Wed Apr 27, 2005 6:44 am
hey long time viewer/ reader first time user love all of this keep up the good work
Wed Apr 27, 2005 7:45 am
hey long time viewer/ reader first time user love all of this keep up the good work
Coo, welcome to the forums. I'm happy you like the dynasty, more updates will be coming soon.
Wed Apr 27, 2005 7:51 am
John WB wrote:Heat fans?
Yes bro you got to respect the Next Champion.None can stop the HEAT this year well maybe only MANU
Wed Apr 27, 2005 7:57 am
You sound like any other typical bandwagon Heat fan/Shaqfollower.
Wed Apr 27, 2005 8:19 am
John WB wrote::lol: You sound like any other typical bandwagon Heat fan/Shaqfollower.
Nah I use to lived in Miami thats all, besides EDDIE is my favourite player in the HEATs not Shaq
Wed Apr 27, 2005 8:48 am
course you will win, there is no way you will allow yourself to be knocked out
Wed Apr 27, 2005 10:18 am
ROCKETS VS. SUNS
America West Arena, Phoenix, 7:00 p.m., PST
TV, radio: TNT; KTAR 620
SEASON RECORD: Rockets, 49-33; Suns, 64-18.
SEASON SERIES: 3-1 Suns
PLAYOFF SERIES: 1-0 Suns
INJURY REPORT:
KEY PLAYERS ON SUNS
Amare Stoudemire- 30.7ppg, 11rpg vs. Kings
Shawn Marion- 19.8ppg, 10.8rpg, 4.4apg in playoffs
Joe Johnson- 20.2ppg vs. Kings
KEY PLAYERS ON ROCKETS
Yao Ming- 19.2ppg, 11.6rpg in playoffs
Tracy McGrady- 22ppg, 8.7rpg, 5.4apg during season
David Wesley- 18ppg in playoffs
MATCHUP REVIEW
1/5/05 @HOU 100-91 Suns
3/11/05 @PHO 106-93 Rockets
4/3/05 @HOU 92-85 Suns
4/9/05 @PHO 81-90Suns
TEAM COMPARISON
PPG- 106.6
RPG- 42.3
APG- 25.6
BPG- 5.7
SPG- 8.0
TPG- 13.4
FPG- 21.6
FG%- 48% (1st in league)
3P%- 39% (1st in league)
FT%- 80% (5th in league)
PPG- 98.0
RPG- 42.4
APG- 24.9
BPG- 5.8
SPG- 8.0
TPG- 11.8
FPG- 19.9
FG%- 45% (3rd in league)
3P%- 36% (3rd in league)
FT%- 81% (3rd in league)
GAME-BY-GAME STAR COMPARISON
G/F Tracy McGrady
1/5/05 - 12pts, 9rebs, 3asts
3/11/05 - 19pts, 9rebs, 4asts
4/3/05 - 21pts, 5rebs, 4asts
4/9/05 - 8asts, 5rebs, 1ast
Season Series Average 15ppg, 7rpg, 3.5apg
C/F Amare Stoudemire
1/5/05 - 23pts, 10rebs
3/11/05 - 24pts, 13rebs
4/3/05 - 20pts, 10rebs
4/9/05 - 16pts, 12rebs
Season Series Average 20.7ppg, 11.2rpg
PHOENIX, (Ticker) -- The hottest team in the playoffs has been no other than the Phoenix Suns and it's getting to the point where you don't know if they are stoppable. They have been so consistent after losing their first two games of the 2004-05 NBA Playoffs and now they have won 9 straight games. "Our team chemistry is at its highest point and everyone is playing at their highest level," Amare Stoudemire said. "At the rate we are playing, we have the chance of winning the championship." Many people thought the Suns wouldn't succeed as much as they did in the season in the playoffs, but they have proved many doubters wrong. "We don't listen to what other people say," Quentin Richardson said. "We just play ball and go out and do what we did during the season and that's win. We didn't get the no.1 seed throughout the playoffs for no reason."
They now have their full team back once again with Jim Jackson playing in Game 1, but that doesn't mean no other injuries will be coming. The Suns have yet to play an entire playoff series with their full roster active. "Fatigue is just the main problem," Coach D'Antoni said. "I try not to work the players too hard in practice that will force an injury. As long as we aren't in a position where we are losing like we did against Denver, our practices won't be very extreme." The Rockets aren't out of the series as of yet because they did have Game 1 in their favor for 3/4's of the game. They were able to hold the Suns to 68 points heading into the 3rd quarter even though they only had 58 points. "We need to keep that same tempo for Game 2," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "As long as we keep that same tempo, and hold them in the final quarter, we can tie this series up." McGrady and Wesley had the best games for the Rockets in Game 1. T-Mac led the team with 25 points and Wesley scored 21 points. Expect Yao to recieve more touches tonight as he was held to just 10 points in the game.
PROBABLE STARTERS
C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash
C-Yao Ming
PF-Juwan Howard
SF-Tracy McGrady
SG-David Wesley
PG-Bob Sura
Wed Apr 27, 2005 10:23 am
Yes bro you got to respect the Next Champion.None can stop the HEAT this year well maybe only MANU
Don't say that too fast now seraph
course you will win, there is no way you will allow yourself to be knocked out
I won't say I will that fast because the Rockets are the best team I've played so far in the playoffs. Yao is bound to have a good game and hold Amare down because I have a hard time getting Stoudemire to score on him. They actually have a frontline which was something that Denver had, but not the Kings. So it should still be a good series, I have myself winning, but I can't speak too soon with the way the computer just comes alive all of a sudden.
Wed Apr 27, 2005 10:33 am
the Rockets are the best team I've played so far in the playoffs
Bring out the broom , this is going to be a sweep...
Wed Apr 27, 2005 1:12 pm
Big Shots Come From Big Players
There were many big shots made during the final moments of Game 2
FINAL 1 2 3 4 T
Rockets 29 17 17 32 95
Suns 16 25 21 37 99
Rockets-95
Suns-99
Shawn Marion and the Suns have won 10 straight games during the playoffs
PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- With only 29 seconds played in the 4th quarter, Yao Ming grabbed an offensive rebound over Stoudemire and Amare contested the layup, but was called for his 6th foul. He sat on the bench for the rest of the game with just 5 points and 8 rebounds. The Suns were able to regain the lead after Nash pushed the ball upcourt and laid it in to put the Suns up 66-65. Steven Hunter was able to make a tough shot over Yao with contact to move the Suns within' 71-70 with 8:24 remaining in the contest. Shawn Marion then had a break away dunk at the 5:25 mark to put Phoenix back up 78-77. The Rockets led by two points after Mike James nailed a 3 over Nash at the 4:27 mark. With just under 3 minutes left in the game, Yao turned towards the baseline in the post and powered his way up as the ball rolled in from the layup and the Rockets led 86-84.
The Suns wouldn't go away after Quentin Richardson made a 3 from the corner to make the deficit 88-87 with 1:48 left in the game. The Rockets put the ball in the hands of no other than Tracy McGrady and he worked his magic from the top of the key. He pulled a jab step to the right on Richardson and pulled for the long jumper that put Houston up 90-87. Nash brought the ball up the right side and all 5 players on the Rockets were facing him. Nash quickly passed it to McCarty and McCarty found Marion open on the left wing for the 3 that tied the game back up at 90-90 with 1:29 left to play. Next time down the court, the Rockets went inside to Yao and he went towards the baseline and ended up stepping out of bounds. The Suns wasted the entire shot clock and they had no one to go to, so Nash took it upon himself and shot a tough fadeaway with 1 second left on the shot clock that gave the Suns a 92-90 lead with 56.9 seconds left.
The Rockets used their last timeout of the game. David Wesley had the ball against Johnson, then he gave the ball inside to Howard who quickly spinned off Marion to the left for the easy laup with 43.7 seconds left to tie the game and gave him 21 points for the night. The Suns decided not to use a timeout and Nash brought the ball upcourt and Johnson undercut on the baseline. Nash dished the ball to Johnson under the goal and Johnson quickly laid it in with 31.8 seconds left. Houston had no timeouts to use so McGrady recieved the ball at the top of the key once again and this time, he pulled up for the 3 over McCarty that hit all net to put the Rockets up 95-95 with 24.1 seconds left. The Suns used one of their two timeouts to set up a play.
Steve Nash played a pick and roll with Marion at the top of the key and he gave it to Marion while he was rolling. Two men came over to help and Marion passed it to a wide open McCarty who made a 3-pointer at the right wing with 14.9 seconds left to put the Suns up 97-95. The Rockets rushed the ball upcourt and gave it to Yao in the post, who passed it back out to McGrady. T-Mac penetrated to the basket and met Hunter who blocked the dunk attempt and Nash grabbed the ball with 1.3 seconds left. Aftewards, he made two free throws that sealed the game. Joe Johnson led the Suns with 26 points and David Wesley led all scorers with 29 points.
Rockets -Team- Suns
51-Rebounds-42
20-Assists-22
6-Steals-6
5-Blocks-6
19-Fouls-18
11-TO's-11
38/88-FG-36/89
5/13-3PFG-8/21
14/16-FT-19/22
16-Off. Reb-14
35-Def. Reb-28
Y. Ming- 12pts, 19rebs, 2stls
J. Howard- 21pts, 10rebs, 2stls
T. McGrady- 20pts, 6rebs, 3blks
D. Wesley- 29pts, 7rebs
M. James- 3pts, 4asts
B. Sura- 9pts, 6asts
S. Padgett- 3rebs, 1ast
S. Hunter- 2pts, 5rebs, 2blks
S. Marion- 19pts, 10rebs, 2stls
W. McCarty- 6pts, 3rebs
J. Johnson- 26pts, 8rebs, 4asts
S. Nash- 20pts, 8asts, 2stls
L. Barbosa- 3asts
Q. Richardson- 18pts, 7rebs, 3asts
A. Stoudemire- 5pts, 8rebs, 3blks
Game Photos
Yao shooting the short jumper over Marion
David Wesley has become the unsung hero in this series
McGrady tipping the ball in off the offensive rebound
Bob Sura dished out six assists against the Suns
Richardson dunking over Yao with two hands
Nash making the big fadeaway shot with 1 second left on the shot clock
Joe Johnson is averaging 24.5ppg during the series
Yao blocking Stoudemire's layup
There were many big shots made during the final moments of Game 2
FINAL 1 2 3 4 T
Rockets 29 17 17 32 95
Suns 16 25 21 37 99
Rockets-95
Suns-99
Shawn Marion and the Suns have won 10 straight games during the playoffs
PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- With only 29 seconds played in the 4th quarter, Yao Ming grabbed an offensive rebound over Stoudemire and Amare contested the layup, but was called for his 6th foul. He sat on the bench for the rest of the game with just 5 points and 8 rebounds. The Suns were able to regain the lead after Nash pushed the ball upcourt and laid it in to put the Suns up 66-65. Steven Hunter was able to make a tough shot over Yao with contact to move the Suns within' 71-70 with 8:24 remaining in the contest. Shawn Marion then had a break away dunk at the 5:25 mark to put Phoenix back up 78-77. The Rockets led by two points after Mike James nailed a 3 over Nash at the 4:27 mark. With just under 3 minutes left in the game, Yao turned towards the baseline in the post and powered his way up as the ball rolled in from the layup and the Rockets led 86-84.
The Suns wouldn't go away after Quentin Richardson made a 3 from the corner to make the deficit 88-87 with 1:48 left in the game. The Rockets put the ball in the hands of no other than Tracy McGrady and he worked his magic from the top of the key. He pulled a jab step to the right on Richardson and pulled for the long jumper that put Houston up 90-87. Nash brought the ball up the right side and all 5 players on the Rockets were facing him. Nash quickly passed it to McCarty and McCarty found Marion open on the left wing for the 3 that tied the game back up at 90-90 with 1:29 left to play. Next time down the court, the Rockets went inside to Yao and he went towards the baseline and ended up stepping out of bounds. The Suns wasted the entire shot clock and they had no one to go to, so Nash took it upon himself and shot a tough fadeaway with 1 second left on the shot clock that gave the Suns a 92-90 lead with 56.9 seconds left.
The Rockets used their last timeout of the game. David Wesley had the ball against Johnson, then he gave the ball inside to Howard who quickly spinned off Marion to the left for the easy laup with 43.7 seconds left to tie the game and gave him 21 points for the night. The Suns decided not to use a timeout and Nash brought the ball upcourt and Johnson undercut on the baseline. Nash dished the ball to Johnson under the goal and Johnson quickly laid it in with 31.8 seconds left. Houston had no timeouts to use so McGrady recieved the ball at the top of the key once again and this time, he pulled up for the 3 over McCarty that hit all net to put the Rockets up 95-95 with 24.1 seconds left. The Suns used one of their two timeouts to set up a play.
Steve Nash played a pick and roll with Marion at the top of the key and he gave it to Marion while he was rolling. Two men came over to help and Marion passed it to a wide open McCarty who made a 3-pointer at the right wing with 14.9 seconds left to put the Suns up 97-95. The Rockets rushed the ball upcourt and gave it to Yao in the post, who passed it back out to McGrady. T-Mac penetrated to the basket and met Hunter who blocked the dunk attempt and Nash grabbed the ball with 1.3 seconds left. Aftewards, he made two free throws that sealed the game. Joe Johnson led the Suns with 26 points and David Wesley led all scorers with 29 points.
Rockets -Team- Suns
51-Rebounds-42
20-Assists-22
6-Steals-6
5-Blocks-6
19-Fouls-18
11-TO's-11
38/88-FG-36/89
5/13-3PFG-8/21
14/16-FT-19/22
16-Off. Reb-14
35-Def. Reb-28
Y. Ming- 12pts, 19rebs, 2stls
J. Howard- 21pts, 10rebs, 2stls
T. McGrady- 20pts, 6rebs, 3blks
D. Wesley- 29pts, 7rebs
M. James- 3pts, 4asts
B. Sura- 9pts, 6asts
S. Padgett- 3rebs, 1ast
S. Hunter- 2pts, 5rebs, 2blks
S. Marion- 19pts, 10rebs, 2stls
W. McCarty- 6pts, 3rebs
J. Johnson- 26pts, 8rebs, 4asts
S. Nash- 20pts, 8asts, 2stls
L. Barbosa- 3asts
Q. Richardson- 18pts, 7rebs, 3asts
A. Stoudemire- 5pts, 8rebs, 3blks
Game Photos
Yao shooting the short jumper over Marion
David Wesley has become the unsung hero in this series
McGrady tipping the ball in off the offensive rebound
Bob Sura dished out six assists against the Suns
Richardson dunking over Yao with two hands
Nash making the big fadeaway shot with 1 second left on the shot clock
Joe Johnson is averaging 24.5ppg during the series
Yao blocking Stoudemire's layup
Wed Apr 27, 2005 1:40 pm
shit this is all leaning for a sweep..... 
Wed Apr 27, 2005 6:40 pm
Yao was a monster on the boards man... Matrix for MVP! Lol
Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:57 am
shit this is all leaning for a sweep.....
maybe; maybe not
i cant really say because like i said, this is the hardest team ive played in the playoffsYao was a monster on the boards man... Matrix for MVP! Lol
yea, he grabbed a bunch of off. rebs and had putbacks.
Thu Apr 28, 2005 2:02 am
sound like you had an exciting game 
Thu Apr 28, 2005 4:34 am
Finally a close one!
Good luck in getting the sweep.
Good luck in getting the sweep.
Thu Apr 28, 2005 5:49 am
Damn, you are on a roll! You NEED to lose damn it.
Thu Apr 28, 2005 6:10 am
nice game i like close games in my dynasty i luv making clutch shots 
Thu Apr 28, 2005 6:55 am
damn i didnt wanna flood ur dynasty with this but Miami is taking it this year and im not a bandwagon hopper, ive been a heat fan since ive liked basketball which was like '97, i was like 9, and "tim bug" was my fav playa, but anyways great game Mafia, ur coverage gets better with ery round, cant wait for the finals coverage IF u make it that far, do u have anything special planned?
Thu Apr 28, 2005 10:09 am
sound like you had an exciting game
trust me, it was. big shot after big shot. those the types of games i love to play
Finally a close one!
Good luck in getting the sweep.
yea, i knew we were gonna have some close games sooner or later
Damn, you are on a roll! You NEED to lose damn it.
sorry riot for winning too much nice game i like close games in my dynasty i luv making clutch shots
yea, close games are fun to play. that shot that nash made with 1 second left on the shot clock for me just made me happy because i was down 4 with under a minute left and i thought the cpu was gonna pull one of those glitches where they just make every shot
damn i didnt wanna flood ur dynasty with this but Miami is taking it this year and im not a bandwagon hopper, ive been a heat fan since ive liked basketball which was like '97, i was like 9, and "tim bug" was my fav playa, but anyways great game Mafia, ur coverage gets better with ery round, cant wait for the finals coverage IF u make it that far, do u have anything special planned?
thanks on the compliment. if i make the finals, i will definitely try to add a little more to the game. don't know exactly what im gonna do, but it will be something new added like i added the stats to my preview for the west finals.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I won't be able to update today because I'm very busy along with the Grizzlies playing tonight. I may be able to post the preview if I have a little time, but as for the recap, I don't think I will be able to do that.
Thu Apr 28, 2005 11:44 am
SUNS VS. ROCKETS
Toyota Center, Houston, 8:30 p.m., PST
TV, radio: ESPN; KTAR 620
SEASON RECORD: Rockets, 49-33; Suns, 64-18.
SEASON SERIES: 3-1 Suns
PLAYOFF SERIES: 2-0 Suns
INJURY REPORT:
KEY PLAYERS ON SUNS
Amare Stoudemire- 30.7ppg, 11rpg vs. Kings
Shawn Marion- 19.8ppg, 10.8rpg, 4.4apg in playoffs
Joe Johnson- 20.2ppg vs. Kings
KEY PLAYERS ON ROCKETS
Yao Ming- 19.2ppg, 11.6rpg in playoffs
Tracy McGrady- 22ppg, 8.7rpg, 5.4apg during season
David Wesley- 18ppg in playoffs
MATCHUP REVIEW
1/5/05 @HOU 100-91 Suns
3/11/05 @PHO 106-93 Rockets
4/3/05 @HOU 92-85 Suns
4/9/05 @PHO 81-90Suns
TEAM COMPARISON
PPG- 106.6
RPG- 42.3
APG- 25.6
BPG- 5.7
SPG- 8.0
TPG- 13.4
FPG- 21.6
FG%- 48% (1st in league)
3P%- 39% (1st in league)
FT%- 80% (5th in league)
PPG- 98.0
RPG- 42.4
APG- 24.9
BPG- 5.8
SPG- 8.0
TPG- 11.8
FPG- 19.9
FG%- 45% (3rd in league)
3P%- 36% (3rd in league)
FT%- 81% (3rd in league)
GAME-BY-GAME STAR COMPARISON
G/F Tracy McGrady
1/5/05 - 12pts, 9rebs, 3asts
3/11/05 - 19pts, 9rebs, 4asts
4/3/05 - 21pts, 5rebs, 4asts
4/9/05 - 8asts, 5rebs, 1ast
Season Series Average 15ppg, 7rpg, 3.5apg
C/F Amare Stoudemire
1/5/05 - 23pts, 10rebs
3/11/05 - 24pts, 13rebs
4/3/05 - 20pts, 10rebs
4/9/05 - 16pts, 12rebs
Season Series Average 20.7ppg, 11.2rpg
HOUSTON, (Ticker) -- Phoenix head back on the road tonight after their two games in Phoenix. They were able to establish a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals heading to Houston which puts most of the pressure on the Rockets in order to try and tie the series at the Toyota Center. "All because we are up 2-0 doesn't mean anything is guarenteed," Stoudemire said. "The Rockets are a great team with two great all-stars on it to go along with solid vets, so we have to come out and play strong every night if we want to win the series." The Rockets have been able to keep the pace of the game in their favor and the Suns didn't score in the 100+ point category for the first time during the playoffs in Game 2. "LIke I said after Game 1, we do a great job playing our style of play, but when the 4th quarter come, we have to make the big shots," Coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "We hit big shots in Game 2, but we came up short at the end."
Tracy McGrady was interviewed during Thursday's practice at the Toyota Center and he was very serious about winning Game 3. "I know we can play better than the way we are playing," McGrady said. "The Suns are a great team, but that doesn't mean we can beat them. Game 2 was a fight til' the end, and our results improved as a team, but we still didn't get the W which is what counts. Tonight, we have to get that win to put some pressure on Phoenix." Some of the unsung heroes that Houston has had through this series so far has been David Wesley who is averaging 25ppg and 5.5rpg and Juwan Howard who is averaging 16ppg and 10rpg. "Those players have did their part during the playoffs and we as a team have to step it up like these players have done," Van Gundy said. "We didn't get this far for no reason." Statistically wise, the Rockets matchup against the Suns very well and judging by the acts in Game 2, they are finding more ways to stop the Suns on offense.
PROBABLE STARTERS
C-Yao Ming
PF-Juwan Howard
SF-Tracy McGrady
SG-David Wesley
PG-Bob Sura
C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash
Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:14 am
I have finished Game 3, so expect it to be up very shortly. I was busy today as well, but was able to finish the game. Keep on the lookout for this update because its was a good game.
Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:38 am
i guess you win again 
Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:48 am
Yeah, the first series was the most interesting, then it got dull from there.
Fri Apr 29, 2005 10:04 am
Sura Makes Crucial Shot
Rockets take Game 3 in a thriller
FINAL 1 2 3 4 T
Suns 25 23 30 28 116
Rockets 23 34 25 35 117
Suns-116
Rockets-117
Sura shooting the off-balanced jumper over Nash with 2.2 secs left on the clock
HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- If anybody told you that the Rockets would win Game 3 off a game winning shot by Sura with Yao and McGrady not getting to touch the ball on the last play, you would probably laugh very hard. Well, that exact scenario happened last night in the Toyota Center. Tracy McGrady stepped up into postseason form, leading his team with 31 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Despite him going off tonight, Sura was still the man of the night, scoring 22 points and going for the big shot. "Sura did a great job tonight shooting the ball," Jeff Van Gundy said. "He put us in a great position to win the game when we have him scoring that many points along with our star players going off."
Phoenix finally ended their scoring drought at the 10:05 mark when Stoudemire was found under the goal for the easy slam. The Suns trailed 86-80 after the score. McGrady couldn't be stopped after knocking down a 3 and then threw down a 360 windmill off a fastbreak to give HOuston its biggest lead of the game leading 91-80. Phoenix was able to cut the Rockets lead to 8 points after Richardson made a 3 at the 6:35 mark. The Suns kept closing in after Stoudemire used his power to get a two hand dunk on Howard that cut the lead to 100-97. The game was tied at 100-100 after Barbosa made a bigtime bomb with the shot clock expiring with 4:47 left in the game.
Yao Ming went into the paint to recieve the ball and made an easy layup that put the Rockets up 102-100. With 2:45 left to play, David Wesley shot a fadeaway jumper that went in to put the Rockets up 110-104. Marion shot a 3 that could've put the Suns within' 2 pints, but he missed and Stoudemire grabbed the offensive board and had a putback to make it 113-110 with 1:32 left. After the Rockets couldn't connect on theirn ext possession, Nash pushed the ball up the court and laid it in that gave him 30 points and made the score 113-112. Yao was caught in the corner and was forced to jack up a long two that hit the side of the rim. Howard tried to tip it back in, but the attempt failed and the Suns grabbed the rebound with 39.8 seconds left. Nash ran a simple pick with Stoudemire, then launched a 3 that hit all net to put the Suns up 115-113 with 29.4 seconds left.
After the Rockets called their timeout, Sura passed the ball to Wesley who shot a contested 3 that rimmed off the side. Yao was there for the putback and he missed. Hunter grabbed the rebound and was fouled quickly by Yao, but Houston had a foul to give so the Suns inbounded the ball to Johnson who was fouled by Wesley with 19.6 seconds left. Johnson missed the first one, but sinked the 2nd one to put the Suns up 116-113. The Rockets ended up using another timeout called by McGrady. Houston went in for the quick two with Yao who made a free throw line jumper with 15.8 seconds left. Richardson recieved the inbounds pass and was fouled by Sura with 14.9 seconds left.
Richardson missed both free throws and Houston quickly grabbed the rebound and used their final timeout with 14 ticks left. The Rockets found Sura at the top of the key who was looking for Yao, but couldn't give him the ball with Stoudemire fronting the post, so Sura called for a pick from Yao and Stoudemire quickly contained Sura when Nash was hit with the pick. Sura had no options so he had to jack up an off balanced jumper that went in with 1.4 seconds left. Phoenix used one of their two timeouts to set up a quick dribble and shoot play. Richardson looked for Johnson who ran to the left wing and quickly shot over Wesley that hit the front of the rim as time expired.
Rockets -Team- Suns
47-Rebounds-46
31-Assists-25
7-Steals-10
5-Blocks-6
20-Fouls-21
14-TO's-11
46/93-FG-43/95
12/28-3PFG-8/18
12/20-FT-23/26
15-Off. Reb-17
32-Def. Reb-29
Y. Ming- 16pts, 10rebs
J. Howard- 21pts, 6rebs
T. McGrady- 31pts, 8rebs, 4asts
D. Wesley- 9pts, 7asts
B. Sura- 22pts, 8asts, 5rebs
M. James- 9pts
D. Mutombo, 5rebs
S. Padgett- 3pts
C. Weatherspoon- 5pts, 6rebs
A. Stoudemire- 20pts, 13rebs, 2blks
J. Jackson- 6pts
Q. Richardson- 13pts, 5rebs
J. Johnson- 19pts, 9asts
S. Nash- 33pts, 4rebs, 7asts
L. Barbosa- 5pts, 2asts
S. Marion- 16pts, 11rebs, 4asts
S. Hunter- 5rebs, 3asts
W. McCarty- 4pts, 4rebs
Game Photos
Yao posted a double-double with 16pts and 10rebs
T-Mac throwing down the 360 windmill
Stoudemire sporting his new kicks getting the two hand slam
Quentin Richardson going up for the finger roll
Mike James scored 9 points off the bench for the Rockets
Marion running around the pick set by Stoudemire
Johnson dished out a playoff-high 9 assists tonight
Rockets take Game 3 in a thriller
FINAL 1 2 3 4 T
Suns 25 23 30 28 116
Rockets 23 34 25 35 117
Suns-116
Rockets-117
Sura shooting the off-balanced jumper over Nash with 2.2 secs left on the clock
HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- If anybody told you that the Rockets would win Game 3 off a game winning shot by Sura with Yao and McGrady not getting to touch the ball on the last play, you would probably laugh very hard. Well, that exact scenario happened last night in the Toyota Center. Tracy McGrady stepped up into postseason form, leading his team with 31 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Despite him going off tonight, Sura was still the man of the night, scoring 22 points and going for the big shot. "Sura did a great job tonight shooting the ball," Jeff Van Gundy said. "He put us in a great position to win the game when we have him scoring that many points along with our star players going off."
Phoenix finally ended their scoring drought at the 10:05 mark when Stoudemire was found under the goal for the easy slam. The Suns trailed 86-80 after the score. McGrady couldn't be stopped after knocking down a 3 and then threw down a 360 windmill off a fastbreak to give HOuston its biggest lead of the game leading 91-80. Phoenix was able to cut the Rockets lead to 8 points after Richardson made a 3 at the 6:35 mark. The Suns kept closing in after Stoudemire used his power to get a two hand dunk on Howard that cut the lead to 100-97. The game was tied at 100-100 after Barbosa made a bigtime bomb with the shot clock expiring with 4:47 left in the game.
Yao Ming went into the paint to recieve the ball and made an easy layup that put the Rockets up 102-100. With 2:45 left to play, David Wesley shot a fadeaway jumper that went in to put the Rockets up 110-104. Marion shot a 3 that could've put the Suns within' 2 pints, but he missed and Stoudemire grabbed the offensive board and had a putback to make it 113-110 with 1:32 left. After the Rockets couldn't connect on theirn ext possession, Nash pushed the ball up the court and laid it in that gave him 30 points and made the score 113-112. Yao was caught in the corner and was forced to jack up a long two that hit the side of the rim. Howard tried to tip it back in, but the attempt failed and the Suns grabbed the rebound with 39.8 seconds left. Nash ran a simple pick with Stoudemire, then launched a 3 that hit all net to put the Suns up 115-113 with 29.4 seconds left.
After the Rockets called their timeout, Sura passed the ball to Wesley who shot a contested 3 that rimmed off the side. Yao was there for the putback and he missed. Hunter grabbed the rebound and was fouled quickly by Yao, but Houston had a foul to give so the Suns inbounded the ball to Johnson who was fouled by Wesley with 19.6 seconds left. Johnson missed the first one, but sinked the 2nd one to put the Suns up 116-113. The Rockets ended up using another timeout called by McGrady. Houston went in for the quick two with Yao who made a free throw line jumper with 15.8 seconds left. Richardson recieved the inbounds pass and was fouled by Sura with 14.9 seconds left.
Richardson missed both free throws and Houston quickly grabbed the rebound and used their final timeout with 14 ticks left. The Rockets found Sura at the top of the key who was looking for Yao, but couldn't give him the ball with Stoudemire fronting the post, so Sura called for a pick from Yao and Stoudemire quickly contained Sura when Nash was hit with the pick. Sura had no options so he had to jack up an off balanced jumper that went in with 1.4 seconds left. Phoenix used one of their two timeouts to set up a quick dribble and shoot play. Richardson looked for Johnson who ran to the left wing and quickly shot over Wesley that hit the front of the rim as time expired.
Rockets -Team- Suns
47-Rebounds-46
31-Assists-25
7-Steals-10
5-Blocks-6
20-Fouls-21
14-TO's-11
46/93-FG-43/95
12/28-3PFG-8/18
12/20-FT-23/26
15-Off. Reb-17
32-Def. Reb-29
Y. Ming- 16pts, 10rebs
J. Howard- 21pts, 6rebs
T. McGrady- 31pts, 8rebs, 4asts
D. Wesley- 9pts, 7asts
B. Sura- 22pts, 8asts, 5rebs
M. James- 9pts
D. Mutombo, 5rebs
S. Padgett- 3pts
C. Weatherspoon- 5pts, 6rebs
A. Stoudemire- 20pts, 13rebs, 2blks
J. Jackson- 6pts
Q. Richardson- 13pts, 5rebs
J. Johnson- 19pts, 9asts
S. Nash- 33pts, 4rebs, 7asts
L. Barbosa- 5pts, 2asts
S. Marion- 16pts, 11rebs, 4asts
S. Hunter- 5rebs, 3asts
W. McCarty- 4pts, 4rebs
Game Photos
Yao posted a double-double with 16pts and 10rebs
T-Mac throwing down the 360 windmill
Stoudemire sporting his new kicks getting the two hand slam
Quentin Richardson going up for the finger roll
Mike James scored 9 points off the bench for the Rockets
Marion running around the pick set by Stoudemire
Johnson dished out a playoff-high 9 assists tonight
Fri Apr 29, 2005 10:07 am
Eastern Conference Finals
(3)
83
(5)
99
Pistons lead series 3-0
(3)
83
(5)
99
Pistons lead series 3-0