Last night I watched Saturday night’s Rockets-Seattle game on my DVR, and there were a few things I noticed that are worth pointing out:

* In the first quarter, Luis Scola hustled for a rebound and tipped it to Yao, who scored an easy layup. Yao is going to really benefit from Scola’s toughness this year, even more than what Chuck Hayes offered last season. Scola is also showing a nice shooting touch around the basket, hitting a couple of jump hooks in the lane, and he even threw a bounce pass to Yao for a layup that went through a Seattle defender’s legs! Nice! Scola most likely will win Rookie of the Year.

* The defensive intensity doesn’t seem to have dropped off now that Jeff Van Gundy is gone. In the first quarter alone, Scola, Shane Battier, and Tracy McGrady drew charges. And this was a preseason game! Hopefully the dedication toward defense won’t wither as the Rockets’ revved-up offense makes them think they can win games by just outscoring opponents.

* Near the end of the second quarter, the Rockets ran a fast break that even had the Seattle fans ooohing and aaahhhing. With all the Rockets on a run, Scola grabbed a defensive rebound, threw an outlet pass to McGrady, passed it to Rafer Alston, who then touch-passed it to McGrady for a layup, and he was fouled! I had to replay that fast break several times to savor this new run-and-gun emphasis.

* I like how the Rockets seem to be taking their 3-pointers more wisely, hitting 40% of their treys, and that’s even with McGrady missing 4-of-5. Shane continues to tear it up on offense, hitting 5-of-7 three-pointers on Saturday night and also taking it to the hole for sweet jump hooks in the lane. I just love how players like Shane and Rafer are flourishing under this new coach!

* Rookie Carl Landry can hit the outside shot, hitting two shots from about 18 feet! Impressive.

* Aaron Brooks can fill it up, getting to the hole at will blowing past his defenders and hitting 2-of-5 three-pointers. It’s somewhat unique to see a player that is as small as Brooks making 3-pointers — I guess that’s because there aren’t many players his size in the league. He also threw a beautiful long-court pass to Jackie Butler for a layup.

* The Rockets don’t have to be afraid of anyone this season, even the Spurs. They already seem to have a swagger about them with an expectation they’re going to win against whoever they play. I haven’t seen that in years.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 22nd, 2007 at 10:53 am and is filed under NBA preseason. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.