[CHRON] Yao's 23 points, late surge lift Rockets by Celtics

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3018734

Jan. 31, 2005, 11:45PM
Yao's 23 points, late surge lift Rockets by Celtics
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

BOSTON - The night began with Bob Sura on the court before the game to determine whether he could hold a basketball, a skill that seemed likely to come up again later.

Soon, Tracy McGrady was grimacing in back pain. Minutes later, Yao Ming, who had been scoring easily, was stuck on the bench in foul trouble.

Forget Plan B. The Rockets were deep into the alphabet when they found a way out.

On Monday, it meant playing McGrady as a pseudo-power forward. It meant turning Jon Barry into the go-to scorer. It meant sending McGrady and Yao at Ricky Davis for the Rockets' first stop in eight fourth-quarter minutes. It meant finding just enough to hold on for a 97-94 win over the Celtics taken in a way they might never duplicate.

"It was certainly a good one to grind out," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "Guys hung in there well. Barry gave us a great jolt when we needed it. He gave us a cushion and we hung on. Thank God the game is only 48 minutes."

McGrady, who reduced his league-leading workload to 40 minutes, might not have lasted much more.

His scoring ended much earlier, when, after making five of 14 shots after three quarters, he did not take another. David Wesley's shooting was not much healthier, as he made just two of 11. Yao was sharp and finished with 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting. But by then, he had picked up his fourth foul and was back on the bench.

Instead, the Rockets turned to Barry for a burst of scoring more sudden and stunning than his 19-point show when McGrady was out last week against the Magic.

Barry began the fourth quarter with a jumper from just inside the arc, then knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers, giving him 11 points in less than three minutes and the Rockets a surge to a 10-point lead.

"We are used to me putting 25, 30 points on the board," McGrady, who had 16, said. "Tonight wasn't that night for me. For him to come off the bench and give us that spark, to go out there and play with confidence to get himself out of that funk he was in."

Barry had missed all five of his shots Sunday in Miami, and since his presumed breakthrough game against Orlando had made just four of 20.

Heading into the fourth quarter on Monday, he had taken just one shot and had scored two points. But with a 15-point fourth quarter, he gave the Rockets a burst they needed.

"It's no secret since I've been (with the Rockets) I've been struggling shooting the ball," said Barry, who had shot 36.2 percent with the Rockets before Monday. "I've liked how I've been passing the ball, but shooting has been a problem. We were kind of down dead in the water to begin the fourth. It was a big stretch to gain a 10-point lead and hold on with the Ricky Davis Show in the fourth."

The Ricky Davis Show had the Celtics' sixth man making seven of eight shots for 17 fourth-quarter points, with consecutive jumpers moving the Celtics into a 92-92 tie with 44 seconds left. Boston had converted 11 straight possessions, making nine consecutive shots since the Rockets had last led by 10, 81-71.

So after Sura gave the Rockets a one-point lead with a free throw, there was no question where the Celtics would turn.

"That was easy," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "You ride the hot hand. If it wasn't Ricky, you probably go to Paul (Pierce). But Ricky's a bonafide scorer in his own right."

After matching up with Paul Pierce through the fourth quarter, McGrady asked to be assigned to Davis. Davis made the same cut for the ball, and the same move toward the top of the key. But this time Yao charged hard toward him and McGrady closed tight enough to touch Davis' fingertips as he got off his 18-footer. When it missed, the Celtics were forced to foul McGrady, who made both free throws for a three-point lead with 17.8 seconds remaining.

"He was rolling," McGrady said. "Although my back was sore, I took on that challenge and made him take a tough jumper."

Pierce rushed his shot for a tie from behind the arc, missing with 12.9 seconds remaining.

Fittingly for a find-a-way win, the Rockets iced it with two Rod Strickland free throws.

"It was just a game we had to have," Barry said. "It's always tough on the second game of a back-to-back. That's a good offensive team. They got hot. And we were able to contain their run. So it's just a big win all around."

And if they get tired of winning the usual ways, they found a way to break the monotony.

Rockets Summary
Strickland shaping up

With Bob Sura's availability uncertain until 45 minutes before tip, when he completed a pregame test of his ability to play with a splint, guard Rod Strickland was certain to get extra duty.

Sura started, played and did not seem to have trouble with the splint on his left ring finger, which he injured in a collision with Shaquille O'Neal on Sunday. But Strickland played 18 minutes, saying he was much better prepared for extra work than he was when he joined the Rockets Jan. 20.

"I would hope I'm doing better than I was last week," he said. "I do think I am a little better. I can't sit here and say I'm in the greatest of shape, but I'm further along.

"I'm still kind of thinking (when running the offense). I'm not totally comfortable, but I'm getting there. I know most of the offense, but you still have to get in a comfort zone out on the court and I don't know that I'm there yet. You have to get used to your teammates. You have to make sure you get teammates the ball in the right spots."

Praise flows from Rivers

For his first game coaching against Tracy McGrady, Celtics coach Doc Rivers spoke glowingly of their four-plus seasons together in Orlando. He also addressed McGrady's comments about "slacking off" last season and the comparison of McGrady to Celtics star Paul Pierce.

But Rivers added that he had learned not to say the wrong thing.

"I don't want to (anger) him," Rivers said. "When he gets it going, there's not a defense I've seen for him. I've seen that. The game I remember most we played Miami on a (Wednesday) and on a Sunday (in March 2003).

"(Pat) Riley uncharacteristically made a comment, (saying) `They might beat us, but Tracy is not doing what he did.' I was thanking the Lord, (saying) `This is just perfect. This is what we need.' I think he hit 23 in the first quarter, and he was screaming at Riley. It was great. But they were defending the hell out of him."

McGrady had 36 in the first game and 37 in the rematch, both Orlando wins.

"He's just going to keep getting better," Rivers said. "I think we forget how young he is. Like the comment about him not playing hard. Everyone destroyed him about that.

"It's funny. You ask him a question. You want him to be honest. When I read it again, he was saying he learned from a tough situation. He didn't fight through it. The way he handled it was he gave up."

Rivers would not comment when asked if Pierce and McGrady are on the same level. Pierce is averaging 22.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists. McGrady averaged 25.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists.

"They're completely different players, both excellent, but completely different," Rivers said. " ... The numbers are similar, but they do it in different ways. Paul's probably a more physical scorer, Tracy scores better off the dribble. Paul's a better rebounder. Tracy's capable of having big rebounding nights.

"They're both up-and-down defenders. When they want to be, they're really good."

Press row view

The Rockets' lack of quickness has been a nightly issue. But Monday's win in Boston showed again that if the Rockets cannot be swift, they must be accurate. In Miami, Dwyane Wade burned the Rockets for 30 points, and the Rockets shooters could not answer. On Monday, Ricky Davis had a 17-point fourth quarter. But with Jon Barry and Scott Padgett making 11 of 13 shots, the Rockets kept pace and made it clear again that if any two shooters around Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are hot, the lack of quickness does not have to be such a problem.

Inside the numbers

The Rockets had six players score in double figures for the second time this season, both in the past three games. ... Tracy McGrady's 16 points were his fewest since his 15 on Dec. 11 in Dallas. He had topped 20 in eight consecutive games and in 22 of the previous 23 overall. ... The teams' combined 34 first-quarter points were six shy of the Suns' first-quarter total in the Celtics' previous home game.

Did you know?

The five players the Rockets had on the court at the end of the first quarter -- Dikembe Mutombo, Juwan Howard, Jon Barry, David Wesley and Rod Strickland -- had 67 combined seasons of NBA experience.The Celtics' five at the time had 21 seasons of experience.

-- JONATHAN FEIGEN