Wow. Contrary to popular belief, the Rockets are still in this game. McGrady, Wesley, Anderson, and Barry are going to have to play much better if they want the win. None of them are really shooting that well and McGrady hasn't been doing anything on the offensive end.
What the **** was that? 40 seconds left and they don't even attempt to foul and make a come back, this was pathetic, how can a team have so much heart one season then not even care the next? I am so f****** pissed off right now...
Rockets lose AGAIN, now 3-6 This really, really sucks. I remember at one point in the 4th quarter we were only down by 1, then they came back. Gosh, when will be start playing basketball?! David Wesley, Yao Ming, and Stromile Swift had pretty good nights, but the rest sucked. JVG even started Ryan Bowen...? What was he thinking? Dang I'm so pissed off. 78-70 with a minute to go and they take out McGrady, our most clutch player?! Gosh, JVG is frustrating and pissing me off, and so are the rest of the crappy Houston guards (Rafer Alston, Derek Anderson, David Wesley (at least not tonight), maybe Jon Barry). And Stromile Swift has shown huge improvement but he still doesn't start! Sigh...when will our season finally begin? I remember at one point during our last season we were 6-11, even with the miracle win over the Spurs...then had a record of 15-15 till Bobby Sura came back and everyone started playing to their potential... .sigh.. we soooo could have won today, we are now 3-6 and even Sacremento is seeming to be better than us, they have a lead on the Bucks and will probably be 4-5 and a game ahead...Mavericks are doing so much better than expected, and we are on the bottom of the pit. Sura, please come back. Van Gundy, please be logical. I wonder if this young energetic lineup will work: Rafer Alston - PG Luther Head - SG Tracy McGrady - SF Stromile Swift - PF Yao Ming - C
Now I certainly believe Tayshaun Prince isn't an overrated defender (see Celtics forum) after Tracy McGrady shoots like 3-16, he kepy missing shots and pissing me off...gosh, I still can't get over this loss.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting houston_owns_u:</div><div class="quote_post"> 78-70 with a minute to go and they take out McGrady, our most clutch player?!</div> Actually that didn't happen, T-Mac was out at some point in the third quarter I believe and never came back due to back problems... <div class="quote_poster">Quoting houston_owns_u:</div><div class="quote_post">Gosh, JVG is frustrating and pissing me off, and so are the rest of the crappy Houston guards (Rafer Alston, Derek Anderson, David Wesley (at least not tonight), maybe Jon Barry).</div> Rafer Alston didn't even play in this game.
McGrady?s Aches Return as Rockets Lose To Pistons 70-78 By Dennis L. Silva, II. 11.18.05 They boast a few similarities but the direction in which their respective teams are headed could not have been more different. The Detroit Pistons, a well-rounded ballclub who have been successful on both ends of the floor this season, entered Friday night?s contest against the Rockets undefeated at 7-0. The Rockets, an inconsistent bunch who have really only shown stability on the defensive end, came in a disgruntled and wounded animal with a season record of 3-5. Both teams are veteran-laded and both play hard defensively, but that?s where the similarities end. Detroit proved as much in their 78-70 victory before 18,189 at the Toyota Center in Houston. Apparently Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy felt there were changes that needed to be made. Therefore, he placed Ryan Bowen in the starting lineup, and moved Derek Anderson to the bench. Also, starting point guard Rafer Alston was not in uniform due to injury (which was not disclosed), and Van Gundy chose David Wesley to take Alston?s spot as the primary ballhandler. The game began sluggish and of little interest as Detroit began the game shooting 4-12 to start off while taking an early 14-13 lead. The Rockets offense showed spotty signs of life, as Wesley did an admirable job of pushing the ball early and often, allowing Houston to get some easy points in transition (they would finish the half with 7). Yao (who finished the first half with 12 points and 5 rebounds) was aggressive in the paint, bullying the Piston?s Ben Wallace (who is widely recognized as one of the better, if not the best, interior defenders in the league) to score 8 points on a variety of dunks and moves inside. Due to some late 3-point shots by Maurice Evans and Richard Hamilton, Detroit managed to take a 26-22 lead into the second quarter. Both teams played hard and scrappy on defense, rotating to open shooters and contesting any open shots that came their way. However, neither team?s offense was able to maintain much consistency. Both teams combined for 15 turnovers. Detroit held a 37-32 lead with 2:51 remaining before the Rockets? offense received a boost from Luther Head (who coach Van Gundy noted has played the best out of all his guards) and Stromile Swift. Head hit a long jumper, and Swift drove from the top of the circle for an easy lay-up off a play following a timeout. The Pistons took a 39-36 lead into halftime. It?s unthinkable to imagine the first half of a Rockets game recap without mentioning Tracy McGrady, but also be of the abnormal when McGrady would have no demonstrative impact in the game. McGrady, whose back problems started reoccurring prior to yesterday?s contest against San Antonio, was obviously hindered by a stiff and tight back. During the first half he was walking gingerly and trying desperately to ease the tightened muscles of his back. He finished the first half with only 4 points on 2-9 shooting, yet did grab 10 rebounds. The third quarter was an exhibition of laziness at its finest as neither team was able to grab tight reins of the game. Detroit held a 52-45 lead with 2:24 remaining but David Wesley hit a couple of late 3-pointers to give the Rockets some signs of hope. Unfortunately, that would not be the case as the Pistons countered Houston?s run with a few buckets of their own, taking a 57-48 advantage into the game?s final 12 minutes. The Rockets started off the fourth period in fine fashion, scoring five consecutive points on a Yao lay-up and a three-point play by Stromile Swift. Later in the quarter, both teams exchanged scoring sprees of five points each as Detroit barely claimed a 67-66 lead with 5:06 remaining. The Rockets finally were receiving significant contributions from Swift (who would finish the game with 12 points and 9 rebounds) and Wesley, who was hitting open jumpers whenever Detroit tried to pull away. But the experience of Detroit and the absence of McGrady, who did not play the entire fourth quarter, was too much for Houston to handle as Rasheed Wallace scored on three clutch baskets late to defuse any attempt of a Rockets rally. And when Wesley drove to the basket and had his layup blocked instead of shooting an open 3 when the Rockets were down 6, that proved to be the nail in the coffin and the last chance of any hope that the Rockets might have ended the Piston?s undefeated run. Despite a disappointing loss that could have easily been a victory, there were more positive signs from the Rockets than in past games. The Rockets played aggressively and showed a lot of emotion and intensity on both ends of the floor, which was evident in the fact that they outrebounded a blue-collar Pistons teams 52-38. The Rockets also did a much better job establishing position in the low box, outscoring Detroit 34-22 in the paint. Wesley did a nice job running the point guard, and easily had his best all-around game of the campaign, scoring 14 points, dishing 6 assists, and grabbing 9 rebounds, while also hitting 5-8 from the field. He did a great job of pushing the ball and allowing the Rockets to score some easy points in transition. Houston finished the game with 14 points scored from fast break opportunities. Since the game showed so many positives for the Rockets, I won?t harp on the negatives. But the Rockets still need to do a better job of boxing out defensively (Detroit was accountable for 12 offensive rebounds), which allowed Detroit fifteen more shot attempts than Houston. The Rockets must realize that to compete with the big boys such as Detroit, San Antonio, and Indiana, they cannot allow second and third scoring opportunities on the same possession. The Rockets? death row of opponents continues as they travel to Indiana to face a struggling Pacers squad on Sunday afternoon. One can only hope that McGrady?s back feels more relaxed and able after a day?s rest or else it?s very possible that Rockets fans see him sidelined for another short string of games. ROCKETS RECAP ? Detroit?s talented backcourt of Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamiltion scored a combined 32 points on 11-27 shooting. ? Pistons guard Maurice Evans scored five consecutive points late in the fourth quarter to stave off a 5-0 run of the Rockets. ? Yao Ming fouled out of the game (most of the calls were questionable) yet finished the contest with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 37 minutes played. ? Derek Anderson was 0-7 from the floor and scored only 4 points in his 26 minutes played. ? The Pistons forced 19 Rockets turnovers, and claimed ten steals and ten blocks as team overall. ? McGrady finished the game with 6 points and 13 rebounds on 3-16 shooting in his 32 minutes. ? ============================ http://www.nba.com/games/20051118/DETHOU/boxscore.html
wow t-mac having back problems is he going to be out for couple games? oh man we had that one to. nice try though.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting OhMacRock:</div><div class="quote_post">OHHHHH MHHHHAAAAAAAAAy GGOODNEESSSSS</div> Umm.. What relevance did that have to ANYTHING? Rockets got owned on the rebouding side of the ball. Though it may not show on the box score, it definitely was a poor effort on the defensive rebounding side of the ball. Stromile Swift's defense against Rasheed down the stretch was pretty damn bad, and the Rockets never looked like a cohesive unit. Wesley might've finally turned the corner, he did pretty well today. Without Alston and McGrady, the Rockets offense looked lost more often than not, and someone remind Deke and Juwan never to attempt hookshots again. Yao's fourth foul, the offensive one, was a terrible call. Not only did Wallace not have position, he pulled the biggest flop on this side of Manu Ginobili. It seems the Refs have not changed their stance on Yao, of course they call fouls for him whenever it looks like hes going to score anyways. Until he got in foul trouble, their looked like no one could stop Yao (obviously but himself), I really cannot wait to see him midseason. He scored 12 in the fist half, and it looked like he really wasn't demanding the ball. Detroit never really did well in fronting him, but whenever a team does, we have to make sure our Power Forwards can hit the open jumper. Unlucky result, it looked like we had it when we were down by one with 5 minutes to go, but this team sucks at playing down the stretch. Just like last year, we are off to a slow start, but when McGrady is fully back (no pun intended ), and Bobby Sura (did anyone forget about him? ), are back, we might get some of our old swagger back.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Mag:</div><div class="quote_post">Umm.. What relevance did that have to ANYTHING? Rockets got owned on the rebouding side of the ball. Though it may not show on the box score, it definitely was a poor effort on the defensive rebounding side of the ball. Stromile Swift's defense against Rasheed down the stretch was pretty damn bad, and the Rockets never looked like a cohesive unit. Wesley might've finally turned the corner, he did pretty well today. Without Alston and McGrady, the Rockets offense looked lost more often than not, and someone remind Deke and Juwan never to attempt hookshots again. Yao's fourth foul, the offensive one, was a terrible call. Not only did Wallace not have position, he pulled the biggest flop on this side of Manu Ginobili. It seems the Refs have not changed their stance on Yao, of course they call fouls for him whenever it looks like hes going to score anyways. Until he got in foul trouble, their looked like no one could stop Yao (obviously but himself), I really cannot wait to see him midseason. He scored 12 in the fist half, and it looked like he really wasn't demanding the ball. Detroit never really did well in fronting him, but whenever a team does, we have to make sure our Power Forwards can hit the open jumper. Unlucky result, it looked like we had it when we were down by one with 5 minutes to go, but this team sucks at playing down the stretch. Just like last year, we are off to a slow start, but when McGrady is fully back (no pun intended ), and Bobby Sura (did anyone forget about him? ), are back, we might get some of our old swagger back.</div> I believe that to. Like Clyde said, the season is a marathon. It is not about how you start, but how you finish. I really want to see this team become more successful. I am happy with the acquisitions of Swift and Rafer, but Derek has been a let down. He needs to stop shooting that jumper, and slash like he used to, that is how he got all his points if I remember correctly. I hope they can all improve to my expectations. All I know is we will never get a win, unless we put up better shots. Take less shots if some one really good is defending you, or if you are off. Shot selection has been pretty bad, but once we establish our offense it shouldn't be a problem anymore. I still don't think its fair that the officials called that elbow (the one he fouled out on) on Yao and not Wallace. I mean Yao is 7-6, while Ben is only 6-8. If Yao is under the circle, while Bens feet are not established, and turns around to shoot but elbows him in the face then whos fault is it really? I mean size is not a disadvantage in this game. This year the Officials need to give Yao some respect, and either stop calling the bad defensive fouls on Yao, or the bad offensive ones. They F up the rockets almost every game. I think the NBA is mad at JVG so they gave us this very tough schedule to start the season. Who knows...
Was there any doubt that the best team in the NBA showed they can win down the stretch in the fourth quarer. 15, the rockets record, or Hakeem's record, might be challenged by this tight unit of Detroit's. Pacers got close too but it didn't happen. I have never seen a squad play as well and together as Detroit so early on. They have the best starting 5 as I'm sure everybody would agree with.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting moeinhouston:</div><div class="quote_post">Was there any doubt that the best team in the NBA showed they can win down the stretch in the fourth quarer. 15, the rockets record, or Hakeem's record, might be challenged by this tight unit of Detroit's. Pacers got close too but it didn't happen. I have never seen a squad play as well and together as Detroit so early on. They have the best starting 5 as I'm sure everybody would agree with.</div> Agree!
For how long will the Rockets play like this? I mean how long will it take for everyone to shoot well. In their losses Yao has been shooting well but only in the first half. In the second half he looks lost. He had 9 turnovers tonight which shows that he's still too soft in handling posessions. His range have been limited also. He has a nice touch from the outside during his first few years but recently he misses a lot of open shots. A lot of his points came from dunks, putbacks, post ups and fastbreak situations. Though their defense has picked up their offense is still lagging. They are second to the last in field goal percentage as well as the last one in assist per game in the league. Right now they're the last place team in the Western Conference. With TMac's possibility to be gone for a while, the Rockets must accept the fact that they have to play with chemistry and with trust to each other in order to stay with the game and win. Yao needs to have some leadership quality to inspire his teammates. Although he can score with a high percentage he still depends on others especially to TMac in crunch time situations. He must have a mentality to do whatever it takes to win. Sura's absence has also been felt. With him on the floor he provides leadership, toughness, rebounding, and has the ability to unite the team together. He will not be back until January next year. Anyway there's still some positive things happening like Head and Swifts' progress. With a tough schedule ahead the Rockets must learn to play with intensity. They're a bunch of good guys but they must try to dominate and dictate the game from the start not the other way around wherein they end catching up but always fell short.
God this cant be happening. We were in the game in the end but we let this one slipped out of our hands. Yao did good to hold it up for a while but unfortunately Macca's back gave way again We better pick up the pace soon and this better not be happenin on a regular basis, losin by bits.
17-17 is still impossible? Only good thing I can see out of this game is the fact that David Wesley looks to have turned the corner. 14, 9 and 6, on 5-8 shooting and 2-2 from three. Meanwhile, Derek Anderson shoots 0-7 and becomes a non-factor. Bold decision by JVG in starting DW and it seems as if he was right.
Yeah, the two good things I saw last night were David Wesley and Luther Head. David Wesley playing point guard wasn't too bad, he seemed to hold his own against Billups offensively and defensively. Wesley didn't really take any stupid shots unless they were wide open or he was on a fast break so he definitely gets some props from me for doing that. Meanwhile, Head is obviously the bright spot of this team. He's fundamentally sound although me makes a couple rookie mistakes here and there but other than that, Head has been impressing me. He's patient enough to make the extra pass to open up a teammate as well as able to knock down open shots (unlike half of our guards). I definitely want to see him playing more.
sucks that we lost, but the good thing is that the Rockets are playing hard, they just can't shoot right now.......I'm still not worried yet (although I hope they start shooting the ball better), but I would like to see Head get more minutes.....I just don't understand how our best shooter so far this season doesn't get more playing time.
Rocketa bottom of thw Western Conference What really sucks now is that of all teams, the Rockets are at the bottom of the Western Conference, with a 3-6 record, while TMac suffers yet another injury...sigh...please come back TMac and Sura...Derek Anderson, please learn how to shoot. Even the Jazz, which has been missing key players in Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, and a few starters has a better record than us, at 3-5 and the Hornets are at 3-5 as well...well at least we are done with the most part of our hard road trip, gotta give Indiana a beating and gotta BLOWOUT the Mavericks for what crap they gave us last year. Well good that you guys gave some positive note to the loss to Detroit.
