I was sort of expecting a bad game from the Rockets, as we usually don't play so well on a back to back, and Thursday's game against the Warriors was up and down the whole game. Yao was tired, so I didn't know if he'd be able to put up another monster night and without Tmac we just don't have the tools. But we decided to support the Rockets win or lose. It took us over 3 hours sitting through traffic to make it to the game. We ran into some other Rockets fans and clutchfans members and walking out of Staples Center was a miserable experience. Thoughts on the game: Rafer Alston played so badly and really was exposed. He's like the opposite of Battier in that he'll put up a good line and look decent on paper, but he possesses many intangibles that you don't see in the box score that hurt this team. I was nervous every time he brought the ball up the court. JVG was clearly outcoached. Phil was able to counter just about every play following a timeout, and I believe we only got a good shot once (Battier's open look) out of a timeout. The triangle offense is so much more effective with a lot of movement. JVG's system is way too predictable and boring. Expecting a bad game to begin with, I was very surprised to see us come out of the gate and dominate. When it was obvious that we could win the game, and we had opportunities to win it, it made the loss sting that much more. <a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/scyman/IMG_0162.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a> <a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/scyman/IMG_0163.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a> <a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/scyman/IMG_0165.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a> <a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/scyman/IMG_0166-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>
haha it did feel like hell towards the end.. and especially since we lost.. i dont think i can go through another lost like that.. totally agree with the comments about rafer... i know he sucked last night but when i saw the box score and saw 7 TOs!! that really did it. we really need a new starting PG.. watching the game last night i really feel he was the reason we lost. his inability to handle the ball, set up the offense, play d or shoot really kills.. ehh anyways it was a fun game i geuss nad hopefully we win the next one against the clippers.. not sure if i'll go to that game or not.. really dont want to walk thru staples center again if we lose again
my thoughts from the trip: scyman, SunsRocketsFan, and I made the long trip from San Diego on Friday despite the inflated prices for upper level seats (ticket prices cut in half the day of the game). travel time should have taken 2 hours but ended up being over 3 hours due to LA traffic. we caught several spots on the freeway where we slowed to less than 5 mph. we had to pull over once to get directions to the Staples Center because each of us assumed someone else knew how to get to the game but the good thing is we figured out this error early. once we got to the Staples Center, we walked the concourse a couple of times displaying Rocket red, loud and proud. surprisingly, we received no comments from the Laker fans at this time. we settled into our seats in section 332 and had a couple of Rockets (Yao) fans directly behind us. the first half of the game was great. we spent most of the time standing, yelling, clapping the Rockets' efforts while the entire arena was quiet and generally disgusted with their home team. there were lots of boos during this half and we were loving it. of course the second half was a different story. the laker fans went from booing their team to cheering them on during their comeback. it was heart breaking to watch Rafer bring the ball up the court and turn it over. I could not understand why JVG kept him on the floor after he showed he could not take care of the ball. we caught some harassment during the 4th quarter from fans in our section but definitely got much more on the way out of the arena. the majority from teenage kids after we crossed paths and from a distance. but it was expected and we took the hazing like men. overall we do not get the opportunity to watch a Rockets game live very often, living in San Diego, so its always worth the trip win or lose.
