Yao puts up a hook shot over Minnesota’s Michael Olowokandi on Tuesday night. Despite a rough start for Yao and the Rockets, Houston made a comeback in the second half to trip up the Timberwolves 94-89. Yao finished with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, and grabbed 7 rebounds. For more photos from the game, click here. Photo courtesy of NBAE via Getty Images.

by John

TUESDAY, 11/15/05 - Finally the Rockets showed some heart in the fourth quarter of a game Tuesday night, beating Minnesota on the road 94-89. The victory wasn’t pretty, but these days they will take any victory they can get. Give credit to clutch plays by T-Mac in the fourth quarter, and some long-awaited scoring by a supporting cast that had gone AWOL for most of the season.

Yao got off to a terrible start. In the first three minutes, Michael Olowokandi took Yao to school twice for two buckets, got Yao to pick up two fouls, and blocked one of his shots. It was an inauspicious start for Yao.

Meanwhile, the Rockets missed 8 of their first 9 shots and quickly fell behind 11-2. I thought, “Uh-oh, here we go again.” This time the Rockets didn’t have the excuse they had on Sunday of playing back-to-back games since they hadn’t played in 48 hours.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yao battles against Minnesota’s Michael Olowokandi on Sunday night. Yao’s stats were okay (21 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in 21 minutes), but the Rockets were easily beaten by the T-wolves 94-86. For more photos from the game, click here.

by Chia-Chi

SUNDAY, 3/20/05 - Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said this before the Timberwolves game on Sunday night: “My players believe they’re already guaranteed a playoff spot, and I’m thinking disaster is right around the corner.” The former explains why the Rockets played without their normal energy until the fourth quarter, and the latter describes tonight’s game: disaster. The Rockets lost their second straight by getting outplayed once again, this time 94-86 to Minnesota.

The Timberwolves, fighting for their lives in a race to capture the last playoff spot in the Western Conference, played like a hungry team all four quarters and established a lead early on that couldn’t be overcome. The Timberwovles simply wanted the win more and the Rockets, for a variety of reasons, just couldn’t match the intensity.

But this loss can’t be blamed on a lack of effort completely. The absence of Juwan Howard continues to haunt the Rockets and present defensive nightmares, such as when backup center Dikembe Mutombo briefly played the power forward position against Kevin Garnett.

We may have taken Howard for granted because of his demure attitude, but his defensive and offensive prowess have been critical factors in the Rockets success. Without his presence, the team needs to compensate in ways that has a chilling downstream effect.

The team’s shooting woes also continued, accentuated by T-Mac’s horrendous 4-22 shooting. As a team the Rockets were frustrated by a physical Minnesota defense, as exemplified by T-Mac shoving Sam Cassell when his screen was a little too close. But even the foul calls that the Rockets got went to waste, as the team shot only 68% from the charity stripe.

On a night where the Rocket sharpshooters hit nothing but the rim, Yao had a surprisingly effective game offensively. As normal, Yao received the ball early in the first quarter and he scored the team’s first six points.

In the second quarter, it was nice to see nearly every possession continuing to go through Yao. He seemed to be involved in every offensive and defensive play, whether it be scoring in the paint, passing out to his teammates for easy points, blocks, or drawing fouls on his opponents. Yao got the Timberwolves centers in so much foul trouble that they had to play their third-string center against him.

But Yao’s performance alone was not enough to derive a win, and the Timberwolves’ lead extended past 20 points.

The Rockets made a valiant push in the fourth and actually played with hustle, getting defensive stops, steals, and scoring efficiently. But a 20+ point lead was too much for the Rockets to overcome, and Garnett and Cassell would not allow their team to lose. The Rockets came within 8 points, the smallest point difference in the game, in the final minutes. But it was too little, too late.

The Timberwolves were a team that the Rockets would have beat with Howard in the lineup. How the Rockets fill this hole will be critical in their remaining games as they play the Heat, the hottest team in the league right now, in their next game on Tuesday night.

Chia-Chi
zenithnadir@YaoMingFanClub.com

John’s take of the game

Okay, when you’re scoring star (T-Mac) is struggling (4-of-22 on Sunday for 15 points) and your power forwards (Scott Padgett and Clarence Weatherspoon) substituting for the injured Juwan Howard only score four points, you’re going to have problems winning ballgames.

Obviously, other guys need to step it up with those kinds of scoring problems. Even though Mike James scored 13, Yao only scored three points above his season average (21 on Sunday), Bob Sura scored 7 points, and David Wesley only scored six. Dikembe scored 5 and was even inserted alongside Yao in the lineup at one point in the third quarter to try some “Twin Tower” action, but it didn’t last long as Deke was forced to guard Kevin Garnett, which was ‘no contest.’

So with very little scoring and Sam Cassell and Kevin Garnett scoring 18 and 30 points, respectively, there is absolutely no way you’re going to beat a desperate Minnesota team fighting for their playoff lives, especially when you only shoot 35% from the floor and miss 15 free throws (32-of-47, with Yao missing 5 out of 16).

With the trading deadline long past, the Rockets can’t make any big deals now. That’s why they had to sign a guy they cut earlier this season, Torraye Braggs, who is on his way over from Russia and should be in uniform Tuesday night against Miami.
All I can say is that if Braggs plays before reserve forward Vin Baker does, then it’s really sad to see Baker has lost so much of his former self. Wouldn’t it be great to see Baker make a comeback with a strong contribution while Howard is out? Don’t count on it.

As badly as the Rockets played, they had a chance when they went on a 15-2 run to close the gap to 86-77 with six minutes remaining in the game. They could have cut the deficit to 7 points when T-Mac stole a T-wolve pass and dished it to Dikembe in front of the rim, but he blew the layup.

Then the Rockets missed two three-pointers in a row, and couldn’t grab a rebound after two consecutive Minnesota misses. A few minutes later, Bob Sura turned the ball over on a fast break, and then the Rockets missed another three-pointer, and that’s all she wrote.

All I’ve got to say is that there is probably little chance the Rockets are going to win Tuesday night against Miami, the hottest team in the league and the toughest matchup for Yao (Shaq) that has ever lived. As a result, the quest to overtake Dallas for the fourth playoff spot and gain home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs is slowly slipping away.

John
john@YaoMingFanClub.com

Yao and Minnesota’s Michael Olowokandi face off against each other in Minneapolis on Friday night. Yao had an outstanding game where he played with lots of confidence, scoring 23 points, racking up 14 rebounds and blocking two shots to help the Rockets win in overtime, 119-113. For more photos, click here. Read Chia-Chi’s analysis below, and John’s take of the game directly below that.

by Chia-Chi

FRIDAY, 2/4/05 - Tonight’s 119-113 victory by the Rockets over the Minnesota Timberwolves was more than just one win. As we approach the two-thirds mark of the season, every game becomes more important as the contenders for the playoff spots become more apparent. Both the Rockets and the Timberwolves are in precarious situations holding the 7th and 9th spots in the West, respectively, and could very well be competing for the 8th and final spot near the season’s end.

Yet regardless of how important this game was, there weren’t that many great dramas or big plays. It was just two great teams with great players and big aspirations playing hard. To use Jeff Van Gundy’s favorite words, they played with a lot of heart tonight.

The first quarter was well-balanced with former Rocket Sam Cassell leading the charge for the Timberwolves, scoring three of their first four field goals. The Rockets did manage to stay within striking distance, though. All the Rockets’ starters scored, with Juwan Howard scoring six points in the quarter while Yao only scored two points. After one quarter of play, the Rockets trailed 26-33.

The second quarter was still a bit rough for the Rockets but they slowly and confidently inched back into the game. Yao had a couple of nice buckets as he seems to be rediscovering his range and his turnaround. T-Mac was great offensively, not only scoring and finding his own openings, but often drawing fouls for extra points. Even Rod Strickland had a series of nice plays and buckets.

Bob Sura continues to play at an excellent level using his speed to drive into the paint. In one amusing moment, Sura had words with a ref about a foul call he thought he deserved after a Kevin Garnett block. After Sura got a technical foul, both Yao and McGrady had to come over and pull him away to prevent him from drawing his second technical. It seems his temper is all too known by his teammates. At the conclusion of the second quarter the Rockets were down 54-58.

The second half was when Yao awoke and started asserting himself. It started with a hook shot. Then another when Yao made a shot and was fouled by Michael Olowokandi, who was ineffective guarding Yao. It seems Yao attracts bad calls from the refs. Fortunately at times it can work in the Rockets favor since Yao’s shot clearly came after the foul. Later in the quarter Yao had a nice one-handed offensive rebound and dunk.

In a change of behavior, Yao was passing it out more when he was guarded by multiple defenders, which he seems to be doing more lately. Normally the Rockets would expect him to power through three defenders when he has possession of the ball from an offensive rebound or nice catch with good position. But lately it seems he is passing it more to an open man rather than risking a turnover. As the Rockets’ three-point shooting improves, I see this as a viable option to bulldozing through defenders.

T-Mac also stepped up late in the third, scoring five consecutive points by faking his defenders and drawing the foul. Juwan Howard also hit two jumpers in the quarter. Howard’s performances have improved so dramatically from the beginning of the season that it might soon become expected to see him score in double-figures on a constant basis. The Rockets clearly controlled the tempo of the game as they took the lead for the first time since the first quarter, 83-79.

While the Rockets maintained the lead the Timerwolves wouldn’t quit. Behind a run by Wally Szczerbiak, the Timberwolves pulled within three early in the fourth. Kevin Garnett also scored with some nice post moves. Trenton Hassell also had a great quarter. In one exchange, Yao pulled down an offensive rebound and finished with a huge lunging dunk over Hassell. On the opposite end, Hassell exploited his speed against Yao after a screen to sneak by a dunk of his own. Hassell tied the game two free throws later at 100-100.

At this point Sam Cassell took over for the Timberwolves and scored two points with confidence to put them up by two with 27 seconds left in the game. But T-Mac hit a clutch jumper of his own to tie the game. Cassell had one more opportunity to win, but he missed, leading to overtime.

In OT the Rockets and T-Mac were too much for the Timberwolves. Right from the start, the Rockets scored five quick points for the lead which they never relinquished. Two missed free throws from McGrady and a missed free throw from Wesley kept the door of opportunity for the Timberwolves open, but they failed to get the defensive stops and the rebounds. The Rockets continued to control the tempo that they had from the second half and won a great game 119-113.

How’d Yao do?

Yao finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks. While he started off cold in the first quarter, he came back with a vengeance in the second half. Even the commentators gave Yao props on his improved stamina and aggression in the game. Let’s hope Yao continues this play as the Rockets face the Lakers on Sunday, less Rudy T. and Kobe.

Chia-Chi
divinity@gmail.com

Bonus coverage: John’s take of the game

I couldn’t help but comment how entertaining of a game this was. Although the Rockets seemed to be missing lots of shots in the first half (20-of-44), all of the shot attempts seemed to be smart ones. They were also passing the ball crisply to each other without the offense really ever stagnating. As Chia-Chi mentioned above, Yao was playing with aggression. I loved one play in the first half where he made a spin move on former Rocket Eddie Griffin, took it to the rack, and threw it down with authority. Hey Eddie: that’s what you get for going nutso and messing up our power forward situation after we drafted you as the #3 pick a few years ago, traded Kenny Thomas because we thought you were the future of this team, and for us giving up the chance to keep now-superstar Richard Jefferson. But that’s a completely different story. Back to the game…

On defense, even though the T-wolves had the lead at halftime, the Rockets were working hard to cover them without giving up easy shots. Indeed, the Rockets were spirited and were determined to make a strong showing on national TV. More importantly, they seem to believe that they are becoming one of the better teams in the league considering all the victories they have piled up lately (14-6 after trading for David Wesley).

In the third quarter, the Rockets continued to impress on offense, outscoring the T-wolves 29-21 thanks to 9 free throws. Even more impressive, the Rockets didn’t turn the ball over once in the quarter.

I loved the play of Bob Sura, who made a sweet spin move on a defender in the open court late in the fourth quarter to give the Rockets a 102-100 lead. That was a clutch play that I didn’t think he had the physical ability to do. Although the game went into overtime, Sura hit a big three-pointer to give the Rockets some much needed breathing room. I picked up Sura in my fantasy league a few weeks ago, and despite a bad knee and dislocated finger, he has done extremely well for me. I can’t believe I was able to pick someone up of his caliber at this point in the season. Sura finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists on Friday night.

Yao played one of his best games of the season. In the fourth quarter he really hit some big shots, obviously feeling more confident in shooting his fadeaway jumpers and draining a few of them throughout the course of the game to rack up 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting. He also had some big rebounds when they needed them, finishing with 14. Now THAT’S the Yao we have been hoping to see every night: Dominant.

Of course, we can’t finish the evening without talking about Mr. Clutch, Tracy McGrady. He was simply awesome, hitting big shots when the Rockets needed someone to step up as the T-wolves continuously threatened down the stretch. I love it when T-Mac hits big shot after big shot on the road, drawing oohs and aahs from a crowd amazed by this guy who they only get to see in their own arena once or twice a year. Houstonians are lucky that they get to see him every night on TV if they so choose. T-Mac scored 9 points in the fourth quarter, and another 9 in OT to finish with 40 points. Let’s not forget about his 13 rebounds and four assists, either.

At the end of the game, you can tell the Rockets have much more confidence in themselves, both on the court and on the bench. You can tell these guys know how to win. T-Mac, Yao, Sura, Barry, Padgett, Wesley, Dikembe, Juwan, and even Clarence Weatherspoon and Rod Strickland all seem to be coming together as a team, with smiles all around. Who would’ve thunk it when the Rockets were one of the most boring teams to watch on offense just several weeks ago. A few trades later, and they are now one of the most polished.

You’ve got to give credit to Jeff Van Gundy for taking players from all over the league, putting them together, and getting some relatively quick results. Also give him credit for changing his normally boring, slow-it-down style by loosening the reins on T-Mac and the offense to now consistently score over 100 points a night.

I can’t wait for Sunday’s game, and I’m not talking about the Super Bowl. The real fun will be a few hours earlier when the Lakers come into Toyota Center. The Rockets seem to be playing at a higher level now, perhaps making the quantum leap where they can now be considered favorites in this game and many others. How quickly a season can change.

John
john@YaoMingFanclub.com

To read the Houston Chronicle’s post-game analysis, click here.