http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3394237 Rockets manage win McGrady, Barry lead way in 84-80 victory over Magic By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle The veterans understand that in the preseason things change from game to game. What happens on a Tuesday night in Philadelphia has little influence on what may take place the following night at Toyota Center. Such fluctuations are a part of the job description. Thus, neither Jon Barry nor Ryan Bowen batted an eyelash when they spent the Rockets' preseason opener against the 76ers on the bench. And David Wesley didn't think twice when, after starting and logging 22 minutes against the 76ers, he remained glued to the pine during the Rockets' 84-80 victory over the Orlando Magic Wednesday night at Toyota Center. With eight players on the roster who did not play with the Rockets last season, the veterans with clearly defined roles have a firm grasp of what's expected of them. "Some people might not like it, but I'm good," Wesley said of getting the night off. "This is preseason No. 13. I've seen plenty." That's not to say that Barry and Bowen didn't appreciate the run they got against the Magic. And it must have been comforting to the 9,644 fans disinterested enough in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series to attend a preseason affair to watch the duo make their usual contributions alongside the offseason additions. Barry provides spark Barry supplied the spark off the bench that has become his calling card. Upon entering the game with 4:24 left in the first quarter, Barry and the Rockets trailed 16-12. Twelve minutes later, Barry headed to the bench with the Rockets ahead 36-33. In that span he scored seven points, grabbed three rebounds, dished one assist and added a steal along with a needed injection of energy. "I just do what I do," said Barry, who finished with 12 points and four rebounds. "That's been my role for 13 years. I try to come in and change the tempo of the game. "You watch the game and see what's going on, what we're not doing well. And you try to do those things and help us out. It felt good to get out there." Barry initially replaced Tracy McGrady, who had just two points off free throws. But when McGrady returned and made a jumper less than two minutes later, the Rockets began to snap out of their early funk, one that saw them commit five turnovers and miss eight of their first 10 field goals by the midpoint of the first quarter. Barry dropped in two free throws to draw the Rockets within 19-17 with just under 90 seconds left in the first, and that deficit was erased 20 seconds later when he delivered a perfect over-the-shoulder pass to rookie Luther Head, who dashed in for a tying layup. Barry opened the second quarter with two more free throws, then swished a 3-pointer that pulled the Rockets within 25-24 following a swing pass from Bowen. By then McGrady, who had five points in the first, began to heat up. He threw in an off-balance trey for a 29-27 lead with 6:28 left in the half before making two free throws to up the lead to three as Barry departed. Bowen finds a way Bowen wasn't quite as sharp in his first action. He had his pocket picked by Magic rookie Travis Diener to open the second, committed a foul a minute later, and had a short jumper blocked by Ken Johnson as the shot clock expired, resulting in the Rockets' eighth turnover. But Bowen found a means to make an impact by setting a pick here and scrapping for a loose ball there. "I'm just trying to get better each day," Bowen said. "We're trying out different lineups and things like that, so I'm staying ready. With so many people, obviously some nights you're going to play and some nights you're not."
What a lazy recap. Not one mention of Skip? Swift? And don't we have some 7-6 dude on our team? I know the Astros are playing, but please. They shouldn't have interns writing their news stories. Seriously, if I'm the editor of the Chronicle Sports section, I shell out some freelance cash to have someone like Clutch write engaging, no-BS recaps.
Worst sports article I've ever read. Never seen anything so lousy. Most of the talk about Barry, some about Bowen, a little bit about Tmac and Wesley and Anderson & Skip will be ecstatic just to have their names printed. Either this guy has no clue who the best players on the team are (which I doubt) or he's a rookie so he couldn't get interviews with the stars, so he got stuck with Barry, Bowen and Wesley
That Diener guy looked pretty good and fast for a small skinny white dude. His passes are quick and sharp, and he seems to have good vision for the floor. I'd like to see him in a rockets uniform.
