ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Mavericks 4/25/2005 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 2)

I am no Ced but I predict a 30+ points game from Yao, go Rockets! Rockets ride Yao in the 4th quarter to roll over Mavs 90-84

 

ATTENTION BANDWAGON, SMUG, YUPPIE MAVS FANS: READ MY SIG!

Lets make our effort the biggest "D" in Allas!

 

No one in the media that I heard gave the Rockets any credit for the victory. It was all about the horrible play of the Mavs. Go out and show them that it wasn't a fluke. 2-0!

 

Dirk is going to adjust and Finley should start hitting shots. The refs will try to extend the series.

 

The Rockets will start this game by going inside a lot, hopefully, it will slow the game down, put the Mavs big men in foul trouble. Yao needs to realize that he doesn't have to score many points for us to win. If he could hold the ball, draw the double team, dish the ball out to an open teamates, the Mavs will be in for a long night.

As I mentioned in my 1st prediction, the Mavs is not a serious defensive team. If we move the ball a couple of times, they will get confused, lose their assignment. On offense, they cannot score enough points to win by playing half court game.

Rockets: 102
Mavs: 96

 

We stole the first one and didn't really come close to playing a perfect game.

A little more perfection this time around

rox 105
mavs 99

 

I'll keep predicting with the same score until I get it right.

Rox - 115
MLP - 101

 

Hey guys, I am going to start a thread on the mavs board with this image.....look for BradleySucks, I will post the link in a few!

 

Ehhh, it's always best not to troll. I mean, we wouldn't want people to come and start that crap on our board.

 

LOL, this is from one of their moderators, he's drinking alot of Haterade:

 

For some reason, the Mavs fans think that Avery Johnson is the best coach in the NBA. "Don't worry everyone, we still have AJ!".

 

Hey remind me what their board is? I originally went to it when someone first posted the link, but I had a problem with registration and can't remember exactly what the board was. Thanks.

 

Dude, I love TMac's game -- but 18 assists? Don't get me wrong, I'd eat it up -- but that's about as realistic asking RyBo to sink five threes in a game.

 

Ill be at the game and Ive been to about 15 games and im below .500 so Im nervous but they've won 4 straight games ive gone to including the last two playoff games 98 and 03 im hoping for 2-0 headed back to Houston if anyone else is going to dallas Ill see you there. Tmac to have another "Jordanesque" game Dirk bounces back but Yao stays out of foul trouble and Finley has lower scoring game with more hounding D.

 

Yao goes off in this game. 33 Points 15 Rebounds 5 Blocks.

 

Just saw some locker room material in the San Antonio paper, of all places. I hope we really throttle them after this lack of respect.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...KS?SITE=TXSAE&SECTION=SPORTS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Mavs regroup after Game 1 loss to Rockets

By JAIME ARON
AP Sports Writer


DALLAS (AP) -- From being overconfident, to underestimating the spike in intensity, to just plain being flat, the Dallas Mavericks had plenty of theories why they opened the playoffs with one of their worst performances all season.

Few had much to do with the Houston Rockets.

Sure, the Mavs offered the typical lines about "having to give them credit" and were still shaking their heads at some of the shots Tracy McGrady made in Houston's 98-86 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference series on Saturday.

But after watching the game film Sunday, Dallas players came away focused more on what they did wrong than what the Rockets did right.

"We looked like a team that hadn't won in a month," said Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki, who had more turnovers (six) than baskets (five). "We were nervous. I know I was tense. Maybe I put too much pressure on myself.

"We went in with a regular-season attitude, not knowing that we had to pick our games up a notch," added Michael Finley.

"We just didn't have it," point guard Jason Terry said.

For coach Avery Johnson, it was a reminder that his job is tougher than he'd made it look in the five weeks since he'd replaced Don Nelson. The Mavs had won 16 of his first 18 games and hadn't lost at home. They went into the playoffs on a nine-game winning streak and a nine-game home winning streak. Heck, they were even 7-0 in Game 1s at home in franchise history.

"I think we got sucked into reading too many headlines about how good we are," Johnson said, adding that he saw signs of overconfidence during a pre-game shootaround. "We haven't even won a playoff game together, but we were supposed to be a team that was going to whip people and think everybody was going to lay down for us. It doesn't work that way."

The word all the Mavericks used was "energy." Houston had it and Dallas didn't. That's why the Rockets zoomed ahead by 19 early in the second quarter and it's why they were able to quickly rebuild their lead after the Mavs got within four early in the fourth quarter.

The Rockets came away with their eighth straight win and the comfort of knowing they're going home with no worse than a split. Win Game 2 on Monday night and Houston would really be headed home with momentum.

Of course, coach Jeff Van Gundy won't allow his team to think that way. And he'll probably try hiding the historical quirk about the Rockets winning 17 of 18 playoff series in franchise history when they win the opener.

Instead, he'll remind his team that after opening a 39-20 lead, they missed 10 of their 12 shots going into halftime. He can also note that because they relied on so many outside shots, they got to the foul line just 20 times; Dallas took 42 free throws.

Then there are the traditional coaching concerns - expecting Nowitzki to bounce back and wondering how the Mavericks will defend McGrady differently, although it might not matter if he's as locked in as he was in the opener.

"We need to be humble and learn from our mistakes," Van Gundy said. "We know the adjustment cliche is overdone in this game. It's usually an adjustment of intensity, urgency and will. Because of their speed advantage, we've got to be the more willful, urgent team."

One way the game might change is around the rim. When Houston put four smaller players around their big man, Dallas rarely attacked the lane. Nowitzki was especially critical of his failure to exploit his size advantage.

Mavs center Erick Dampier also could be more aggressive. He made 2 of 3 shots in the first quarter, then didn't try another until early in the fourth, when he missed two straight tip-ins. He finished with seven points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes.

Then again, the Rockets can expect more from their starting center, too. Yao Ming was in foul trouble from the start and played just 20 minutes.

"I can do a better job," said Yao, who had 11 points and eight rebounds. "Some of those fouls I didn't need to commit."

 

What the whole world saw Saturday was just a preview of things to come. TMac is just warming up. Did you see the look on his face as he walked off the court after the game was over? He looked FOCUSED! It had the look of I-am-gonna-take-it-up-another-notch-monday. It was saying, "I havent shown you people everything yet."

I am predicting a 40+ outing for Tmac on Monday. I am also expecting Yao to give a 25, 12, 4 game. Everytime mavs make a big play, Yao or Tmac counter with a sensational play on the other end. Mavs are going down 0-2 while witnessing the rebirth of Shaq-Kobe devastation.

 

I agree with everything your saying, but don't compair our 2 guys to those two. T-Mac doesn't need his name disparaged and slandered by being compared to the lowly Bryant. Seriously, though, I expect the Rockets to dominate the league with out 1-2 inside-outside combo soon enough.

 

I guess I'll be the first to pick the Mavs

Rockets 95
Mavericks 103

The Rockets have been too streaky this season, and I just feel the Mavs will come out with more intensity in Game 2.

The Mavs are 3-0 in Game 2s at home in the Dirk era.

 

They also have never lost a game 1 at home either...and we managed to change that .... so what's a little changing of the streaks?