I love these Rockets. We're obviously banged up. We're obviously short on talent. If you had to pick an "upset" in the first round of Western conference playoffs before it begun, you wouldn't pick the Rockets. Yet, we're making a series out of it, the only one in the West to do so. You see how Denver quits, how Suns and Dallas folds under pressure. These Rockets fight on despite the adversity. This reminds me of the second clutch city, where we win despite being backed into a wall, despite being out manned, and despite the whole world telling us that we should loose. The heart of the second clutch city beats again. The play of these Rockets moved even the wayward brother, the one that belittle the family every chance it gets in the media to yell "Clutch City is back".
PHX_Denver_Dallas should be ashamed of themselves, the Rocket don't have a full roster & showing more heart!
Gotta love your enthusiasm, but you may be just a win or two premature before we can be considered clutch once again. I do believe!
Love your optimism but Rockets need to win some playoff series to be named Clutch city again, right now it's more like a choke city.
DON'T JINX IT. We're heavy underdogs in Game 6. Utah will cheat and flop and foul the whole time. The refs won't call anything. We have no chance.
yeah, i love these threads that pop up just after the Rockets basically played to their max capacity... i'm excited, eventhough i have been one of the main ones that thinks the Rockets don't have a chance in Utah, BUT, if the Rockets that played last night play the next 2 games, i forsee a CRAZY celebration not only in Houston but in the ESPN studios... Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Bill Walton will literally poop bricks !!!!!!1 again, i think this thread was a bit premature but you gotta love enthusiastic Rockets fans...
When you are down 0-2 and going to Utah for 2 games...having any chance at the series is a reason to celebrate. Win or lose, I am PROUD of how hard this team has competed. DD
PHX has NOTHING to be ashamed of. PHX was just a victim of a bad break in game 1 (duncan hitting a 3..who wudda thunk that?) and they were in control most of game 2. i guess they just couldnt handle the pressure in game 5. Anyway, tehres nothing to be ashamed of losing to the defending champs. As for Denver, you know you're in trouble when your star gets arrested after clinching and admits quitting on a game. Dallas just sucks. I think we could even do better than they did against NO. NO doesnt play very physical and doesnt have a defense type of player like AK or a football player like Matt. man, i think we really shouldve just tanked and went for NO.. not like it matters though cuz we're gonna kick jazz ass!
THe Suns should have fouled to prevent the 3 to tie the game. The Spurs are professionals and will get a 3 pointer if they need it. Coaching breakdown there. They need 3 points? You make them go to the FT line for 2.
And they did that not once, but TWICE in the game, allowing the 3-point attempt. Yeah, they deserve to lose that series. Doh!!!
We will be able to tell in the 1st qtr if they came to play. If we're up or close at the end of the 1st qtr. I say we walk the ball up and use up as much of the shot clock before hosting up a shot.
This very much has the feel of the original Clutch City moments. We fell behind in the series and were counted out by everyone (media, home fans, etc.), but they clawed back into it and eventually won. That team was more talented, but this team has just as much heart, and if we can muster up another peformance in Utah, everyone will be back on the wagon for do-or-die Game 7 in Houston. My brain tells me that Utah will hit back hard in game 6 and get all the breaks at home, but my heart tells me, "Believe!"
I thought the same thing watching the game last night. I kept telling my wife "Clutch City" and had that damn synthesizer song from the banner years "Believe it again!" running through my head. My wife kept nodding patiently while I retold the stories of our championship runs (because she's heard them all before and was a Rocket fan during them). I watched the TNT post-game show, and Kenny busted out with "Clutch City! Clutch City's back!" during the Rocket highlights. I just about leaped off the couch pumping my fist at that. The Rockets are still underdogs in this series, but I love the way they have stepped up these past three games. I'm pretty optimistic about game 6. I think the team believes in themselves, and they seem to have recaptured some of the mojo from their streak. If they bring that energy, they can and will win game 6. If they force a game 7 in Houston, surely the Basketball Gods would favor the Rockets. Believe It!
IIRC they closed hard on Gino and it was Duncan at the three. Maybe Shaq shouldn't have left Duncan so open when he moved with the roll, but Duncan wouldnt make a pressure shot three like that 9/10. I think Finley got a double screen to hit his three. They should have fouled then but oh wells. Maybe they were scared of getting out rebounded. Was Stoudemire out before the end of regulation? I can't remember. As for Gino and the rest of the Spurs being able to walk through to the hoop, well I guess PHX D just sucks ass.
