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.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 22nd, 2006 at 11:59 pm and is filed under vs. Detroit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.