ClutchFans Game Thread: Clippers @ Rockets 12/19/2003

Yao Ming is hands-down the best center in the american league....

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=231219010

GAME DAY RECAP Friday, December 19

RECAP | BOX SCORE | PHOTOS | GAMECAST

HOUSTON (AP) -- Mike Dunleavy rates Yao Ming among the best post players in the world, not just the NBA.

"He's definitely one of the best. He's in the top five in the world, no matter what league," the Los Angeles Clippers coach said after Yao recorded his 12th double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets to a 99-85 victory Friday night.

"He's 7-6 and he does it all. He rebounds, shoots the jumper and follows his shots. He was very aggressive tonight," the Clippers' Elton Brand said.

The Rockets never trailed after the first basket as they snapped the Clippers' four-game winning streak.

"When we play like that and move the ball around, we can use our advantages and play as a team," Yao said. "We just moved the ball to the open man and we got some easy baskets."

Houston shot 49.4 percent from the field, with Yao connecting on nine of 13.

Cuttino Mobley added 22 points for Houston, followed by Steve Francis with 16, Jim Jackson with 12 and Maurice Taylor with 13 off of the bench.

Quentin Richardson led the Clippers with 20 points, while Corey Maggette had 16 and Elton Brand added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Houston scored eight straight to take a 17-6 lead. A 3-point shot by Francis gave them a 22-10 advantage with 3:12 left in the first quarter before the Clippers cut their deficit to 28-22 going into the second period.

Maggette scored the first 12 points of the second period for the Clippers as they pulled to 38-34 with 6:33 remaining in the half.

The Rockets led by as many as 14 twice in the third period before outscoring the Clippers 14-6 in the final 3:07 of the quarter to move ahead 82-67. Los Angeles never got closer than 14 in the final period.

 

My frustrations....melting away...warm fuzzies all around....sugar plums a-dancin'..... Oh no, I'm beginning to realize...I need... Rocks, gimme another fix of this brand of basketball....

Did anybody notice Seattle scored only 30 points by halftime in their game with the Spurs. Maybe it was the Spurs defense, and not the Rockets offense....maybe....we can eclipse the Suns like we outshined the Clips...I have a dream.....

 

No doubt about it, the Rockets are not a bad team. They certainly are beating the teams they’re supposed to beat. They still have to win at least one game against the best of the west before I consider them a good team though.

 

Because Chris Kaman is a defensive force.

 

They played a GREAT TEAM game. Great game from everyone.

 

The Clippers have many good players. Maggette, Brand are franchise players. Richardson, Wilcox, Simmons, Jaric can play. They beat many good teams recently but we blew them away with sound BB.

Our defense looked like what we played earlier in the season. We were active. We rotated, we challenged every shot. When the ball went the post to Brand, we collapsed, sometimes tripple team and took the ball away from him. They had no easy shot. It was a credit to them that they scored that many points.

Our offense was great. The passing was excellent. That gave us many good looks and we knocked them down.
. Steve was great. He drove and passed with a purpose (unlike the bail-out passes he had before). He passed numerous times on PnR to Yao, MoT. He lead the fast break perfectly. He played like a superstar PG.

.Cat shot the ball well. His finish at the basket is back. He passed the ball too. One time, he had an open 10 ft shot, and he passed to Yao for a dunk.

.Yao was great. He hit many shots, mainly because he got good feed from his team mates. He was active on the board.

. Cato, JJ, MoT, Pike, and even Mooch were good.
Too many things everyone did well to mention.

 

Where did all the haters go ? Yall go missing in a win game? =\

Well, we still got idiots like Rockets2k wutever going around doing his flaming. Where is the love? Dont direct your frustration in love toward us plz ty

 

frustration in life....in life sry my bad

 

Can we play the Clippers every night???

 

Yeah, not only that. Spurs didnt allow opponents to score more than 80 points in the past 5 of 7game strech. There was no space whatsoever between our guy and their defender. So, I didnt feel too bad we lost to spurs. So far we beat the teams we were supposed to beat, pretty much. We werent able to do that last year. That's a good thing. I think Rox is still in search of winning recepie, and last game was a good one. Ball movement was there, passing was there, and PnR is there, even had some nice fast break. Now let's be prepared to get the big boys.

 

how can u be sure? we dont know how Yao is gonna feel when he's a free agent. if maybe Yao does become a dominant center he is gonna want his own team where he calls the shots, plus teams are gonna pay him whatever he wants. we will just have to wait and see.

 

Yao is a team player, he doesn't want to call the shots, he wants to win as a team, money is not a motivator for him, loyalty is. I can't imagine any reason why he would leave Houston.

 

That was a great win. I'm really proud of everybody right now. Keep it up. 15-10 is not too shabby. Could be better, but I'll take it. Hate that the Rockets have to play on the road during Christmas. Jvg seems like a good guy though, im sure he'll share some goose and wine with the fellas. who knows maybe he can have a heart to heart with yao during the christmas cheer and get Yao to look to score more. nah, next christmas maybe.

 

From LA Times



It's Texas Fold-'Em for Clippers and Streak



By Jerry Crowe, Times Staff Writer


HOUSTON ¡ª In the NBA generally and for the Clippers in particular, it seems, the road is where winning streaks go to die.

Already this season the Clippers have had a four-game winning streak ended at Cleveland, a two-game run halted at Utah and, on a Friday night deep in the heart of Texas, a four-game winning streak ended in the new Toyota Center.

The Houston Rockets, in the throes of the worst three-game offensive slump in their history only a few days ago, made nearly 50% of their shots, outscored the Clippers in each of the first three quarters and were barely challenged in a dominating 99-85 victory.

Opening a three-game Texas swing that continues tonight at Dallas and ends Tuesday night at San Antonio, the Clippers were riding high after Wednesday's victory over the Milwaukee Bucks wrapped up a 4-0 run at Staples Center, their first sweep of a homestand longer than three games since 1985.

But they trailed from the time Rocket guard Cuttino Mobley scored the first two of his 22 points 76 seconds into the game, draining a jumper that made the score 4-2.

The Clippers missed 14 of their first 17 shots and nearly 64% overall, their deficit growing to 18 points in the fourth quarter.

"It's very tough," the Clippers' Serbian point guard, Marko Jaric, said in broken English, "but if we want to become serious team and be in race for the playoffs, we need to start winning road games even against tough teams."

Or any team. They haven't won on the road since Nov. 14, when they defeated the Golden State Warriors at Oakland, losing six in a row.

"It's a reality check," forward Elton Brand said of the latest loss.

Before winning Wednesday night at Cleveland, the Rockets had lost three in row while scoring only 215 points, the lowest three-game output in franchise history. In the midst of the losing streak, they held a players-only meeting to air their gripes, after which Chinese center Yao Ming was asked what had been said.

"I don't know," he said in perfect English. "I don't speak English."

Whatever they were, the Rockets' problems seemed to be solved in time for a visit from the Clippers.

Or, as one fan shouted repeatedly, "Same ol' Clippers."

Yao, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds last month in a 105-90 victory over the Clippers at Staples Center, had 21 and 10 this time, making nine of 13 shots.

"If you don't do your work against him, you let him get deep catches in the paint, he's going to score," Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy said of Yao, who scored the last of his points early in the third quarter. "You let him get position and deliver the ball, he's going to hurt you."

Jim Jackson had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets, Steve Francis 16 points and six assists. Mobley made nine of 15 shots and former Clippers Maurice Taylor and Eric Piatkowski combined for 20 points.

"We didn't do anything we needed to do to beat this team," Dunleavy said. "They executed well early, made some shots that were contested. That was the good news. The bad news was, we gave them too many uncontested opportunities [the rest of the way], whether they be dunks or shots.

"And they're too good an offensive team [to allow that]. They've been getting beat up in the papers about not being able to score, but they've got tons of guys that can shoot the ball, and they showed their ability tonight."

For the Clippers, Quentin Richardson scored 20 points, making four of seven three-point shots. Corey Maggette scored 16. Reserve Bobby Simmons had nine points, eight rebounds and six steals, Brand 11 points and 11 rebounds.

But with the 7-foot-5 Yao blocking five shots and altering others, Brand and center Chris Kaman made only six of 20 shots, Brand missing eight of 12.


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