Memphis’ Mike Miller drives past Yao in the fourth quarter Monday night in Yao’s first game back in over 5 weeks. Despite Yao’s return, the Rockets lost 86-77. To see more photos from the game, click here.

by John

MONDAY, 1/30/06 – You hoped when it happened that it would make a difference.

Of course, I’m talking about Yao‘s return to the basketball court Monday night — his first game back since having toe surgery December 19th, twenty-one games ago. Although Yao played decent minutes (32) and racked up decent stats (15 points on 7-of-14 shooting, 8 rebounds), the Rockets still lost to Memphis 86-77.

I wasn’t able to watch the game until about midway through the fourth quarter, and when I tuned in, they were down by 16 points. Just like they did against Miami the day before, they made a run to make things interesting, but never really threatened down the stretch.

If you look at the boxscore of the game, you see the big problem being 3-point shooting again. The Rockets were 3-of-17 from behind the arc (under-appreciated Scott Padgett looks awfully good right now, doesn’t he Jeff and Carroll?). Over their past two games, they are 6-of-31 from 3-point land, shooting less than 20%. That’s not going to get it done. Neither is 8-of-19 from the free throw line! Stromile Swift and Yao were both 1-of-4 from the charity stripe.

Now with Yao back in the lineup, I hope I will have more interesting things to write about. This losing (15-29 record, worst in the West) is getting so old, there isn’t anything new that can be said that hasn’t already been said. It reminds me of an old friend of mine who did freelance writing for a business publication after the tech bubble burst a few years ago. She ultimately decided to leave the gig, citing the reason, “There are only so many ways you can say the Nasdaq is down again today.” That’s what it feels like covering the Rockets.

John
john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article about the game, click here.

SUNDAY, 1/29/06 – I spent most of my Sunday finishing up a big project for work I have been working on the past few weeks, and preparing for a move that kept me from watching the Miami game Sunday afternoon. By reading what happened in Rockets’ 101-95 loss, I didn’t miss much.

The move will also keep me from watching Monday night’s game against Memphis. Like the Rockets, I almost feel like I have been going through a spell of bad luck by not being able to watch the Rockets very much recently. The good thing is that Yao may play on Monday. If he does, though, you know it’s going to take him awhile to get back his conditioning after missing 21 games in a row.

John
john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

Yao gets in a workout before Friday’s game against the Timberwolves. Although Yao didn’t play in the game, he is expected to be back in action around the middle of next week. For more photos from Yao’s workout, click here.

by John

FRIDAY, 1/27/05 – It looks like we’re only a few days away from Yao being back! Yao, who has missed 18 games since having toe surgery on December 19th, said on Friday, “Everything is going well. I’m getting close.”

Too bad he wasn’t in the lineup against the Timberwolves on Friday night. After winning 3 of their last 4 games, it looked like the Rockets may have righted the ship and were ready to put some of their miseries behind them. They had good chances to beat Minnesota, but the T-wolves’ trade for Ricky Davis really paid off.

Davis, who was traded from Boston yesterday in an exchange involving several players, didn’t need any time at all to get acclimated to his new team, scoring 26 points to equal Kevin Garnett‘s 26.

On the other side, T-Mac ‘only’ scored 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting. Who knows, he might have been bothered by a plastic mask he wore after getting hit in the nose after his last game [click here to see photos of the scary-looking thing.] David Wesley and Rafer Alston both shot only 6-of-15, dragging down the Rockets’ field goal percentage to 40% while Minnesota hit a sizzling 49%.

I won’t go into the details since a loss is a loss. But you can read more about the Rockets’ missed chances by clicking here.

On the bright side, Stromile Swift came back from a 9-game absence (because of pink eye) and played well, scoring 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Chuck Hayes continues to show he is NBA material, scoring 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, and grabbing 7 boards in 27 minutes.

The Rockets next play Miami on Sunday where they will need all the rebounding help they can get against Shaq and the boys.

John
john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article about the game, click here.

WEDNESDAY, 1/25/06 – This is going to be very short since I have been working tons of hours on a work project that is due in the next couple of days. As a result, I wasn’t able to watch the Rockets play the Charlotte Bobcats Wednesday night, which is a big sacrifice in my book. Wouldn’t you know…once I am not able to watch a Rockets game, they go off and have their biggest margin of victory this season, 102-78, over Charlotte, who have been injury-depleted themselves lately (Emeka Okafor, Gerald Wallace and Kareem Rush).

From what I read, the Rockets made sacrifices themselves with coach Jeff Van Gundy changing many of the locker room rules before the game to replicate the atmosphere the team has while on the road, and where they have a much better record: 11-13 compared to 3-13 at home. Van Gundy took away the hot buffet for their pre-game meal and had it replaced with cold sandwiches. The team lounge was locked. Injured players and ballboys, who normally don’t travel with the team, were not allowed in the locker room or allowed to sit on the bench.

Obviously, it worked. I give credit to Van Gundy for saying he DOES NOT CARE what people think about the changes.

Because the Rockets had a rare blowout victory, T-Mac didn’t have to play the fourth quarter, and still finished with 29 points. Newcomers Lonny Baxter and Chuck Hayes continue to play well, which is very encouraging. Baxter finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Hayes scored 11 and grabbed 8 boards. I don’t remember two new undrafted players making such an impact at the same time on the Rockets in a long time.

It will be interesting to see what happens when many of the Rockets’ injured players are able to return, like Bob Sura, Derek Anderson and Jon Barry. Forgetting the fact that these three guys play guard and Baxter/Hayes play forward…Sura and Barry are near the end of their career, as is Anderson (and who has been a big disappointment this year). Who knows, you might see the Rockets keep these guys on the inactive list, hope they retire in the off-season, and lock up Baxter and Hayes for the remainder of the season and maybe beyond.

Oh well…I have to get back to working on my project. Hopefully the results of my sacrifices this week will turn out the same way as it did for the Rockets Wednesday night.

John
john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article of the game, click here.

MONDAY, 1/23/06 – Three games after coming off the injured list, Tracy McGrady continues to play off-the-hook, scoring 41 points Monday night in Milwaukee after scoring 43 the previous night in Detroit. He took over in the fourth quarter against the Bucks by scoring 14 points in a row to lead the Rockets to their largest margin of victory, 97-80, since…I can’t even remember when.

T-Mac’s numbers weren’t Kobe-like, but still very impressive and entertaining nonetheless. He made over 50% of his shots (17-of-32), made 3 three-pointers and racked up 8 rebounds.

David Wesley also had a good game, hitting 6-of-11 shots (3 treys) for 17 points. And rookie Chuck Hayes continues to rebound well, grabbing 12 boards and scoring 7 points. Lonny Baxter also helped out on the boards, grabbing 11 rebounds. Unfortunately, a day after missing a three-pointer against the Pistons that could have won it, Luther Head had an awful game, missing all six of his shots (all 3-pointers).

But it didn’t matter with T-Mac taking on the scoring load. It’s interesting that Jeff Van Gundy has decided to just let T-Mac take over in most games, with the hope that young guys like Rafer Alston (11 points) and Head will develop offensively, and as a stop-gap until Yao gets back into action.

It’s also neat to see players like Kobe and T-Mac be given the green light to score for their offensively-challenged teams. It reminds me of the 1970’s and 80’s when scoring machines like George Gervin and David Thompson would put up huge numbers on a nightly basis.

As long as the Rockets stay competitive like they have been the last three games (two of which they have won), I just say…let it roll, T-Mac, let it roll.

John
john@YaoMingFanClub.com

T-Mac consoles rookie Luther Head after Luther just missed a three-pointer in the final seconds that could have shocked the Pistons in Detroit on Sunday. Despite 43 points from T-Mac, the Rockets lost 99-97.

by John

SUNDAY, 1/22/06 – The 13-26 Rockets came within one inch of having the biggest upset win of the NBA season on Sunday. Luther Head had an open look at the basket for a 3-pointer with just a few seconds remaining that could have won the game for te Rockets, but it was just one inch short of going in and shocking the Pistons — and the league — in Detroit (now 33-5).

But you can’t get too down on the rookie. After all, it was Luther who put the Rockets in position to win the game, nailing a high-arching three-pointer to close the deficit to 98-97 with 10 seconds remaining. After Detroit’s Richard Hamilton was fouled intentionally and made only 1-of-2 free throws, that gave Houston a chance to win it with a trey. But it wasn’t meant to be in a game where Houston surprisingly pushed the NBA’s best team to the brink.

You knew it was going to be a special night for Tracy McGrady when he started off the game scoring 11 of Houston’s first 13 points. With T-Mac putting his team on his back, the Rockets led 22-21 in a game where they were expected to fall behind quickly.

After T-Mac checked out of the game in the second quarter, Detroit opened up a double-digit lead and led 55-46 at halftime. T-Mac – who was logging more minutes than expected for the second consecutive game after coming off the inactive list – had played 21 minutes in the first half and scored 19 points.

Surprisingly, Houston made a game of it after completing a 17-4 run at the end of the second quarter and beginning of the third, cutting the deficit to 55-53.

T-Mac stayed hot in the third, scoring 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Couple that performance with a steal and layup by David Wesley at the end of the quarter, and the Rockets only trailed 78-77 heading into the fourth .

If only the Rockets had a couple of more breaks, this game could have been won. Rafer Alston scored 5 points in the fourth, but he also fouled Chauncey Billups behind the three-point line for easy free throw points (the second time he put Chauncey on the line after fouling him behind the three-point line), and Alston foolishly had his foot on the sideline when he received a pass, resulting in a turnover down the stretch that really hurt.

The refs also called new Rocket Chuck Hayes for a very ticky-tack foul on Billups with 1:24 remaining that put Chauncey on the line, giving the Pistons a 96-92 advantage. That kind of call in that situation is inexcusable — the refs should have just given the Pistons the game right then if they were going to make a call like that.

Those giveaway points by the ref would end up being the difference in the game, along with that three-point shot that fell just one inch short for Luther.

As disappointed as I was the Rockets didn’t win this game, I was pleased with the effort against the league’s best team, and enjoyed watching T-Mac going off for 43 points on 17-of-33 shooting, racking up 9 rebounds, and doling out 5 assists.

I would have loved to have seen T-Mac take the final shot more than anyone else because he has come through in the clutch so many times on shots like those. He had a chance to take the 3-pointer himself over a couple of defenders before passing off to Luther for the final shot. T-Mac rises so high off the floor, defenders standing in front of him don’t really affect him.

But I think it was good to see T-Mac distribute the ball in that situation and let a younger player like Luther develop more confidence taking big shots like that. In the long run, it will be beneficial to have guys on the floor other than T-Mac who can drain shots in future clutch moments.

John
john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article of the game, click here.

Tracy McGrady reacts vigorously after hitting a big 3-pointer in double-overtime that was the game winner in Chicago Friday night.

by John

SATURDAY, 1/21/06 – I just got through watching a recording of last night’s game of the Rockets’ win over the Chicago Bulls in double overtime. It’s amazing to me how T-Mac can come off the inactive list from his back spasm problem, play the number of minutes he played (40) and rack up the numbers he did: 35 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

He was originally scheduled to only play 28 minutes so he could ease himself and his back into action, but that strategy flew out the window once the Rockets had a chance to win it.

The Rockets were down 86-80 with 3:56 remaining in the fourth quarter, but for once, they were able to come back in the clutch. They went on an 8-2 run and tied it at 88-88, capped by Juwan Howard scoring his 29th and 30th points of the game. Without Juwan kicking in his 30 points on 15-of-29 shooting (20 in the second half), the Rockets would not have had a chance in this game.

The Bulls went up 90-88 when Luol Deng hit a jump shot with 46 seconds remaining. But then an unlikely Rocket hero came up big. Chuck Hayes, playing only his second game in the NBA, got a huge block of Kirk Hinrich near the basket. Hayes secured the ball, called time-out, which set the Rockets up for a huge chance to tie the game and put it in overtime.

On the ensuing Rocket possession, T-Mac missed a long two-pointer, but grabbed the rebound and sank a cold-blooded, fadeaway baseline jumper to tie it up 90-90 with 2.1 seconds remaining. The game went into overtime where T-Mac scored six points, then into a second overtime where T-Mac scored 7 more points.

In that second OT, T-Mac missed a shot with 1:05 remaining that could have put the Rockets up 108-106, but Hayes came up big again with another rebound, setting up a play were T-Mac hit a 3-pointer with 42 seconds remaining to give the Rockets a 109-106 lead. Playing some good defense down the stretch, the Rockets held on for the 109-108 win.

More about Hayes, though. Just two games out of the NBA Development League, the dude scored 12 points, grabbed 13 boards and had two blocks in 32 minutes of play. The Rockets were high on Hayes back in the pre-season, but he just missed making the final roster. But since the Rockets have been decimated by injury, they brought him back and signed him on Wednesday to a 10-day contract.

Hayes was racking up good stats in the D-League, averaging 11.6 points per game for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, and leading that league with 12.2 rebounds per game. Hayes played at Kentucky and had a pretty good career there, tying a school record by starting 110 consecutive games. In his senior year, he was named consensus First-Team All-SEC and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. So the guy is no slouch.

The knock against Hayes’ prospects in the NBA is his relatively short 6′-6″ height to play power forward, and his limited ball-handling skills to play small forward. But on Friday night against the Bulls, he showed that his height was not a detriment in coming up with big rebounds, blocks and points in the paint. If he continues to play like this, he’s going to find himself a permanent roster spot on the Rockets and give Stromile Swift some competition at power forward.

But I don’t want to get excited too early. One game does not make a career, and the Bulls (16-23) haven’t been much better than the Rockets (now 13-25).

However, with 44 games remaining in the season, the Rockets are only 6.5 games out of the last playoff spot. It’s a long shot, but it was encouraging to hear T-Mac not giving up and saying after the game, “In a week or so, we’ll get my big fella (Yao Ming) back and we’ll see what we can do with this thing.”

Unfortunately, Houston has to play a juggernaut Detroit Pistons team (league-leading 32-5 record) on Sunday afternoon. No matter how well T-Mac, Howard and Hayes play, that game will definintely be a loss for the Rockets.

John
john@YaoMingFanClub.com

FRIDAY, 1/20/06 – I was pretty tired last night and had to go to bed before the Rockets game ended. Wouldn’t you know it…they ended up winning for once! T-Mac returned to score 35 points in a double-overtime win against Chicago, 109-108. And Juwan Howard scored a season-high 30 points! Yippee! The Rockets 7-game losing streak is over!

I’m definitely going to watch my recording of this game, and will provide a report later on Saturday.

John
john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article of the game, click here.

The Rockets hit rock-bottom Wednesday night against Dallas. They trailed by 35 points at one point — their largest deficit of the season — and lost 103-76.

I can’t write anything about it. It’s too depressing. Instead, you can refer to the Houston Chronicle story on the loss.

You have to really feel for the guys in red who are trying to hold down the fort until Yao, T-Mac and the other injured players come back from injuries.

It looks like T-Mac will be cleared to play in Friday’s game against Chicago.

John
john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

Our YaoMania! correspondent in Hong Kong, Raymond, has been kind enough to translate two recent interviews with Yao provided through Chinese Web sites.

You can read the interview of Yao with Shanghai Eastern Satellite TV by clicking here.

The other interview from a Houston-based reporter with sina.com can be found by clicking here.

Thanks Raymond!