1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

[CHRON] Barry comes up big with 24 points off the bench

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Manila, Nov 3, 2005.

  1. Manila

    Manila Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2002
    Messages:
    129
    Likes Received:
    0
    Rockets start season right with win over Kings
    Barry comes up big with 24 points off the bench
    By CHRIS DUNCAN
    Associated Press

    The Houston Rockets found someone to help Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady carry the load on offense.

    Jon Barry scored 24 points, outscoring both of Houston's All-Stars, and led the Rockets to a 98-89 win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.

    McGrady had 23 points after sitting out Houston's last two preseason games with tendinitis in both knees and Yao added 22 points and 10 rebounds.

    The Rockets have been trying to develop more scorers to complement their dynamic duo and acquired Barry in a December 2004 trade. In the opener, Barry delivered, sinking 8 of 10 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers. He also went 6-for-7 from the free-throw line.

    Bonzi Wells had 22 points and a career-high 18 rebounds and Brad Miller added 21 for Sacramento.

    The Kings led early as the Rockets faced a familiar problem from last year — foul trouble for Yao. The 7-foot-6 center picked up his second foul just four minutes into the game and Miller converted a three-point play for an 11-4 Kings' lead.

    Yao went to the bench and McGrady walked gingerly to the sideline five minutes later. McGrady wore a black wrap around his left leg.

    Both of Houston's stars returned for the second quarter and the Rockets were a different team, using a 15-4 run to take a 33-31 lead.

    But Yao got his third foul with 1:20 left in the half and the Kings went to the break with a 49-46 lead.

    Sacramento missed 14 of its first 16 shots to start the second half and the Rockets built a 10-point lead after dunks by McGrady and Yao's backup, Dikembe Mutombo.

    One of the NBA's highest scoring teams last season, the Kings were throwing up air balls and bouncing shots off the top of the backboard during their abysmal third quarter.

    The Rockets wouldn't pull away, though, missing 5 of their last 7 shots in the quarter.

    Yao returned with 10:53 left, McGrady was back a minute later and the Rockets controlled their opener from there.

    Barry sank a 3-pointer after McGrady came in for a 78-67 Houston lead and McGrady's 3-pointer with 6:50 left gave the Rockets their biggest lead to that point, at 83-71.

    The Kings twice cut the lead to six, but Yao answered each time with turnarounds from the baseline.

    Barry had a steal and a layup in the final minutes to push the lead back into double figures.

    The Rockets won their season opener for only the third time in eight years.

    Notes: Houston's 6-2 preseason record matched their best since 1995, when they were coming off their second straight NBA championship. ... Houston forward Dion Glover and guard Bobby Sura sat out Wednesday's game with knee injuries. Lonny Baxter was also inactive, but the Rockets said he wasn't injured. ...Yao reached double figures for the 44th straight game. ...The Kings are 0-2 for the second straight season. They lost their first three games last season, including a 104-101 loss at Houston.
     
  2. The_Yoyo

    The_Yoyo Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2001
    Messages:
    16,683
    Likes Received:
    2,872
    this is from AP not the chron
     
  3. Blatz

    Blatz Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Oct 27, 2002
    Messages:
    6,260
    Likes Received:
    2,280
  4. Manila

    Manila Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2002
    Messages:
    129
    Likes Received:
    0
  5. warbirdzone

    warbirdzone Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2005
    Messages:
    506
    Likes Received:
    5
    The last word was pretty funny from JVG. :D

    http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3435156

    Nov. 3, 2005, 1:38AM

    It's a Barry good start
    Subs 24 points key season-opening win
    By JONATHAN FEIGEN
    Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle


    Jon Barry's first shot seemed impossible to top. Barry took the microphone and celebrated the start of the Rockets' season on Wednesday by mocking Jeff Van Gundy.

    "I hope," Barry told the Toyota Center crowd, "you are as optimistic and excited as our coach."

    And then the Rockets started their season by giving justification for every worry that Coach Happy-Go-Lucky ever expressed.

    It turns out the Rockets were right when they said that they could not just turn it on with the start of the regular season.

    Instead, they turned it on with the start of the second half, then rallied past the Sacramento Kings and overcame their early lethargy to begin the season with a 98-89 win before 16,457 at Toyota Center.

    "We're better than that, what we showed in the first half," Rockets forward Tracy McGrady said. "It was uncalled for. We didn't take care of our business in the first half, so we had to come out in the second half and show what type of team we really wanted to be."

    The Rockets began the game as if handicapped by an inability to yawn and defend at the same time. McGrady was limping. Yao Ming was in foul trouble. Van Gundy was, he said, hit with "stupidity" for failing to play Dikembe Mutombo in the first half.

    When the Rockets adjusted after halftime by trying hard, they took away the can't-miss looks they offered the Kings through the first half. McGrady soared above the aches in his left knee. Yao closed out the game with a near-perfect fourth quarter. And Barry, who started the night comically, proved to be better when he got serious, leading the Rockets with 24 points in 26 minutes to join Yao and McGrady as the Rockets' big three.

    "I feel pretty good," Barry said. "I mean, you've got to see we have a chance to be really, really good. We have a lot of different combinations. We have pretty much every piece that you need. Tonight was not 48 minutes of good basketball, but enough to get it done. Once we get to that level when we're playing a good 48, it's got to be pretty good."

    The Rockets shot horribly to start the game and fell behind by as much as nine. They shot well in the second quarter to finish the half within three.

    But shooting likely never came up in the locker room. The Rockets had enough to discuss with the weak defense they played.


    Intensity improves
    "We made a ton of mistakes in both halves, but our intensity was much greater in the second half, which allows you to cover up for some mistakes," Van Gundy said. "Our effort level was much higher. I was disappointed with our intensity in the first half, in our softness on the boards. There are things we're going to have to correct, a lot of them, more than I expected."

    The Rockets' defense still made enough missteps to often leave Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby open, only to have the Kings' top offensive players shoot a combined 5-of-24. And in the third quarter, the Kings went nearly five minutes before their second field goal.

    All the rediscovered energy had Yao and Mutombo all over the boards, with Yao getting seven rebounds in six minutes before picking up his fourth foul, and Mutombo getting six rebounds. Mutombo even needed only five seconds to get his first blocked shot of the season, sending the Rockets on a fast break that McGrady ended by rocking back on a slam to an eight-point lead.

    When Yao returned, he nailed three consecutive shots down the stretch. The Rockets took their largest lead when Barry stepped in front of Shareef Abdur-Rahim's pass, taking it the other way for a layup that gave him his highest scoring night since being traded to the Rockets last season.


    Near career high
    It was one point shy of his career high with the Detroit Pistons in 2001, though he might have cost himself that with his pregame comic shot.

    "(Van Gundy) said it would cost me five minutes (playing time)," Barry said. "I could have had a career high."

    Instead, the Rockets settled for a clear example of what Van Gundy was talking about, and what they could do about it.

    "What we can be is the team we showed in the second half," McGrady said. "In the third quarter, it was just unbelievable. The intensity was there. Usually we come out in the second half kind of flat. We came out with more intensity, executed. We were more focused and alert. We have to do that at the start of the game. If we could put two halves together the way we did at the start of the third quarter, we'll be a hell of a team."

    That would be no joke.

    jonathan.feigen@chron.com


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Rockets Summary

    Healthy knees
    The latest installment regarding Rockets forward Tracy McGrady's wounded knees took an unexpected turn.

    "The tendinitis is pretty much gone away," McGrady said before Wednesday's opener. "What happened at practice yesterday, Dikembe (Mutombo) set a pick-and-roll on me, and we banged knees. That's the only thing that's really bothering me right now."


    Price beats long odds
    Kings rookie guard Ronnie Price, a 2001 graduate of Clear Brook High School, played two minutes in his NBA debut Tuesday night and did not play Wednesday.

    The fact that Price is even in the NBA is a success story in itself.

    Signed as an undrafted free agent on Aug. 2, Price traveled the AAU circuit with high-profile players who graduated from Houston-area schools in 2001: T.J. Ford, Daniel Ewing, John Lucas III, Emeka Okafor and Lawrence Roberts.

    But few schools had interest in the 5-7 Price, so he spent his freshman year at Nicholls State before transferring to Utah Valley State, where he averaged 24.3 points per game as a senior. After shining in the Las Vegas Summer League, Price earned a spot with the Kings.

    "I'm really blessed for the opportunity to fulfill my dream," said Price, now 6-2. "It's been a dream since I was a little kid, and to actually be in the middle of living it right now is an amazing feeling. Everything happens for a reason. The route that I had to take was probably the best route for me."


    Norris activated
    The Rockets got a fast start on using their option to alter the inactive list before every game. Moochie Norris, placed in the inactive list on Monday, was activated. Forward/center Lonny Baxter went on the inactive list along with injured Bob Sura and Dion Glover.

    With the Kings bringing point guard Jason Hart, one of the league's top on-the-ball defenders, off the bench, the Rockets wanted to have Norris available. But he and Luther Head were not used. Hart had two points in nearly 12 minutes.


    Press row view

    Yao Ming moved differently. It was not just that he seemed quicker, better balanced or more fluid on his shots. Yao played as if he was more determined not to be stopped.

    Yao was limited to 25 minutes by foul trouble, but he didn't get there because he was moving slowly or arriving late. He had tough luck on a couple either-way calls. Those things can happen when a big man is active.

    In the end, the way Yao attacked the game was perhaps more encouraging than the team's second-half turnaround.


    Inside the numbers
    • 20 — The last time the Rockets had three players score at least that many points was also against the Kings. Tracy McGrady (22), David Wesley (21) and Mike James (20) did it March 13 last season.
    • 18 — Bonzi Wells' rebound total was a career high.
    • 20-19 — The Rockets' opening night record, including 12-2 at home.
    • 0-for-9 — Juwan Howard's opening night performance after he shot 45 percent in the preseason.

    Last word

    "I've already paid enough money. Let's not go there. It's too early in the season." — Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, when asked about Yao Ming's foul trouble.
     
  6. Summer Song Giver

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2000
    Messages:
    6,332
    Likes Received:
    197
    JB is one of those guys that you try to keep within the organization if/when he retires. I don't know our Assnt. Coaching situation but IMO Jon would be worthy of a job in our organization somewhere.
     
  7. Davidoff

    Davidoff Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2004
    Messages:
    5,643
    Likes Received:
    9
    I'd rather have him than Ward ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!!
     
  8. DUCK2324

    DUCK2324 Contributing Member

    Joined:
    May 31, 2001
    Messages:
    811
    Likes Received:
    3
    I would rather have Jon as a replacement for Drexler and the Bull
     
  9. m_cable

    m_cable Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2002
    Messages:
    9,455
    Likes Received:
    73
    I agree. JB was born for the mic. I could see him ending his career here (the way he's playing that might be in two or three years), and jumping right into the color spot.
     
  10. The_Yoyo

    The_Yoyo Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2001
    Messages:
    16,683
    Likes Received:
    2,872
    JB is just great i loved how in the 2nd quarter when bonzi made a spin move on the baseline between bowen and jb and jb stripped the ball a foul was called. jb screamed at the ref "you cant even see!" the energy and heart he brings on this team is irreplacable i hope luther can learn from him and bring the same enthusiasm when jb finally retires.

    Also Deke was great last night in his limited minutes except for the one bobbled pass from rafer he was great.
     
  11. Davidoff

    Davidoff Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2004
    Messages:
    5,643
    Likes Received:
    9
    I havent thought about that, but it's a great call.. I think it would be one of the closest things to Murph we could find(but in a different way).. I would love to see JB behind the mic for the Rockets when he's done playing..
     
  12. Will

    Will Clutch Crew
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 1999
    Messages:
    5,055
    Likes Received:
    9,001
    You'll have to fight TNT for him.
     
  13. ima_drummer2k

    ima_drummer2k Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2002
    Messages:
    35,570
    Likes Received:
    7,457
    LOL, the guy just had a career game and you all want him to retire and replace Drexler! :D

    In his pregame speech to the fans, who was the Rocket official he mentioned by name? I saw him laughing and pushing a guy in a suit right after the speech, so I assume that was the guy he mentioned? It must have been an inside joke between the two of them. I also loved that he said something to the effect of "like my coach, I'm very optimistic about this season." That was classic JB!

    Barry is the only guy I feel comfortable with the 'stop and pop' on the fast break. Well, he and T-Mac.
     
  14. declan32001

    declan32001 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2002
    Messages:
    2,455
    Likes Received:
    17
    "I've already paid enough money. Let's not go there. It's too early in the season." — Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, when asked about Yao Ming's foul trouble.

    That 2nd foul on Yao for blocking was a terrible call, he was clearly outside the circle. Ther were two calls I didn't have a problem with but the 4th and 5th fouls were highly questionable. As Feigan said, those things are going to happen when a big man plays aggressively.

    The way Sac defenses us Yao's foul trouble could have cost us the game and probably would have if not for Barry.
     
  15. Bullard4Life

    Bullard4Life Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2001
    Messages:
    1,470
    Likes Received:
    1
     
  16. v3.0

    v3.0 Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jan 23, 2005
    Messages:
    16,203
    Likes Received:
    931
    Steve Clifford, assistant coach. And another vote for JB for the color spot. :)
     
  17. Toast

    Toast Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2001
    Messages:
    3,755
    Likes Received:
    10
    Barry. Player of the game last night. Comes in with terrific energy. Hits big shots. Distributes the ball. Creates havoc on defense.

    Great game, Barry.
     
  18. declan32001

    declan32001 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2002
    Messages:
    2,455
    Likes Received:
    17
     
  19. v3.0

    v3.0 Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jan 23, 2005
    Messages:
    16,203
    Likes Received:
    931
    Jon Freakin Barry on 610 right now:

    joked about he's retiring

    Yao's gotta scar on his new beard, covering it up

    joked about the Steve Clifford intro, JVG joked that it'll cost him 5 min of playing time

    talked about Deke making a difference when he came in

    we have so many options right now with the players right now

    look for me to get 24 a night :D

    look who was gimping around it was #1 not 20 :D

    JVG will loop a tape with their mistakes over and over on the big screen while they dress after practice

    him and wes will critique movies at halftimes, airball rating for bad movies

    have the potential to be really really good

    not worried about the tendinitis on Mac, more on the banged knee from Deke, TMac is a good actor

    going for the scoring title, vote him in the Allstar game, maybe 3point contest

    was going to give a kiss to Les on his contract as a response to his brother kissing Stern
     
    #19 v3.0, Nov 3, 2005
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2005
  20. Easy

    Easy Boban Only Fan
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2002
    Messages:
    35,048
    Likes Received:
    23,934
    Mutombo should never be allowed to participate in the practices. He's too dangerous!
     

Share This Page

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now