"Now, what I love about McGrady is that I knew he could be a good defensive player, but I didn't think he wanted to be a good defensive player," Karl said on Tuesday morning. "When I was (coaching the Bucks) in Milwaukee I've seen him shut down our best players, for a time. Then he'd take a quarter off. But what he is doing to Nowitzki on the (defensive) end is as impressive as what he's doing offensively." Karl believes the Rockets are a real threat to make the NBA Finals because 7-foot-6 Yao Ming is capable of games like he had on Monday night, when he made 13 of 14 shots, and yet he remains the No. 2 weapon on his team. "Houston, to me, is as good a basketball team as I've seen," Karl said Tuesday morning. "Now Phoenix, yes, great. Very good. Houston? As good as Phoenix. "I like in and out. They've got an in game. They've got an out game. And McGrady right now is the single most difficult perimeter player to cover in the game of basketball." http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA042705.6E.COL.BKNmonroe.218b673a2.html
After the Rockets beat the Mavericks in the first game of their series, Brent Barry did what all brothers do in this Verizon/Cingular age. He sent a congratulatory text message to Jon. Firing back to Brent's cell phone before the Spurs' opener Sunday, with dreams of a very-Barry Western Conference finals, came the return text. "See you in a couple of weeks!" ... "I know I'm a role player," Jon told a Houston newspaper. "I know that for me to be good, I need to play on a team with great players. I think I can make them better. They make me better, but I have to hold up my part of the deal." http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA042705.1E.COL.BKNharvey.218d5b91d.html Love JB!
Hmm... "see you in two weeks" could be some bulletin board material. I hope these guys aren't letting this get to their heads already. I'd hate to see what happened to Phoenix back when we came back on Barkley and Co. happen to us this year.
dually noted dr. but i think the Mavs are far from the Rockets of yore. It's always needed to be cautious, but these Mavs have nothing remotely similar in terms of grit and heart that the Rockets did when they came back against Phoenix.
the rockets have alot of work ahead of them to put this series away but regarding our 2-0 lead, the jet had a good take last night: his rockets were up 20 in each of the first 2 games they lost, so going back home they knew they had the ability to handle phoenix they just had to continue doing what got them those big leads. dallas really doesn't have anything to look back on and say this will work or that will work, we've answered anything they've tried to do. i like our chances.
Give Ryan Bowan some credits too. This guy is really on fire among all the Chinese Bball forums right now! They want Rockets resign him this summer and he deserves something more than the bottem salary
Everyone says that when the team is down 0-2. I would not put it past the Mavs to rally from an 0-2 deficit. The wild card, to me, is Van Gundy. He absolutely will NOT allow a team of his to grow overly complacent for any stretch of time during the playoffs.
Totally true. This Mavs lacks heart and toughness, they ain't never gonna be able to do what we did to Phoenix.
Not only that..take something that K. Smith said (if i am not mistaken) in the broadcast he said the year that the rockets came back from a 2-0 deficit...We had the leads in both games and Pheonix came back to win the games and then Houston stepped it up... With Dallas this time...they have never once had the lead in any game. They have come with their best shot and we have been able to fend them off.. That is a big difference mentality wise..i mean we not only put a dagger in their hearts this past game...they shot almost 70% percent from the 3 point line which is amazing and part of their strategy if Dirk gets doubled...we were able to bust that down their throats as well. I like our chances becuase of these reasons...they keep jabbing away at us and we stay up and fight them off.
The Mavs were up by 8 late in Game 2. But you could say it was more about what the Rox didn't do as much as what the Mavs were doing to build the lead. IIRC, that was the stretch were we missed some defensive assignments and Barry wound up on Dampier in the paint.
I guess im looking at it at a more general way..not necessarily certain points where they did take the lead....i like the fight in the team...they don't back down and that's our best asset.
I think what Kenny meant is that we were up by 20 in both of the games that the Suns came back on us in, but the 8 point lead that Dallas had on us was not a big lead by NBA standards.
I am very happy about our Rockets' success against the Mavs and especially the fact that we are getting some recognition for it. However, I think we all should stay humble and hungry. The Rockets may appear to be too much for the Mavs in this series, but is important to note that they are a formidable opponent. Until we win four games against them we cannot lose sight of that.
I doubt that staying hungry will be a problem for the Rockets. There are several veterans on this team that probably consider this their best shot at a title. McGrady would love to win a title and shove it in Orlando's face. A title for Yao would be a defining moment for him, but also for all of China. Then of course their is Grumpy. It would be curious to see if Grumpy would smile after winning a title.
One of the reasons why I really think it is a possibility is those reasons. Some of our scrappiest players are getting to the point where they dont have much time left..and they know it. Barry, Deke, Wesley and Sura all want a ring in the worst way...adn they know better than any of us that this is their best chance. They may look like they are goofing off when they celebrate, but make no mistake....they can be more serious than anyone when the game is on the line and they need to step up and do the little things that help a team win. Add that to the intensity and obvious desire Tmac has to prove everyone wrong abotu him...and the sky is the limit for these guys as long as they stay focused and approach everygame like it is their last chance to win. VG has been preaching this attitude all season...they know what they need to do..I have complete and total faith in these guys to take care of business.
Very unlikely that the Rockets could beat a team of Dallas' quality four times in a row. The Mavs are very good. We need to prepare for the fact that this series may still go seven. We are all just giddy.
I agree with you 100%. This team is built from the playoffs. Tough defense, and Yao-T-Mac's inside/outside combo, and great intensity on the court. They are focused, and they play with a huge heart. what they did in the fouth when they were down by 8 showed you how much cool-headed they can be. A mental meltdown by this team, I consider, is never gonna happen, especially with the coach like JVG.
