ClutchFans Game Thread: Grizzlies @ Rockets 4/13/2005

Arggh...i didn't mean to post the link!

 

You have just hit it on its head. That is an excellent description of the typical attendee of Rockets games.

But don't be fooled by what you see at the TC, Rockets fans are hardcore fans, but I think probably due to rising tickets prices/parking etc., much of the base doesn't attend games at the TC as often as they used to at the Compaq Center.

As I said, the current TC attendees are, in general, middle-aged professionals who are looking for a past time, rather than to cheer all out for their favorite team. I think the "type" of fans who attend the new arena are themselves different from the ones who used to attend the CC. I know I myself used to enjoy the CC more, and it just felt like it was more intimate.

Also, the TC is too luxorious, I think that it inspires a relaxed atmosphere rather than a rowdy one.

 

Crowd Cares More About big-Mac Than T-mac

It's a fun and exciting game to watch, with suspense throughout. There're moments of how good they can be shown by our players. Unfortunately, we saw a quiet and passive Houston crowd, barely showing any emotions. Wait! I'm wrong. Finally the crowd came to its feet, cheering loudly as T-mac hit two free throws. The crowd got what they wish for: Big-mac!Unfortunately, look at the score board. We're leading 100:92. Time remaining: 0.2 seconds. To a lot of us, it just seems the crowd cares more about junk food than the team.

 

BTW, there was a nice post-game interview on NBATV for T-Mac, it was an extended video-phone interview, it was pretty good.

I don't know if you guys saw it or not.

 

Yep, the care more about the 40 grams of fat they will be ingesting on Thursday. Arent we the "fattest" city in America. Now you see why!!

 

I didn't mean to be overcritical either, but what you're saying is true. Fans adore their superstars in other cities. When Kobe, Shaq, Wade, T-Mac (in Orlando), Lebron, KG come in and out of the game or when they're introduced--they are cheered big time. Whn Yao and T-Mac come in/out of games, you hear a little applause like it's a frigging operah and not an elite professional franchise.

 

I saw it. I actually wrote a post about that interview. He was poised and very complimentary of Yao and JVG

 

Did anyone notice the end when Tracy was fouled by Pau with 0.2 seconds to go? Yao came over to shake hands with Pau on the sideline and Pau just ignored him and left Yao hanging? What an ass

 

Hope it is not a repost.

It comes with some post-game quotes.

Houston wins fourth in a row

HOUSTON (AP) -- With the Houston Rockets leading by two points and about a minute to play, Tracy McGrady had the ball and two defenders blocking his path to the basket.

For the two-time defending NBA scoring leader, that's normally an invitation to pull up for a jumper.

But McGrady found Yao Ming rolling to the basket for a key three-point play to lead Houston to its fourth straight win Wednesday night, 100-92 over Memphis to deny the Grizzlies a chance to clinch a playoff spot.

"When a team double-teams me, my job is to go out and make the right play," said McGrady, who finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. "When they do that, they leave somebody open. I was fortunate enough to hit them, and they knocked down the shots.

"When it's rolling like that, I don't have to score."

Yao had 28 points and nine rebounds, Mike James came off the bench for 15 points, including a huge 3 with 41 seconds to go, and the Rockets held off a furious second-half rally by the Grizzlies.

Mike Miller led Memphis with a career-high 37 points on 15-for-24 shooting but he missed his final two attempts in the Grizzlies' last ditch effort to overcome a 16-point deficit. Pau Gasol added 20 points and eight rebounds for Memphis.

"It doesn't mean nothing because we still need to get one win," Miller said. "The bottom line was we needed to make a run. My teammates did a good job of getting me the ball and I tried to make something happen."

The Grizzlies have lost the first two of a four-game road trip, keeping Minnesota alive in the battle for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Memphis leads Minnesota by three games with four remaining and needs one victory or a loss by the Timberwolves to secure another trip to the postseason. The Grizzlies finish the road swing at Denver and San Antonio.

The Rockets have already clinched their second straight trip to the playoffs after failing to qualify from 2000-03, but find themselves in a tight battle for positioning with three games left.

Houston (48-31), which earned its playoff berth with a victory over Phoenix on Saturday, is in sixth place in the West and moved within one-half game of Sacramento (48-30). The Rockets hold a half-game lead over seventh-place Denver (47-31).

"Houston has done a terrific job," Memphis coach Mike Fratello said. "They have been hit with a lot of obstacles ... and the whole team should be commended for the job they have done all year."

In a showdown of two of the leagues' top four defenses, the Rockets and Grizzlies came up with some impressive offensive spurts to keep the game interesting until the final few minutes.

Miller scored 13 points, including four 3-pointers, in the final 5:40 of the third quarter, helping Memphis trim the Rockets' lead from 16 points to three going into the final period.

"We let Mike carry us and he single-handedly took over the game in the third quarter," Grizzlies forward Shane Battier said. "When a guy is that hot you just try to screen for him and give him some good looks. To see him go off like that was really nice."

Miller, who came in averaging 21.3 points on 58 percent shooting in the previous three games, was nearly unguardable down the stretch against Houston.

He hit a 3 with 4:07 left to cut lead to 83-82, scored another basket to keep the Grizzlies within a point and made a driving dunk with 41 seconds left to keep Memphis within striking distance -- 93-90 -- as the Rockets threatened to pull away.

"Mike Miller obviously had a fantastic game," Fratello said. "I'd call it great rather than just a nice game."

But McGrady, sixth in the NBA at 25.8 points a game, made all the big plays in the final minutes with -- all of things -- his passes.

He dished to Yao on a pick-and-roll for the three-point play, then found James wide open for a 3 to give the Rockets a six-point lead. Miller finally missed on the next possession and Houston's Jon Barry was sent to the free throw line to ice the game.

"That's where Tracy's greatness lies," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "There are a lot of guys who can score and there are a lot of guys who can pass. There are very few who can do both and who are willing to do both."

 

He got pissed b/c his team was denied for clinching the playoff berth and he got hit in the eyes in the game.

 

Dang, more Rocket love!

Brent Mussberger actually said he like the Rocket's chances of going deep during the broadcast of the Sonics/Mavs game.

Same game, Bill Walton put TMac on the All-NBA team with Nash, Duncan, Shaq & Dirk.

 

Other than stamina, there is one thing that is keeping Yao from dominating the NBA, and that is a mean streak. Pau is a moron for trying to piss him off. You see Amare and Shaq joking around with Yao during timeouts. They know the deal.

 

Hey Mogrod
Why don't you start another thread to point out all the good comments during the ESPN coverage (Legler, Walton, Mussberger, Smith). Also T-Mac had an interview on NBATV where he complimented JVG and YAO

 

Well, those are the only two comments I heard. If someone else heard all the other things, feel free to start a thread. Another good vibe thread never hurts, especially after all the crap Mussberger pulled during the Suns game.

 

GHole: Don't touch me you pervert.

 

This sucks, just found out it won't replay tonight.

 

Gasol doesn't just cry like a little girl, he plays like one too. His signature move has now become lowering his dainty shoulder and driving right into the defender, all the while praying for the refs to ignore the fact that he has nowhere to go and bail him out with a call. He has a nice touch from about 8ft in but other than that, his game is WEAK.

Too bad for Memphis fans/trolls that the Grizzlies are still not getting a better record or better anything for that matter than the Rockets in the 2004-2005 season.

 

why do i need to read his post when i was in attendance as well? that place was loud and i sure don't remember hearing any complaints about it then.
i'm gonna take a guess that you have not only never been to arco arena but you also have never been to a rockets playoff game. i'm not trying to defend our fans because i'm in agreement that they pretty much suck during the regular season as shown tonight but the support will be there during the playoffs. in fact thats the whole idea of fairweather/bandwagon fans, which houston seems to have alot of. the playoffs seem to be there time to come out.

 

Who is the butch girl?

 

LOL