A tough game for the Rockets. The Magic can cause matchup problems for us. Howard is better than Mo. Gooden is an athletic and lean 4, just the kind of player who can give us trouble. T- Mac on his homecourt will be very difficult for us to stop. Will our guys underestimate Bogans and pay for it? I fear a letdown. Magic 85 Rockets 78
It would be the mother of upsets if Orlando beat us. Imagine how embarrassing! No way we lose, no way.
Pike is only good for 1 thing which is Shooting + Pike is in a huge shooting slump = Pike needs to ride the bench because he is useless right now.
Although pike will still be locked up in doghouse by Van Gundy. Rockets will still win I don't see a letdown until sacramento....... and I sure as hell don't see us losing to ****ing orlando lol Rockets 95 Orlando : 82
Oops, almost forgot my prediction: Rox 84 Magic 62 Tmac gets half of the Magics points on 11/31 shooting Steve 6-15 FGs 16 Pts 6 assts 5 TOs Yao 7-13 FGs 18 Pts 12 Rebs Cat 8-18 Fgs 22 Pts 4 Assts
In light of the recent shark the jump post i made...i have to say teh rockets will win and win big.... This is it guys....im finally ready to know Rockets will come out as winners 97-78 Rockets win!
the bad teams have not been a problem this year as they have in past years. VG will not allow them to take the Magic lightly... combine that with their recent play... and that equals a convincing win, after which half the board will respond by saying "So what, a win in this game doesnt prove they are good, it was just the Magic." Rockets win easily.
97-84 rox. i don't think i've made a score prediction in a game thread yet. lets hope it doesn't screw us up.
My prediction: @Orlando: Eeay game for Rox.There is no big guy who can matchup Yao.While Mobley should block TM well on the court. If TM's in hot,we just double team him. Rox win by 10+ point!
Here are two articles about the game from the Orlando Sentinel: Magic scouting report By Tim Povtak Sentinel Staff Writer January 25, 2004 Rockets at Magic, 6 WHERE:TD Waterhouse Centre. RECORDS: Magic 12-32; Rockets 25-17. BROADCAST: TV -- WRBW-Ch. 65. Radio -- 580 AM (WDBO); Spanish-language 1440 AM (WPRD). MAGIC UPDATE: Orlando has won three of its past five. Although the Magic's defense is inconsistent, they are making strides on offense, moving the ball better than before. . They lost the earlier meeting in Houston, failing to slow Steve Francis in a 96-86 loss on Nov. 8. The Magic hold a 13-3 edge over the Rockets at TD Waterhouse Centre. Watch for Gordan Giricek to play more after a good performance Friday night in Philadelphia. ROCKETS UPDATE: Houston is coming off a big victory against the Pacers in Indianapolis on Friday night, holding the best team in the Eastern Conference to 74 points on its home court. Although the Rockets' bench isn't considered deep, all of their starters can hurt the Magic. WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The 6 p.m. start time -- an hour earlier than normal -- means there will be empty seats when the game begins. Finding scoring opportunities will be difficult for the Magic unless they get good ball movement. link Rockets' chances to join elite in West will flow through Yao As others can attest, having a franchise center is invaluable in today's NBA. By Tim Povtak Sentinel Staff Writer January 25, 2004 This might be one of those seasons when being really bad brings really good returns in the NBA. Nothing changes the fortunes of a franchise like a franchise center. Like Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan did for their teams before him -- all centers taken with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft -- Yao Ming is on the verge of transforming the Houston Rockets into a Western Conference power. The Rockets (25-17) will play the Magic (12-32) at 6 tonight at TD Waterhouse Centre, expecting to win their third consecutive game and sixth in the past seven. At 7 feet 6 and 310 pounds -- and with good skills to match -- Yao is being used as the centerpiece/foundation to a new era in Houston, something that only a dominating center can provide. The next one available -- likely in the 2004 draft -- should be 7-foot-4, 270-pound Russian Pavel Podkolzine, an almost-certain No. 1 overall pick, which is something the Magic could land if they continue to struggle with the worst record in the league. Although players such as guard LeBron James and forwards Kenyon Martin and Elton Brand -- all recent No. 1 picks -- bring plenty of promise and pizazz, only the great centers can bring certainty to an otherwise uncertain franchise. The only championships won since the end of the Chicago Bulls era in 1998 have been with O'Neal or Duncan providing the stability at center that no one else in the NBA can match -- until Yao arrived. "A center like Yao Ming anchors you both defensively and offensively," Magic Coach Johnny Davis said. "He makes all his teammates better. He makes it easier for everyone. "It makes your life as a coach a whole lot easier. All you've got to do is reference back to when Shaq was here [Orlando]." O'Neal, taken No. 1 by the Magic in 1992, helped Orlando rocket into the NBA Finals in his third season, carrying a fragile, young team along for the ride. When he left a year later for Los Angeles, where he has won three championships with the Lakers, he started a downward spiral that still hasn't stopped. "Man, I think about that all the time, what it would be like playing with a center like that," Magic all-star Tracy McGrady said. "Everybody's game would just go to another level. That's why Kobe [Bryant] is so effective. He can gamble defensively with a guy like Shaq behind him. And Shaq attracts so much attention offensively, everyone else is free." Although Yao is in only his second NBA season, the Rockets already are riding him. He clogs the middle defensively. He opens the floor for his teammates on offense. His presence alone comes with big positives. Houston guards Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley find themselves amazingly open at times. Journeyman Jimmy Jackson, almost out of the league this past summer, has rediscovered his worth playing with Yao. Veteran Maurice Taylor sees great opportunities on offense. "He makes us a totally different team when he's effective," Jackson said. "He opens up the driving lane, the passing lane, the cross-court passes, everything. And he's just learning the game. He's just playing the game, playing on instinct. "Putting the plays together will come when he realizes who he is and what he can do in this league." Yao is averaging 16 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.86 blocks. He's the biggest reason the Rockets have become pit bulls defensively. They have forced opponents into a .389 shooting percentage, allowing 83.2 points. Both are league lows. It's easy to gamble when Yao is waiting to cover any mistakes. "People have to alter their shots against him [Yao]," said Magic guard Tyronn Lue, who played with O'Neal on two championship teams in Los Angeles. "Defense is totally different with a big shot-blocker behind you." Offensively, the Rockets like to start every possession with a pass into Yao, much like the Lakers used to do with O'Neal. Depending upon how defenses play against him, they react. In his past five games, Yao has averaged 20.4 points, 11.6 rebounds and two blocks while shooting 64.1 percent. His improved play has coincided with the Rockets' best play of the season. "Even when he's not hitting, we want him to keep shooting," Francis said. "He'll learn that as we continue to feed him the ball, if they play him one-on-one, he has to dominate." Francis has benefited as much as anyone from Yao. He already was a rising star before Yao arrived, but the Chinese center has allowed him to become a more complete player. O'Neal's presence in Orlando allowed Penny Hardaway to become an all-star. He has done the same for Bryant in Los Angeles. Francis, who is averaging 17 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, is expected to play in his third consecutive all-star game. Last season, he was one of two players in the NBA to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. Mobley has shot 38.6 percent from 3-point range. Like Francis, he has improved his all-around game playing with Yao. Compared to the double- and triple-team defenses that McGrady sees, Mobley runs the court without seeing more than one defender. "They have a pretty good thing going, but it starts at center," Davis said. "He's a dominating presence who just makes everyone even better. It's quite a combination." link
" The Magic hold a 13-3 edge over the Rockets at TD Waterhouse Centre." Even weak Magic teams give us problems in Orlando. Beware! I hope the Rockets don't get "poofed."
theteam, Follow below link to the bottom of the page for some insight on this issue... http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2370060 M.
"It's frustrating from the simple fact that I know the reason why it's happened is I'm just not shooting the ball well," Piatkowski said. "That's something that can't last forever. Spoken like a true professional. No whining at all, just an objective assessment and he knows what he needs to do to get back.
The 3 point field goal percentage really isn't that bad. It's when he puts the ball down on the floor and then takes shots. He's not able to create his own shot. He's not going to be on the bench forever.
