ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Sonics 4/12/2004

sorry my bad.... i forgot spurs and minny are in the same division... either spurs win the division or they will be placed 3rd in the division....

sorry for all the confusion guys....

 

I knew it... I knew people would be writing moronic crap like this after a win to a subpar team who had nothing left to fight for. You people are like a hungry pack of wolves just waiting for the right time to strike.

Please tell me neither of you really believe the Rockets would have won more games this season with Francis and Mobley gone for the whole thing...



On the positive: I like that this game gave our bench some confidence going into the playoffs while giving our starters some rest. I also like that it was a road win against a team that normally gives us hell and who I hate bitterly. Win, win situation, IMO. Leave it up to the haters to use a game like this to slam our backcourt and our chances...

 

Just one game. This is not enough to support your idea. I don't think that today's lineups could not defeat Heats!

YAO is still a baby who would not show me that he would be a qualified team leader.

 

wow

111 points w/o CM and SF.
Maybe this team is better off w/o them??

 

It's the bench's job to send a message to our starters: "We got your back." Our starters are the anchor, but they have to sit down sometime. It's the duty of our bench to be sharp and give our starters confidence when they take a rest. That's what was so great about this game. Our bench sent a message to our starters that they can have confidence in their bench players.

Team!

-- droxford

 

Anyone notice that when Steve and Cat are not playing, the refs instantly have more respect for the other players?

With only Yao out there, the refs were forced to respect him and call fouls when people like Radmonovic tried to guard him. Just a glimpse of what is to come. Then again, Yao seemed to have more energy tonight. He was agressively fighting for position, and maybe that helped get some calls.

 

Well you should be sorry!!!
Lording over your shmancy vocabulary above us mere mortals. Have you no ethics. No of course not, you're probably too busy tracking the stochastic deformations of the clone army you are building.

 

I'm glad that the bench got some time in tonight. But I think people are going overboard in thinking that this might give JVG the confidence to give the 2nd string (especially guys like Boke and Padge who's racked up quite a few DNP-CDs this year) some more floor time. JVG has shown that he is one of those tight rotation coaches who will only play the guys that he is comfortable with in key situations, and I only expect this to increase in the playoffs. I mean, if the bench wasn't getting much PT in crucial games (and I would call tonight a crucial game) in the regular season, then I don't see them getting it in the postseason. But it sounds like Boki had a good game, and that bodes well for the future.

 

The Sonics were playing harder than many people are giving them credit for. Radmonovic just would not miss, and they played some decent defense in short stretches. We had to play well in order to hold off their comeback.

 

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/168855_sonx13.html

Sonics fall in home finale
Rockets avoid season sweep against Seattle

By DANNY O'NEIL
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

It was an opportunity for their only regular-season series sweep of a Western Conference team.

A chance for the Sonics to show they were close to one of the Western Conference's playoff teams in their final home game of the season.

And though the Rockets won 111-107 at KeyArena, the gap between the two teams didn't seem so large.

At least not after Seattle came back and erased a first-quarter deficit of 15 points to tie the game twice in the second quarter.

And not after Seattle was down by 20 points in the third quarter, but cut Houston's lead to two points on Ronald Murray's two free throws with 49.2 seconds left to make the score 102-100.

Bostjan Nachbar made a 3-pointer on Houston's next possession, and Seattle never got any closer.

But that Seattle had come that close with a 14-5 run showed the gap might not be so large.

And even though Seattle finished its second consecutive season without sweeping a single Western Conference opponent, the Sonics (36-45) might not be that far off from making the playoffs.

Vladimir Radmanovic scored 21 points in his first game back from a sprained ankle suffered six games earlier. His 3-pointer with 12.6 seconds left put Seattle behind by only two points for the second time in the final minute of the game.



Murray had 24 points off the bench for Seattle, and he had two layins that cut the lead to two but Seattle never got closer.

And while coming close against Houston (45-36) is a long way from being in the elite of the West, the truth is that Seattle's problems haven't come against the Western Conference teams that have been playing bumper cars for the final few playoff spots.

Sure, Utah beat Seattle three out of four games, but Seattle was 3-1 against Memphis and 2-2 against both Denver and Portland this season.

Yao Ming scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half. Mark Jackson finished with 25 points, making two free throws with 12 seconds left to make Houston's lead four points.

Houston made six consecutive free throws in the final 20 seconds.

Yao loomed large in Houston's victory as the Rockets were missing two of their top three scorers. Guards Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley were out with injuries from Saturday's loss in Utah.

Yao scored 13 points in the third quarter, and Houston led by 17 entering the fourth quarter. That lead was down to nine points as Yao sat out the first 5:19 of the fourth quarter.

He re-entered the game with 6:41 to play, scored a basket the first time he touched the ball and the lead was back to 11.

Houston outscored Seattle 20-5 in the first 5:21 of the game. The Rockets outscored the Sonics 23-8 in the first six minutes of the second half.

The Rockets scored on their first seven possessions. Houston didn't miss in the first five minutes, making all six shots it took. Three of those shots were 3-pointers by the Rockets' action-Jackson duo of Jimmy and Mark.

Jimmy scored 18 points in the first quarter, making six of seven shots and four 3-pointers. Mark, starting in place of Francis, scored 10, half on free throws.

The Rockets led 20-5 with 6:39 left in the first quarter.

That lead was down to nine points entering the second quarter. Seattle tied it twice in the second quarter and trailed by three points at halftime.

That lead was back to 15 points midway through the third quarter.

ROCKETS 111, SONICS 107

TOMORROW: Sonics at Clippers, 7:30

TV/RADIO: KONG/6, 16; KJR-AM/950

 

clearly this team is better w/o steve and cuttino. why has jvg been foolishly playing them 40 minutes a night when they should've simply been benched. i mean, remember how well we played that game after the super bowl incident? we were almost within 20 of the suns. and the denver game a few days ago, we coulda just gone ahead and blown them out but jvg sacrificed a few points to keep steve's trade value high and let him play almost the whole game.

i'm sure tonight had nothing to do with jj hitting everything, mj actually hitting a 3, boki being on fire or the fact me and 4 guys from this bbs could've put up a better defensive effort than the sonics the first 3 quarters or the fact the sonics didn't really care.


it's almost like a comedy knowing someone would start a thread like this and knowing the same ol' same ol's would support it.

which is quite unlike the anti-steve people starting a thread every time steve plays badly now.

 

lmao

 

umm, there are still two more teams ahead of them that didn't make the playoffs and they're behind 8th seed denver by 7 games.

that's some serious optimism.

 

Great Quote about Boki From JVG

"To have the courage to step up and that that shot is very good," Van Gundy said.

ESPN Article about the Game - http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=240412025

 

Well now we have made the playoffs and most likely we'll play the Kings. Definitely 'worst case scenario'. Yet, we play well on national tv. This could be lots of fun.

Go Rockets!

 

But he`s certified that he has the potentislity.

I prefer the cat`s trading for Hidayet Turkoglu from Spurs or Rodney White from Nuggets.

 

i wouldn't be surprised to see a boki,mot,cato,jackson,pike combo start in the next game. jvg is doing all he can to avoid injuries to key players.

 

anyone else thought that tonight's game was a sign of things to come?

1) excellent Yao play in the middle.

2) good ball movement on the perimeter and inside-out game.

3) great role players who hustle and can hit the open looks.

dunno, the shower of 3's, clutch play, and mad hustle brought back memories of those championship days...

 

We beat Sonics finally. How sweet it is!!!

It seems JJ play more efficient in SG position. I know, I know, it's only a game, but having a bigger and efficient SF (hopefully Boki) and then put JJ to SG seems a better line-up.

Jacksons are doing great tonight, but c'mon - it's not a good time to bash Steve and Cat. We know everything is possible in the offseason, but right now they are still indispensable for the Rox. Now even Juugie is willing to stop all the bashing, so why don't we forget all the hatred and enjoy the last 2 games, and then root for the team in the playoff?

The Kings is still the Kings. An upset is sweet but I just wish the Rox play their own basketball and show us some good games. Anyway, they have clinched the 7th seed so mission accomplished. Now all the playoff games are just the learning process for the players so that they can gain some experiences. Just as somebody said before, before they can win in the playoff, they gotta lose it first.

So now, be optimistic everybody! Go Rox!

 

You all actually think the NBA would pass on a Lakers/Rockets first-round match-up?

Look for the Warriors to get all the calls against the Kings on Wednesday night.