http://realityhole.wheelcipher.net/2005/04/they-shoot-horses-dont-they-rockets-98.html Rockets Win Game One! In the opening game of their first round playoff series, a typically great game by Tracy McGrady led the Houston Rockets to victory against the Mavericks in Dallas. McGrady finished with 34 pts, 5 reb, 6 assists and 2 steals of seemingly effortless domination. Most of his scoring came in the first three quarters as he reeled off huge shot after huge shot, stunning the home Mavericks into complacency. While TMac deserves most of the credit for this big win, the unheralded Ryan Bowen -- known for twitchy, hustling defense -- helped limit prolific superstar Dirk Nowitzki to 10 pts from the floor and 11 free throws. Ryan's "untreated-ADD" guarding seemed to frustrate Nowitzki much of the game, before Bowen fouled out in the fourth. This was a truly underwhelming game for Dallas' most potent weapon. Dirk will certainly make himself heard in future games, but on this night he was neatly contained by Jeff Van Gundy's defensive schemes The Rockets' defense and bench were stellar for most of the game, with big, important contributions by Jon Barry, Dikembe Mutombo, and the SuperFreak Mike James ("Im' Mike James, b****!!"). The Rockets were able to create 10 steals, adding mightily to their 10 more shots on the game. This game was dominated by the superstars on the court: McGrady with his silky excellence, and Nowitzki maily by his absence. This huge win removes Dallas' home court advantage in the seven-game series, leaving each team with 3 possible home games left. And, as the AP points out, the Rockets have been in 18 playoff series in which they won Game One ... their record is 17-1 in those series. History is on the side of the Rockets. And the funny thing is, this was nowhere near the best the Rockets can play -- and yet they took it to the Mavs by double digits in their own house. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.
