By CHRIS DUNCAN, AP Sports Writer 4 minutes ago AP - Oct 7, 9:42 pm EDT 1 of 7 NBA Gallery HOUSTON (AP)—Ron Artest scored 12 of his 15 points in the first quarter of his Houston debut and the Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 96-93 in the preseason opener on Tuesday night. Tracy McGrady sat out to rest his sore left knee. The Rockets star had offseason surgery to remove loose tissue in the knee and said last week that it was healing slower than expected. Yao Ming had 10 points and nine rebounds in less than two quarters of action. Houston coach Rick Adelman has said he’ll be careful with Yao during the preseason to try to keep the six-time All-Star fresh and injury-free. Carl Landry, Yao’s backup, had 18 points and nine rebounds. Houston led 71-70 after three quarters, and Artest and Yao were done for the night. Artest played 24 minutes and Yao played just over 22. Rudy Gay scored 14 for the Grizzlies and had a pair of highlight-reel dunks in the fourth quarter. Hakim Landry led Memphis with 15, including a dunk that tied it at 92. Artest got the loudest ovation of the night when he was introduced with the starting lineup. He deflected a pass and made a steal on the Grizzlies’ first possession, but missed his first shot as a Rocket, a 3-point try from the top of the key. He sank a 3-pointer from the same spot a minute later. Gay scored five points, including a driving dunk past Yao, to help Memphis build an early lead. Artest scored seven points, including another 3-pointer, during a 9-0 run that put the Rockets up 18-13. Yao had a quiet start and came out with 1:44 left in the quarter. He had five rebounds, but only two points, in 10 minutes before he was replaced by Landry. Artest also sat out the second quarter. Brent Barry, the Rockets’ other big offseason acquisition, hit a 3-pointer with 10:12 left in the first half to tie the game at 27-all. Adelman only used reserves in the second quarter and Houston took a 46-43 halftime lead. Warrick had nine points and O.J. Mayo had eight for Memphis in the first half. Yao and Artest were back for the start of the third quarter. The link: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap;_ylt=AiUQhkfwkYjrt85YEqYceBa8vLYF?gid=2008100710 Since when Hakim Warrick marries Landry. hahahha
The recap does not say enough about how well Landry played and that Brooks made the game winning shot.
I hope so... whoever wrote this must not have been watching the same game. I really enjoyed that dunk in the 4th by Hakeem Landry though... that was hot . And Ron's first shot(s) as a Rocket were actually two layup attempts, both of which were blocked.
I figure this is as good a thread as any to voice my own thoughts about the game, so here goes. - In the offseason I had grown suspicious of Landry's health, and with the stalemate regarding his contract, I was ready for him to walk so we could move on. It looks like I was very wrong, and I'm elated that he's still a Rocket. His efficiency is insane. - Artest and Barry both stepped in and played just about how I expected them to. Didn't try to do too much, but weren't hesitant. - Yao may be 100% in terms of health, but it looks like he's still not there psychologically. He looked timid around the basket both in his shot attempts and his dribbling/footwork. He did a nice job on the boards, though. - Luther Head is still terrible. He has no PG skills, and the only "move" he has is that r****ded, low, sweeping crossover that does more to throw himself out of sync than it does the defense. - Aaron Brooks may be ready to play consistent backup minutes, but he didn't show it last night. I didn't see a lick of this new and improved decision making that he's supposedly been working on. He still drove into bad situations, jumped before deciding what to do (or simply because he ran out of options), and threw untimely passes. I REALLY want him to come around, but he's going to have to use his speed and keep his dribble alive to break down the defense, rather than thinking "I'm going to blow past my man and jump in the air for a layup, and if I get there and it's clogged up, then I'll figure something out." That's what it seems like he's doing.
