Here is a preview of the game from Jazz website: So is Arroyo playing tomorrow or was this written before the injury? It says page last updated on Nov. 24
Arroyo will not be playing...both of their PGs are rookies. Stevenson should be playing, unless something weird happens with his neck/shoulders/head. Clark is out 9-12 weeks...but that isnt imprtant right now. Rockets should take care of business. With every new game, Pike will get more comfortable and judging from last game...the offense is doing better. Utah has very little to combat the Towers with. Ostertag, Borchardt and Colliins are their tall guys. All of them slower than Yao. If we stick to the plan and execute without losing our heads, it will be a win. 95-85
Rox win easily despite boneheaded plays by dumb, dumber, & dumberer. Yao gets 24 pts / 13 reb / 5 blks SF gets 21 pts / 7 rebs / 7 asst / 7 TOs Rox 92 Spazz 78
Arroyo will not play tonight. We should win this game. Link: http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,565034582,00.html Williams gets his chance to play By Tim Buckley Deseret Morning News He sits, and waits, hoping for a few minutes here, a few more there. Mo Williams isn't the first reserve point guard in Jazz history who has had to practice the virtue of patience, and he won't be the last. Eventually, though, all seem to get an opportunity to prove themselves at one point or another. Jacque Vaughn waited three seasons behind Howard Eisley before finally getting his chance to be John Stockton's primary backup in 2000-01. Carlos Arroyo waited behind Mark Jackson as the Jazz's No. 3 point last season, then found himself the starter for this season after Stockton retired and Jackson was not re-signed. Now, beginning with tonight's Delta Center game against the Houston Rockets, it's Williams' turn to show what he can do. Arroyo is out for up to two weeks after respraining his left ankle last Friday night, meaning rookie backup Raul Lopez, who has been getting regular minutes anyway, will start, and rookie Williams, who has been used sparingly so far this season, will back up Lopez. It's not exactly an ideal situation for the Jazz. "They might make some mistakes, as we all know," coach Jerry Sloan said. "But we have to live with that, and we want to give them a chance to get better." Meaning it's also precisely the sort of situation for which someone like Williams bides his time. "You have to dream about (a chance like this), if you're not playing much," Sloan said. Williams didn't address just what fills his mind during non-waking hours, but he does know that Arroyo's nightmare could mean good things for him. "Unfortunately it happened," Williams said, "so I just have to respond. "Yes," he added. "It's an opportunity." The kind that don't always come along often for someone like Williams, who after leaving the University of Alabama after just two seasons slipped into the second round of last June's NBA Draft. The Jazz plucked him there, but he showed up for summer league with no promises and no guaranteed contract. Yet he's stuck, doing so with the sort of attitude that makes someone like Sloan grow to like you. "Mo's really worked hard every day," Sloan said. "There hasn't been a day that he hasn't worked hard ¡X as hard as anybody on the floor. He deserves a chance to play." Williams has appeared in just four of Utah's 13 regular-season games to date, averaging only 7.8 minutes, including 25 and 14 in the other two games Arroyo did not play, back when he initially sprained the ankle early in the season. Even in Williams' limited action, though, the quiet guy from Jackson, Miss., has spoken volumes with his passionate, if not perfected, play. "When he has gotten out there a time or two," Sloan said, "he's done well for himself, and for our team ¡X and that's what we hope he's able to do." Sitting so often hasn't been easy for the confident Williams, yet he's handled the situation professionally. "He's not a malcontent guy, sitting on the bench complaining," Sloan said. "He steps out on the floor, and he works hard. That's what will help him become a better player." "I was taking it pretty well," Williams added. "I was staying strong, and continuing to work on my game, and staying ready for an opportunity like this." Now that he has it, Williams seems to realize it's as good a time as any to make the most of it. Which is why he just goes about his business, seeking advice from no one, keeping his feelings and emotions within arm's length of the only one who can do anything about them. "Can't nobody do it for you," Williams said. "You have to be the one to do it, so you have to take that challenge upon yourself, to stay ready and be prepared for the opportunity, when it comes." Others have been there before, done that. Williams knows they have, too. "Those guys, they had to wait their turn also," he says at the mention of names like Vaughn and Arroyo. "And when they got the opportunity, they took advantage of (it). That's what it's all about ¡X taking advantage of the time that you get."
Lately the Rockets have been doing a lot of careless, dumb things. I think the Rockets passed the ball to jeff van gundy like three or four times last game against the clips. The Rockets are loaded with talent, no doubt, but also loaded with some very unintelligent basketball players. FORTUNATE for them, the rest of the nba plays like idiots as well. Utah was a perfect example of how to take advantage of that. Stockton and Malone were a bunch of 40 yr olds and were still schooling a bunch of 20 year olds simply by out thinking them. With all this being said.... the Rockets will win tonite much like they won against the Clips, and Golden State... They are simply bigger and more talented...especially with two fifth of Utah's starting line up out...
... so we'll have the icing first and then... the cake... kiddings aside, i expect the rox play smart and win.
Rockets win 96 - 91. But please note,that I have been wrong every single time and the exact opposite of what I say always happens.
I really hope this game does not come down to "execution" in the last minute as the Jazz excell at executing their offense whereas we self destruct. Hopefully we will be up enough in the 4th quarter where that will not be a problem.
Do you know how long it's been since I saw the Rockets humiliate Utah in Salt Lake? WAY too long. I've got VIP seating for this one--come on Rocks, don't let me down. Final: 90-67, Rockets.
My guts feelings? We gonna lose this one by 10 at least due to refereeing because of homecourt advantage and its against the Jazz. Especially because we are talking here about NBA-referees and the Jazz on their homecourt.
Rockets lose big. Cat and Mo will take an excessive number of horrible shots and talk a lot of trash afterwards about how lucky the Jazz got. Ostertag shuts Yao down.
dont forget that the Jazz still have AK-47, and Matt Harpring. I still remember how Harpring gave us that loos last year with that lucky 3 point shot. Rockets-94 Jazz-85 Its all good!
This game will be on at 3am over here, i'll be watching, taping, and couting the Yao Ming touches... No prediction for me but I'll be up 'til 5:30 so they better not let me down tonight...
GAME FACTORS: DEFENSE: Utah's defense isn't that great (they rank 20th out of 29 in points-allowed) but their offense is good (9th in the NBA in scoring, while Rockets are 22nd). Utah averages 93.5 points per game, but in the games they've played against tough defenses, they only scored 78 against San Antonio, and 85 against Minnesota. With Arroyo out, I think we can win the defensive battle and contain them to around 81 points. OFFENSE: Sloan's a smart coach who does his homework - the Jazz will be full-court-pressing us and Yao will be getting fronted/double-teamed all night. So, expect Yao's numbers to be low. It's hard to win in Utah. Their fans are friggin' crazy, and the refs let the Jazz get away with murder at home. The numbers for our center(s) and forwards will be similar to their opponents: the difference will need to be the guards. We have an edge in the back court and our guards need to take advantage of that and light 'em up. I think we can win the offensive battle if our guards get their shots to fall. BOTTOME LINE: Defense wins basketball games Rockets: 89 Jazz: 81 -- droxford
"Unfortunately, it becomes a little intimidating to men like Jerry if you can speak in complete sentences" -John Amaechi on Jazz coach Jerry Sloan lol have you guys seen that? does anyone know what went on last year between them two?
