Houston Rockets vs. New Jersey Nets ---Post Game Quotes

http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Post_Game_Quotes_031306-171853-822.html

ROCKETS HEAD COACH JEFF VAN GUNDY
(on the Rockets' defense) "Well, our individual defense is not great and our pick and roll defense is not great and we're small in the back court, so we had to double-team in the post. We didn't have to, I chose to and in retrospect, we're just going to have to learn how to guard in there by ourselves a little bit better."

(on the Rockets' 3-point defense) "Well, they had 11 (3 pointers), take
(Richard) Jefferson's last one (3 pointer) away...you get broken down individually or in the pick and roll and scrambling around, so our individual and pick and roll defense is what really leads to our inability to guard the 3-point line. That being said, we didn't make enough (baskets) at the other end. It saps your energy a little bit defensively when you miss."

(on the play of the team) "I didn't think Yao (Ming) was particularly as good as he has been tonight. But, there's obviously a huge burden on his shoulders right now. But, we're capable of making (shots) and we didn't tonight. Obviously our perimeter shooting has been a non-strength this year, so on those nights that we do make (shots) from the perimeter, we'll be able to compete. If we make as few as we made tonight, it's hard against a quality team like Jersey. I give them (New Jersey) a lot of credit too defensively. They're very good. They're very, very good defensively."

YAO MING

(on the Rockets' ineffective play) "We're not playing good enough to get this win. We gave them (New Jersey) too many open 3s, penetrations and offensive boards."

(on the impact of being without Tracy McGrady and David Wesley) "Those are good players and very good teammates that we're missing and, obviously, that's bad for us, but we have to live with it. We can not ask them back right now because they have serious injuries. What we need to do is to find a way, whatever way it is, to find a way to win."

(on what the Rockets need to do to turn things around) "Play better defense.
Our team is a defensive team and I think that in the last 2 games, we haven't been defending well and we've been giving them (opponents) too many penetrations. We need to focus on our defensive game."

RAFER ALSTON

(on the loss) "Tonight we had some looks that we should have made...lay-ups, mid-range jumpers, 3-pointers. Yao (Ming) once again tonight was hitting, doing his deal for us like he has been since the All-Star break. We've got to give him a little more help and support on the offensive end and the defensive end."

(on how the Rockets can improve) "You've got to get in there and work and shoot. You have to get some shots in practice and more reps on our shooting.
We have to play more intense(ly) on defense and stay with our schemes."

(on whether the defensive play is affected by the team's poor shooting) "It shouldn't, but it does. That's the mystery about basketball. Even though it's not going well for you offensively, you should find a way to be strong on the defensive end. Unfortunately, as players, it bothers you like it did tonight."

(on the Rockets' struggles in the latest back-to-back series) "It's never fun losing. One thing I can say is we're competing. Back-to-back nights, once again, it's the 3rd quarter that kills us. If we played a little stronger and little sound and a more determined 3rd, I think we'd have a better outcome."

RICK BRUNSON

(on the Rockets' struggles in the 2nd game of the back-to-back series) "I just think guys just have to get ready. On a back-to-back, you've got to be ready to shoot the ball and get your legs and your body ready."

(on the Rockets' poor play) "They (New Jersey) had a back-to-back and we played earlier and they played later (yesterday), so there's no excuse for us. We work hard every day on our shooting and we just have to have confidence and keep shooting."

NEW JERSEY NETS HEAD COACH LAWRENCE FRANK

(on the game) "I think after the first 8 minutes of the game we played pretty well. We fought our tails off and got great play from our bench. Some of our guys that usually score, didn't score a lot and they still defended and that was key for us. Cliff (Robinson) really gave us a big lift off the bench. He and Vince (Carter) really took over the game with their pick-and-roll plays. We had a stretch at the end of the game where we didn't play well."

(on his team's play) "You have to do whatever it takes to win the game, and that was the bottom line."

LAMOND MURRAY

(on his play) "I think I definitely helped a lot with my rebounding and on the defensive end. I did the best I could with the opportunity I got. We made some key adjustments at half-time that helped turn the game around for us."

(on the key to the game) "Our guys off the bench did a good job, and Coach
(Frank) mixed up our lineup at different times. I got extended minutes because of the foul trouble of our bigs."

VINCE CARTER

(on his play) "I wanted to be aggressive and be a play-maker, or whatever it took. Our guys were hitting their shots, and it was a fun game."

(on Yao Ming) "We didn't want Yao to dominate down low, but we wanted to make it as tough on him as possible. If Yao was going to get his shots, we didn't want the other guys to go off. I thought, overall, we did a good job."

(on the team's play) "I want to win every game from here on out. Our effort and execution were the keys to our victory. If we play like that, we're tough to beat."

CLIFFORD ROBINSON

(on the team's play) "When we win, we usually keep the ball moving and we get a lot of assists. I was able to get some open shots and it felt good."

(on defending Yao Ming) "I thought we played him (Yao Ming) well. Anybody with that size and ability, you are not going to stop them. I look forward to playing against all those big boys. When you play Yao (Ming), you want to keep your bigs on the move and make him move his feet as much as possible."

 

The Rockets had their three-game home winning streak snapped tonight. Houston also saw its string of consecutive wins over New Jersey end at three straight.

Houston shot just 26-of-76 (.342) from the field tonight, matching its season low for field goal percentage at home this season. The Rockets also went 26-of-76 (.342) from the field in an 82-74 home loss vs. Utah (12/27). Houston was also just 2-of-11 (.182) from beyond the arc tonight.

New Jersey had just three fast-break points tonight. The Rockets have now given up just five total fast-break points over the past two games (2 on 3/12 at San Antonio).

Yao Ming finished with a game-high 36 points and nine rebounds. He now has six 30-point games this season, which ranks as his career high (prev. high: 4 in 2004-05). His other five 30-point outings this season are: 30 vs. Chicago (11/26), 30 at Golden State (12/14), 32 vs. Portland (3/5), 30 at Minnesota (3/7) and 38 vs. Indiana (3/8). Yao also has an active streak of three consecutive 30-point outings at home.

Luther Head made his 12th start of the season tonight, replacing an injured David Wesley, who left the game at San Antonio (3/12) with 1:29 to go in the first half due to a broken rib. This was Wesley’s first game missed this season. He was the only Rockets player to play in all of the first 63 games of the season.

 

Houston Rockets vs. New Jersey Nets
Rockets 77 | Nets 90
Game Recap

Carmine Pirone-Rockets.com

The Houston Rockets led by as many as nine points in the first quarter Monday, but the New Jersey Nets were too much for Houston in the second half and easily defeated the Rockets 90-77 in front of over 16, 047 fans at Toyota Center. The Rockets fall to 29-35 on the season, while the Atlantic Division-leading Nets improve to 34-28 on the year.

Houston used its 18th different starting lineup Monday, a sign of how difficult this season has been. Yet another sign would be the fact that the Nets starting frontcourt of Jason Collins and Nenad Krstic combined for just seven points and 11 personal fouls Monday, yet the Nets cruised to a relatively easy win anyway.

Clifford Robinson came off the bench to score 15 points, many on open jump shots from the perimeter. Robinson stretched the floor and pulled Yao Ming out from the basket allowing the Nets to operate their offense more efficiently.

Yay may have been drawn from his comfort zone Monday, but the Rockets go-to-guy with Tracy McGrady shelved with a bad back still had a huge game. Yao poured in 36 points, pulled nine boards, while shooting an impressive 18-20 from the charity stripe.

Juwan Howard just missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Rafer Alston was the only other player in double-figures with 14 points for a Rockets team that shot 34 percent from the floor on the night.

The difference Monday was New Jersey’s Vince Carter, who showed all in attendance that he is still more than capable of taking over a game. Carter scored a team-high 29 points, including 14 in a third quarter that saw him equal the output of the entire Rockets team over the same time period.

Carter also dished out seven assists and collected six rebounds in 41 minutes of action. Jason Kidd added a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but the last assist came via an unnecessary three-point shot by Richard Jefferson at the buzzer.

Despite the somewhat lopsided outcome, things started out well on Monday.

Houston sprinted out to a 10-4 lead over the first four minutes of play as Yao and Howard got involved early in the offense. The Rockets began the game on fire, while the Nets struggled to find the basket starting the game 2-9 from the field and eventually falling behind 16-7 halfway through the first quarter.

A 7-0 New Jersey Run got the lead dwindled to two, but Houston was able to stretch the lead back to six points thanks to two makes from Howard at the foul line and a basket by Luther Head. The six-point advantage is where it would stay as Houston held a 26-20 lead after one quarter.

Yao dominated the first quarter, scoring 12 points, while going 3-3 from the field and 6-6 from the foul line. Howard hit his first three shots Monday on his way to eight first-quarter points. Houston held New Jersey to just 32 percent from the floor in the first quarter and it appeared that even with 40 percent of the starting lineup in street clothes (McGrady and David Wesley) the Rockets might have enough to win anyway. They didn’t.

New Jersey bolted out on an 11-2 run to start the second quarter and never trailed again after taking the lead at 31-28 with just under nine minutes to play in the first half.

New Jersey outscored Houston 27-15 in the second quarter, while shooting 60 percent from the floor. While the Nets found their shooting touch, the Rockets lost theirs, hitting on just seven of 20 attempts during the second quarter, which led to Houston trialing 47-41 as the two teams headed to the locker rooms.

After New Jersey began the third quarter on a 9-2 run, the game was essentially over as Houston managed only to cut the lead to nine once before the final three minutes of the game. Carter’s 14 points included three bombs from behind the arc as five of New Jersey’s six made shots in the third came from three-point land. Houston managed only 14 points as a team with Yao adding just two points to the scoring column in the third after totaling 19 before halftime.

Yao’s dominance returned in the fourth quarter, he scored 15 points in the final 12 minutes, but it took Houston until the final minute to get within as much as eight points as New Jersey was never threatened in the final period and easily claimed the 90-77 win.

The Rockets return to action Wednesday at Toyota Center against the Dallas Mavericks. Tip-off is 8:00 p.m. and the game can be seen on FSN Houston.

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