NBA FanHouse

Rockets Want One More Star

Tom Ziller — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:53:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Kings, Rockets, Houston

Houston, by virtue of running up a 22-game win streak last year but still finishing up without a playoff series victory, will be an odd duck to sort as 2008-09 prognostications come around. Yao Ming projects to be more tired than usual after a busy summer of rehab, smiles and international basketball, and Tracy McGrady remains precisely the sort of lightning rod that can be called a killer of other teams or his own.

Interesting is it, then, that Houston general manager Daryl Morey is talking about adding a third 'star' to the mix in a column by the Houston Chronicle's Steve Campbell.

[...] Morey and [coach Rick] Adelman are fully aware the Rockets as constructed are a nice team that doesn't have the chops to be a champion. [...] "That's our main focus: Get one more significant player on the roster somehow," Morey said. "That's the goal. That's my job, so hopefully we will get it done."

Who is the right piece, though? A point guard more potent than Rafer Alston could be a target, but point guards are scarce and Alston, while doing his job well enough, remains borderline untradeable. Luis Scola is a dream at the power forward spot, especially with solid defenders Carl Landry and Chuck Hayes able to pitch in. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more underrated defender than Shane Battier, and defense made Houston good last season.

If you trade for someone like Ron Artest, where's the upgrade? He's a comparable defender to Battier, and has more offensive weapons. But you'd assume Sacramento wouldn't take Battier back (long salary, plush position), so what do you do with him? Start a small lineup with Scola on the bench? Bring Artest in as a Manuish sixth man? (That'll go over well.)

The best bet might be replacing Alston with an offensive-minded point, and letting Rafer sub in as defense is warranted. Mo Williams, anyone?

Rockets Want One More Star originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NBA Draft Crystal Ballin': Houston Rockets

Brett Pollakoff — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Rockets, NBA Draft, Houston

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

The Rockets had a nice 22-game win streak to hang their hats on in 2008, but that was about it. The injury to Yao really wrecked the team's chances of advancing deep into the playoffs (or even past the first round). If the team can add some athleticism and boost their bench a bit, they could be contenders in 2009.

Picks: #25, #54.

Needs: Not to have the Chinese government force their All-Star center to shut it down mid-season to make sure he's ready for the Olympics. That, and some size to back up said center when he does play. I know it seems like Dikembe Mutombo might just play forever. But I promise you, Rockets fans: he won't.

Best case scenario: Chris Douglas-Roberts would be a nice player to get here, but if the fans were drafting, I don't think he'd be available.

More likely scenario: That the Rockets take the obligatory "best player available"here, which could be Nicolas Batum, CDR, or even J.J. Hickson.

Please don't take: Serge Ibaka, or again, any young player who is going to be a "project" and require time to develop. There's some quality still on the board at 25 I think, so try to get someone who can contribute immediately.

Trade possibilities: The Rockets would like to move up, but who wouldn't? They don't really have anything to offer to get them into a substantially better spot, so look for them to stand pat.

NBA Draft Crystal Ballin': Houston Rockets originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Rockets at Jazz, Game 6

Matt Moore — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Rockets, Western, NBA Playoffs, Jazz, Houston

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Rockets-Jazz game tonight.

1. Home Is Where The Last Stand Is: Let's make this clear. Yes, Utah won Games 1 and 2 in Houston. But that was the old new Houston. This is the new new Houston. With Alston back, a nothing-to-lose attitude, Tracy McGrady resembling an actual player of substance, and a rotation starting to click again, a loss tonight in Utah for the team with the best home record would be an absolute disaster for the Jazz. There seems to be a prevailing current that this is a mere formality. Maybe I'm tempered by some anti-statutory-rape feelings. Maybe I'm tired of kicking dirt on the Rockets and promptly having their hand shoot out of the ground and attack me. Or maybe it's because all season long I've had the same feeling about this Jazz team. Good. Not great. And very succeptible to a hot team. A game seven would be nightmarish pressure for the Jazz, much the same way the Rockets felt (and whithered under) pressure last year in Game 7. The Jazz have to end this, tonight.

2. Bench Evaporation: An excellent article out of the Salt Lake Tribune today brought up an excellent analysis about the Jazz bench: it's completely evaporated. Jerry Sloan is a pretty tight-reined coach. He's not going to let a lot go by. So if you're out there and you're not producing, he's going to yank you. Especially in a series as tense as this one has gotten. But if you're not playing, how do you work out of your slump? The Jazz need to be a force on the boards and on the perimeter. Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver can go a long way in that direction. They need to step it up tonight to end this.

3. Revenge Of Deron Williams: The worst thing for the Houston Rockets happened in Game 5. Deron Williams had a terrible game. 13 points on 5 of 11 shooting, a greatly sub-average 6 assists and 4 turnovers. Why is this bad for the Rockets? Because the odds of Williams having back to back bad games, with this one in a close-out game at home are not exactly stellar. While Williams is no longer killing the Rockets softly, loudly, and everything in-between, he's still capable of it. Rafer Alston can limit Williams, but only Williams can fully stop himself with sloppy play. Expect Deron to get back on track tonight.

4. The Continuing Ballad Of Tracy McFaildy: You know the story. And more and more in this series, it feels like Tracy McGrady is just setting up himself up for another horrid failure. If he fails tonight, he fails to even draw it out to seven games. If he wins tonight and loses in Game 7, that only compounds his failure. You'd think with the Yao injury, he might get a pass this year, but that's not how the world works. What's worse is they can't even win without him performing well in order to get the monkey off his back. In order for this to end well for Tracy McGrady, he has to score 56 points over the next two games, win both, obviously, and score at least 17 in the fourth quarters combined. That's kind of a lot.

5. Scola, Pass The Rock: Some people will tell you that in order for the Rockets to be successful, Luis Scola has to try and score. But in this series, in two wins, Scola had 6 assists. In three losses, he had only two combined. This presents itself pretty easily when you think about it. The Rockets are not a great team for creating their own shots. The more Scola can collapse the paint and get Bobby Jackson and Rafer Alston shots and Carl Landry dunks, the better off the Rockets are going to be. With as disruptive as the Jazz can be in the paint, though, that could be problematic if they flip the switch tonight.

5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Rockets at Jazz, Game 6 originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 02 May 2008 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Jazz Have Been Suffocated

Tom Ziller — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:27:00 EST

Filed under: Rockets, NBA Playoffs, NBA Last Night, Jazz, Houston

Last night's Houston-Utah Game 5 will get little play this morning, for three reasons: 1) D'Antoni's exit is a league-rattling event; 2) Dallas's loss will lead to a league-rattling shake-up; and 3) no one cares about defense. If Tracy McGrady had dropped 49 points, or Luis Scola earned a triple double? Then we'd hear about it. But if Houston holds the league's best offense to 69 points in 90 possessions (a pro-rated offensive rating of 76.7, which is about 20 points worse than the Knicks offense), forcing the Jazz to shoot 37% from the field and 22% from three, causing 18 turnovers? We should hear about this.

Houston's defense has been unbelievable all season (it finished second in the league behind Boston); but this work is likely the Rockets' best game of the season. The Game 3 win in SLC was solid, but it didn't remind you of Houston's 22-game win streak. This one did. The offense of McGrady and Scola got the bulk of the credit for the midseason roll. In actuality, the defense sparked the streak ... and that's largely in the hands of Shane Battier (who shot 1-for-8 and was still a +12), Rafer Alston, Dikembe Mutombo, and the bench duo of Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry. (Not to diminish Mac and Scola's roles in the defense -- they do their jobs, and McGrady's man D can be downright awe-striking in moments.)

Most may shrug at Houston's Game 5 victory -- even the Associated Press game story (linked above) leads the fourth paragraph with "Now, the Jazz can end the series at home, where they went 37-4 during the regular season." What a relief, a Game 6 at home! Whew, glad we just got out of Houston alive! Earth to ... um, Earth: Houston just destroyed Utah. Let's hold off on foregone conclusions for a minute, yes?

If Houston's defense plays like that again, Utah's going down.

The Jazz Have Been Suffocated originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Jazz at Rockets, Game 5

Matt Moore — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:15:00 EST

Filed under: Rockets, Western, NBA Playoffs, Jazz, Houston

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Suns-Spurs game tonight.

1. Anybody Else Want To Try?: The Rockets have been looking for a hero in this entire series. So far, they've had Luis Scola as the rock, and Tracy McGrady as the nice, cheap paint. But other than Rafer Alston in Game 3, there hasn't been a support player to step up. Scola is supposed to be that guy, but he has to be a primary without Yao Ming. The Rockets need somebody, Rafer, Battier, Landry, heck, even Luther Head will work, to step up and give them the big playoff buckets. If it's just T-Mac versus Jazz, well, we know how that works out.

2. AK Can Maintain: Andre Kirilenko on defense has been stellar in this series, but he needs to step it up offensively. He's held McGrady from being absurd in this series, but he's only averaging 10 points a game. If he's able to step up and knock down his jumper, this thing ends tonight, and the Jazz can rest a bit.

3. Not Exactly A Barnburner: No one in this series has scored over 95. The Jazz had one of the best offenses in the league this year, but the Rockets have still held them to a reasonable scoring output, well below their season average. Granted, the Rockets can't score, either, because they have no guns. But the Jazz are facing a team with a better offense in the next round, the Lakers, if they advance. They need to break this open tonight and show they can still score.

4. Might Get Ugly: The Rockets are desperate. This is an elimination game on their own court. And they're undersized. The odds are pretty good that this is going to get mean, pretty quick. This has been a pretty physical series, but nothing really out of hand has happened yet. We'll see if the Rockets go quietly or resist arrest.

5. The Other Great Young Point Guard: Deron Williams leads all Jazz scorers with 21.8 points per game. He's been terrific, just as he's been all year. While Chris Paul is amazing, this is a great opportunity to see a point guard with playoff experience work his magic. The Rockets need Rafer Alston to play some serious defense and cut off Williams' passing lanes, because his 9 assists per game is nothing to sneeze at, either.

5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Jazz at Rockets, Game 5 originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Rockets at Jazz, Game 4

Tom Ziller — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: Rockets, NBA Playoffs, Jazz, Houston

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Rockets-Jazz Game 4 tonight.

1. Sustainable resources. Houston's one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league; Utah is the absolutely worst on the defensive glass. In Games 1 and 3, Houston was able to exploit this for tons of second-chance opportunities -- it didn't matter in Game 1, when the Rockets couldn't hit the broadside of Charles Barkley's ass; it was the difference, however, in Game 3 as Houston earned an almost remarkable 16 o-boards in 42 opportunities. Carl Landry and Luis Scola are the culprits here; Carlos Boozer and friends need to box out much better to keep Houston's wayfaring offense from bolstering it with easy buckets.

2. Retrospective exploration. Houston's vaunted defense (second best in the league this season) has had trouble slowing down Utah's vaunted offense. The Rockets are well equipped to contain an offense with a star wing scorer or a lanky post stud. But the Jazz offense is too diverse for easy solutions, and it's showed. Even in Houston's Thursday win, Utah's offense was strong, scoring 92 points in just 82 possessions. Rafer Alston's offense in Game 3 was beautiful, but he needs to make Deron Williams look less lovely to keep Utah's offense from romping.

Three more, after the jump.

3. Defend thy honor, Paul Millsap! The cult favorite is getting 16 minutes a game in this series, but has only a total of 14 points and 10 rebounds in the ledger. Part of this is the insanely solid defense of bench fellows Landry and Chuck Hayes. But Utah's need an offensive post pulse when Boozer sits, and Millsap has got to be the man ... lest Jarron Collins gets some burn.

4. Atta Turk. Mehmet Okur hasn't shot well (31%) this series -- thank Scola and Dikembe Mutombo for that. Thursday's 3-of-13 effort seems particularly damning, especially since Utah relies on Okur not to be a heavy lifter, but an efficient offensive roleplayer. The guy isn't playing because of his defense, so open shots need to be taken and made.

5. Hack-a-Mac. Tracy McGrady's one of the best foul-drawing scorers in the league. The Jazz are foul happy. Any night now, Mac could end up with 20 FTAs ... if he plays aggressively.

5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Rockets at Jazz, Game 4 originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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But Carl Landry Can't Block Rafer's Smooch!

Tom Ziller — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:38:00 EST

Filed under: Rockets, NBA Playoffs, NBA Videos, NBA Last Night, Jazz, Houston

Carl Landry's block on Deron Williams to seal Houston's win in SLC was (as Shoals notes at The Sporting Blog) the stuff of legends. (It might even be comparable to Tayshaun Prince's absurd block-from-behind on Reggie Miller earlier this millenia, insofar as a momentum-shifting play which catapaults an unheralded but excellent kid into some decent attention.) Landry was able to deny Deron, sure ... but he couldn't deny the missile-like desire of Rafer Alston. The one-minute mark is the ... sweet spot.

Via Awful Announcing.

But Carl Landry Can't Block Rafer's Smooch! originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doing Lines: The Rockets Win, and It's All Tracy McGrady's Fault

Matt Watson — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:30:00 EST

Filed under: Raptors, Magic, Rockets, NBA Playoffs, NBA Last Night, Houston, Toronto

Every single night of the playoffs there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the L. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

Everyone likes to blame Tracy McGrady when the Rockets. I know it, you know, he knows it. So in light of Houston's series-saving victory on Thursday (going down 0-3 isn't technically the same as being eliminated, but it's close enough), let's allow McGrady to soak in a little bit of the credit for this one: he scored 27 points with five boards, seven assists and a block, playing 43 minutes in Houston's slim 94-92 win. Yes, it took a last-second block by Carl Landry to seal the deal, but the Rockets would be lost without T-Mac.

Also Receiving Votes:
It's borderline criminal how much point guard talent the Raptors are hoarding this year. Check out the combined production of Jose Calderon and T.J. Ford on Thursday: 39 points (13-22 FG), 12 boards, 16 assists, two steals and four turnovers in 46 minutes. How'd the Magic fare?

Umm ... not as well. Jameer Neson and Keyon Dooling mustered just 14 points (5-13 FG) and seven assists in 46 minutes. Not surprisingly, the Raps won going away.

Doing Lines: The Rockets Win, and It's All Tracy McGrady's Fault originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doing Lines: Wizards' Big Three Go Missing

Matt Watson — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EST

Filed under: Wizards, Rockets, NBA Playoffs, Houston, Washington, DC

Every now and again there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the L. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

Washington's not-so-secret weapon was supposed to be their all-around depth and versatility: even if you contain one of their Big Three, there's no way you can stop the other two, right? Meh. On Monday, Gilbert Arenas (7 points, 2-for-10 shooting), Caron Butler (12 points, 4-for-13) and Antawn Jamison (9 points, 4-for-13) combined for 28 points, or roughly a third of what they're supposed to be putting up.

At least Arenas has some kind of excuse: he's still a bit rusty coming back from knee surgery, and he was playing Monday on a sprained wrist. He's also still coming off the bench, but with the Wizards returning to D.C. for Games 3 and 4 with down 0-2 with their tails between their legs, I wouldn't be surprised if he returns to the starting lineup. Antonio Daniels may have been a respectable fill-in starter while Arenas was hurt, but he's done jack lately, combining to score just eight points with two assists in the first two games.

Also Receiving Votes:
There's so much more to life than getting out of the first round, although I'm not sure Tracy McGrady realizes that right now. Like B.Shoals at Free Darko, I'm feeling McGrady's pain, but you have to wonder if maybe the cosmos are doing this to him on purpose, like, maybe he's being forced to learn how to persevere so that when he does someday retire from the NBA he can go on and do great things, such as use his fame and influence to go solve that thing in Darfur, and when he's done he'll give his speech in Stockholm and tell all of us that he realizes it was all part of the plan and that no one should ever feel sorry for him because, hey, there's more to life than the first round. Or, maybe I'm being melodramatic. In any case, he had a hell of a game (23 points, 13 boards and nine assists) but couldn't keep the Rockets from falling 0-2 to the Jazz.

Oh yeah, I suppose this LeBron James character deserves a mention: he scored 30 points with 12 assists and nine boards, if you're into that kind of thing.

Doing Lines: Wizards' Big Three Go Missing originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shane Battier Sells a Lot of Shoes in China

Matt Watson — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:11:00 EST

Filed under: Rockets, Western, NBA Videos, Houston

We've mentioned it before, but one of the perks of being one of Yao Ming's teammates is that Chinese companies shower you with offers to endorse their product. That's how Shane Battier not only ended up wearing PEAK shoes but also becoming something of a national icon (at least in the Jared Fogle kind of way). From Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune:

Battier said every NBA game broadcast in China goes to break with a Peak commercial starring himself and returns from break with the same commercial a second time.

"I'm much more famous in China than I think I ever was in America, which is kind of cool," Battier said.

Rockets forward Mike Harris, who played in China earlier this season before signing with Houston last month, can attest to how sick he grew of the Battier commercial.

"The commercial plays over and over," Harris said. "It got kind of repetitive. I got tired of watching it, so I just stopped watching TV. I started watching movies."

Yeah, I could see how that could get annoying. If they're going to re-play a commercial ad nauseum, the least they could do is make sure it has a catchy hook (ie, that Dockers commerical that plays at every break featuring Marlena Shaw's California Soul). In any case, hearing about Battier's rock star status in China makes sense, and certainly explains all those All-Star votes he gets (more than Kevin Durant, Josh Howard and Grant Hill this past year.)

Shane Battier Sells a Lot of Shoes in China originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Round One Riot: (4) Jazz vs. (5) Rockets

Will Brinson — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Rockets, Western, NBA Playoffs, Jazz, Houston

It's playoff time, and FanHouse has got you covered. Our previews will give you the critical points of every series, so you can talk to your friends like you've been following every team in the Association all season long. Which you probably haven't.

Biggest Reason You Should Watch: (***Warning -- Please watch your step, there's a large, bloody horse in front of you***) Because Tracy McGrady still has to win a playoff series. It seemed like we'd moved on, accepted T-Mac's career for what it was (a superb athlete and near-MVP candidate but a guy who just wouldn't advance in the postseason), then the Rockets started playing well. And then Yao Ming got KO'd for the season. And then they played better. Like 22 consecutive games better. Then they finished out 9-7 and here we are again. Rockets. Jazz. A chance to change history. Only team can suuuuuuurvive. (/movie preview voice) Or something like that. Feel free to kick the horse on your way out. Everyone else in America already has.

Houston Can Win if: If Luis Scola can justify his v. UTA and April splits. Scola averaged nearly 16 points and 10 boards a game (sample size!) in three contest against the Jazz this year and posted 14 points and nine boards for the month of April. He and Dikembe Mutumbo have to nullify the post presence of Carlos Boozer; the Rockets already play stupendous perimeter defense (43 eFG%) but they need to take the paint too.

Utah Can Win If: Mehmet Okur can get hot they'll run away with it. If Okur hits his threes and draws a big body to the perimeter to guard him, Boozer is going to go absolutely apesmell down low. And judging by their late season matchup, Rick Adelman is probably concerned about how much Deke will factor into the Rockets' ability to control the paint. And possibly his age. Rumor is he's older than Tejada.

Video Clip to Get You Pumped:Bill. Shatner. (I'm rolling with the obvious Rocket theme here and if you ask, some convoluted Elton John>piano>Jazz type of stretch.)

Stud of the Series: Deron Williams. I'm tempted to say T-Mac but Deron is my guy. Plus this equine carcass in front of me can't handle any more haymakers.

Biggest Liablity: Rafer Alston. His injury forces Bobby Jackson to play big minutes. Now, when the Rockets have Jackson in their lineup, they are very effective. But I think that effectiveness is nullified to a degree if he has to play 40 minutes a night, and most certainly over the course of a lengthy series if Rafer's hammy isn't going to let him play at full strength.

FanHouse Prediction: A very entertaining series in what is becoming a serious middle-top tier Western Conference rivalry. The Jazz steal one at Houston and hold serve at home. Adelman says it and goes crazy small ball for two games but it's too little too late. T-Mac cries. Jazz in six.

Round One Riot: (4) Jazz vs. (5) Rockets originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We Will Win! Says Houston's Clutch

Tom Ziller — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Rockets, NBA Playoffs, Houston

As we await the beginning of the NBA Playoffs on April 19, team mascots explain why their team will win. Next up: Clutch, representing the Houston Rockets.

That's the last time you put green dye in my bottle of Axe body wash, you scabby intern. Hell, that's the last time you do anything! Mwahaha! Thanks for the help, Shane and Brooksy. But, um ... why are you guys so gleeful all of a sudden? You were pretty teed off when I told you I ... uh ... took care of an intern.

Aaron Brooks: We thought it was the other intern, the cute one. This one was a d-bag.

Clutch: Ah, OK. Glad we're cool, glad we're cool. Welp, thanks again! I can't believe this jackhole turned my green. ... Well, at least we're not playing the Celtics or Sonics, right? Ha, the Sonics. What a madcap advantage that is. Morey's always talking about Presti, like, "Some boy genius! How many wins he got? 12? Mwaha!" Morey's so awesome. Carroll Dawson was awesome too, but Morey's just like, he just gets it, you know? Like that Luis Scola thing. It's like, Carroll would have never even called R.C. Buford, you know? Morey was just like, "what it is R.C.? Gimme Scola sucka!" Dawson was like just scared of the great GMs, you know?

This one time, Jerry West was trying to trade Nick Van Exel and Vlade Divac for two second round picks and Eldridge Recasner, but Carroll was getting tacos, so Jerry got the answering machine. So Carroll got the message when he got home, but it was like 8 p.m., and Carroll heard Jerry goes to bed early, so Carroll said he would call in the morning. But he never called him! He was too scared of being robbed by The Logo! But Morey? He pulled off that Battier trade with Jerry West his first day on the job! And he's not even afraid of calling GMs at home or on the cell phone, not at all! He even text messaged Danny Ainge on a Sunday once! That's balls, man. That's balls.

So yeah, Morey's way awesome, and he's put together a really hot team with a ton of talent. As long as these f$@##@&% interns don't mess things up -- and this one won't be, mwahaha! -- the Rockets are doin' it, baby. We're doin' it.

Previous FanHouse Expert Predictions:
The Raptor | Gorilla | Moondog | Hugo the Hornet | Coyote | Lucky | G-Wiz | Former Laker Girl | Stuff | Bear | Hip-Hop | Rocky

Covering our ass: This is, in fact, parody.

We Will Win! Says Houston's Clutch originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Goodnight Golden State (Denver Wins)

Tom Ziller — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:38:00 EST

Filed under: Nuggets, Warriors, Rockets, NBA Playoffs, Denver, Houston, Oakland

Denver wrapped up a fairly stout home victory over the Rockets this evening, all but assuring the Nuggets' place in the Western Conference playoffs. Golden State has to pray for an improbable Grizzlies victory over the Nugs on Wednesday to stay alive ... which means the Warriors are basically dead (and possibly buried).

Tracy McGrady and Carmelo Anthony were able to bother each other all night, as Shane Battier sat out. But Houston's backcourt couldn't dream of containing Allen Iverson, who dropped 33 points on 20 shots with 7 assists. J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza also had big nights off the bench, which is a good sign as Denver's going to need all hands on deck to survive the first round against the Lakers, Hornets, or Spurs.

Golden State lost this thing on Thursday, as everyone had already assumed. A perfect storm of sorts yesterday seemed to give the Warriors new hope this morning, but it was all a mirage. It's too bad, because the Dubs deserve it a lot more than a few Eastern teams.

Goodnight Golden State (Denver Wins) originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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San Antonio's Offense: Awake!

Tom Ziller — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:37:00 EST

Filed under: Rockets, Spurs, Houston

It's just after halftime in the pivotal (for seeding purposes) Houston-San Antonio draw on ABC; the Spurs tossed up a shocking 66 points in the first half (to 48 for the Rockets). Of course, San Antonio is a good offensive team, but ... 66 points on 43 possessions? Against the #2 defense in the league? That is mammoth.

This is a team, you'll remember, who couldn't muster more than five freaking points in an entire quarter against Atlanta just a month ago.

The Corpse of Michael Finley insists there is fuel in his reservoir; I remain skeptical, though this morning's game (18 points in 17 minutes, as of this writing) could nudge my opinion to the opposite pole. San Antonio can take sole possession of The One Seed (at least temporarily) with a win; New Orleans (currently even-up with SAS) plays in Toronto later today.

UPDATE: The Spurs finished it out with a 21-point win, and 109 points on 85 possessions. Stellar, stellar work.

San Antonio's Offense: Awake! originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mutombo Won't Be Sorry If Isiah Gets Fired

Matt Watson — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: Knicks, Rockets, NBA Gossip, Houston, New York

Dikembe Mutombo said at the beginning of the year that this would be his final NBA season, but he's since backed off that sentiment and left the door open for the future. Maybe he'll come back in 2008-09, maybe he won't, but either way the Rockets and the NBA are hedging their bets by holding a celebration of Mutombo's career tonight at halftime, complete with a $500,000 donation being made to the hospital he founded in Congo and a fancy oil painting depicting images from his career.

What drives a man to keep playing 17 years and counting? Part of it is simply proving people wrong, like Isiah Thomas, who made the mistake of suggesting to Mutombo that it was time to retire four years ago. From Fran Blinebury of the Houston Chronicle:

"It's still a wound," Mutombo said. "My wife and I still talk about it. It's still a bit sad to see the commissioner coming and all those people coming to celebrate the 17 years of my career and accomplishments and you look back and say that about (four) years ago, I had a guy tell me that I couldn't play basketball no more, to go to the beach and onto vacation. That's the same guy who's losing his job tomorrow.

"I never said nothing (to Thomas)," Mutombo said. "The last time we played at the Garden (Jan. 9), my wife asked me to go shake his hand, to just forgive him. I went and shook his hand and I told him, 'On behalf of my wife, I want to shake your hand and I forgive you for everything you've done to me.'

"He said, 'Tell your wife I said thank you so much.' That was the way to put it behind me.

Thomas eventually traded Mutombo to the Bulls in a package that brought back Jamal Crawford in August 2004, and the Bulls soon dealt him to the Rockets, where he's been ever since. Considering how beloved he's become in the Houston area, it's probably about time he let that grudge go -- especially if he ends up outlasting Thomas in the game.

Mutombo Won't Be Sorry If Isiah Gets Fired originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chris Paul Unleashes on Rafer Alston

Tom Ziller — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Rockets, Hornets, Houston, New Orleans

Alert Rafer Alston's mom: Chris Paul unleashed a string of vicious attacks on the Houston guard after last night's Hornet victory. Alston made some comments Tuesday night on TNT downplaying David West's potency and the Hornets in general; Paul fought back on the court (21/10/4 steals) and on the mic, as documented by ESPN.com's John Hollinger.

"Tracy McGrady is a great player. If I was Rafer Alston, I'd probably ride his coattails too. ... I feel like you can make a statement with the way you play. But some guys like Rafer Alston like to run their mouth ... that just added fuel to our fire tonight. D-West, that's my guy. For him to say he's not a star, I mean let's see what All-Star Game [Alston]'s played in."

Note to Western Conference contenders: Do not piss off Chris Paul. Good gracious.

The teams won't meet again this regular season, which is too bad because Alston's actually a good defender with a lot of pride; another battle between to the should be extremely competitive.

Chris Paul Unleashes on Rafer Alston originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In Which We Help Rafer Alston's Mom Burn Peter Vescey's Likeness in Effigy

Tom Ziller — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:45:00 EST

Filed under: Rockets, NBA Media Watch, Houston

Shoals at The Sporting Blog routed to the world this morning a (rare) fun Peter Vescey passage concerning Rafer Alston's mother, one in which I would be remiss in failing to pass on. Background: Jeff Van Gundy made a ludicrous statement about the efficacy of Alston 10 days ago on TV, Vescey cracked a joke about it. Geraldine Alston called Vescey around midnight to... discuss the matter.

"My husband and I just now got to read your column on line when we came home," Geraldine allowed. "While I don't agree with your assessment, I do respect your right to voice an opinion.

"Having said that, do me a favor; please e-mail your picture. We're making a print out of the column and we'd like to burn it and your picture together in effigy."

I am assuming Vescey did not rush to his computer to help out. With conciliatory spirit (and plenty of annoying Vescey moments) in mind, let's help Mrs. Alston out after the jump.

In Which We Help Rafer Alston's Mom Burn Peter Vescey's Likeness in Effigy originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kevin Garnett Responds to Glen Taylor's Statements About Tanking Last Year

Will Brinson — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:27:00 EST

Filed under: Celtics, Rockets, NBA Gossip, NBA Media Watch, NBA Videos, Boston, Houston

David Aldridge, doing what he does, got KG after the Celtics blew out the Rockets on Tuesday night and after warming him up with a few "teammate softballs", did his journalistic duty and asked him about Glen Taylor's accusations that involved the words "Kevin Garnett" and "tanking". Ticket was not particularly happy about it, and he did a little jersey tugging too, but as Charles Barkley pointed out later, at least he kind of took the high road.

I mean, Barkley definitely would have said something that involved a bleep, right?

Kevin Garnett Responds to Glen Taylor's Statements About Tanking Last Year originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Musings on Houston-Los Angeles

Tom Ziller — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: Lakers, Rockets, Houston, Los Angeles

It's like a liveblog, but not! Here's what one blogger saw during the electric battle for first place Sunday afternoon.

First Quarter
Mike Breen! Jeff Van Gundy! Yeah! Mark Jackson? ... Seriously though, JVG calling the Rockets is an added joy for this season.

Actual caption* for the photo to the right: A young Houston Rockets fan is offered as a human sacrifice in exchange for a 22nd straight victory by a possibly misguided parent during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 16, 2008 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Nothing tickles my corkles like a good BEAT L.A.! chant.

The finger wag will not wait! Dikembe Mutombo's first block comes 55 seconds into the game.

Breen just accused Luis Scola of a flop. But the fanatics among us know an Argentine would never ever exaggerate contact to get a call. Never.

If you don't like Radmanovic-Turiaf picks-and-rolls, you don't like NBA basketball.

Rafer Alston is on fire, and it's 16-10 Houston seven minutes in.

Mount Mutombo gets sent by Turiaf; Ronny manages to abstain for wagging his finger.

Houston has been absurdly sloppy in the first, which has allowed the Lakers to run a bit. Also, Tracy McGrady starts cold -- 0-4 FGs.

Shane Battier is so unbelievably underrated. His defense gets talk, though he doesn't get the attention of a Bruce Bowen or Ron Artest (despite being better in man-on-man situations). But then he just single-handedly broke the Lakers press to get Chuck Hayes a layup.

Speaking of which: Chuck Hayes free throw! A rare treat.

Second Quarter
Phil Jackson verbally Bruce Pearl'd Michelle Tafoya. He also goosed Kurt Rambis.*

Turiaf got hyphy on the rim!

Some players just look real good in certain uniforms. Bobby Jackson, though? He looks good in every jersey. He just looks like a basketball player.

The defense on Kobe Bryant on this play about 4-1/2 minutes into the second -- three guys fly at him in the lane -- is superb. (And if there's any question how Kobe will react to life with Pau, he has 14 FGAs in 15 minutes.)

Every jersey in the stands is a McGrady #1. Did the city just burn all its Yao unis?

This Houston lineup -- Jackson/Head/Battier/Harris/Hayes -- isn't exactly the most beautiful example of smallball, is it?

Tafoya reveals T-Mac had a get an I.V. drip after playing 48 minutes against Charlotte. Think the streak isn't important to Rick Adelman?

I've spent much of the first half trying to find a good comparison for Scola. Antawn Jamison is a possibility.

Vlad Radmanovic has a point on the play which led to his technical. He got called for simply existing.

Houston leads by 15 at halftime... and McGrady has not scored a single point. (He still gets the halftime interview with Tafoya, of course. New league rule: All nationally televised games involving Houston results in a Mutombo halftime interview.)

Halftime
Stu Scott made a Mutombo age joke. Thank God for TiVo. Which leads us to the...

Third Quarter
Breen, as Alston tosses the ball toward the upper deck: "Alley-oop to Bryant... err, no." Yep, that's about right.

Breen: "[D.J.] Mbenga is out there for rebounding and shotblocking." Van Gundy: "No, he's out there because their top two guys are injured." Good point.

Radman would make a terrific Bond villain. Actually, not a full-on villain. More a nameless hitman who misses all 200 rounds he fires at Bond and then gets crushed by a concrete block.

Lakers lead the third quarter 10-0. McGrady, at some point, will likely need to spring free for a bucket or 10.

Rafer Alston stops the bleeding with a three. Could this eventually be known as the Rafer Alston Game?

Email from comrad Brett Edwards: "Lakers are getting Rafed."

No, Luis, you are not allowed to go Johnny Cage on Lamar Odom. Sorry.

McGrady scores! And then he draws a foul the next time down.

I'm loving the "Sportscenter: Right Now" update, which includes scores from roughly three hours ago. Extraneous branding is fun! If it was "right now," we'd be getting the Big Ten championship score.

Mbenga sets good screens.

RAFER ALSTON! Gives the Rockets a 71-66 lead at the intermission after his 7th three.

Fourth Quarter
For a coach who never ~~screams~~ talks on the sideline, Adelman sure has a raspy voice.

Alston hits another. And then destroys Sasha Vujacic with an open-court block. It's the Rafer Alston Game!

I have seen ugly picks-and-rolls. But that one -- Farmar and Turiaf, with Ronny juggling it to the hoop -- might make My Five.

Vanessa Williams and Rob Lowe? Hip. Very hip.

"Wired" was built for Rick Adelman. Something Breen didn't mention in his recap: Those three things -- "come on Mike," "aaargh" (as the 24-sec clock goes off), and "We have the lead! We have the lead!" -- were the only words which came out of R.A.'s mouth during the first three quarters.

In Kobe's world, it's not a foul when you bring your arm down forcefully across the forearms of the shooter.

Nice sign, Houston! "T-Mac for president. Kobe for New York governor." The director left it on camera for 4 seconds, which roughly how long it took to get the joke.

JVG doesn't have LeBron among his top four MVP candidates.

Jordan Farmar is feelin' it. That shot (a 26-footer in transition) gets you benched on at least 10 NBA teams.

McGrady has arrived at the arena. Just in time to give the Rox a 7-point lead.

BOBBY JACKSON! I love that guy. 10-point lead. McGrady had Farmar on him... and still passed off to Jax in the corner.

Would X-ray goggles help Kobe score over Battier? That hand is, like, two inches Kobe's eyes... and has been all game. And then a block on the next possession! Kevin Garnett's the clear Defensive Player of the Year... but Battier shouldn't be many votes behind.

Houston Rockets: #1 in the Western Conference. Holy %#@$.

Aaah... Rafer. Starts Globetrotting near midcourt with the 13-point lead and 45 seconds left; Vujacic reaches in a smack him in the chest. Alston takes offense and gets in Sasha's face. Awesome.

22 STRAIGHT! Houston is alive, man. Houston is alive.

* Not true.

Musings on Houston-Los Angeles originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kobe Can't Fool T-Mac

Tom Ziller — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 10:10:00 EST

Filed under: Lakers, Rockets, Houston, Los Angeles

Pardon our Streakapalooza today, as Houston prepares to go for #22 against the Lakers this afternoon. Kobe Bryant is telling the Houston Chronicle this is just some game -- no extra incentive to win. He says he doesn't "give a damn about the streak." He might be right; the Lakers have played hard consistently for a month and change. There may be no next level of intensity.

Still, Tracy McGrady isn't buying the theory Kobe doesn't want to end the streak himself.

"We're playing a guy that I know is going to come in here and try to break this streak, because I know Kobe," McGrady said. "I know Kobe, and I know that's where his head is. In his head, he's thinking it's going to end. 'It's going to end with me.' He's just a fierce competitor. That's just who he is."

Yup. This is Kobe 101. Pau Gasol's out, the Rockets can jump over the Lakers in the standings with a win. The streak's now the second longest of all-time. Kobe wouldn't miss this game if his right arm fell off, and he'll be playing 48 minutes, I imagine. As Mac says, "That's just who he is."

Kobe Can't Fool T-Mac originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 10:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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