ROCKETS VS BOBCATS "Bobcats draw first blood; Yao ends it"
Monday Mar 3, 2008 Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
PRE-GAME REPORT
MATCH-UP REVIEW
12/08/2007 CHA@HOU 91-94 (W)
03/03/2008 HOU@CHA TBD
INJURY STATUS
MING, YAO (HOU) - sore elbow (will play) - Upgraded 02/29; Recovery 33%; Duration 6 days; Tracking On Target
WILES, JESSIE (CHA) - broken finger (will not play) - Occurred 2/13 - Recovery 85%; Duration 3 weeks; Tracking Early
BREZEC, PRIMOZ (CHA) - back spasm (will not play) - Occurred 3/02 - Recovery 25%; Duration 4 days; Tracking On Target
WILLIE CHOW'S SCOUTING REPORT - CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
The Bobcats leader in offensive rebounds is Emeka Okafor with 3.6 a game;
Charlotte is ranked 28th in Free Throw percentage;
Charlotte is 1st in the league in swats per game.Their top shot blocker is Emeka Okafor who averages 2.25 per contest;
Charlotte is ranked 16th in fouls;
Emeka Okafor is the strongest player on the Bobcats;
The Bobcats are currently 4th in their division;
Raymond Felton can be lethal on the drive as his quick first step helps him blow by his defender
GAME RECAPLET'S GET PHYSICAL!Both teams looked to establish inside superiority early; unfortunately things got a little
too physical for Houston's,
Tracy McGrady. With neither team able to score on their first few possessions, McGrady elected to attack the basket which had been a successful tactic in his two recent matches versus the Kings and Warriors; but this time, McGrady was met by stiff opposition in the form of the league's leading shot blocker,
Emeka Okafor. A tremendous and jarring block sent McGrady grabbing for his wrist in pain and to the bench for the remainder of the 1st quarter.

With McGrady sidelined, the Rockets picked up their defense tremendously and soon Okafor found himself sidelined after an awkward landing fighting for a rebound against
Yao Ming; with tempers flaring and things getting chippy, Bobcat's point guard,
Raymond Felton, tweaked his back only moments later after a hard foul by,
Deron Williams, who was in turn shoved by center,
Chris Kaman, in Felton's defense. Both Williams and Kaman received technicals in an attempt to get the heated contest back under control.

A BAD DECISION?Against his better judgement, head coach
Phil Jackson elected to play McGrady, who insisted on playing midway through the 2nd quarter; McGrady continued to score and help the team but also seemed to wince in pain everytime he handled the ball. Sensing the injury, the Bobcats continued with tough, physical defense everytime the Rocket's star swingman touched the rock.

Luckily for Houston, Yao began to exert himself offensively and gave the Rockets a 5 point cushion going into halftime. But that lead would all but vanish in the second half as Charlotte's brutish front line wore Yao down and brought the 'Cats within striking range with the game winding down to the final minutes.
LATE GAME HEROICSWith 16.9 seconds left in the 4th and the Rockets holding to a slim 90-89 lead, Okafor appeared to make a costly mistake by fouling
Marvin Williams after being baited to jump early on a nice pump fake; Williams calmly buried both free throws giving Houston a 92-89 lead and what appeared to be possible victory.

After quick timeout, however,
Raymond Felton rose to the occasion. Able to lose his defender in a switch mix up, Felton pulled up for the shot attempt and smoothly stroked a long trey, leaving 12 seconds remaining and the score knotted 92-92 (see,
"Clutch Play of the Day" below ). Stunned, the Rockets were unable to convert on their final possession in regulation and the game was forced into overtime.
ROCKETS BATTEN DOWN IN OT D-Will would foul out in the extra period, but not after his 4 quick points and an assist gave the Rockets an early 6 point edge. The Bobcats offense seemed spent and deflated in the extra period so Yao Ming finished them off scoring Houston's last 8 points, altering shot attempts and gathering crucial defensive rebounds down the stretch to seal the win.


"A tough one tonight," said Ming following the contest. "We're pretty banged up as it is and Tracy took a hard hit early on. He's being examined right now but seemed in good spirits; I think he'll be alright."
Yao finished the night with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists while McGrady, despite injuring his wrist early in the contest, still managed to lead Houston in scoring with 24 points, adding 5 boards and 4 assists.
Raymond Felton lead Charlotte with a nice 18 point, 10 assist double-double night while
Dajuan Wagner pumped in 21 points and added 2 boards and 3 assists.
NOTES
The Rockets continue a blazing win streak with their 7th consecutive win;
Houston did a terrific job controlling the glass out-rebounding Charlotte 46-33 and again reached the free-throw line consistently nailing 26-of-30 attempts to the Bobcats' 11-of-18 from the line;
The Rockets will go for 8 straight versus the Memphis Grizzlies as Mike Miller and Pau Gasol come to town tomorrow night
BOXSCORE HOU 113
CHA 104 Final OT
Player of the Game
Players at the Half


Felton hits the huge trey at the end of regulation to tie the score 92-92 sending things into OT
MORE PHOTOS
Anthony Sato controls the glass | Martell Webster with a smooth reverse
Miles Foreman throws it down over Sean May | Martell Webster glides in for the layup
Dajuan Wagner with the easy layup | Coach Jackson checks on McGrady at the half
Eddie Griffin (RIP May 30, 1982 – Aug 17, 2007) lives on through my dynasty - yo go Griff! Just watch out for Mutombo
Rookie forward, Anthony Sato, lights it up from downtown then helps Mike James clobber Chris Kaman
EARLY INJURY PROGNOSIS
