Predictions for Wolves Game...

The game will be close...my heart tells me that the Rockets will win. But my head tells me, after watching the Wolves trounce Memphis, that the Wolves are really clicking right now, and we will barely lose a heartbreaker.

Please prove me wrong.

 

This is true...most likely. Let me just say this. If Rice and Walt Williams shoot like we know they can, we will win, because our offense will then be unstoppable. But if we get more of the same crappy shooting percentage tomorrow, our defense won't be enough to keep us in it like it was against LAC and Atlanta.

 

If we cannot play any decent defense on Kevin Garnett, we will lose big. I WOULD love to see Eddie Griffin get some time guarding Garnett. That would be entertaining!

 

I hope RT looks at the tape from the first two games, and comes up with some new match ups to help Franics & Mobley on the offensive end!!! Mainly incase Rice & Walt are shooting bricks! I also wouldn't mind seeing Cato & Willis playing some 4 & 5 (together), to help contain KG.

 

Its no secret the Rockets have had problems with this team. Brandon is under rated and normally does a number on us and of course Garnett is Garnett. When I watched the game tonight, I saw him playing the 3 , which is bad for our 3. I would like to see Rudy get Rice coming off double or staggered picks, same with Mobley. The only way to come out of the slump is not to keep launching long jumpers, but to get some closer shots at the goal. I hope something is done because since we've beaten them in the playoffs, we've only beaten them once since.

 

We MUST defend the pick and roll well on Brandon.

Garnett will get his.

Stevie MUST play OVER the pick and prevent Brandon from canning 15 ft jumpers all night long.

Also, I'd really like to see us use the double team much more than we normally do.

It will be interesting to see how KT defends KG. KT is supposedly quick, but KG is as quick as they come.

 

I do hope Rice finds his shooting game. I'm just afraid of Garnett's help defense. If Rice doesn't keep him honest, I really worry about how our offense will fare. Don't forget Minn. has a frontline of 7-0, 6-10, 7-0. I hope Steve and whoever else looking to penetrate plays with sense and doesn't try to force things amidst those trees.

I too would like to see Eddie and/or TMo come in at SF some to help guard Garnett. If the Rockets can just limit Garnett to jump shots much of the game, that would be good. I think Eddie will see some minutes at least.

I too am worried about Brandon. Maybe not as much this year, but it seems last year we had lots of problems with Steve or Cuttino's man having huge scoring games. I don't know who's responsible, but there's got to be a way of keeping guards from going off on us.

 

The Rockets have been schooled at power forward the first two games. Every time someone breathed in Elton Brand's direction, he was on the foul line. KT is good, I like him, don't get me wrong, but I wish we had a Brian Grant-like player on this team.

And we're still over-iso'ing. KT's quick, yes, and made some good moves the first two games; and Cat and Steve can still get their shot whenever they want. But there's too much standing around, too little flow. The Rox should improve with more time together, but if the offense doesn't flow better tonight, or if the defense slips at all, then the Wolves will win.

I'm actually an optimist, trying to be a realist. If we repeat the performances of the last two games, we lose. So let's hope other players can get involved (re: Rice? Cato?). It would be great to beat the Timberwolves so we can improve on that "W-L against Top Teams in the West" stat that ESPN and CNNSI threw at us so much last year (and deservedly so, I guess).

 

The good news is that good teams find away to win even when things are not clicking. That is what the Rockets did. Good teams know how to turn it up a notch when the game is on the line. That is what the Rockets did the first two games.

This group of Rockets are historically good outside shooters so I don't think it is reasonable to think that the team slump will last forever. Also Cat had some monster games against the TPups last year.

Our team is versital and knows how to score even when the outside shot is not falling. Our bench has been exellent the 1st two games and I think it will continue. The Pups have an improved bench with Trent and Woods comming off of their bench but ours is better and more experienced.

The pups team rebounding is not very good, they are being out rebounded by five boards a game so the the Rockets need to continue to play good intitial defense and grab boards as a team.

The schedule intensifies fairly quick when the Rockets take their first extended road trip out west so this game is huge in order to get a win, protect their home court while showing the NBA that they can play against the West as well as the East.

I think the Rockets will continue to play great D by shutting down Brandon and Wallyworld. KG will get his points just like Reef and Brand did but will find it much harder during crunch time. Rice will finally wake up and Cat and Steve will continue their terrific play. This is a play off team so the intensity will be closer to that of the Spurs game a couple of weeks ago instead of like Atlanta on opening night.

The Rox win 97 - 93.

 

I actually want to see griffin out there playin kg. Call me nuts but I think it would be good for EG to learn some moves and game from KG...That and I would love to see EG have a big game against KG... but that's just dreamin

 

Rockets 88 Minny 85

D Backs 3 Yanks 0

 

There are going to be two mismatches, first it's KG vs. KT.....then there is Cuttino vs. Szscerbiak who will go to shooting guard with the addtiion of Joe Smith. We need Cuttino to have a Huge game for us by using his quickness on Wally!! That's my prediction that Cuttino will score 30+!

 

Don't be surprised to see Willis get 30+ minutes tonight.

If Woods is in the game, Rudy should bring in Willis. I like Woods a lot, but Willis will be able to muscle all over Woods for point blank shots.

I think Francis will come up big defensively. Brandon usually torches us. Moochie MUST be effective, as I expect Rudy to cut Francis/Mobley's minutes back a little bit (keep them under 40).

Garnett worries me. KT has done a good job keeping SAR and Brand out of their comfort zones down low, but KG is just as comfortable facing up from 15 feet, as he is posting up a smaller defender. Could mean Eddie sees more meaningful minutes. It won't bother me if he scores 30 on a lot of shots, but if he shoots over 50%, and has a bundle of assists en route to 30, we'll be in trouble. Rudy will possibly experiment with Cato on KG.

We MUST hit the outside shot, particularly Rice and Williams. Steve hasn't shot well from the arc either.

 

Cat must step up. He had about the worst game he's played as Rocket in the LAC game.

I know Stevie will bring it, let's pray that Rice or Mobley do too. If all 3 can click, we score 110+ points.

 

Have I been missing his Rockets career where's he's averaged 50-30-10?

He had a bad SHOOTING game, and that was it. He still scored 18 on a bad night, rebounded like a mad man, and had 5 assists, 3 steals, and NO turnovers and played 51 minutes! Not to mention how he punked Odom. I'll take 18-10-5-3 and no turnovers 99% of the time. For a guard in charge of the ball as much as Mobley, no turnovers in 51 minutes is insane.

 

I have consulted the Gods and here is the final score:


Rockets 107
Timberwolves 93


Go Rockets!!!