ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Rockets @ Warriors 3/21/2003

things i don't wanna to see in the rockets game tonight:

1) francis and mobley prancing around like girls on their prom when they take the ball upcourt.
2) francis pounding the ball in the same spot for 5 seconds.
3) francis trying to do a crossover and it doesn't work and he throws his body into 3 defenders hoping someone would bail him out.
4) francis and mobley playing with their mouthpiece like it was a nipple at the Gold Club.
5) yao with a headband.

 

Man I am worried about this game. Suns got blown out at SF a week or so ago. This worrior team is tough to beat right now especially at their home. They just play all their heart into game right now and if Troy Murphy gets like 20+ rebounds the Rox is doomed. Rox has to come out play well early, extablish a comfort lead at the half. Talent wise, Rox should be the better team of two.


Rox 95
Warrios 91

 

a must win. hope they play some team bball and go through yao for offensive plays.

 

I gotta believe we'll be ready for this one...

Rox 85

GS 81

Let's hope we don't come out flat and play catch up in the 4th...

 

people keep saying the rox are a talented team. talented at what? alley-hoop plays?

 

I wateched a couple Warriors games recently at Oakland Arena, inluding the blow-out one with Suns, I'd say that Warriors is now playing awsome basketball, with passion, heart and complete TEAM WORK. They reply on each other with great team chemistry. I worried that Rockets still downplay Warriors team, including Yao Ming. Their centers are not as incompetent as many think. Watch out for a tough game for Rockets and Yao. I will be at the arena tonight to cheer for Roxs and Yao, but I will also cheer for the good basketball.

 

Rockets win! I don't care by how much as long as they win.

 

We're playing horribly. I wish we'd turn it around. But, if I'm gonna predict, I hafta put this one in the L column.

Warriors -- 102
Rockets -- 89

Rebounds -- 39, 21 Warriors
Turnovers -- Warriors 11, Rockets 19

 

Remember who's coaching.

I accurately predicted that the Rockets would go 1-4 on this road trip. They have 2 losses already. A third loss will be to the Kings. The fourth loss will be to either the Warriors or Clippers. If the Rockets win tonight, then they will lose to the Clippers. If the Rockets lose tonight, then they win against the Clippers. Thye won't win both. After all, remeber who's coaching.

 

You haven't accurately predicted it yet Merlin.

 

You're right. They could go 0-5.

 

I'll say Houston wins tonight and finishes 2-3 on the trip.

 

I'd give anything to win 2 of the next 5, I don't care where the wins come.

I'm hoping MJ puts it all on the table for his end-of-career playoff push too.

 

I'll take that and be glad, at this point. We need to win tonight.
Come on, guys... win one for Rudy! Hell, just win one.

 

The Rockets will win! the Rockets will win! the Rockets will win!

Houston 97
GoldenSt 94

 

Home court of Warrios is Coliseum. Cleveland spells slightly different than Oakland.

 

Something i would like to see in this game is Ming and Rice in at the same time early in the game. If Ming is gonna get doubled it would be nice to see pass to an open Rice for 3 than Posey.

 

Maybe they just want it more?


Crucial game for Warriors
By Matt Steinmetz
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

OAKLAND - The Golden State Warriors, a perennial NBA doormat, will play their most important game in nearly nine years when they face the Houston Rockets tonight at the Arena.

Not since May 4, 1994, when the Warriors hosted the Phoenix Suns in Game 3 of a first-round playoff series, have they played a game with this much significance.

Playoff implications? Check. Sellout crowd? Check.

"I lost maybe two or three games in high school," said Warriors backup center Adonal Foyle. "In college (Colgate), we made the NCAA Tournament. Now, to be on a team that is playing for a playoff spot is special. To be a part of this is exciting."

The Rockets (35-32) are in an eighth-place tie with the Phoenix Suns in the battle for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference. A win tonight would pull the Warriors (33-35) within 11/2 games of Houston, and, depending on the result of the Phoenix-Washington game, could bring them within 11/2 games of the Suns.

A loss, for all intents and purposes, might be the final blow to the Warriors' postseason hopes. Should the Warriors lose tonight, they will fall 31/2 games behind Houston and would lose out on the tiebreaker criteria -- head-to-head competition -- should they finish in a tie with the Rockets for eighth place.

Do the math. If the Warriors lose tonight, they would need to go 10-3 in their last 13 games to finish 43-39. Even with that kind of strong close, if the Rockets go 7-7, thereby finishing at 43-39, Houston would earn the final berth because it beat the Warriors three out of four games this season.

And that scenario doesn't even take into consideration the Suns, and how they finish.

Even Warriors coach Eric Musselman, who has made a point not to talk about the playoffs, is aware of the implications of tonight's game.

"This is a great learning experience for everybody," said Musselman, after his team's light workout Thursday. "With 14 games left, to be 21/2 games out is quite an accomplishment. But while we're here, we may as well go for it and see how it goes."

Tonight's game was going to be a sellout regardless of the playoff implications, in large part because Houston's rookie center Yao Ming is such a draw. But with the playoffs now a factor, you can make a very strong case that there hasn't been a bigger game for the Warriors since the Suns eliminated them from the 1994 playoffs with a 140-133 win.

"We've had some big games this year," Antawn Jamison said. "But this is the biggest game of the year so far. If we get this win, we'll trim (their deficit) down even more. If not, we dig ourselves a hole. The guys are feeling how close we are. If we get over this obstacle, we're even closer. This team knows our situation."

The Warriors have finished in last place or next-to-last place in the Pacific Division in each of the past eight years. Adding more intrigue is the fact the Warriors play the Washington Wizards, a sub-.500 Eastern Conference team, at home Sunday and then at Cleveland on Tuesday. The Warriors have won six of their past seven at home; the Cavs (12-55) have the worst record in the league.

"(The win over Seattle on Wednesday) was a big game, too," Musselman said. "We talked about that before the game and during the game. That was a huge basketball game. We had to beat them, I felt. These next two games (Houston and Washington), not that we're looking ahead, if we can win, would get us back to .500, which would be huge."

NOTE: The Warriors are recommending fans arrive early for tonight's and Sunday's games, both sellouts. New security measures, which include possible pat-downs and entering through metal detectors, are likely to delay getting into the Arena. The Warriors will open the Arena a half-hour earlier than usual for both games. Doors open at 5:30 tonight and 4 p.m. Sunday. ... The Warriors announced that there will be a limited number of upper level seats available at the arena for tonight's game and Sunday's game against Washington.

 

going to the game today. rooting for the rockets to win. Will try to get some pictures and post it here.

 

The game tonight against the Warriors will be a tough one. Forget about the past 13 or 14 times the Rockets won there, tonight they've better bring their "A" game. Larry Smith, god for bid, you should be like your nickname and be a little meaner. Especially when Francis tries to showboat across the lane and dribble into three defenders. You should tell him if that there's a decent open shot, just take it. Much easier. Also, if you want to give Yao Ming an extended rest, make sure you do it midway during the third quarter instead of right at the beginning of the fourth quarter. This is why we get way behind since there's no solid post defender out there for the Rockets so teams aren't intimidated at all when the guards drive into the lane. When Glen Rice is hot, he's a real valuable asset to our team and we need the veteran leadership big time at this point for the final playoff push. So he should get at least as much playin' time if not greater than Posey.

Most important thing is that these Warriors are no joke and they're still pretty much in the playoff Hunt. We need to defend Antoine Jamison real well. I think the Rockets pull this out 98-94.