[Chron] Win shows possibilities are endless....

Win shows possibilities are endless
By RICHARD JUSTICE
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle


By the opening minutes of the third quarter, Jeff Van Gundy had boiled the X's and O's down to a single word.

"Attack!" he kept screaming.

He said it after defensive rebounds and almost every time players flew by. Once upon a time, the Rockets believed they'd hired a different kind of coach.

Remember him? Whatever happened to the Pat Riley protegé who wanted half-court basketball and a molasses pace?

That coach was always more myth than reality. That coach was never what he was advertised to be.

About the time Van Gundy found his mantra Tuesday evening, Yao Ming scooted across the lane and threw in a hook shot over Shaquille O'Neal. Then he banked one off the glass.

Something changed at that point. The team that had looked so sluggish for a half came to life. The shots that weren't falling began to fall.

And the Rockets were transformed and a game that was supposed to be a measuring stick became an indication of what they can be.

Attack mode

All of a sudden, the Rockets became the aggressors and the team with the NBA's best record and a 12-game winning stream — was on its heels.

The Rockets trailed by 11 in the first half and by five at halftime. They dominated almost everything after that and held up down the stretch against O'Neal and the incomparable Dwyane Wade.

They defeated the Heat 84-82 thanks to a relentless performance from Tracy McGrady, a huge game from Dikembe Mutombo and a smothering defensive effort that forced 18 turnovers.

Until further notice, this game will stand as their measuring stick for all others. At a time when the Western Conference is being rearranged, with Tim Duncan out for at least two weeks and the Dallas Mavericks getting a new coach, the Rockets could see endless possibilities.

Once Yao took the game to Shaq on consecutive possessions, others got the message. Bob Sura sliced into the lane and flipped the ball to David Wesley for a 3-pointer.

The Rockets missed all 10 of their 3-pointers tin the first half. Their starting guards — Sura and Wesley — were 1 for 10 from the field in the first half. Funny how changing an approach also changed the results.

Faster tempo helps

They can't win without their jump shots. No team can. But the Rockets used penetration and resolve to push the action and change the tempo. And they rode that change to victory.

They won, in part, because the Heat shot 40 percent from the field, because Wade was four of 19 and because of all those turnovers.

But they also won because Wesley did a tremendous job on Wade. No matter how this season ends up, general manager Carroll Dawson can't get enough credit for the trades that brought Wesley, Jon Barry and Mike James.

James hit the 3-pointer that seemed to seal it with 40.5 seconds remaining, but they all contributed. In the end, it wasn't sealed until Wesley made two foul shots with 13.2 seconds remaining, but that was when the Rockets typically flirted with disaster.

No one contributed more than Wesley, who once more was given the assignment of guarding the best opposing perimeter player. Ask Wade this morning how he liked playing a game wearing Wesley like a warmup jacket.

And there was Clarence Weatherspoon. He'd looked so tentative in three games since replacing the injured Juwan Howard that it was hard to remember what he'd once been.

That is, an All-Star caliber power forward. He'd been a first-rate low post scorer and a solid rebounder.

The Rockets don't know how much they'll get out of him. On Tuesday, he showed that there might still be something left in the tank. In 22 minutes, he scored 12 points and had four rebounds.

Yet no one contributed more than Mutumbo. He's another guy Dawson targeted last summer. He's another guy Dawson was right about.

He has been the Rockets' most consistent player. His defense, shot-blocking and rebounding are so consistent that they lose almost nothing when Yao is on the bench.

In 25 minutes, he had eight points and 15 boards. The Rockets don't win without him.

They got so much from so many that it was easy to overlook McGrady, who was typically brilliant in scoring 26 points. He was taking the ball to the hoop long before Van Gundy virtually ordered others to do the same.

His moon-ball 3-pointer with 5:42 left stretched the lead to 12 points at 74-62. They had to hang on after that, but for one half, they sent a message to every team in the West.

They drive Van Gundy crazy with stretches of slow-motion basketball. And there are nights like this one when they show every other NBA team what they can be.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3098929



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Rockets seeking piece to puzzle
Weatherspoon takes lead in effort to fill in at forward
By MEGAN MANFULL
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Clarence Weatherspoon always said it would take time.

Despite playing big minutes and being a strong rebounder and scorer early in his career, he said it wouldn't be easy going from the end of the bench into the starting rotation for the Rockets.

The transition hasn't been smooth, but the veteran power forward has made strides since replacing Juwan Howard in the starting lineup four games ago.

In the Rockets' 84-82 victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night at Toyota Center, Weatherspoon was aggressive on both ends of the floor. He blocked Dwyane Wade's first shot attempt, scored a season-high 12 points and had four rebounds.

Weatherspoon said the more he plays, the more comfortable he becomes.

"You have to get used to being out there and get your confidence level up," Weatherspoon said. "I think that's the key and that's what I'm working on."

The Rockets have struggled to find a solution ever since Howard sprained his knee March 14 at Golden State. They have used six players at power forward in the past four games, and Torraye Braggs was cleared to play for the first time by FIBA on Tuesday.

Despite seven options and three games without Howard, the Rockets have yet to settle on a rotation. Weatherspoon and Scott Padgett have received the bulk of the minutes, with Ryan Bowen also shifting from the three to four.

Dikembe Mutombo also has started plying alongside Yao Ming. And when the Rockets went small a couple of times against the Heat, Jon Barry played the four.

Vin Baker has made only one appearance since Howard was injured.

"I think we can do better there and I think we have to do better there and I have every confidence we will do better there," coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "There is not just one concern. Our team rebounding is a huge concern.

"I think we can rebound the ball better, but we also have to have everybody playing with confidence that if left open, shoot it. I think we can do better there."

Rebounding has been the biggest problem. Against Minnesota, Weatherspoon had only two rebounds and Padgett finished with only one. That was the main reason Van Gundy started experimenting with Yao and Mutombo in the game at the same time.

"That was more of we were struggling to rebound the ball, and he's clearly our best rebounder," Van Gundy said of Mutombo. "I'm not sure we'd go to that for a lot of minutes, but we'll see."

Van Gundy went with that same combination a few times against Miami. The move seemed to work again.

Mutombo grabbed a Tracy McGrady miss and put it back in to cut the Rockets' deficit to 41-36 right before halftime. In 25 minutes, Mutombo had 15 rebounds and eight points.

Van Gundy isn't ruling out any combinations at this point. Despite a couple of slow starts by Weatherspoon prior to Tuesday, Van Gundy has remained confident the veteran just needed time to adjust and gain confidence.

The patience seems to have paid off. Weatherspoon struggled with foul trouble against Miami, but made strides offensively and defensively.

He played a season-high 22 minutes and keyed the Rockets' 14-0 run in the third quarter. He sank two free throws to give the Rockets a 57-55 lead with 1:18 left in the quarter.

On Miami's next possession, Weatherspoon stole the ball from Michael Doleac and drove through a crowded lane to give the Rockets a 59-55 lead.

"I know his teammates have great confidence in him," Van Gundy said. "I know we as a coaching staff have unbelievable confidence in him. And I think if he approaches (the games) with his teammates' confidence in him and our confidence in him, he'll play with unbelievable confidence because we really do feel that he can get the job done."

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3098928

 

Man that first article gets me dang excited....I got chills. They're multiplying.