Rockets lost TMac to stiff back, fall to Warriors

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets' started by dsounG, Apr 5, 2007.

  1. dsounG

    dsounG BBW Elite Member

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    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports...kn/4689686.html<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>For those who longed for last season, when the Rockets suffered so long and lost so often playing without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, they revisited those dark days for bad time's sake Wednesday.The Golden State Warriors took Yao out with an all-hands-on-deck defense around him. After seven minutes, McGrady went out for the night because of a stiff lower back.Without them, the Rockets went from short-handed (in falling behind by as many as 16 points) to simply coming up short, with the Warriors pulling away for a 110-99 victory at Toyota Center.But before the Rockets seemed condemned to a return to their short-handed struggles, coach Jeff Van Gundy insisted they can defeat such defenses, and McGrady repeatedly vowed he was "not concerned, not at all.""My back has been stiff for about a week now, and it's just getting worse," McGrady said. "(Wednesday) was just one of those days where I felt like I didn't want to risk anything going out on the basketball court because it was tight."It's not related to my issues I had in the past. It's just a tight back. ... I have no concerns, no worries."McGrady, who received treatment for his back Monday, said he was questionable to play Friday but certain to play on the upcoming trip, beginning Sunday in Sacramento.For the Rockets, finding their way through similar surround-Yao defenses could be trickier.The Warriors started 6-9 Al Harrington on Yao and kept at least one defender in front of him and one behind him. Yao took only four shots, making two. But the greater problem was the turnovers the Rockets racked up trying to force the ball to Yao through that defense. They had 20 after three quarters, more than in any complete game since Jan. 24. They finished with 24, one shy of their season high.Four shots for center"Listen, no matter what they did with Yao, we're standing wide open," Van Gundy said. "We don't have to throw the ball away. That has nothing to do with who the other team is playing. Yao can get an offensive rebound against any team. "If you have this feeling that you can't match up against certain teams, then what you're basically saying is you're not good enough. ... Any team worth its salt can play against any type of team."It took six minutes before Yao got his first offensive touch. He took that to a layup. His other three shots were jumpers."We knew that they're going to front me," Yao said. "We knew that from the first minutes. But sometimes we were hesitant in the beginning of the game on the shots, on the drives, on the penetration, on the pass, on everything."The Warriors took their lead to as many as 16 points with seven minutes left. But with McGrady showered and ready to leave and Yao on the bench for the night, the Rockets fired away before they could turn the ball over and made a run.When Luther Head hit consecutive jumpers, the Rockets were within 99-89 with 5 1/2 minutes left. Van Gundy even called Yao back from the scorer's table, opting to stick with small ball. After a Shane Battier free throw, Head drained another 3 ? his seventh of the game to give him a career-high 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting ? to reduce the Warriors' lead to 99-93.Head finally missed, but Juwan Howard grabbed the rebound and scored, pulling the Rockets within four with 2 1/2 minutes remaining. They never drew closer.Solution at handBut they knew the game had been lost much earlier, when they lost McGrady for the night and might as well have been without Yao. "Either get the ball in or recognize what they're doing and knock the (shots) down. Or get penetration, and penetration should lead to second shots," Van Gundy said of the solution. "At the other end, we can cover better than that. Guys don't have to be wide open."</div>sh*t son. I hope he gets in form soon.
     
  2. YarnIdge

    YarnIdge BBW Elite Member

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    Man T-Mac hasn't been doin very good shooting wise since Yao came back. I was scared something like this was the cause. What's up with that witch doctor he goes to in Waco? Is he still going to visit him?
     
  3. GArenas

    GArenas Wiz Fo Champz

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    The best move for the Rockets franchise and T-mac is for T-mac to sit out a couple games before the playoffs. The Rockets are stuck at 5th seed, they aren't moving up or down. They do not want T-mac's back to become a recurring injury and they want T-mac at 100% for the playoffs. McGrady and the Rockets should be fine however.
     
  4. Nitro1118

    Nitro1118 BBW Elite Member

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    Not true, they are only 2 games behind Utah, and they still got 1 more game to play against Utah. But I agree, 1 more homecourt game in the playoffs doesn't mean as much as playing it safe with T-Mac. Maybe he can practice some jumpers in the meantime, he hasn't hit any in the past week or so.
     
  5. dsounG

    dsounG BBW Elite Member

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    As long as this is not like last year, I'm not worried with it. I'm still hoping we can catch that home court advantage though.
     
  6. GArenas

    GArenas Wiz Fo Champz

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nitro1118 @ Apr 5 2007, 06:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Not true, they are only 2 games behind Utah, and they still got 1 more game to play against Utah. But I agree, 1 more homecourt game in the playoffs doesn't mean as much as playing it safe with T-Mac. Maybe he can practice some jumpers in the meantime, he hasn't hit any in the past week or so.</div>

    I was talking about seeding mainly, if the Rockets are going to attempt a playoff run they will have to win games on the road anyways. As you said having T-mac healthy is much more important than having one more home game.
     

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