ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Rockets @ Raptors 3/5/2003

Okay this is not a Bash against Francis because I love Steve Francis but we need to realize that he is no longer the Franchise, Ming is, YAO FRANCHISE, how does that sound. Yao has been consistent in the second half of the season especially when he gets touches and I'm not basing this on the game tonight but its obvious that even Francis loves this guy as well. And for Cats comments on Ming before the Raptors game, it reminds me of Mad-Max when Drexler came over. Max started to cry because his roll was changed then he faked a leg injury during the important playoffs. Back then the Rockets tough staff just said F..K You and sent him home and won a championship without him. Theres no place for babys on this team. Its so much fun to watch Ming grow.Good win Roxs, we needed it

 

Rudy just switched things around. Yao usually plays the entire 3rd quarter then takes a 6 minute rest.

This time, Rudy rested Yao with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and played Yao the 4th quarter.

Yao still got the same rest but at a different time. Subtle but good strategy.

 

Yeah, they've beaten 2 tough teams in a row... this is not good.

Can we scrap the team idea at least for this year and find a way to have Francis and Yao (with maybe a little offensive help from Cat) just CARRY us on their backs?

 

cuz Yao was in foul trouble, he got his 4th foul and had to sit out

 

Why are the Suns playing well:
1. Marbury is on fire ( I really never liked him)
2. Pennys back and playing pretty good
3. Googs is back and playing well also
With these 3-things in place, the Suns are a different team. It is going to take alot of heart to make the playoffs...

 

Youre right. Rudy would never go against his usual rotation. Funny how things work out.

 

funny picture

 

The guy is amazing. He is setting a fabulous example for this team.

 

I think Houston is 2-0 when Yao play the entire 4th quarter (Indiana is the other games). May be they should rest Ming eaarlier in the third quarter and let him play the majority of minutes in the 4th when the game is usually decided. Also, I read on Espn board that the Rocket can give the Grizzilies any pick that are within 6 picks of their own pick this year. So if for some reason Houston finish in the lottery (for example picking 9 or 10th) then I wonder can they trade down to some other team who are in the playoff for their pick plus something else (like a player or anotber draft picks ). Or if they can trade one of their own player for that pick and give to the Grizzilies and retain their own pick. If we can somehow land in the top 3 again that would be a consolation if we don't get into the playoff. Just a thought if we don't make the playoff.

 

Marbury's gotten a bad rep for his comments and street-style of play, but that's why he's one of my favorite point guards.

I just remember back when he was with the wolves he had an open man under the basket and a defender was in the way. So he put a BUNCH of english on a bounce pass that looked like it was goin out of bounds, but once it hit the floor it bounced left right into his man's hands for a slam. The man can pass...

 

GO ROCKETS!!

I was at the game tonight, here some of my thoughts:

This being my first live Rockets game, and only one of a handful I've been able to watch at all this year, I was definatley pumped up for tonights game (so much so, that I left my evening class early so I could make it for shoot-around). My future brother-in-law managed to secure us a pair of $125 seats 50-feet away from the court (free, of course) behind the backboard, so we were in the thick of things.

When the Rockets came on to the court a big cheer echoed throughout the Air Canada Centre for the Big Fella from the Far East, and then another distinct ovation for Yao when the Rockets were introduced. However, as the game progressed, the Craptor, er Raptor fans booed the man everytime he touched the ball! Ahh the audacity ... but more on that later.

As soon as I got there I looked around for potential Toronto fans to annoy and heckle, and I found one in an amiable guy a couple of seats down from me in my row. Just before tip-off, when I yelled, "Lets go Rockets!", the guys like, "Who said that?" Of course, I stand up and acknowledge myself, and when he sees my Yao jersey, he's like, "Thats it, you and your Rockets are going down". Just bring it, I motion. As it turns out, we continued to bicker and taunt one another throughout the night whenever our team made a big play, definately making the experience all the more enjoyable. Of course, judging by the Rockets play in the 1st half, I was mainly on the receiving end of his and some of his comrades' taunts.

As for the Rockets play itself; I can definately see why they've been slumping so horribly of late. Their defensive zone coverage was lackadaisical , and their shot selection was carelessly chaotic at times. Throughout most of the game, the Dino's too easily made their way into the key and dished off to the open man in the wing for the easy lay up or dunk. A.D and the JunkYard Dawg had numerous such easy baskets, with the Rockets big men - EGriff in particular I noticed - getting victimized. It didn't help of course that the Raptors were hot from outside, especially Vince, which enabled them to spread the floor and give Rudy T's zone problems.

I was clearly impressed by Yao tonight, though. He had some easy misses early on and couldn't get in to the flow much due to some strong defense by Davis. But he didn't let up and had the presence of mind to be persistent and aggressive. Despite getting in to foul trouble, he got hot when it counted in the 4th, scoring I believe 13 of his 21 points in the final frame, and was robbed of his only block when his clean swat of Antonio Davis' lay up attempt was called a foul. I admitt it looked like a big foul at first glance, but even the fair-minded (in-the-closet) Raptor fan sitting in front of me agreed that was a horrible call upon the replay. On top of his early shooting woes and foul trouble, Yao was bombarded with boo's from the hostile ACC crowd as the game went on. I expected to hear a extraordinarily warm reception for the Big Fella (as I did before the game got underway) because of Toronto's extremely large Asian community, but everyone time he touched the ball, especially in the 2nd half, boos began to rain down on Yao. Heck even the Chinese couple next to me raised their hands in the affirmative when I asked "Where are all the Yao haters now?" after our 7-5 centre hit two clutch free throws to put us up 4 in the dying moments. They said, and I'm not paraphrasing here, that 'we hate him'. I mean, as I vented to the guy sitting in front of me, the poor guy has only been in this land for a few months, has faced tremendous adversity, survived and thrived in it, and retained an unbelievable sense of humility the whole time?! What more could you ask of him? I guess they're just mad that hes not a Raptor. Can't blame them there.

While the first three quarters were predominated by sloppy play on both sides, the 4th quarter saw action pick up. It was very frustrating to see Houston come back to tie the game, then become complacent again and allow the Raps to build a 6-7 point lead. This became a continuous cycle for the first 40 minutes of the game it seemed, until finally Stevie and the boys mounted a charge to make the game very interesting - and gut wrenching - until the end. Mo T's strong post play, Yao's clutch shots and free throws, and some timely plays by the Franchise and Posey sealed the game in our favour. Got to especially love Taylor's presence in the middle - it gives us an interesting combination with Yao in the high post and Mo in the low post. Can't forget Moochie and the energy he brought off the bench, although it didn't really show in the statsheet. I kept yelling out "Moooooochie" randomly through the evening, even when he was on the bench and it had nothing to the with the play, understandably drawing weird looks from the Raptor fans.

In the end, it was a great finish and as the Rockets became stronger and stronger in the 4th, my Raptor counterpart a couple of seats down became quieter and quieter (although he did shake my hand at the end to acknowledge a good battle ). As we headed for the exits, I had the sensation to start chanting "Lets go Rockets" and gloat a little (hey, the anti-yaoism kind of teed me off), but then my sympathatic side came out and I realized these Raptor fans had been through enough this year. That, and I realized I was outnumbered by about 20,000-to-one. I did however spot a few fellow Rockets fans and exchanged high-fives, but we kept even those congratulatory sessions short and mellow for fear of our safety (just kidding, Toronto fans are about as dangerous as Karl Malone is gentlemanly).

All in all, it was a very entertaining game (for me at least, I realize there was a lot of bad basketball played), and probably the most fun I've had at a basketball in a very long time. Most importantly, of course, the Rocks came out on top. Can't wait to do it again.

Azim da Dream

 

Where have you been? We don't have a 1st round pick this year.

 

read his post again. we can give them any pick within 6 (i guess that's right) of our own, as in the one we get from the lottery/standings. we go through the draft, get our pick, then either send that to memphis or send them another pick w/in six of our own. the pick is ours until we determine how we're going to pay memphis (ours or w/in 6), but we have to send them something this year.

 

There are sure lots of Chinese fans at tonight game.

<img src="http://wwwi.reuters.com/images/2003-03-06T205953Z_01_ACX07D_RTRIDSP_2_SPORT-NBA.jpg">

 

Great post Azim. Its kind of wierd that the crowd booed Yao everytime he got the ball but this is the ultimate sign of respect.

Sort of like when the Knicks crowd boos Jordan. They might outwardly hate Jordan but deep down they would trade their entire city for a piece of Mike.

 

I think Penny's first game back was today, and he did nothing special. But Googs, on the other hand, was damn solid.

 

Post Game Comments

Toronto Raptors vs. Houston Rockets
Wednesday, March 5, 2003 – Air Canada Centre


Wilkens
LENNY WILKENS
(On being a good all-around game) “It was a great game. The guy who hurt us was Maurice Taylor in that one little stretch, but we hung right in there and got back and I thought we had a great opportunity. But both teams played well.” (On keeping Yao away from the foul line until the fourth quarter) “Well a couple of times we came at him and then in the end we had to foul him to stop the clock, so he got to the foul line.” (On Davis playing him hard) “He did. He made him work hard. The big thing with him (Yao) is that they set something up on one side of the floor, and then he wants to flash right in the middle because he’s so big and then they can throw it to him. You can’t be in a help position then … you’ve got to fight him and I think Tone (Davis) did a terrific job most of the game, he tried to keep him out.” (On Carter going around Yao and getting no call) “He was trying to get him, and on defence, anytime you stick your knee out like that, I mean he was trying to be wide, I thought it was a foul of course but you know, they didn’t call it. You know I don’t have a whistle in my hand.”


Carter
VINCE CARTER
“Anytime anybody sticks out their leg, it’s a foul. It was a heck of an effort and a fun game to be a part of, the way it went back and forth. Yao is a great passer. He can play, especially for his age.” (On last shot by Lenard) “We should still be playing. It looked good when it left his hand. It was a heck of a pass by Alvin.”




Davis
ANTONIO DAVIS
(On the battle with Yao) “You definitely have to respect him and give him credit for what he has learned up to this point. I think he is going to be a great basketball player and he is very smart with the things he is doing. He is trying to help his team has best as possible and he is just big. The biggest thing I have ever seen in my life. I wish him all the best.” (Because you only see West team once is it hard to pick up Yao’s strengths in the game). “It’ hurts a little bit because he is different than anybody you will play in the East. He is strong. His legs are strong and you can’t move him.” (Do you like this challenge) “I don’t want this team to be at a disadvantage when we face guys like that. I try to make sure that we do no feel that we will be dominated on the inside. I want us to feel that we have a fair chance. If I have to come out with a little more intensity, then so be it.”




J. Williams
JEROME WILLIAMS
(Last shot) “That ball just rimmed out on Vo (Lenard) It was a great shot. He had a good look at it. (On Carter’s drive near the end of the game. You can’t teach 7-foot-6. It was a tough play and I think Vince probably deserved a call but they didn’t make it so we have to live with it..”






M. Peterson
MORRIS PETERSON
(On the game) “I think that both teams played hard. We fought until the end. I thought when we had that nine-pint lead, we should’ve put them away but we let them stick around.” (On Yao) “It seems like he gets better and better each game. He has been hitting some big shots for them and he hit some tonight. He seems a lot more comfortable then he did when he first got here. He shows a lot of maturity when he’s out there and I never see him change his facial expression.”



Tomjanovich
RUDY TOMJANOVICH, Rockets
“We’re in survival mode, fighting for a playoff spot. We’ve had a lot games like this, we’ve lost some, we just had to have this and now we go home for four games. We hung in there, Posey was fantastic defensively. Our guys never lost faith.” (On Taylor) “Taylor has been big for us he’s given us a big lift. I thought Griffin starting gave us a lift. He was 12 and 12. He gave us a lot of production out of that position. We had six guys in double figures, we moved the ball around and like I said, we’re a team. We have one guy who has been in a playoff situation, everybody else, this is a new deal for them. Every one of these games is a big learning experience and we came out on top this game.” (Yao coming back after slow start) “To not give up faith and keep going at it, we’ve talked about it, a big offensive rebound late in the game … he’s not a one dimensional gimme the ball guy. He’ll get dirty out there.”


Mobley
CUTTINO MOBLEY, Rockets
(On Yao starting slow but playing well down the stretch) “Yeah, he’s only a rookie, he’s only 20 years old so things will get a lot better, they’ll get sharper – all of us. With the guys we have, I’m happy with this. We are just learning each other. Steve and I know each other, it’s just the rest of the guys.” (Yao starting to find his role in the offense?) “Yeah, all of us are trying to find our roles, trying to build a chemistry where we know where our shot is going to come from. Between Taylor, myself, Steve, Yao and the rest of the guys following, we’ll be okay.” (On snapping the losing streak) “We had to. It was pressure situation and we have to build our winning streak up and continue this on our home court.”


Francis
STEVE FRANCIS,
(On Yao) “He did a good job, he’s making the right decision as far once he was getting in he was making good shots.” (On burying his head in Yao’s chest after the free throws) “Emotion. You know I’m an emotional guy. I was really emotional right and he came through for us and I really think it was important for me to show him how much I really care and how much I really felt those two free throws he just sank. (On him getting to the rim more) “I felt a lot better than I did. I was able to get to the bucket and get some easy shots.” (On Lenard’s shot going up and sitting on the rim). “I was kind of mad at Mobley for letting him get the shot off and he got it off. Sometimes that happens and we were fortunate enough he didn’t make it.”


Inside Yao's Locker Room

Yao Ming Press Conference
Toronto Raptors vs. Houston Rockets
Wednesday, March 5, 2003 – Air Canada Centre

The following is taken from a pair of press conferences held before and after the game and spoken through Yao's personal interpreter.


YAO MING



Pregame
As a rookie, what have you learned about your game and how has it progressed?

"The most important thing is how to become adjusted to a new environment and that it’s made up of a lot of different parts."


How does it feel to be the NBA’s biggest superstar?

"It’s tiring. "

Can you give an evaluation of your performance in the NBA to this point?

"I think I’d give myself 80 out of 100."

How does it feel to have such an impact on the Chinese community in this city and Asian communities worldwide?

"I’m honoured to have this kind of an impact and I want to thank everyone for their support."
Vince Carter exchanges greetings with Yao during Wednesday's contest.
Ron Turenne NBAE GettyImages



What would it be like to bring your team back there [to China for two NBA games]?

"I’m very excited to play in my home. I think this is a game that Chinese fans have been waiting for for a long time."

The practice you had in China, has that helped you in the NBA at all?

"Let me make a comparison: It’s like a pen in two different persons’ hands, it’s used differently and it writes something differently but it still has use and it still accomplishes something. "

Charles Barkley said that he never wanted to be a role model, what do you think about this?

"I have the same feeling. "

Since playing the Raptors in October, how pleased are you with the progress you’ve made as a player?

"Of course I’m happy with my progress but I want to look to the future and not think about the past so much."

What is the hardest thing to adjust to?

"The hardest thing to adjust to is being so far away from home for such a long time. The best way to deal with pressure is just to live my normal life, read books, listen to music and if there’s time just to go out and have some fun. "

Who is your favourite player in the NBA and what is your impression of the Raptors and Vince Carter especially?

"My favourite player was on your team, Hakeem Olajuwon. The impression I have of Vince Carter was left with me when he jumped over the French centre in the Olympics."

How have you dealt with the inconsistency of a team like the Rockets?

"Even a good team will be inconsistent at times but I think that this is an all new team, with all new people, we need time to become accustom to each other. We have to use this time the best we can."

Post Game
What do you think about all the Chinese fans that were here to see you?

"I’d like to thank all the fans for supporting me and for everybody for supporting me. I really love the fans."

On the play where you got the offensive rebound and you were tackled?

"I anticipated that I might not put the ball in the basket and I was able to anticipate where the ball was going to come off the rim. "

Do you have a sense of what it means to win like this at this point in the season?

"Sometimes I don’t want to think that much, I just want to think about winning the game and then even less then that, thinking about making the most of every opportunity I had. I also want to add that the last play, I don’t think I performed that well."

To become a great basketball player what is the most important thing you have to do?

"You have to have patience and you have to have experience. I have patience to deal with you all."

Are you finding that in the fourth quarter and when it came to crunch time you are getting more touches?

"I have to thank my teammates for their faith in me because I don’t think I played that well in the first half and they continued to get me the ball in the second half. This kind of trust also builds my own self-confidence."

Toronto has a large Chinese population, what do you think of all the support?

"Sometimes it’s difficult to tell who they are from everybody because this arena’s so big. If you look in the crowd, you see a very small head. Whether my fans are Chinese or not Chinese, they are very important to me."

On the last play with Vince Carter and there was some contact, were you worried that they were going to call a foul?

"I was worried that the ref would call it but that’s not something I can control. I can only do my best."

Did you understand what Steve (Francis) meant when he stuck his head in your chest after you made those clutch free throws?

"I think I understood. Sometimes I can’t express it but I can understand his actions."

 

20 years old huh Cat? I guess you haven't been learning much about your teammates? How old is Eddie? 18?

 

ok, let's not go there

 

http://waymoresports.thestar.com/NA...l_pageid=979619472127&call_pagepath=Home/Home

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030305.wrapt35/BNStory/Sports

http://canada.com/sports/story.html?id=4053A104-0851-460D-AE21-097E050C7A79