Rather than try a hook shot or lower percentage shot, Yao take it strong to the hole with 58 seconds remaining in the game and is fouled by Matt Harpring. Yao hit both free throws to cut the Jazz lead to 99-97, but the Rockets couldn’t secure defensive rebounds in the game’s final minute to beat the Jazz. Yao scored 29 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in the loss that eliminated the Rockets from the playoffs. Click here for more photos from the game.

I know most of you all saw the gut-wrenching loss of the Rockets to the Jazz Saturday night in Game 7 that eliminated Houston, so I won’t go into details about their comeback attempt that wasn’t meant to be. Maybe I’ll do that when I get a chance to watch the game in its entirety on my DVR over the next day or two and dissect all the little things that were responsible for this crushing loss. This is probably similar to what the Rockets’ players will do after the sting from this loss wears off a bit.

Instead, I’ll describe what I saw in the locker room after the game, bring up a few key details from the game, and discuss a little bit about what I think the Rockets need to do next…

Read the rest of this entry »

I can’t help but look back to the end of Game 6 and think of one play that could win Game 7 tonight. All of the Jazz players and coaches know Tracy McGrady will be intent to take it to the hole and not put up jump shots like he did late in the fourth quarter of Game 6. They know the pressure is “on him” to take on more of the scoring burden, and they will go after him to block his shot and hassle him as a result. All you have to do is look at Andrei Kirilenko following him to the hole on one late possession and contest his shot in Game 6.

I think the Jazz will continue to do that. But it’s going to give the Rockets a golden opportunity to exploit that collapsing defense on McGrady. So if the Rockets need a big shot to win this game, which I think it will, then I love the play where McGrady takes it to the hole and dishes to Yao for a dunk.

I believe that happened at least a couple of times in Game 6, and it’s almost indefensible the way the Jazz defenders come over to help out on McGrady, leaving Yao open.

I also like it when McGrady kicks out to other non-Yao teammates for open jumpers, and I think it’s great as a standard practice throughout all of Game 7. But when the chips are down and you need a high percentage shot to win it in Game 7, I like the McGrady-Yao connection.

I am getting the same feeling about Game 7 that Golden State must have felt after they blew Game 6 in Dallas when the Mavericks ended that game on a 15-0 run.

Golden State had that game in the bag, but they blew it by letting the Mavericks come back from a 9-point deficit with 3 minutes remaining to win it.

The same can be said for the Rockets. They knew they had a chance to steal one on Utah’s court Thursday night, didn’t get it done, but they knew the extra boost they could get from their home crowd could put them over the top. I get the same feeling about the Rockets tonight.

If they had been blown out in Game 6, I think the feeling would be much different tonight.

I will be commenting in the YaoMania! forum tonight from Toyota Center. I’ll be on a plane most of Saturday on my way to Houston, so I won’t be able to post any of your blog comments (at the end of each one of my posts) or approve new registrations for the forum until about game time.

I reviewed all 8 of the turnovers that Yao had on Thursday night and broke down each one below. The facts shows that Yao didn’t really have that many “traditional” turnovers you would think, like mishandling the ball in the paint or traveling. He actually handled the ball very well, and when he didn’t (which was only a couple times), you’ve got to give credit to Utah for playing good defense.

Since many of these turnovers by Yao were ‘unusual,’ it really wasn’t as bad as you might think, which bodes well for Game 7.

Here’s each ‘turnover’ broken down:

1st quarter

11:41 – Yao tipped in a missed shot from another Rockets’ player, but it was ruled that the ball was still in the cylinder, so it was called goaltending. Replays showed that there was no way that ball was going to go in. Regardless, when you think of a traditional turnover, you don’t think of goaltending.

6:20 – Yao set a screen that Derek Fisher ran into, so Yao was called for the block, which was a very debatable call. Perhaps they thought Yao didn’t give Fisher enough room once he was passed the ball. One thing is for sure: there was no way that was a moving screen. Yao was set. They are calling it tight on Yao tonight!

4:47 – Yao was trying to throw a 4-foot pass over his defender to T-Mac for a layup, but the ball might have been deflected and resulted in a lost possession. If Yao is trying to throw a short pass to another player for a layup, a defender makes a good play on it, and it results in a turnover, I can live with that.

4:13 – Yao was making a move into the lane and was going to shoot a jumper over Mehmet Okur, but Andrei Kirilenko came over to help out and block his shot, and forced Yao to shuffle his feet as he was going up for a shot that was surely going to be blocked. That was good defense by Kirilenko.

3rd quarter

Read the rest of this entry »

Yao reacts to an offensive foul called against him in the fourth quarter Thursday night in a disappointing 94-82 loss in Utah. With the loss in Game 6, the Rockets and Jazz will play Game 7 Saturday night in Toyota Center. Click here for more photos from the game.

This is starting to get old and predictable. The Rockets were close to pulling off an improbable victory in Game 6 on Thursday night in Utah, but down the stretch they folded like a cheap suit.

Let’s forget about the first 3 quarters. The most important part of the game started after Shane Battier‘s three-pointer pulled the Rockets within one point, 75-74, with 8:15 remaining in the game.

From that point, the Rockets failed to close the deal, making just 2-of-9 shots and turning the ball over an incredible 5 times.

This is not your 1994 or 1995 Houston Rockets.

I was so disgusted, it took me forever to get motivated to write this entry. Instead, right after the game I had to watch the Golden State-Dallas game to get a dose of fun, exciting basketball from the Warriors.

Read the rest of this entry »

After seeing the Spurs’ Robert Horry hit another big 3-pointer in his illustrious playoff career in the waning moments of Game 4 Monday night to seal a win over the Nuggets, I ask myself, “Who on the Rockets is capable of being the role player on the Rockets who could be the next ‘Big Shot Bob’ or ‘Big Shot Rob’ as they say?”

My vote is for Shane Battier. The guy seems to have the knack to knock ‘em down in clutch situations, which he did in Game 5 making 5-of-7 treys.

Plus, I love the sound of “Big Shot Shane” or “Big Shot Battier.” His name – and his game — was built for making big shots. Now let’s see him do it in Game 6 for the series win. If he does, remember you heard here first my nickname for him.

Remember this scene?

It was taken during the 1997 playoffs. Utah-Houston. Game 6 in Houston. It was right after John Stockton hit a shot — with the help of a Karl Malone bearhug on Clyde Drexler that the refs missed — to eliminate the Rockets in Houston.

Ten years later, we’re in the same situation, but this time the Rockets are in Utah and can eliminate the Jazz in 6 games. It’s never too late for payback time. I would love to see Yao and Tracy McGrady celebrating at mid-court in Utah tonight. They say these things tend to even out in the long run, don’t they?

I’m optimistic about the Rockets’ chances because…

Read the rest of this entry »

I thought it was interesting what the Salt Lake newspaper wrote about what Utah coach Jerry Sloan said a few days ago, which was:

Coach Jerry Sloan has been saying that the Rockets are “built for a championship” with Yao Ming and McGrady, and recently added a touch of statistical evidence to support his claim.

However, Williams has grabbed 16 boards in the playoffs (now 28, 5.6 per game), compared with 14 (now 26, 5.2 per game) for McGrady”

I hope Jerry is right.

I was able to talk to Yao, Shane Battier and Luther Head after Game 5 on Monday night. Before getting access to the locker room, there were probably 20 members of the media waiting outside the door during the 10-minute period when the locker room is kept private.

When the doors finally opened and the media was allowed to enter the locker room, there must have been 15 reporters and cameramen that immediately surrounded Yao as he sat at his locker. Yao was still in his basketball shorts with his shirt off, and his legs were extended out in front of him.

It was funny when Dikembe Mutombo, sitting a couple of lockers over from Yao, jokingly yelled out “Security!!” and was shouting at the reporters to not step on Yao’s feet. It was quite humorous because he ranted in jest about a minute on it. That’s not unusual for Deke. He seems to be quite the locker room crack-up.

However, Dikembe had a point because I noticed how closely a couple of cameramen were standing around Yao’s feet. I even said “watch his feet” to a couple of guys right next to me because they were so close to his feet, and if they moved one inch, they would have stepped on his bare toes.

Well, in the middle of his interviews, Yao moved his leg to get more comfortable, but he had to do it blindly since he couldn’t even see his feet because all the microphones in his face were blocking his view to the floor.

When Yao did move his leg, wouldn’t you know it: he accidentally hit the leg of a cameraman with his sensitive big toe that had been operated on last year (and still looks torn up), and he let out a painful “aaaahhhhh!!” That’s when the media wisely backed up from his feet and gave him some space. Fortunately, Yao was fine and he was able to continue with the interviews.

Anyway, I was able to ask Yao about a key bucket he had late in the game where he was able to lay it in over Mehmet Okur without any problem, and asked what he did differently on that play to get such good position (compared to the other 12 shots he missed out of 18 attempts). Yao responded…

“I missed a lot of shots because I was thinking about it too much sometimes. On that one, I have a very clear mind. I don’t care about (getting my shot blocked). I just go quick.”

Read the rest of this entry »