty All Defensive First Team player in Bruce Bowen. Sometimes said to play dirty, Bowen sticks to his man like glue dirty or not and almost always frustrates his opposition into making mistakes on offense. Offensively, Bowen does his job and knocks down the open jumpers. He has been hot from three this season and has been smart about taking shots- he's a .451% shooter from the field. Although he's a starter, Nesterovic doesn't see that much minutes. And its easy to see why- he's an average center and the Spurs have got Mohammed who put up some nice numbers in the playoffs backing him up. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Two very important things when it comes to comparing the frontcourts. How McGrady fairs with a back injury with Bowen guarding him and how Yao plays against a great low post enforcer in Tim Duncan. Most likely, McGrady will be getting his points regardless of how Bowen plays him as we've seen time and time again that he can't be stopped. Meanwhile, the big question who controls the low post. If Yao stays out of foul trouble, no doubt Duncan and Nesterovic will have a hard time controlling things in there while Howard is bound to pop out at the key for the easy jumper. Still, Duncan will even things out a bit on the offensive side. With an average defender in Howard, Mr Fundamentals definitely has everything going for him to explode and put up a lot of points on the scoreboard. Nothing really to say about Nesterovic. He'll be the center for the Spurs... Slight Houston Advantage. Rockets are facing the possibly the best bench in the league. Seriously, does any other team boast the type of bench the Spurs have? They've got Van Exel, Michael Finley, Brent Barry, Robert Horry, and Nazr Mohammed sitting on the pine with Fabrico Oberto waiting in the shadows. San Antonio has three great offensive punches in Exel, Finley (although he's struggled somewhat), and Barry (yes, the one with more hair). Meanwhile, you always know Horry can make the clutch shot if needed while Mohammed holds down the center spot for them. Still, don't count out the Rockets' bench. They've got a three headed monster for the guard positions with Head, Wesley, and Barry (yes, the bald one) who can all stepped up on occasions. Then there's Stromile Swift and Bowen as the sparks off the bench. Well, Swift should be anyway, Bowen's an above average defender who showed it stuff against Nowitzki. Oh, and Mutumbo, the ever great defensive presence coming off the bench for the Rockets this year. Slight San Antonio Advantage Key Matchup Yao Ming vs Tim Duncan Okay, okay, so they don't play the same position. But still, this is the most important matchup of the game. Who wins this low post fight will dictate how the game will run and who will be the victor. Duncan has got better defense over Yao while if given the minutes, Yao will drop a ton of points in the inside or outside the paint with his jumper. Here's their projected stats for tonight's game- Yao Ming- 23 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block Tim Duncan- 21 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks After a win over Minnesota Tuesday night, the role players like Rafer Alston, Derek Anderson, and Stromile Swift showed some glimmers of hope for this coming game. Still, this is the Spurs we're talking about who are known for being the top defensive team in the league. With McGrady back, the Rockets have a good chance of winning this game, but its hard to deny how hot the Spurs have been these early games. Meanwhile, the Rockets have been below expectations for the most part due to the new players learning their role for this team. On the other hand, again that was against a disoriented Minnesota team. The Spurs just have way too much going for them this game- the backcourt, the bench, and the homecourt. San Antonio win, 92-89. </div> For discussion, go to the Rockets forum thread.
