ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Lakers @ Rockets 3/26/2003

Well, Rockets should, could, would win, if they keep either Shaq or Kobe below their average and not let Fisher and Fox start raining from anywhere.

yao and steve will have good games, but surprise will come from Rice, Mobley, Cato.

 

Rox Win by 12!!!!

 

I will again say Rockets win, and again say no score because as long as they win I don't care.
My way of saying that Rockets are too unpredictable

 

think Bulls / Rocks from the early 90's+ we always had a better W% against them in the reg. season/ think Dreams block on MJ in 97 during ramadan. I would still love to have seen a 7 game championship series ...Olajuwon and the Defense in the middle ...VS... MJ and his WILL to win. WOW that would have been the best finals ever! Imagine what A western conference finals series would be like with LA n Htown in the future(although the bulls never had a Dominant center like Shaq) ...who knows maybe just maybe rudy has phils number coachwise(hEh) oh well... enuf comedy... enuf playoff Dreamin'... I say the Rocks will face the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals if not this year(duh) then in the next year or two. Once the light comes on for these guys we will dominate this ENTIRE league. You can see it already in the hype-Shaq-Yao exterior of where it seems to be going... give the H-town team enuf exposure and the NBA will comply. just wait..

-drunk in Seattle... be n H-town soon. The game in Oaktown was a thrill with a packed house and the Big Man shootin the 3 to cap the night. We Will Be There .... Be Patient.

 

hey we cleaned the clipps didn't we (yawn*)

 

With the pressure of doing well to get to play off, I am getting more pissed about those losses versus Clippers, Grizz, Cavs and Heat. We would have been through with any 3 wins out of those five.

 

Though we lead the season series by 2-1, to win over the "Shaq-less Lakers" or "back-from-injury-Shaq Lakers" is an entirely different story from this game.

To be honest, Shaq will definitely outplay Yao. Hope Yao can learn something in this game so that he can be "next big thing".

To win this game, we must depends on Franchise and Cat. Hopefully Rice, Posey and Taylor can give them some help. Less probably, wish Yao can stop Shaq a little bit.

GO ROX!!!
THROW IT DOWN, BIG FELLA!!!

 

we win we win i hope.
the key is defense. we need excellent D from everybody and shut them down early.

 

We have a chance to win.

Lakers is in a back-to-back game, and it's in our home.

But the bad news is that Shaq got a rest for the entire fourth quarter yesterday. He definitely takes it seriously to face Yao Ming.

 

We win

 

Steves going to try to go for 40 pts.. he tends to put the game on his shoulders when the rockets go against big teams

 

Couple key points come to mind in this game:

1) Steve Francis needs to ATTACK the basket tonight and get to the FT line. In the last games with the Lakers he would attack the basket and many times get Shaq into foul trouble. Getting Shaq into foul trouble makes him less agressive. I don't see Yao doing enough moves to get Shaq into foul trouble, only when Shaq has to play "help defense" and Steve attacking the rim exposes him.

2) Conversely, Yao has to stay out of foul trouble and not allow Shaq to have deep post position. Help defense has to be there. For Yao to be effective offensively he has to be ON tonight with the jumper. Those jump hooks and 15ft jump shots have to fall! He is not going to over power shaq or trick him with a lot of post moves. More than likely Yao will not get deep post position to do this. His weapon is his jump shot. But at the same time, do take it at Shaq with that jump hook.

3) Run Shaq. Play an uptempo game that makes shaq run. The more he runs the more tired he gets and less effective he is.

4) The Rockets role players/bench have to come through. Rice/Taylor/Griffin/Posey/Mobley....a couple of those players have to have double digit scoring nights and be productive. If we get another night of hot shooting from Posey or Rice then that will be HUGE. If Mo can come through in the 4th quarter like he has been doing lately that would be HUGE!

5) Make the Lakers PAY for starting Mark Madsen! This guy is a TOTAL stiff. When Mo-T is in the game he should take it at Madsen EVERY time down low in the post. Madsen is only good for hustling...don't let him out hustle you!

6) Hope that Kobe has an average to poor shooting night. If we are having defensive problems stopping him don't be afraid to through Hawkins out there to see if his energy and quickness can do something.

Bottom line....Hustle on every play, play with a sense of urgency!
Play hard for Rudy. The players owe that to him.

 

What's the line in Vegas? Anybody know how the Rockets have faired against the Vegas line this year?

 

Loco Gringo:- When Steve concentrates on his statistics most of the time he forgets about the rest and we struggle, when he is happy and encouraging Posey, Griffin,Mo T, Yao Ming,Rice and Mobley to play to their best then we have a better percentage chance of winning. If he goes off too early then LA will know what type of game we are playing and concentrate on shutting him down but if they have SEVEN SCORERS to deal with then they have their hands full and Steve can get his anytime! Steve doesnt need to prove anything to Bryant, he did that last Game.

 

No, there is such a thing as a tie...but it is very rare

 

Rockets will have a big win!!!!

 

Sometimes when you win, you actually lose
When you lose, you actually win
When you win or lose, you actually tie
When you tie, you actually win or lose...

 

It's real simple. Whoever has that third player who scores more then his average will win. I mean Kobe/Shaq will get theirs and Steve/Yao will get theirs. Its all about Cat/Posey/Mo T/Griffin getting near 20, and someone else near 12-15. Same thing for the Lakers. But I think We'll win it by 10: 101-91.

 

Rox will win.. 91-90.

 

First game of back to backs?

Lakers 107
Rockets 93

Tomorrow...

Spurs 87
Rockets 94