STARTING LINEUPS
Overall Team Ratings: HOU 76; UTA 82
Intervention: final 5 min (subs/timeouts only)
GAME RECAP
The game would be billed as a battle between potential 'Rookie of the Year' candidates: a first meeting between Houston's, Jafari 'JC' Cotton, drafted #2 overall by Atlanta then acquired by the Rockets through trade before the start of the season; and the #1 overall draft pick of 2007, Utah Point Guard, Sergei Tankosic. Tankosic, a 24 year old, 6'1" 201lbs Point Guard from Beirut, Lebanon, was initially booed by shocked Utah fans, when he was announced as #1 overall draft pick; many figured that 6'9" 262lbs Forward, Cotton, was the obvious choice for their team, especially with the steady emergence of 3rd-year Point Guard, Deron Williams, as a legitimate starter. In what many Utah fans would call, "the biggest blunder in Jazz draft history" and despite a negative welcoming reception, Tankosic, would surprise many people in only a few games, leading the Utah Jazz to a 2-1 start with team-highs of 22.3 points/game, 4.7 assists/game, and 2.33 steals/game while collecting 3.7 rebs/game. But tonight, Utah fans at the Delta Center were again left to ponder "what if" as Tankosic's early season brilliance was kept in check, struggling against a daunting Rockets defense and an offensive firepower simply known as, T-MAC.
Houston would lead the game by as many as 9 points going into the fourth quarter, sparked by the excellent defense of Houston's big men, Yao Ming, and Jafari Cotton. Each would finish with a double-double on the night: Yao with 12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks; and JC, with 10 points, 10 rebounds
But Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur would narrow the Houston lead to 85-84 with just over 2 minutes left in the game. McGrady would connect on a deep 3 giving the Rockets a 4 point advantage but Boozer and Andre Kirilenko would narrow the lead again to 90-88 with 1:10 left in the game
Both teams would fail to convert their next possessions and with under 30 seconds left in the game, Tracy McGrady , would again step to center stage. McGrady would find Yao in the post, then knife to the basket receiving a perfect pass back from Yao, a simple, fundamental give-and -go, and kiss a bank shot off the glass for a comfortable 92-88 lead; with the Jazz intentionally fouling, McGrady's solid free throw shooting would secure the win. In total, McGrady would score the Rockets final 13 points, finishing with 28 points, 8 rebounds, including 5-of-5 from the free throw line
"Tracy, was just incredible in the crunch for us tonight," said Center, Yao Ming. "They were trying to be very physical with him, and I think that lit his fire. When he's on his game like that, he's impossible to guard so we make sure to find him and get him the ball."
"I wouldn't say Tracy's been taking over in the 4th," coach Phil Jackson said of McGrady, "so much as he's learning to keep moving without the ball to find the open spots and his teammates are finding him. In the past, this team had a tendency to rely too heavily on Tracy's one-on-one isolations which would expend a lot of his energy plus his teammates would find themselves uninvolved and standing around," Jackson continued. "During this off-season, we really tried to focus on Tracy moving without the ball and having his teammates find him in different sweet spots and we now have players capable of finding him in those spots."
"It was a tough loss for us tonight," said Utah's, Carlos Boozer, "the Rockets were already a force inside with Yao in the middle, but now they've added JC and the kid's legit. Those two combined make it very, very tough to score in the paint." Boozer would lead the way for the Jazz with 23 points, 13 rebounds while the rookie Tankosic would have his worst game to date for the Jazz, finishing with 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls off 1-for-9 shooting and 0-for-4 from three point range
"They did a great job closing the driving lanes and contested every jumpshot; I guess it just wasn't my night," Tankosic said. Although he would struggle to score, Tankosic would dish out a team high 9 assists
The 4-0 Rockets continue on a back-to-back schedule in a clash of undefeated teams as they face Baron Davis and the red-hot, 3-0 Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena tomorrow night
Notes:
Training Target: J.Cotton Off 35% - Def 30% - Ath 35%; duration: 1 week
BOX SCORE
HOU 98
UTA 93 Final
Players at the Half
Player of the Game
T-MAC unconscious
WE BELIEVE)
