http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2354420 Taunts come back to haunt Boston By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle RESOURCES BOSTON -- The sores were still open, fresh and painful. It was not just all that the Boston Celtics had said Sunday to celebrate a win on the Rockets' court. The Celtics had said they had shut down Yao Ming. They said the Rockets could not conquer their defense. They laughed happily about harassing Yao to the bench. But they had gone beyond all that. The Celtics tormented the Rockets in the most malevolent, most malicious of ways: They spoke the truth. The Rockets did not just avenge Sunday's loss or salve the sting of a bit of trash talk. With a 95-80 victory Wednesday night, the Rockets beat the Celtics by doing precisely what the Celtics had happily insisted they could not. They moved the ball crisply to beat the double teams. They shut down Paul Pierce. And Yao dominated. "I just wanted to win because they were talking a lot of garbage in Houston," Cuttino Mobley, who led the Rockets' defense on Pierce and scored 24 points to go with six assists. "They were saying a lot of things. You can't talk to a team like you've got that number. A lot of things. A lot of towel waving. A lot of talking. That's basketball. But the same things that make you laugh will make you cry." After scoring six points against the Celtics in a game in which he was so ineffective that he sat out the fourth quarter, Yao had 21 points (19 in the first half), 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. Pierce, playing with a sore left hand that he will have X-rays taken on today, had four points, scoring 10 fewer than his previous low this season to snap a streak of 111 games scoring in double figures. "There was pain in my left hand where I couldn't even touch or catch the ball," Pierce said. "It was really difficult for me. I just wasn't a factor. Hopefully, it's just bruised and nothing inside of it is anything major." But as irrelevant as Pierce -- who had 27 against the Rockets on Sunday -- had become, the Rockets did not beat the Celtics by sucking the life out of both offenses and winning close, a formula that has worked before. The Rockets led from the tip and by as many as 19 points by using Yao on quick cuts to the basket and moving the ball too sharply for the Celtics to keep pace. The Rockets not only made half their shots, but, in a fitting touch of serendipity, they duplicated the Celtics' 11 of 22 3-point shooting from Sunday in Houston. "We moved the ball," Mobley said. "We got some shots, got some penetration, make them move. It's a lot easier when you do it like that." This was the idea against the Celtics' fronting defenses on Yao four days earlier. Yao was different, making jumpers out to 23 feet, crashing the boards to tip in his offensive rebound and getting more rebounds than he has since his 20-rebound game Dec. 6. But his teammates also delivered passes to Yao after the Celtics took away the first entry pass. "He did a great job," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "He was more active and assertive. But also, particularly in that first half, we passed the ball better. It just looked better today." But the Rockets kept coming back to the perceived invectives they refused to let go, perhaps knowing that if nothing else, they could be useful. "Our coaches taught us, no matter what ... you're winning by or what you're losing by, you never try to degrade a team, and that's what we thought they did," Rockets guard Steve Francis said. "So we didn't talk much trash. We proved it on the court. We were definitely upset about the way things were Sunday. We circled this game." Now they can keep it circled for another reason. Yao can use it as a reminder to move with as much energy as he did in the second quarter, when he scored six consecutive points on cuts to the basket before swooping in for his tip. Scott Padgett, who started with Kelvin Cato out with a sprained left foot, can recall the virtues of high-energy rebounding. Earning minutes with his play on the boards that led to 12 rebounds, he took the Rockets' lead to 16 with seven consecutive points in the third quarter. And when things began to slip a bit in the fourth quarter, they offered a reminder of the virtues of passing, with Francis setting up Mobley for consecutive treys that sealed the victory. "They felt they had our number," said Maurice Taylor, whose four assists were a season high. "They kept the ball from Yao. They were fronting the post. They had guys on the sideline jumping up and down, saying we couldn't get the ball in, like they had us locked up. "We knew that wasn't the case. We knew we just had to play better. Look at our assists totals (50 in the two games since). We're moving the ball better. Better ball movement, better player movement, setting better screens, getting the ball to guys on target so they just have to make they're shots. When we move the ball, we can score on anybody. "We wanted to win. And we wanted to make a statement. We felt there was a lot of cheerleading going on. We knew we were a better team than we showed. I guess we showed them a thing or two today." More important, they showed themselves even more.
Isn't this the team famous for taking one step forward and two steps back as Yao put it? Everytime I think they've turned the corner they come right back and kick me in my 'nads.
The T-Wolves game will be a good test. If JVG makes the proper adjustments the same way he did to the Celts, then the Rockets will atleast make it competitive. The way they T-Wolves are playing right now though, they're the frontrunner of any team aiming for a title. Atleast at this point in the season.
what a way to shove it right in the face of the Celtics and their fans although....... your right Faos about stepping back...... afraid that day may or may not come in Minnesota. Minnesota is the equivalent of the Lakers we faced on Christmas Day. I thought then we would get destroyed and hell we might as well against Minnesota too,. Although faith.... faith is what keeps me confident for saturday
well, this has been the second game straight where they were moving well without the ball...and making good passes.. I hate to say for sure they have got it...but in more game sthan not lately..there have been good aspects of the games to look at. I wold even wager that if you looked at the last 7 games or so...you would see a marked improvement in assists and shooting percentage(minus the disgusting Det game) from earlier in the season. it is taking more time than makes most of us happy...but in the end...they will get it.
Atleast the Offense is starting to appear. 4 straight games with 90+ points scored. The passing has been unbelievable. So many times has Yao been found wide open under the basket. Even Boki was in the action.
the celtics were saying they had our number? didn't we sweep them last season? man, minnesota is going to be tough to beat. just b/c we lose doesn't mean we took steps back. it could just mean they're better than us and are playing well right now. sam i am tried to seal up his first all star game (it's about time) appearance by going off on SA tonight.
I hope the fans show up to see Kevin Garnett at least. What worries me most is that KG can take Yao out, Sprewell can take Mobley out, and Sammy can take Francis out. Will MoT and JJ take advantage of Ervin Johnson and Trenton Hassell? The Wolves WILL get 60-70 points from their trio, so we weill definitely have to score 85 points or more to win. Their defense is terriffic, let's hope we can match it. Spree usually eats Mobley up in crunch time I remember.
Rockets have no answer for Garnett, period. I fear JVG will again use his vaunted defense to shut Wolves down. Another ugly loss coming unless one of our pf shoot the lights out in Minnesta to put the pressure off Ming. Sam I am will destroy the Franchise. But still hoping for a win.
Did you guys notice how Yao's baseline fadeaway jumper look just like KG's baseline fadeaway jumper? When used properly, that's the most unstoppable shot Yao has in a half court set.
By "take out", do you mean guard? As much I love Sam, and he's a good player, he'd struggle to guard me. Defence is not his forté.
I agree, but Sam has always done a superb job against Steve. Right now, Cassell is one FIRE, and although Steve looks like he's beginning to flare up, he'll, at best, match Cassell. Best way to play the Wolves is a zone, and I'm afraid JVG isn't a big fan of the zone. The Wolves best 3-pt threat is Hoiberg followed By Cassell. Safe to say, I'd be comfortable with them taking 3's all night.
