Lv06|ROCKETS-2| Officially Closed.

[Clutch]

HOUSTON ROCKETS: Current Statistical Breakdown (to-date)

[Skills]

Very detailed! I like it!
Those animated GIF's are slick!
I might use that idea, if it's ok with you?
How do you make them anyway?

[Chaser7]

Tough loss but this is great news that you are back Clutch! I thought you were never going to come back. Anyways why are you so much busy now (if I may ask)? anyways good luck and good job and hope this one finishes...

Quick question: Why does it say in the scouting report that it will hard to steal the ball off Rafer Alston if Alston isn't on either team's roster? I'm sure its probably just EA right?

[Jemesouviens]

So it's true!? He IS back.
Nice work Clutch!
You still haven't lost your touch after all this time off, and what a game for Yao Ming in a losing cause (party pooper Arenas!).
Glad you're back.

[Clutch]

skillmatic - thx man! yah the .GIFs are fun but take a bit more time; i'll be using them sparingly now; basically it's capturing key frames then stitching them together in a slideshow using Adobe ImageReady; that's how i made mine anyway; feel free to give it a try

chaser - never say never i guess basically workstuff and gf have kept me busy; i'm sure you're familiar w/how much of a fun but costly timesink making updates can be; also got sidetracked playing, "Knights of the Old Republic" hah; as far as Altson? he is on the WAS roster (click 'boxscore') but he had a DNP; weird... i know i had him and traded him but it's been so long i can't remember the details lol

jemesouviens - c'est bon! my team's GM is back! i'm glad if you're glad

[Clutch]

"13" Proves Unlucky For CP3, Hornets

HOUSTON, March 10 (AP) -- The Rockets snapped the Hornets 13-game win streak, in front of a frenzied home crowd and without Tracy McGrady, though it took their second overtime in two games to do so.

Led by a determined Yao Ming, Houston got off to a solid start controlling the game through much of the first half. However, the league's hottest team would claw their way back into it under by the savvy court leadership of floor General, Chris Paul.

With the score knotted nearing the close of regulation, the Rockets had the opportunity to win and delivered the ball to Ming for the final shot in the post but a strong double-team forced him to kick it out to guard, Mike James, on the perimeter. James had been hot from beyond the arc hitting 3-of-4 up to that point but his desperation buzzer-beater would fall short hitting the front rim.

Paul continued his onslaught in the extra period getting his teammates involved and compiling a smooth double-double with 18 points, 10 assists and 2 boards by night's end. David West would lead all scorers for New Orleans with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

"We knew our streak had to end sometime," said West. "You gotta give it up to them tonight. Houston's no push over, even without T-Mac. They took care of business on their home floor; that's what good teams do."

Yao Ming, who proved once again unstoppable most the night, relied on his teammates to clinch the victory. In the final minutes of the game, Yao snatched an offensive rebound and found a cutting Joey Graham to put the Rockets ahead 103-98; after a quick Hornets' score, Yao again found Graham, this time for a wide-open jumper and 5 point cushion; free-throws would seal the home victory. Yao finished a terrific night with 32 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks while Graham finished a respectable 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

The Rockets next head for the Motor City to face one of the East's best in Chauncey Billups and the Detroit Pistons.

Notes: With less than two minutes remaining in OT, the Hornets' David West injured his leg in a knee-to-knee collison with Rockets' Dikembe Mutombo -- West left the game and did not return -- The victory moves the Rockets half a game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks, three games behind New Orleans and four games behind the Southwest division leading, San Antonio Spurs.

[homicide1550]

Nice idea on the boxscore! And welcome Back!

[Jemesouviens]

^Yep, I agree.
Clutch, you always have new tricks up your sleeves. That's why your dynasty is... the best

Nice win against the Hornets. Yao is playing so well, you can't even tell he is playing on a 'stress fractured' foot

Keep it up!

[Chaser7]

Hmm.. I liked your old format better, but if this saves time, then albeit go right ahead. I'd rather have some form of this dynasty continuing than none at all

[Clutch]

homi - thx man; look forward to see how CLE turns out for you;

jemesouviens - hahah fracture? what fracture?

chaser - can't please everybody i'll probably go template similar to the old format come playoffs (if i can make it) but for now yah, this definitely cuts time

[Clutch]

"Big Shot" Derails Rockets

MICHIGAN, March 12 (AP) -- Even with All-Star, Tracy McGrady, returning to Houston's starting lineup, the Detroit Pistons showed the visiting Rockets why they are currently the top-ranked team in the Eastern Conference relying on that which they take pride in most - good ol' fashion defense.

The Rockets only days earlier defeated the West's top-ranked team, the New Orleans Hornets, in a grueling home overtime bout yet showed little sign of fatigue on the road; in fact, they seemed energized by McGrady's return. T-Mac showed rust in the early goings by missing his first four shot attempts but soon found his shooting rhythm even though hounded by one of the NBA's premiere one-on-one defenders, Tayshaun Prince. McGrady finished the game with a solid 26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

Yao Ming also had a good game continuing a streak of offensive dominance but was severly out-rebounded 16-to-5 by the Piston's tandem of Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess. Yao finished the night with a team-high 28 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks but was limited to only 1 assist.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, the man of the night was Detroit's, Chauncey Billups, who stole the show in the waning minutes of the contest.

"Mister Big Shot's" biggest shot came with Detroit leading 96-95 with 38.1 seconds left in the game as he faked a drive then calmly pulled up to drain an 18-footer over the outstretched arm of McGrady giving the Pistons a 98-95 edge.

Houston would fail to score on it's next possession and Billups would gift-wrap the killing blow, penetrating the lane with just under ten seconds and dishing to a wide-open Rasheed Wallace on the wing for a dagger trey. With 5.7 seconds left, the Rockets would attempt a desperation three-pointer to no avail. Billups finished the game with a team-high 30 points, 2 assists and 2 steals while Wallace ended with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and an assist.

The Rockets will look to regroup tomorrow night, returning home to the Toyota Center to take on Zach Randolf and the Portland Trailblazers. Owners of the league's worst record at 13-49, the Blazers really have nothing to lose; the Rockets, however, have everything at stake considering the tight competition in the Southwest division and can't take Portland's overall record lightly having struggled this season to contain Randolf and the aggressive, super-physical Blazers.

Notes: The Rockets were held under 100 points for first time in six games -- the loss drops Houston half a game behind Dallas for 4th place in the Southwest division -- all five starters for Detroit scored in double-digits -- the victory gives the Pistons their 3rd win in a row, the third best record in the league at 40-20 and a half game advantage over the Cleveland Cavaliers for 1st place in the Central division.

[homicide1550]

Ouch! Detroit really had you with their balanced attack.. All five starters in double figures, that team is surely hard to beat.

And thanks man! I also based some of my ideas on your dynasty..

I really hope I can bring the Cavaliers to the promised land.

[Chaser7]

haha, no worries Clutch, I'm just saying you raised such high expectations of yourself with your previous template. Like say your older stuff was like 10, then this an 8, still very good. Of course, hopefully you'll have more free time around the playoffs, but either way this is still a very very good dynasty, and I'm very happy you continued it. Hope to see more updates in the future!

And WOAH! I just looked at the stats you posted at the top of the page! Brevin Knight is averaging nearly twice as much as Deron Williams! Unbelievable! I guess we can thank the "Tank" though huh?

[Clutch]

homi - thx for the props man and yeah, Detroit is truly the beast of the East right now;

chaser - i'll take '8' anyday! but thx man; yeah D-Will's season avg's got screwed when Tankosic punked him out of starting PG; that's why Deron was so disgruntled and happy to come to the Rockets speaking of which... Tank and the Jazz are coming up in schedule real soon - that'll be a hoot!

[Clutch]

Blazers Burned By D-Will

HOUSTON, March 13 (AP) - The Houston Rockets made fairly routine work of NBA's worst team, the Portland Trailblazers, in a closer than expected victory 89-86.

For the first time this season, Tracy McGrady, came off the bench while 2nd-year pro and former Blazer, Martell Webster, got the Small Forward start. McGrady wore a forearm length wrist brace during the game and when asked about it and his coming off the bench, he replied, "Nah, it's just a little stiff from last night; I'm good to go."

Post-game head coach, Phil Jackson, answered, "I wanted to limit Tracy's minutes tonight. He mentioned his wrist being a little sore after last night's game and we didn't want to take any chances of him re-aggravating it."

"Martell (Webster) also mentioned during practice the other day he wanted a lot of minutes against his former team," Jackson added with a slight smirk. Webster, who was acquired from Portland during the blockbuster "Big Friday" trade on February 1st, delivered a sub-par performance shooting a team-high 19 attempts but only connecting on 5 of them.

"I guess I was a little too geeked up," Webster said with a half smile after the match. He finished the game with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 26 minutes while McGrady had 15 points off an efficient 7-for-10 shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in 17 minutes.

Zach Randolf provided the stage for the only drama of the night when he carried the Blazers in the 4th and gave them an 86-84 lead with 18.2 seconds on the clock. But Deron Williams would step up and deliver a quick but huge trey, giving Houston the 87-86 advantage leaving 14.2 in the game.

After a timeout the Blazers would go to Randolf again to attempt the go-ahead basket but his shot would miss horribly, the ball corralled by Williams, who was quickly fouled. Williams' two clutch free-throws pushed the lead to 3 points with 3.6 seconds left forcing the Blazers into a desperation attempt beyond the arc which fell far short.

Zach Randolf would lead all scorers with 29 points while collecting 5 rebounds and an assist; Deron Williams would have a smooth 16 points, 4 boards and 5 assists.

The Rockets have a few days off then head east to face Dwight Howard, Boris Diaw and the Orlando Magic.



AROUND THE LEAGUE - March 13, 2008

NY@GS 85-87 A. Harrington (GS) 15 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk
MIN@UTAH 88-123 A. Kirilenko (UTAH) 30 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk
SA@NOK 98-104 C. Paul (NOK) 32 pts, 8 reb, 12 ast, 3 stl / T. Parker (SA) 35 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast ,5 stl
PHI@BOS 91-102 P. Pierce (BOS) 31 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast,1 blk - A. Jefferson (BOS) 25 pts, 18 reb, 1 ast ,2 blk
SAC@ATL 99-91 B. Miller (SAC) 17 pts,11 reb, 4 ast,2 stl, 2 blk
CHI@SEA 122-86 K. Hinrich (CHI) 36 pts, 4 reb,11 ast, 3 stl
DET@TOR 104-94 T. Prince (DET) 31 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 3 blk / C. Bosh (TOR) 21 pts, 21 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk

[Chaser7]

Another nice win dude, what place are you in the standings?

[homicide1550]

Tmac is a beast, 15 points for just 15 minutes of play.. And Webster was trigger happy on this one.

And yeah, like Chaser7 I too want to know what place are you in the standings, since the playoffs is about a month away.

[Clutch]

Howard Erupts In 4th Qtr

ORLANDO March 16, 2008 (AP) - A 4th quarter rampage by Dwight Howard was not enough to deter the Houston Rockets from a 101-90 road victory at the TD Waterhouse Centre.

The Rockets had the match firmly in control leading by 14 points going into the final period, with Yao Ming doing a decent job containing Orlando's superstar Center up til that point. But as the Magic's leader, Howard refused to go quietly and erupted for 16 points, most of which came from earth-shaking dunks in the paint.

"He's a terrific young player, very powerful," said Yao of Howard's breathtaking performance. "Whenever we play against each other it's always a great challenge for me."

Though Howard would flirt with bringing the Magic back single-handedly, the steady scoring of Houston's stars, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, would prove too much to overcome. Howard led the Magic with 30 points, 6 rebounds while Yao and McGrady finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks and 21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists respectively.

The Rockets next host Carlos Boozer, leading Rookie of the Year Candidate, Sergei Tankosic, and the Utah Jazz.


___

chase/homi - appreciate the comments; standings coming soon...

[Cartar]

very nice win, seems like you have a very good shot at the championship

waiting for the standings to see how 76ers are doing (also to see how youre rivals are doing)

Good luck against Jazz!

[Oskar]

Nice game, Howard is the best center around in my opinion. ;D

[Jemesouviens]

Nice wins!
Boo-zer is next huh...

[Skills]

Nice win! I like the boxscore template.
You should give May some more playing time..

[Lamrock]

Whoa; this is back?! Nice! Glad to see you finishing this! Still going strong. 20 games until the playoffs!

[Chaser7]

Damn Howard is a beast! Complete opposite of what happened in my Orlando game.. Good luck man, can't wait until the playoffs..

[homicide1550]

D12 really got you... I truly believe he is the second coming of Shaq... Good Luck on your next game.