ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Wizards @ Rockets 11/22/2002

This would be a great time for the Rockets to put Boki on the injured list and bring T-Mo back.

We need to go big and strong against the Wizards, and hope Francis can do the rest.

Is it at all possible Francis/Hawkins can outscore Hughes/Stackhouse?

Hughes had a bad last game, so I'm sure Collins and MJ gave him a "you better not f**k up again" speech.


I think this game is balanced on Hughes. If he doesn't play well, we win. If he plays well, this game goes to the wire.

Francis played 40 minutes last night, hopefully it doesn't affect him.


Here's what i'm hoping for:

Griffin takes advantage of Kwame Brown, and doesn't let Kwame take advantage of him. Our frontcourt keeps us in it till the 4th. We have a decent lead, and Francis takes a breather towards the end of the 3rd quarter. Francis comes out in the 4th, and elads us to the victory.

I really doubt hughes can do anything to prevent Francis from having a career night. But I do know that fatigue is a factor.

Also, maybe some people saw Yao's 2-game masterpiece and we'll have more support from the fans this time.

 

Breakdown: Houston Rockets
By Brian James, Wizards Assistant Coach
November 22, 2002
Coach James
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Houston is off to one of their best starts in many years with a 6-4 record, and they're 4-1 at home. They played a tough game last night against the undefeated Dallas Mavericks which they lost 103-90, which gives us somewhat of an advantage because we didn’t have to play last night; we just watched them play from the hotel.

They are a very explosive team. Yao Ming, who had his best game as a pro last night with 30 points and 16 rebounds, has done a great job of fitting in. He's 31 for his last 35 field goals and doesn’t take shots that he can't make. The players really seem to like him. He has done a great job with free throw shooting and understanding what they want to get accomplished. It can't be easy with an interpreter, but he has just done a great job of giving them a low post presence.

In the tapes that we have seen, Maurice Taylor has come back and played really well in the last few games for them, and gives them a power player down on the low block. They also have an inside player in Kenny Thomas who has done very well. He was tough on us last year in terms of one-on-one isolations.

With Ming, Taylor and Thomas doing a good job inside doing the dirty work mixed in with one of the top flight combination backcourts in Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, who together are averaging 47.5 points per game which is the second most points by a backcourt in the NBA, you get a very explosive, tough, competitive team.

Francis is so strong physically. He works out in the weight room here in the off-season before he goes to training camp and he is such a likable guy. Our advantage is that we get to evaluate him when he practices and plays in the pick-up games before he heads back to Houston. What we have noticed is that with Francis, you really have to really get him stopped in screen-rolls and isolation situations.

Mobley has played very well against us over the last two or three years, and done a great job for them in scoring. Eddie Griffin has done a great job shooting the ball from the perimeter and he gives the opposing team problems because he is a guy that plays the power forward spot, but yet he's very good at knocking down the three point shot. I think he's 12-29 on the season from behind the arch.

You always have to be concerned about one of the all-pro players that they now bring off the bench Glen Rice in the back-up small forward role. He can always knock down the perimeter shots and he has always done a good job, late in his career, of being able to post up off the left block.

So they have that inside/outside combination and give you some very different looks. They are playing a newcomer by the name of Juaquin Hawkins who is a veteran player, but in his rookie season in the NBA and he has given them some stability playing about 20 minutes a game. They also bring Moochie Norris in as a back-up point guard.

They're deeper then they have been in years, they are so explosive in the backcourt and yet Ming has given them a real excitement inside. Rudy Tomjanovich and his staff have done a real nice job. It will not be an easy game.

 

blatz, thx. The chron this morning had Rice listed as the starter.

btw: will someone please start a "<b>CAT IS INJURED</B>" thread

I swear, lack of respect. It's like, no one knows, because we don't have a thread.

ps: I can't start one because of a bet.

 

last time yao went up against an athletic big man in Jerome James, he laid an egg. hopefully, that was due to inexperience and him still getting acclimated, and hopefully he'll do well against Haywood tonight.

 

I think Yao is gonna have another big day for two reasons...

1) He is Starting!!...hopefully 30+ minutes for him tonight...but I can see Cato coming in and taking some of it away

2) Since Mobley is not playing Yao will get MORE shots...atleast mobley's worth!!

Hopefully his performance tonight is a follow up from last night!!

GO ROCKS!!

 

I mentioned this in another thread but haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere but Charles Oakley scares me. He's the type of guy that will bring it to Yao when he is in the game. We know the guy plays tough. I think Yao will be tested hard tonight.

 

I want to know what Jordan will say about Yao Ming after this game

 

Are you a moron? GLen shot a comfortable 5-10 last night from 3 and didn't even really catch fire? You should have to take an IQ test to post in here. Glen is a much better shooter than Finley.

 

Guys...if anyone finds an internet radio link for the game...please post it here...thanx

 

Rockets 103
Wiz-bangs 93

Steve goes nuts and Yao follows suit.
We're gonna WHACK the WIZARDS!!

 

Rocks are gonna win this one, even w/out cat.....rocks should bounce back tonite.

Rocks 97
Wizards 91

 

I second that.

I just had a very frustrating, long phone call with a very incompetent Real tech support dude - first he couldn't help me and then he "accidentally" hung up on me. Kept saying it must be a firewall issue on my side when I have never had a problem with that.

 

yeah please post a radio link i want to watch the please please

 

Who is going to the game tonight?

I bet this one will be a sold out since Jordan is in the house

 

My wife.


b****.

 

Why hasn't Cato played?
He's been back since Monday, right?

 

i 2nd the internet radio request...if anyone has any links please post them!!!!

 

Here it is:

http://www.sportstalk980.com/main.html

enjoy

 

chunchichen, you are the best, thanks alot dude!

 

Yao looks sharp 4 points already