Rockets open up in blasting 76ers Rockets open up in blasting 76ers Easy shots make for happy group after rare laugher By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle NBA: Philadelphia 95, Houston 118 FINAL Requires the free RealPlayer or Flash. SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE STANDINGS Team W L PCT GB San Antonio 37 10 .787 --- Dallas 30 14 .682 5.5 Memphis 27 20 .574 10 Houston 26 21 .553 11 New Orleans 8 37 .178 28 As of Feb 3 2005 12:13 a.m. CT COMING UP Friday: at Minnesota, 8:30 p.m. TV/Radio: Listings; KILT (610 AM) PHILADELPHIA - The Rockets did not want to leave the Wachovia Center court Wednesday night, which seemed appropriate. For the previous two hours, they owned it. Jon Barry met his teammates to revel in his last-minute pass to Ryan Bowen. Dikembe Mutombo chatted with the few 76ers still around from his time in Philadelphia. Yao Ming milled around looking for anyone with whom he had not already shared a laugh. For 48 minutes of basketball, they had suppressed the urge to giggle openly. But they finally allowed themselves to enjoy a 118-95 rout of the 76ers, which the Rockets turned into a basketball fantasy camp where everybody takes a turn. "Today, everybody got open shots," said Yao, who scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting before taking the fourth quarter off. "Everybody made it much easier for his teammate. Ball comes to you, you swing to the next man, and the next man makes the shot. That's hard to defend." The Rockets had 35 assists, matching their season high (set when they scored 124 points in Dallas), and the ball was moving so well that seven players scored in double figures. "That was unbelievable passing," Barry said. "Thirty-five assists on 41 baskets is a tremendous number. (Coach) Jeff (Van Gundy) talked about it in the shootaround. Teams are forcing us to use the weak side, and we haven't been doing that. Tonight we came off pick-and-rolls, got rid of the ball, moved the ball quickly and got any shot we wanted all night long. "When we get on an offensive roll, we're pretty good." Tracy McGrady came back from his back trouble in Boston to score 34 points and get nine assists, with his 13 first-quarter points setting an early pace. But the Rockets found shooters all over the court. Scott Padgett made five of six shots and has made 20 of 29 in the past four games. Barry made four of six shots, adding six assists. David Wesley made four of six shots, knocking down his last four. "They didn't miss," Sixers forward Kyle Korver said. "They were swinging it around and getting the open shots, and they were hitting them." The Rockets probably can't count on making 56 percent of their 3-pointers or 53.9 percent of their shots overall too often. But even before the shots were taken — or for that matter, before Wednesday's game — they seemed more in sync than they had all season. The seven Rockets scoring in double figures were more than in any other game this or last season. It was the third time this season that as many as six Rockets have scored at least 10 points; all three occasions have come in the past four games. "We have a lot of guys who can play, a lot of guys who have been productive in this league for a long time," Rockets guard Bob Sura said. "It's all coming together for us." That might not have been enough had Allen Iverson dominated as he seemed poised to do while pouring in 15 points in the first quarter. The Rockets hardly shut Iverson down; he finished with 28 points and 10 assists. But in the second and third quarters, as the Rockets built a 21-point lead, he made one of eight shots and totaled six points. "(Wesley) worked hard and tried to keep him in front of him," Van Gundy said. "Rod (Strickland) then came in and did the same thing. (Iverson) is obviously the most (unusual) perimeter player in the league, and he has an ability to get into the paint like no other. I thought David really fought hard." Wesley chose his words carefully, knowing well enough not to boast of holding Iverson to 28 points when Iverson, who leads the NBA in scoring, could take revenge by putting up 58. "I tried to put a body on him, contesting every shot, trying not to give him anything easy," Wesley said. "But one guy does not shut him down. "If he's looking at one guy, he's going to the basket every single time. For him to go, stutter, go, stutter, and pull up and take a shot, that means I had three or four guys looking at him and closing down the middle." After making 51.1 percent of their shots in the first half to trail 63-55, the Sixers shot just 33 percent in the second half. But the happy talk for the Rockets was not about tough defense when there was so much easy offense. "We've been sharing the ball," Sura said. "Guys have been sacrificing a good shot for a better shot. It makes for a good atmosphere on the court, in the locker room. Everybody's happy when things go like that." jonathan.feigen@chron.com http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3022346
I was ecstatic at the Rocket's play last night. Game by game they are seeming to be more in sync, more balanced, more effective. If Barry and Padgett are able to consistently come in and hit threes, that is tough to defend. The 76's aren't the Spurs, but they are pretty good at home. They beat the Mavs in Dallas just the other day. It is hard not to be excited because this just isn't one game, this is a trend that has been developing. Are the Rockets hitting some kind of stride? Are they jelling? Is this the team that will roll into the playoffs and scare the begeebers out of everybody. I will tell you for sure next monday. If the Rockets march through Minn. and then beat the Lakers, I will be ready to declare them legitimate playoff contenders. (like anyone cares what I think, but that is what I will think)
