GAME RECAP
Houston (AP) -- Despite foul trouble and a subpar offensive night,
Tracy McGrady could not hold back an ear-to-ear grin from the bench as his
Houston Rockets knocked off the two-time defending champion
Phoenix Suns 101-91 and advanced to the second round for the first time since the '95-96 season.
Without injured Shooting Guard
Joey Graham available to start, Rockets' coach,
Phil Jackson, looked to shake things up, assigning the role to rookie sharpshooter,
Garrick Briggs, as well as starting veteran Point Guard,
Brevin Knight, while bringing usual starter,
Deron Williams, off the bench.
The switch was effective, as Knight and Briggs were able to find their rhythms early while the bigger, stronger Williams helped manhandle the Suns off-the-bench energizer,
Leandro Barbosa. Knight and Briggs would combined for 24 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and only 2 turnovers between them.
McGrady began the contest tight and struggled to find his shot in the early goings then committed a few frustration fouls and soon found himself watching from the sidelines. Luckily
Yao Ming would step up his game, not scoring-wise, but as the team's playmaker, continually finding the open man with crisp passes throughout the night.
Almost mirroring game 3, Phoenix found themselves digging a double-digit hole at the end of one, then rallied to within 2 points by halftime. Even with D-Will stuck on him all night, Barbosa still managed to tally 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting coming off the bench to lead the Suns' second unit.
But Houston would rely on it's bread-and-butter - tough defense - in the second half, led by an attacking McGrady who seemed to be everywhere on the floor to disrupt shot attempts.
"Shots weren't falling for me," he said of his lackluster performance, "so coach said I needed to find another way to contribute and get us a win." McGrady finished with 14 points, 3 rebounds and a team-high 4 steals.
Raja Bell, led a final charge early in the 4th quarter by nailing two consecutive treys to close the Suns within 4 points but it would be Phoenix's last gasp as Yao led an 11-2 run to put the Rockets firmly in control of the game the rest of the way to close out the series 4-0.
"Nothin' we could really do," said a dejected
Amare Stoudemire after the sweep. "We had the better record but they were the better team coming in and proved it all series. Losing someone like
Steve (Nash) was just too big a hit to take; it's just too bad our run had to end like this." Stoudemire finished his last game of the season with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks and a steal.
The Rockets'
Marvin Williams did a terrific job controlling the glass and neutralizing
Shawn Marion. Backing his bold prediction of a sweep shortly after game 3, Williams confidently told media after the match that tonight's victory was, "never in doubt."
Williams' exceptional play would net a double-double 11 points, 2 assists and game-high 14 rebounds while Marion would tally 15 points, 8 rebounds to finish the night.
With the outcome in control, McGrady and Ming received a standing ovation and embraced as they left the floor in the closing minutes, having finally accomplished together what McGrady could not in six previous attempts - getting past the opening round. The two were giddy with excitement as they watched and cheered their teammates from the sidelines and the final seconds trickled away.
Asked how he felt after finally getting past the 1st-round hurdle after six past tries, McGrady with an expression of both relief and elation said, "It's just an incredible feeling, man. I didn't want it to end as I sat there on the bench cheering for my guys. Now that we're here, I don't want it to end."
Yao Ming earned
"Player of the Game" honors and led Houston with 6 assists, while collecting 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.
After the game head coach Phil Jackson addressed the media, "The team really came together tonight and played their best game of the series. I'm really happy for our guys, especially Tracy, who's been coming up short and carrying tremendous expectations on his shoulders for years now. With this pressure out of the way, now we can get down to business."
Houston begins its adventure into long unfamiliar territory Wednesday night in the Western Conference Semi-Finals versus
Allen Iverson,
Carmelo Anthony and the 2nd-ranked powerhouse
Denver Nuggets, who also closed out their series 4-0 against the 7th-seeded
Sacramento Kings earlier today.
BY-THE-NUMBERS
Houston Rockets
Phoenix Suns
FIRST ROUND BREAKDOWN
PLAYOFF TREE
COACH OF THE YEAR
by Clutch on Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:03 am 
who would've thunk?
Great job, Yao and Tracy finally in the 2nd round. It´s going to be tough against Nuggets, your currently 2-1 against them this season, so I think you could do it. Hasn´t posted here for a while now, but I still consider your dynasty the best active dynasty. I really love your template.
CP3's Injury. This series would be radically different if not for the loss of rising star, Chris Paul. CP3 continues to recover from a bone spur in his foot (upgraded from broken bone) but will he return in time to be a factor?
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