-----Easy victory, Kings' loss secures series with Mavs By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3141855 The Rockets had fought off the temptation to look ahead to the playoffs. But then they scored 70 points in the first half. They had made 64 percent of their shots. They were playing the going-nowhere-again Clippers. Now they were in trouble. The Roc- kets spent most of Monday night like school kids waiting for the bell to ring. But picking up speed toward the postseason, they discovered they could score their way through anything, pouring it on early and late to take a 115-90 win over the Clippers before 16,582 at Toyota Center. With the Kings' loss to the Jazz, the Rockets secured the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs and guaranteed themselves a first-round matchup with the Mavericks, winners of seven consecutive games and nine of the past 10. But the Rockets also seem to be hitting the playoffs with a full head of steam, having won the last two games in their six-game winning streak by a combined 53 points. That is not to say, however, that they did not occasionally make it difficult to win so easily. "If you want to have playoff success, it's not hard to fight (human nature), but it was hard for us tonight," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "Really, right now, attention spans can wander. "But if you have the desire to achieve, it wouldn't be hard to have their attention. We looked disinterested to start the third quarter. That starting group, for whatever reason, is giving us a lot of sub-par play, either to start games or start third quarters, and that's of grave concern. "I can identify it. I cannot identify with it." That said, the Rockets would probably like to have the problem of keeping their focus with a 20-point lead in the playoffs. Even improved, the Clippers are not the Mavericks. But the Rockets scored easily enough to feel that at least their offense is playoff-ready. Yao scores 24 Yao Ming made 10 of his 14 shots to score 24 points in 28 minutes, and Tracy McGrady set an early play-making tone, getting eight of his 10 assists in the first quarter. Led by Scott Padgett's 15 points, the bench had its second consecutive strong game, following its most points this season (Saturday's 56 points) with their second-best night: 43 on Monday. "We went through our little slump, and it was good that we went through it when we went through it," said guard Mike James, who had 11 points. "Everybody was getting down on themselves. But lately, the ball has been going in the hole, and we've been playing real unselfish basketball. That's key for us. We just have to continue this rhythm going into the playoffs. "Emotions, feelings, are like the weather. It will be cold one day, and the next day it's hot and rainy. We're not going to let it come down to whether we make or miss. We'll focus on playing the right way, on both ends of the floor, and things will probably go our way." One end of the floor was enough for the Rockets to lead by as much as 23 in the first half. The Rockets scored more points in the first quarter and in the first half than they have in any game this season, leading 70-49 at halftime. But they started the second half as if looking at their watches, getting turnovers on three of their first four possessions and missing their first five shots as the Clippers closed within 13. "It's difficult to play from 20 points ahead throughout an NBA game," Rockets guard Bob Sura said. "It's hard to sustain your intensity, but we held them off pretty good. "We had the ball moving. Guys were making the extra pass, finding the open man. You get better shots and shots start to go in. The offense is coming around. We're playing like we were in our (eight-game) win streak before the All-Star break." Even with their lulls, the Rockets made 52.6 percent of their shots and half their 26 3-pointers. Hot shooting Or, as Elton Brand put it after he scored 36 points, "Those boys were hot." Imperfect as it might have been, the Rockets have consecutive wins of 25 points or more for the first time since 1999-2000. They have their second-longest winning streak of the season and have scored 115 points in back-to-back games. "If they shoot the ball like that," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said, "they're going to go a long way." For now, they could enjoy the irony. After a night spent fighting a temptation to look ahead, they found reason to believe they had something worth looking forward to. jonathan.feigen@chron.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rockets Summary Barry's got (golf) game Jon Barry might have the distinction of being the best golfer in the NBA, an honor he said, "is not saying much." He is not, however, the best golfer in the family. That would go to his brother-in-law, PGA Tour member Billy Andrade, who, while in town for the Shell Houston Open this week, took in the Rockets' game Monday. Barry's wife, Betsy, is Andrade's wife's sister. "He got second place (Sunday)," Barry said. "I should get a loan." Barry, a scratch golfer, has had his chance to take on Andrade on the golf course. "Usually, he wants to take no part of my golf," Barry said. "I get around pretty good. I'm going to caddie for him this summer for the first time. I'm really looking forward to it. "We had a couple good matches. Usually, he gives me a couple (strokes) a side. I almost took him down the last time we played. I'm in the neighborhood sometimes." Barry said that if the Rockets start the playoffs Sunday and they do not practice Thursday, he could go to Redstone Golf Club for the first round. And Andrade, Barry said, is not without basketball skills. "He's got some game," Barry said. "He was all-state in Rhode Island — (although) it's a small state. He's a good little player." McGrady in elite company Rockets forward Tracy McGrady was named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday, becoming the first Rocket to be player of the week four times in a season. McGrady and Allen Iverson are the only players to have four weekly honors this season. The Rockets were 3-0 last week, beating Seattle, Memphis and Denver. McGrady averaged 31 points on 48.4 percent shooting, seven rebounds, 6.7 assists and two blocks per game. When he had 13 points in the first half Monday, he became the fourth Rockets player to score 2,000 points in a season, joining, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, and Hakeem Olajuwon. He finished the night with 16 points. Baker given thumbs up Rockets forward/center Vin Baker on Monday was given the go-ahead by doctors to resume workouts after going on the injured list last week with heart palpitations. The Rockets could activate Baker from the injured list Thursday, in time to be included on the postseason roster. Press row view As perilous as it might seem for the Rockets to have won their way into a first-round matchup against the Mavericks, it's obvious that they are better off with the confidence they showed on Monday. They could have struggled enough to set up a matchup with the SuperSonics, a less dangerous opponent. But the way they have played on the homestand, the Rockets seem better equipped to win in the playoffs, even against a better opponent, than they did three games ago. By the numbers • 12 — Wins in 14 games in which the Rockets have topped 110 points, scoring 115 in each of the past two game. • 70 — First-half points for the Rockets, a season high. • 40 — First-quarter points for the Rockets, also the best in 2004-05. • 28 — Clippers rebounds, the fewest against the Rockets in a game this season. Did you know? With the Rockets' win on Monday, this is the first season in which all three Texas teams have won at least 50 games. The Rockets have 50 wins for the sixth time in franchise history, but first time since 1996-97, the last season in which they won a playoff series. -- JONATHAN FEIGEN
Rockets must now beware of Big D — mainly No. 41 By JOHN P. LOPEZ Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3142057 In so many ways, this was the perfect kind of Rockets sendoff to Big D; the perfect way for playoff dreams to start dancing in so many heads. But in one way, it was so very scary. Given that Big D does not stand for Dallas or defense, but Dirk, as in Nowitzki, beyond the waltz that was this 115-90 victory was a foreboding, disconcerting beat. Clippers power forward Elton Brand scored 36 points on 15-of-19 shooting Monday night, torching everything and everyone the Rockets tried against him. His effort was mostly lost amid the beauty of everything else the Rockets did so well on this night and have done well the past two weeks. But Brand's night was only the latest in a string of power forwards getting big numbers and easy shots against the biggest question mark in the Rockets' game. For all they do right, the one thing they consistently do wrong, especially since Juwan Howard landed on the injured list, is defend power forwards. It is only the deepest, most talented position in the Western Conference. "Night in, night out, you don't get any breaks," Brand said. "That's the way it is. You have to aspire to be great to survive." Yet the Rockets come with power forwards Clarence Weatherspoon, Scott Padgett and Ryan Bowen. Depending whom is on the floor, some kind of shortcoming will be exposed, whether it is defending post-ups, keeping up with fleeter power forwards, scoring or having the size and bulk to muscle up. And those shortcomings only will be amplified now that the first-round opponent is Dallas instead of Seattle. Big threat in the West Here comes Nowitzki, he of the 53-point effort against the Rockets earlier this season when the four-position actually was better fortified than it is now. Had the playoff draw instead been the Sonics, the power-forward opponent would have been one of the easier covers in the conference, Reggie Evans. That matchup, along with the Rockets' success against Seattle this season, sort of makes you wonder why the Rockets didn't — wink, wink — unfortunately allow some of these late-season games slip away. Then, they could have slipped to a much better draw in the six-hole. Too late now. It's Dallas and an I-45 series. It's Nowitzki and the Rockets' hope that they can keep him from having the kind of overwhelming nights he has had even against better power forwards. If Brand can score 36 on 15-of-19 shooting, what might Nowitzki have? You have to wonder. And worry. No question, Monday night's game had the sizzling Rockets doing so many things right. And one thing very, very wrong. The Rockets scooted past the young Clippers so impressively. They built a double-digit lead in the first-quarter, sizzling to a 40-point first quarter. And then they got hot. They lit up the board for 70 first-half points, knocking down shots like it was all just a game of H-O-R-S-E. Close to greatness The Rockets saw Tracy McGrady playing that flowing game that just keeps getting better. Since becoming a Rocket and finding comfort in Jeff Van Gundy's offense, McGrady has begun to show traits that only the likes of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson once showed. That is, he becomes a kind of basketball chameleon. He has the ability to play big, small, selfishly or unselfishly, depending on the club's needs. To begin this two-step toward the first-round match with the Mavericks, it was as if McGrady told himself, "OK, today I'm going to have assists." And so it was done. He had eight of his 10 assists in the first quarter, always knowing where to put the ball and when to put it there. Later, he decided to score. And so that was done. He tossed in a few highlights for the paying public before sneaking to the bench, smiling and winking at someone in the crowd, as if he hardly broke a sweat and it will all be so easy. Maybe it will be. So long as the Rockets have McGrady, you can feel good about playoff hopes. So long as everything else falls into place, there will be that chance to win a series for the first time since 1997. So long as they shoot free throws like this (22-of-24), 3-pointers like this (13-of-26), get bench production like this and have Yao Ming efficient like this, you can feel like they're unbeatable. But then there's the biggest question of all. Will anyone be able to stop Big D? All in all, the Rockets may well end up wishing they were in Seattle. john.lopez@chron.com
Nowitzki brings matchup problems Slowing Mavs' star, stepping up defense may be Rockets' keys By MEGAN MANFULL Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3142060 As the Rockets finished dressing after their victory over the Clippers on Monday night, the big screen television in the locker room was set to the Utah-Sacramento game. A handful of players hung around, waiting to find out their playoff fate. When Utah secured the victory, it was official: There would be a first-round Texas showdown with the Rockets earning the fifth seed. The Rockets will travel to Dallas for Game 1 on Saturday or Sunday. The first two games of the series will be played in Dallas; Games 3 and 4 will be at Toyota Center. "With Dallas, it's going to be tough competition for us," Tracy McGrady said after the Rockets' 115-90 victory over the Clippers on Monday. "That team is pretty deep, and what gives us problems is Dirk (Nowitzki). Dirk is a huge problem for us on the offensive end." It's not as if the Rockets haven't had an answer, though. McGrady and Nowitzki had a classic shootout earlier this season. On Dec. 2, McGrady scored 48 points and Nowitzki 53 to lead Dallas over the Rockets in overtime, 113-106. The T-Mac effect In the Rockets' second trip to Dallas, McGrady's hot hand spread throughthe entire team as the Rockets shot 61 percent from the field to defeat the Mavericks 124-114. The teams split this season's four games. With that in mind, the Rockets figure defense may be what decides the upcoming best-of-seven series. "The game that stands out was when we both shot the ball extremely well," guard David Wesley said. "(It was a) high-scoring game. Both teams really put the ball in the basket. I think our defense is going to have to make more of an impact in order to beat them, because they are such a good offensive team." It will be the Rockets' defense against Nowitzki that will be foremost in their minds. He is averaging 26.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. With Juwan Howard sidelined for the playoffs with a virus in his heart, the Rockets will have to rely on Clarence Weatherspoon, Scott Padgett and Ryan Bowen to carry the defensive burden. "I haven't seen a very good matchup for him," Wesley said about Nowitzki. "What can you say about him? Inside, outside. He can pass the ball. I'm sure we'll worry about that when the time comes." The Rockets have one regular-season game remaining on Wednesday night against third-seeded Seattle. The Mavericks, who have won 11 of their last 12, have a back-to-back remaining — against Seattle tonight and at Memphis on Wednesday. Utah's win over Sacramento guaranteed the Mavericks and Rockets would not have to leave the state. If the Kings had won, Dallas was looking at a trip to Sacramento; the Rockets might have had to travel to Seattle. Familiar surroundings Now, it's an Interstate 45 series in which the Rockets might even travel home to practice between Games 1 and 2. "It's nice to have the option to come home," Wesley said. "I think this Texas matchup will kind of feel like both teams are at home. It won't necessarily feel like you have to travel and all those kinds of things." With waiting out of the way, planning can begin as the Rockets look to win a playoff series for the first time in eight years. "I think one of the things we're going to have to do is get the ball inside to the big fella (Yao Ming)," Padgett said. "And then I think Tracy had some points against them in that one game. So we've had some success. We've won at their place and here. So if we get going, we feel we can play with anybody." megan.manfull@chron.com
