ClutchFans Game Thread: Clippers @ Rockets 12/26/2004

Hmm, so JJ, Mo, and Juwon make shots to go along with solid play from Yao and Tmac, and we win. I think we might be on to something here.

 

good game tonight, i really liked the Barry aquisition and please appreciate the games he plays in this week because by next week he'll be on IL with Earlobe Tendinitis and Bowen would be activated..... I pray JVG doesn't kill barry's game/confidence

 

Rockets Keep Clippers at Bay


HOUSTON, Dec. 26 (Ticker) -- Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming got the Los Angeles Clippers back to familiar territory.

McGrady scored 21 points, Yao added 20 and 11 rebounds, and both players blocked three shots to lift the Houston Rockets to a 96-79 triumph over the Los Angeles Clippers, who fell below the .500 mark for the first time this season.

After starting the season a promising 11-7, the Clippers have been beset by injuries to the likes of Kerry Kittles and Shaun Livingston and have lost six of their last seven games.

"It's one of those things," Los Angeles coach Mike Dunleavy said. "You know what you have to do as a team, and you have to go out and do it. It's a silver lining for guys to come off the bench and to step up and help our team. Injuries are part of the game."

"We are missing players, but that just means the other guys have to step up their game," Clippers forward Elton Brand said. "We have to get improved scoring from the other guys on this team."

The Rockets defeated the Clippers for the eighth consecutive time by seizing a lead they never relinquished early in the first quarter when they went on a 12-0 run, led by Yao who scored 11 in the first quarter.

"We dictated the rhythm all night and cut down on our turnovers," said Yao, who posted his third straight double-double. "Our defense was very good, too. We limited their scorers' ability."

The Clippers rallied in the third, cutting the lead to 52-49 with 7:50 remaining on a jumper by Corey Maggette, but Jim Jackson nailed back-to-back 3-pointers en route to a season-high 21 for Houston.

"I think we played at a good energy level," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "I thought Yao got us off to a good start, and I thought guys did a good job finding him. Everyone did their part. Jim made a lot of threes and we defended well."

McGrady said Wednesday's disappointing loss to the Bobcats had little effect on the Rockets' play against Los Angeles.

"I don't think the last game had anything to do with it," McGrady said. "I think everybody kind of cleared their heads just a little bit. I think some teams probably have a tendency of coming out flat that first game after the holidays. Our intensity was high and our focus was there."

Maggette scored 23 points for Los Angeles, but both he and Brand, who mustered just 11, did not play in the fourth quarter.

Maggette, who wasn't bothered by sitting out the fourth quarter, said the Clippers simply ran into a better team.

"This is a tough team, and they should have a better record," he said. "They are searching for their chemistry, and when they get it, they will be a tough team to beat."


http://www.nba.com/games/20041226/LACHOU/recap.html

 

barry did a fantastic job. i liked how he moved w/o the ball when our players were trapped by double team. lets go and get some wins in a row and we will be back.

 

Regardless of how Barry did or will do, we had addition by subtraction in getting rid of Lue.

We are a better team for it ... and I believe we will have more nights like tonight. Lets just get into the playoffs guys!!

 

Lue is just too small on the defensive end except for defending AI.
Even though Barry is not that great defensively, he is at least 6'5" who can bother the shooter a bit.

 

It's just the nature of the game. The Clipper coaches would be idiots not to double or triple team Yao after the way he dominated the 1st quarter. But it opened up the game for the other players to hit the open jumpers. They did a pretty good job this time. We have a win. What's bad about it?

 

The Clips didn't double team Yao that much in the second half. They had guys shading over, but there wasn't many hard doubles. Yao's lack of scoring in the second half, had mostly to do with the fact that he wasn't hitting his shots. 1-7 shooting in the second half isn't going to light anything up.

And it was actually 11/20 pts in the first quarter. And it tells me absolutely nothing. Analyzing Yao's quarter by quarter point total in one particular game isn't really that insightful.

 

Just now getting to see the game on FSSW's replay.

Very happy with Barry. Active, sees the court well, good shooter. Everything that could only help us.

Lots of good ball movement tonight. Everyone seemed a step better.

 

I think the above is worth reading again.

Anyone find it funny that Barry was rotting away on the Hawks bench, goes to Houston, has ONE shoot-around and yet plays 22 minutes and is a MAJOR factor for the Rockets off the bench? Just goes to show 1) Barry was a great addition to the team and 2) the crappy state of our role players that some guy can come in like this and not know any plays or players and make this kind of difference.

Barry isnt the X-factor or the savior. But he is a QUALITY bench role player that looked to mesh well with our team.

 

It's just too bad that they can't play the Clippers for the rest of the season...

 

Maybe Maggette knows what he is talking about. Rox are only 1 game below .500 not great but not bad. I think we Rox fans can get a little over analytical and start screaming "fire JVG", "trade Juwan or MoT" after every bad loss. I was a nay sayer on the T-Mac trade but I will concede the jury is still out on whether we gave up too much to get him.

 

Now that we have Barry can we ask for a re-do with Charlotte?

 

TUNDRA!!!

 

If it was San Antonio or someone saying these words i would have a bit more hope...remember these are the Clippers we are talking about that are giving us these praises.