Lv06|ROCKETS-2| Officially Closed.

[Clutch]

Are you goin to play al 82 games out? Or sim to the playoffs or what? either way is fine... good luck

no, not planning to sim to the playoffs but want to change the layout/format a little bit (hopefully next update); recently did a full format of my laptop so it's taken a while to get everything re-installed

[Clutch]

RAPTORS VS ROCKETS
Mon Dec 17, 2007 Toyota Center, Houston, TX

BOXSCORE TOR 96 Hou 93 Final
Player of the Game

It was no contest in a battle of rookie Power Forwards as Toronto's 42nd overall pick in this year's draft, Hasani Bowelle, surprisingly outplayed Houston's, Jafari Cotton, the #2 overall draft pick acquired from Atlanta, leading the Raptors to a 96-93 road victory at the Toyota Center. Bowelle, a native of Trikala, Greece, dazzled the Rocket's crowd with a variety of finesse post moves and short jumpers, relying on excellent speed and footwork to tally a team-high 25 points off 12-for-16 shooting while snatching 13 rebounds and 2 blocks. In addition, Bowelle's superior quickness flustered Cotton all game; JC finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks

All-Stars Chris Bosh and Yao Ming offset each other in the paint with near identical stats on the night, collecting 16 points and 3 assists a piece, though Bosh would have a slight edge with 13 rebounds to Yao's 11 plus 2 blocked shots

Tracy McGrady led all Rockets' scorers with 38 points and added 5 rebounds in the losing effort


Hasani Bowelle rejects JC empathically | Bowelle on the offensive end spikes home the slam

A rare dunk by the veteran Mutombo | Chris Bosh attacks the rim; all Coach Jackson can do is watch
_____




"Hardwood Classics" Night

LAKERS VS ROCKETS
Wed Dec 19, 2007 Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Chow's Scouting Report - LAL

BOXSCORE LAL 86 HOU 97 Final
Players at the Half
Player of the Game

After a previous sub-par perfomance against Houston, Kobe Bryant seemed absolutely determined to dismantle the Rockets in front of their home crowd all by himself - at least through the first half. In an other-worldly display of offense, Bryant was completely on fire to start the game, connecting on his first 11 shot attempts, scoring 29 points, before finally missing a shot at the 5:28 mark of the 2nd quarter

"Kobe was in a crazy zone," said Rockets Guard Joey Graham, who had the unfortunate task of guarding Bryant during his early scoring tear. "No matter who was on him, what defensive looks we threw at him or who was in the paint waiting for him, he was gonna score; I was just worried he was gonna go for 80 plus on me."

But after a brilliant first half in which Bryant scored 31 points off a blistering 12-for-15 shooting, he strangely and completely stopped shooting all together, deferring to his teammates and attempting only three shots (connecting on two of them) in the entire second half

When asked about the sudden 2nd-half ceasefire, an obviously frustrated Bryant responded, "Look, if I'm told I'm shooting too much, that I'm not getting the rest of the team involved, then I'm gonna pass it and let someone else take the shot; I'm just following orders." Byrant ended the night with a team-high 35 points while collecting 4 rebounds and 4 assists

Tracy McGrady dueled Bryant in his own display of scoring prowess, just in a more evenly spread manner, finishing the night with a team-high 33 points while adding 3 rebounds and 2 assists including 9-of-10 from the free-throw stripe

Asked about Bryant's odd second-half offensive disappearance, McGrady commented, "I'm not really sure but there was definitely some closed-door, locker-room drama going on over there at the half," referring to a rumored rift between Bryant and Laker Head Coach, Rick Adelman. "Whatever went down, it left us a window of opportunity so we took it."

"We were… err… mm… simply trying to get others involved," said Coach Adelman following the loss. "Kobe's an amazing and gifted scorer but if we're going to accomplish anything significant as a team this season, we'll need to make sure everyone stays involved."

Coach Phil Jackson commented, "It's a tough situation for the Lakers right now. Kobe's such a rare talent and use to a different system and way of doing things; Coach Adelman definitely has his work cut out for him in the months ahead."

The Rockets next face former teammates, Shane Battier and Kirk Snyder, as well as rising stars, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith as they travel to Georgia to take on the Atlanta Hawks



Unstoppable: Kobe Bryant put on a jaw-dropping scoring exhibition in the first half

Gerald Green with the showtime stuff | Lakers' rookie sensation, Juwan Rice, takes it strong to the hole

McGrady heats up in the second half | A strong contribution from Marvin Williams off the bench



Bryant floats the jumper over the Rockets' best defender for 2 of his team-high 35 points
_____

ROCKETS VS HAWKS
Thur Dec 20, 2007 Phillips Arena, Atlanta, GA

BOXSCORE HOU 97 ATL 91 Final
Player of the Game

The Atlanta Hawks crumpled under the tremendous one-two punch of Houston's dynamic duo, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, who combined for 52 of the Rockets 97 points leading to the road win. McGrady had a solid all-around game tallying 27 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists while Yao gathered 12 rebounds to go along with his 25 points.

Josh Smith led the way for the Hawks with 22 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists while former Rockets Shane Battier and Kirk Snyder were hardly factors combining for 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 25 minutes between the two

The Rockets next prepare for a rematch against Jason Terry, Erick Dampier and an injury-plagued Dallas Mavericks team at the Toyota Center


JC goes high for the alley-oop | Josh Smith with the uncontested dunk

Former Rocket Kirk Snyder elevates for a monstrous stuff | McGrady nails for trey with the shot clock winding down

[buzzy]

That format is tight, i really like that you're makin many screens.
And nice wins, TMac was hot all night.

[Its_asdf]

Good to see you bounce back from a loss (to Toronto, woot ). Kobe anal raped you this time around, but I'm glad to see you come out with the win and follow it up with another solid one over Atlanta. I was hoping for Marvin Williams to drop 80 on the Hawks' ass for trading him though.

I'm also happy to see McGrady tear it up those three games. Cotton has been struggling, but I guess thats ok when you have a guy like T-Mac that you can rely on.

The "Game of the Week" format is a pretty interesting idea. If I wasn't playing a 29 game season I probably would have stolen that.

[Mark.]

Nice presentation dude, what are T-mac's numbers for the season?

[Clutch]

buzzy - thx man; i'm still playing around with the format but glad you dig it so far;

Its_asdf - yeah yeah Raptors stole one; thought for sure JC would abuse their 42nd pick but go figure... and Kobe? He definitely had his way (wouldn't go as far as what you described lol) but he did have his way; no clue why the AI switched off on him either; I thought for sure he'd be dropping 50+ on me but he refused to shoot in the 2nd half; must've installed 'Primadonna Patch ver.k24' and didn't realize it; ah well... gives me more juice for the 'Bryant/Adelman feud' side story; oh and the 'GotW' Format? I wanted a format that was flexible so I could quick summarize so-so games and expand on exciting ones; I'll try it this way for a while and feel free to use whatever; just give me props in fine print

Mark - appreciate it man and TMac's nos (actually the whole team's) I got curious about too after you asked; I looked into it and you can check by clicking here: HOU_BytheNumbers

TMac's scoring is up but everything else has dropped off considerably; either he's slacking or he's finally got some talent around him and doesn't have to carry all the load; Green, Graham and Williams are stepping up their games and buying TMac some valuable rest so it's all good in the long run

[Chaser7]

Sick dude, it'd be ncie if you could use that graphic for "game of the week" for every game but its a lotta work I know...

[Clutch]

Sick dude, it'd be ncie if you could use that graphic for "game of the week" for every game but its a lotta work I know...

thx and it's not too bad now that a template's set up; i could use it every game but i want to keep the season advancing quicker and still be thorough with game coverage; so i needed a flexible system that covers key stuff for regular games but let's me focus on ones i want to go more in-depth with

[Clutch]

MAVERICKS VS ROCKETS
Sun Dec 23, 2007 Toyota Center, Houston, TX

BOX SCORE DAL 111 HOU 108 Final
Player of the Game

With Dirk Nowitzki back in the starting line-up but nursing a sore toe, the Dallas Mavericks still managed to cruise to a road victory by forcing the Rockets to play out-of-character, up-tempo style basketball

Jerry Stackhouse had a terrific night and led the charge for the Mavs, pouring in a team-high 32 points while collecting 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals with no turnovers

Asked about the Mavericks' rocky start and Rockets' early season success Stackhouse replied, "The injury bug hit us pretty hard early on; but now we're all finally getting healthy so things are looking bright. The Rockets? Nah, we're not worried about them at all; personally, I think their defense is overrated."

"We panicked and didn't play our game," said coach Phil Jackson following the loss. "Give them a lot of credit; they moved the ball well and took quick but high percentage shots. When a team pushes tempo on you like they did, there's a tendency to try and keep up so we took a lot of rushed shots where we normally wouldn't. We'll need to do a better job next time keeping our composure."

Tracy McGrady led the way for Houston with 26 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists but struggled on 4-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc


T-Mac in flight avoids the Mutombo screen for the finger-roll | Stackhouse on the attack for the basket-and-1

JC takes it strong against Dirk but Nowitzki returns the favor at the other end

T-Mac with a monster flush off the offensive rebound

Mutombo snuffs the Dampier shot attempt | "The Man of the Hour" - Stackhouse sends home the exclamation point
_____

KNICKS VS ROCKETS
Wed Dec 26, 2007 Toyota Center, Houston, TX

BOXSCORE NYK 100 HOU 97 Final
Player of the Game

One day after Christmas and New York's veteran point guard, Steve Francis, was still in a "Santa" mood, dishing out a team-high 7 assists and personally delivering to Phil Jackson and the Rockets their second consecutive loss at home.

Though Francis would only play 23 minutes and struggle from the field with 2-of-8 shooting, his aggressive drives to the basket against a porous Rockets defense would get him to the free throw stripe regularly, where he would convert 9-of 10 and inspire his teammates to do the same. As a result, the Knicks would be sent to the free-throw line 31 times to the Rockets 16 and have six players score in double-digits by the end of the game. Francis finished the night with 14 points and 7 assists

Yao Ming had a solid double-double night for the Rockets finishing with 20 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks


Yao in the paint | Ridnour dishes to T-Mac and signals the made basket even before it leaves his hands

T-Mac leaks out as Yao skies high for the defensive rebound
_____



ROCKET VS JAZZ
Fri Dec 28, 2007 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT

BOXSCORE HOU 103 UTA 98 Final
Players at the Half
Player of the Game

Wong's Scouting Report - UTA

After losing two straight at home and facing a tough match against the Utah Jazz, one might suspect the Houston Rockets confidence level could be faltering; but this was not the case. In fact, the Rockets would find energy in the inspired play of their rookie phenom, Jafari Cotton

The game was a slow grudge match for all four quarters with neither team able to maintain a sizeable advantage over the other. Carlos Boozer led the way for the Jazz with an Allstar performance, punishing the Rockets interior defense and controlling the glass at both ends of the court. Boozer finished the game with a team-hight 31 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assist and 2 steals

"Boozer was a beast," said Cotton following the game. "I knew he was having a great game so I just wanted to keep fighting back no matter how hard he came at me. I may be just a rookie, but the Rockets brought me here for one reason - toughness in the paint - and that's what I intend to bring every night."

The game was not decided, however, till the final seconds after Mehmet Okur drained a clutch baseline jumper giving the Jazz a 98-97 lead with 26.9 left in regulation

After a coach Jackson timeout, all eyes were on superstar Tracy McGrady who flashed out beyond the three-point arc drawing defenders but the ball was inbounded to Yao Ming at the top of the key. Yao, seeing that McGrady was heavily guarded, swung the ball to point guard, Luke Ridnour, who was tightly covered by Utah's, Deron Williams. Unable to drive past the quicker defender and with the game clock off, Ridnour pulled up for a gutsy shot attempt and buried a trey right in Williams' face, giving the Rockets a 100-98 edge with 21.2 seconds left

Utah would blow it's next two possessions, both rebounded by Jafari Cotton, who in turn was fouled each time and sealed the Rockets' victory by connecting on 3-of-4 free throw attempts. JC not only captured "Player of the Game" honors but led the Rockets in scoring with a career-high 23 points, while adding 9 rebounds and 3 steals


Carlos Boozer with an All-Star night both defensively and offensively

Green rams it home over Okur | Graham to the rack with authority

JC takes it home for the solo dunk after one of his 3 steals | Joey Graham with an acrobatic reverse

Okur hits a big shot giving Utah the 1 point lead | Coach Jackson at his best with 26.9 on the clock and trailing by one


With the game clock off, Luke Ridnour drains the clutch trey to give the Rockets the lead for good
_____

76ERS VS ROCKETS
Sat Dec 29, 2007 Toyota Center, Houston, TX

BOXSCORE PHI 87 HOU 98 Final
Player of the Game


Rookie Forward, Jafari Cotton, closed out the year 2007 by capturing "Player of the Game" honors for the second time in as many nights in a decisive victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers. JC's impressive 14 point, 11 rebound, 5 assist night solidified a Rockets' strong third quarter offensive push and defensive lockdown, holding the 76ers to 13 points in the quarter and giving Houston a 20 point lead entering the final quarter

Philadelphia, led by the inspired efforts of Center, Samuel Dalembert, would make a run in the final period to narrow the gap to single digits but fell short as time expired. Dalembert had a double-double on the night finishing with 24 points and 11 boards off 12-of-16 shooting from the field

"Perfect way to end the year," said McGrady following the game. "JC's stepped up his game lately and so has our bench; Gerald and Marvin are playing solid and giving me some great rest minutes. I haven't been this excited about my supporting cast in a long, long time."

The Rockets will have a few days off to celebrate the New Year but are back to business on January 2nd hosting one of the league's defensive finest, the Detroit Pistons


Gerald Green smashed one down | Andre Iguodala returns the favor

Iguodala strikes again, this time with the reverse jam | Dalembert with a huge night throws one down

[Clutch]

SEASON STANDINGS






LEAGUE LEADERS
(Select category below)
Points
Field Goals
Three-pointers
Free Throws
Rebounds
Blocks
Steals
Assists
Minutes

MVP CANDIDATES


MONTH IN REVIEW

[buzzy]

Miami's got the second worst record in the league, but Shaq's the top MVP candidate.

Man, you are in a very strong division (NOH ) ..

[Its_asdf]

Damn, with a record of 21-10 you'd expect to be near the top of your division... Or maybe its just that I've been a Raptor fan watching Atlantic division games for too long...

Pretty suprising to see Utah only 10-17, especially with the way that Boozer tore you up. I'm ashamed of being a Deron Williams fan after seing some Tankosic scrub beat him out for the starting point guard position... I bet they'd be hell of a lot better if they developed him more.

[Clutch]

buzzy - Shaq's been on a monster tear since Wade was injured for weeks; Diesel can't be too happy about the Heat's record but Wade's finally healthy and back in the lineup; we'll see if he's enough to help turn things around...

Its_asdf - the West is downright lethal right now, especially the Southwest; i gotta feeling Dirk and the Mavs are going to be a thorn in Phil Jackson's side all season

Tankosic is still the surprise #1 draft pick this season (see page 1 for details) especially with Deron Williams showing much promise for the Jazz; but the rookie PG has so far been living up to the mark and putting up some (Tanko)sick numbers leading Utah with averages of 23.9 ppg and 6.5 apg as well as pulling 4.4 rpg and 1.28 spg

[Clutch]

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT REPORT - December 2007

Player - Attribute Current Rating (Start of Year)

Y. MING - O Aware 93(92); Dribble 64(63); Quick 73(72)

J. COTTON - FG 70(69); Dribble 53(51); Pass 64(63); Stl 48(47); Blk 70(67); D Reb 78(77); O Reb 63(62); D Aware 85(84); Jump 49(48); Str 73(72); Spd 46(45); Sta 59(57)

T. MCGRADY - Ins Scr 81(80); Dribble 88(87); D Reb 65(64); Jump 91(90); Spd 87(86)

J. GRAHAM - Blk 19(18); D Reb 54(53); O Reb 29(28); Jump 72(71)

L. RIDNOUR - STL 73(72)

R. ALSTON - Blk 5(4); D Reb 32(31); D Aware 37(36); Str 41(40); Sta 60(59)

G. GREEN - Ins Scr 68(66); O Aware 34(33); Dribble 80(79); Blk 35(33); O Reb 39(36); D Aware 39(37); Str 40(38); Spd 79(78); Sta 39(38)

D. MUTOMBO - Dribble 30(28); Pass 1(0); D Reb 78(77); O Reb 78(77); Jump 32(31)

I. RESPERT - FG 64(63); Ins Scr 65(64); Stl 65(64); O Reb 40(39); D Aware 36(34); Jump 61(60); Hardy 80(79)

J. NJINKEU - Ins Scr 65(64); Stl 48(47); Blk 42(41); D Reb 35(34); O Reb 33(31); D Aware 55(54); Jump 82(80); Str 54(53); Spd 61(60); Sta 38(37)

[Clutch]

ROCKETS HEADLINE NEWS - JAMES SIGNS WITH ROCKETS; ALSTON OUT?
Sun Dec 30, 2007 Houston, TX

The Houston Rockets have reached an agreement with James - not 'The King' - but free agent 6-year pro, Mike James, signing the veteran point guard to a 2-year contract worth 4.10M

"I'm real excited to be coming back," said the newest Rocket, who served a short stint with the team back in 2005 before being sent to Toronto for Rafer Alston. "This team has a lot of young talent, two of the league's best players in Yao and Tracy and one of the greatest coaches of all time; man, I can't wait."

Head Coach Phil Jackson commented during the announcement press conference, "We've been in contact with Mike for some time now and he's expressed great interest in joining our club. He's a capable passer, a strong, versatile scorer both inside and out but what he really brings to our ball club is a tough, perimeter defense mindset. I'm looking forward to working with him."

The signing of James make trade rumors for Sacramento's, Ron Artest, less likely due to salary cap limitations and shows coach Jackson's faith and commitment to young talents, Gerald Green and Marvin Williams. However, it does fuel the very real possibility that point guard, Rafer Alston, may be on the way out. Alston, who was rumored to be disgruntled about playing time and losing his starting point guard role to the excellent play of Luke Ridnour, has shown a steady statistical decline over the past three seasons

With the signing of James, the Rockets released second year guard, J.R. Njinkeu, the Rockets 53rd overall pick in 2006 who was serving the last year of his rookie contract




MODs - If you're reading this, can you nuke my 'Artest Trade' poll? Couldn't figure out how to myself; appreciate it!

[McDwyane]

Nice dynasty James is a superb addition

[Its_asdf]

Alston's contract is fairly long if I remember correctly. If you're planning on trading him, James is a cheap and competent replacement for Alston. Nice signing; even though Mike James gave me nightmares when he played for Toronto.

[Devin112]

great pick up, especially the price tag!

[Clutch]

Converse - thx man; i've got my fingers crossed

Its_asdf - yeah honestly i'm not a huge fan of the shoot-first PG but statistically he does play better offense and D than Alston (in '06 anyways); doubt he'll be passing much though; 'cheap and competent' is a good way to look at it

Devin112 - 'especially the pricetag' : i guess you noticed i hardballed him for .44M off his asking price

[Clutch]

ROCKETS HEADLINES NEWS - HOUSTON AND WASHINGTON REACH TRADE AGREEMENT
Wed Jan 2, 2007 Houston, TX

Only days after the signing of free agent veteran point guard, Mike James, the Houston Rockets reached an agreement with Washington, sending 8-year pro, Rafer Alston, and rookie forward, Ivan Respert, to the Wizards in exchange for 7-year pro forward, Eduardo Najera

Rockets' GM Daryl Morey announced, "In the interest of all parties involved, it's the right move. We thank Rafer for his invaluable contributions to the Rockets over the years and wish he and Ivan success in their new endeavors. In exchange, we bring in a tough-minded and versatile player in Najera whose years of playoff experience will prove invaluable to our younger players down the stretch."

Without openly expressing it, the trade also frees Morey and the Rockets of Alston's remaining 3-year contract and gives them flexibility come next season. Najera, 31, becomes the third oldest member on the Rockets roster next to Mike James, 32, and the NBA's current oldest active player in the league, Dikembe Mutombo at 41 years of age. Najera is fulfilling the final year of his contract which will pay him 4.95M for the season, after which he becomes an unresticted free agent

"Even though I was quickly moved to Dallas, I technically was drafted into the league by the Rockets so this is where it all began in a sense," said Najera. "I think it's fitting I return and hopefully can end my days here. I've battled against Tracy and Yao, both tremendous players, for several years now and it's going to be great having them on my side finally."

Both James and Najera should be available for tonight's matchup vs the Detroit Pistons

[Jing]

LOL the two players' player styles are at the opposite end of the spectrum. But I like Najera because of his style of play. Good trade

[kbryant24]

i love ur recaps.. seems like ur gonna make it to the playoffs

[TheMC5]

Nice trade for Najera. Expiring contracts are the greatest things ever in Live dynasties. I live and die by them, pretty much.

I'd like to officially start the "Joey Graham Blows, Give Gerald Green More Minutes" movement. Our first demand, is that you acknowledge that Joey Graham sucks. Our second demand is that you play Green some more. If not, the hostages (which we haven't yet taken), will make big signs proclaiming Graham's suckyness.

[Its_asdf]

I don't like Najera or Alston all that much, but It looks like it'll help you free up some cap space during the summer. I think its a solid acquisition in case one of your fowards gets injured and you need to fall back on a tough defensive minded player.

[Devin112]

I don't like Najera or Alston all that much, but It looks like it'll help you free up some cap space during the summer. I think its a solid acquisition in case one of your fowards gets injured and you need to fall back on a tough defensive minded player.

I'm totally with asdf.

Solid move, I can feel that you're setting something up next season for sure.