ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Celtics 3/7/2007

The Rockets are getting into "must win" territory. Two consecutive losses to the worst team in the NBA would not be a good sign. They must break out of the "funk" and get going.

 

every time i open the Clutch home page nowadays the "Welcome Back Kotter" theme always pops into my head!!

 

Blow out win! 113-86 Rox!

Yao 26pts 9boards 3blks
Tmac 28pts 6boards 7asts

 

Rockets win, Yao will play great, T-mac, not so sure..

 

We must win this one and start our win streak, time for Rockets to spurt.

 

Unlikely that Boston will get to us twice, I actually expect Yao to get a solid game in, 20PTs 10Rebs, hoepfully we give tracy the night off, would not want him to injure himself in an easy win game such as this.

 

Nba Headlines: Rockets win it, Yao MVP form again

ROX 112 BOS 82
Yao 22 pts 11 rebs 2 blks
TMac 27 pts 5 rebs 10 asts

 

I think Yao wil be not so sure after injury, but Tracy wil destroy Boston

 

I would like to see the rockets take the loss to the C's really personally and come for revenge.
They should blow the gums right outta these suckerss! I want to see the whole boston team cry LOL

 

The Rockets win this game by 40. 115-75.

 

I have a really good feeling about this, and for some reason I think Yao would go onto a Yaozilla rampage.

Rox 103:74

Yao 28/18/4blks
Tmac 32/7/7

 

This is a must win.

 

The Rockets better win this one. GO ROCKETS!!!

 

Well, we have to get off the shnid right?

Rox: 85

Celts: 81

 

We'll win this one but I hope we won't win too much

 

keys to win:battier, head ,alston

 

http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2007/03/07/sports/sports07.txt

Jefferson is playing well. Rox mention at bottom of article.

CELTICS NOTEBOOK: Jefferson’s improvement on display every game for all to see


Al Jefferson - Eastern Conference Player of the Week
By MIKE FINE
The Patriot Ledger

WALTHAM - Al Jefferson was enjoying a day off Monday morning when the call came.

‘‘I was sitting at home daydreaming,’’ he said, ‘‘and Doc (Celtics coach Rivers) called me. When Doc calls you it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, what’s going on?’ I missed the call, so that was another strike against me. So I called him back, and I’m like ‘Oh, man, what’s going on?’ and he’s like congratulating me and I’m, like, ‘What?’ He said, ‘You got player of the week.’ I was surprised. I didn’t know what to do. I was like, ‘Wow!’’’

Jefferson was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for having averaged a league-best 14.5 rebounds, with 23.5 points, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in leading the Celtics to three straight victories. Heading into tonight’s TD Banknorth Garden contest with Houston, they’ve won four straight.

Considering that he’d become only the seventh Celtic to win the award since its inception 27 years ago, and the first other than Paul Pierce or Antoine Walker since Reggie Lewis in 1992, it was a noteworthy accomplishment, but it was also something of a wake-up call. ‘‘It’s motivating,’’ Jefferson said. ‘‘It just makes me want to work harder. You just never know when Doc calls. You never know.’’

‘‘That was great. That was absolutely fantastic,’’ Rivers said. ‘‘I called him in the morning to tell him he got it and the first thing he said was ‘Thank you for the minutes.’ I said, ‘I didn’t give you those. You earned those. I’m giving no one minutes. You earned those minutes, and you deserve everything you get and this is not a sign that you’ve made it. This is a sign that you’re making it.’ I was very happy for him. He deserves it. He put in the work and time so he deserves everything he gets.’’

It was big for the third-year forward for several reasons, including health, persistence and the fact that he’s bounced back from all kinds of adjustment problems. It wasn’t long ago, in a Dec. 20 game with Golden State, that Jefferson was pulled twice in the first half for playing poor defense, and he came back to grab seven rebounds with six points in the fourth quarter. He has blossomed since, having recorded an NBA 10th-best 30 double-doubles.

‘‘He’s better in a lot of areas,’’ Rivers said. ‘‘The consistent minutes help him, and not being injured (three trips to the injured list with ankle injuries, one ankle surgery) helps him, as well. Defensively he’s getting better. He’s got a long way to go. He would even acknowledge that, but he’s improved dramatically from where he started. He’s improved this year from where he started even this year.

‘‘Early in the year we would never have been allowed to leave Al on the floor with their best big. We’ve been able to do that in the last couple of games and gotten away with it, so that’s a good sign.’’

It’s also a good sign that a player who was doubted for his pre-season prediction that he would average a double-double has done just that. He’s averaging 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds. ‘‘It (the prediction) was a hundred percent for me because I knew the hard work I put in was going to pay off. I knew that. I wasn’t worried about it. The other thing that was going through my mind was just being healthy, not getting hurt, and I knew if I didn’t get hurt I was going to reach that goal.’’

This much he does know: after three seasons, hard work is paying off. It’s also something of an affirmation that Danny Ainge’s youth movement has paid at least one dividend, with Gerald Green waiting in the wings.

Green has been spending a lot of time marveling at Jefferson’s improvement, planning to be in the same shoes some day.

‘‘Man, Al’s right now very dominant,’’ said the second-year forward. ‘‘He’s right up there with (Orlando’s) Dwight Howard and all those other guys. I mean, man, he’s doing really good. A player like that coming out of high school, it makes me want to motivate myself to work hard over the summertime and continue to keep working and make the strides that he’s making.’’

‘‘Yeah, but you couldn’t offer me a million dollars to go back to my rookie year, not even my first two years,’’ Jefferson said, ‘‘but I think I’ve still got a lot to learn. Every night there’s something new.

‘‘I’m at a good, comfortable stage with the way I’ve been playing. I’ve just got to get more comfortable and understand defense and understand just playing basketball.’’

Jefferson was happy to have received the honor, but he knew there was no check in the mail, not even a gym bag, like Pierce said he once received. ‘‘I think just your name shows at the bottom of the screen on NBA TV,’’ Jefferson said. ‘‘That’s good enough for me.’’

Asked if he ever thought what it would be like to play against a Greg Oden, if he were still in college, Jefferson said, ‘‘I played against Oden in high school. I can wait ’til he gets to the NBA. He was the same. He was 14 years old when I played against him, but he’s the same as he is now, just a lot skinnier. We played a couple of games and I thought he was going to be real good. I was a rising senior.’’ Asked if the Ohio State freshman looked old as a 14-year-old, Jefferson said, ‘‘He looked young. Now he looks real old.’’ ... Just the Celtics’ luck: Houston’s Yao Ming returned Monday at Cleveland and should play tonight. ‘‘It’s a different team than the last time we played without Yao and Tracy (McGrady),’’ said Rivers, whose team won on Feb. 26, starting the four-game streak. ‘‘Yao hasn’t had a lot of time back and he was rusty, but he’s still Yao and he’s going to get better each night. We know that so we’re expecting their best because they’re trying to move up in the playoff race and they’re playing for something, so it’ll be a good game for us.’’... Sunday’s game time against Chicago has been changed from 3:30 to 6 p.m. ...

 

Yao with a solid effort...Tmac rips Pierce a new one then sits the 4th quarter.
Yao 24 12
Tmac 25 5 5

 

It is time for a good ole fashion blow out, I want to see us clamp down on them on defense hold them to under 80 points and hit 45% from the field. Limit second chance points and minimize fast break opportunities (Rafer, no bricking, Head no turn overs). Be aggressive, drive to the basket find T-mac or Yao. If we cannot execute tonight then, we will face some serious problems. Tonight is where we start our run, tonight is where we tell S.A., Phenoix, and Dallas that we are a force to be reckoned with and taking us lightly is not a good idea.

 

Will this game be shown on any online stream?