Lv06|ROCKETS-2| Officially Closed.

[Clutch]

STARTING LINEUPS

Overall Team Ratings: HOU 74; SAC 81
Intervention: Last 5 minutes (timeouts; subs only)

Chow's Scouting Report - (SAC)
SAC - Injury Status
Strategy adj - Inside/Outside

GAME RECAP

In a game not nearly as close as the final score indicated, the Houston Rockets cruised to victory over the Sacramento Kings at Arco Arena

All pre-game hype centered on the match up between Kings defensive specialist, Ron Artest, rumored to be a possible future Rockets trade acquisition, and Houston's scoring sensation, Tracy McGrady. But McGrady quickly lay any doubt to rest about his superior scoring prowess, torching Artest for a team-high 33 points off 9-for-17 from the field, including an impressive 6-of-9 from beyond the arc and 9-for-11 from the free throw stripe

"T-Mac is T-Mac, what else can I say," Artest said after the loss. "He's a complete package. It takes a team effort to contain a guy like him and tonight, we just didn't have it." Artest did not have nearly as majestic a performance finishing with a modest 16 points, 2 rebounds in just 24 minutes of play

Sacramento Point Guard, Mike Bibby, had a terrific game with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists but led the team with 4 turnovers and fouled out in the final minutes. Houston's, Luke Ridnour, struggled offensively, shooting 1-for-7 on the night, but kept teammates involved by dishing out a team-high 14 assists while collect 4 rebounds

Houston Center, Yao Ming, dominated the paint and abused Sacramento's, Brad Miller, all night long. Yao finished the night with 17 points and team-highs 12 rebounds plus 3 blocks. Miller, on the other hand, was held to 6 points off 3-for-13 shooting but managed to collect 9 rebounds and 3 assists

"Yao's a monster down there," said Miller following the game. "He's really learning to control the paint on both offensive and defensive ends. If he keeps improving like he is, there's no question in my mind he has the potential to rank as one of the greatest Centers to ever play the game."

Head coach Phil Jackson, when asked about the trade rumors with Sacramento for Artest, remarked, "Come on guys. We're facing the world champs tomorrow night; the only thing I'm concerned about right now is how to slow down Nash."

The Houston Rockets on the back-to-back schedule fly out to Arizona's U.S. Airways Center to face 2-time reigning MVP, Steve Nash, and the back-to-back World Champion Phoenix Suns.

BOX SCORE
HOU 97
SAC 93 Final

Players at the Half
Player of the Game



Yao Ming dominated the paint, finishing the night with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocked shots

PHOTOS
Mutombo forces Miller to take the worst shot of his NBA career
Yao absolutely snuffs Miller's second worst shot
JC throwing in down for the camera
Yao showing the soft touch
JC bringing the power (larger file)
Artest robs TMac blind
TMac returns the favor
JC serves up a facial late in the 4th

[Chaser7]

Hey Boomdizzle, is there any way you could resize the "clutch play of the day" images.. its making me having to scroll sideways in my browser to see the thread.. thanks
Good win! Its tough to decide what to do with Artest, try and sign some minimum players and see if the kings would have any interest in them... or you might need a minimum player to backup Ridnour if you trade "Skip to my Lou".

[Clutch]

Gotcha man. Changed the previous games to links (pg 2 only) but will make future 'Clutch' PotDs smaller format; thx for the suggestions/comments; we'll see what happens w/Artest; T-Mac kinda schooled him so Rockets may be thinking twice about trading for him lol

[Clutch]

STARTING LINEUPS

Overall Team Ratings: HOU 75; PHO 82
No Intervention

Chow's Scouting Report- (PHO)

GAME RECAP

The Phoenix Suns showcased why they are the two-time defending World Champions against the visiting Rockets, including a decisive 3rd quarter run that would have Houston playing catch up the entire second half

Despite a 1 point Houston lead going into half time, the Suns erupted in the 3rd period and took a decisive lead on an 11-0 run. Amare Stoudemire, who was hampered by fouls in the first half led the second half assault, finishing the night with 15 points and 9 rebounds in only 26 minutes of play, most of which scored in dramatic, thunderous fashion

But it would be teammate, Shawn Marion, that the Rockets would have absolutely no answer for. 'The Matrix' led the Suns in scoring with 29 points while snatching a team-high 18 rebounds, most of which came in the second half push

"He's just so quick," said Rockets rookie Jafari Cotton. "I don't think I've ever played against anyone so quick off a missed shot; there was nothing I could really do against him but foul"

"Coming out after the break, we knew we wanted to make a push," said MVP Steve Nash, "we had more turnovers than we would've liked tonight, but Amare, Shawn and Azizi did a great job on the glass; those second chances points wear a team down after a while and I'm just glad we came away with a win"

Nash finished the night with 21 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists while Suns 2nd-year backup Center, 7'0" 292lbs, Azizi Badu, contributed a solid 4 points, 9 rebounds in 20 minutes of play

Six Rocket players scored in double digits but it would not be enough to overcome the 3rd quarter collapse

"I thought with the loss of (Boris) Diaw to Orlando, they might show a chink in the armor," Tracy McGrady said following the game. "But no; they're still the champs until anyone else can prove different"

McGrady finished a solid, all-around performance with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals but shot poorly, 1-for-6, from beyond the arc

"A lot went wrong for us tonight," said Rockets Head Coach Phil Jackson. "We couldn't capitalize on turnovers nor hit anything from downtown and their guys controlled the glass. They were the better team tonight, plain and simple. Now, we just need to put this loss behind us and get prepared for San Antonio"

With the win the Suns improve to 10-4, first in the Pacific Division while Houston's 10-5 record keep them 4th in the Southwest

The Rockets next return to the SBC Center to face Tim Duncan and the sizzling-hot San Antonio Spurs for the third time in two weeks. The juggernaut Spurs are currently on a 7-game win streak (2 coming against Houston) and hold the league's best record at 12-3

BOX SCORE
HOU 92
PHO 103 Final

Players at the Half
Player of the Game



Amare Stoudemire leads a devastating 3rd Quarter Phoenix assault

PHOTOS

Amare baseline
The Matrix with a huge late 4th Qtr block
Nash/Marion - 4th Quarter shot chart
STAT over T-Mac
JC hits... from downtown?
STAT defense
Jafari vs Amare

[rl564411]

yao got owned by amare!!!

[Clutch]

yao got owned by amare!!!

no doubt. don't even look at Marion's stats... total carnage there

[Clutch]

'HARDWOOD CLASSICS' NIGHT


STARTING LINEUPS

Overall Team Ratings: HOU 78; SA 89
Intervention: OT (subs/timeouts only)

Chow's Scouting Report - (SA)
Strategy adj - T-Mac to SG (Playmaker); Gerald Green to starting SF

GAME RECAP

The Houston Rockets faced the daunting task of taking on a red-hot San Antonio Spurs team for the third time in two weeks at the SBC Center. The Spurs entered the match on a 7-game win streak (2 at the demise of Houston) and the league's best record of 12-3 while the Rockets were coming off a sound beatdown at the hands of the Phoenix Suns only days earlier

Unsuccessful in their previous two meetings, Rocket's Head Coach Phil Jackson looked to change things up from the opening tip, shifting All-Star Tracy McGrady to Shooting Guard and giving swingman Gerald Green his first Rockets start at Small Forward

Jackson's move proved successful, allowing McGrady to free-roam and create plays while the younger Green attacked the basket and attempted to tire Spurs defensive specialist, Bruce Bowen, with constant motion

The Rockets took a 73-72 lead going into the 4th and opened with an early run led by Center, Yao Ming, extending their lead to 85-79 at the 5:30 mark

But as so often is the case, San Antonio would rally under former MVP, Tim Duncan, and give the Spurs a 98-96 lead with 18.4 left in regulation. Rockets Point Guard, Luke Ridnour, stepped up to hit the clutch jumper for the tie and Duncan failed to convert on the last possession of regulation, forcing overtime

In overtime, the two teams continued to battle back and forth going into the final minutes. An acrobatic circus shot by Tony Parker plus the foul gave San Antonio a 105-104 with 1:19 left; but after a Rockets timeout, Luke Ridnour would hit another clutch shot - this time a corner trey - to give the Rockets a 107-105 lead with 1:01 left in the game. Ridnour would finish with 12 points, 5 assists and 2 steals while Parker ended a solid night with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists

With less than a minute left in OT, Duncan would convert again for the Spurs forcing the 107-107 tie. A determined McGrady appeared to drive home the game-winning dagger, connecting from way downtown over Spurs defender, Manu Ginobili, giving the Rockets a 110-107 lead with 36.1 on the clock. But the Spurs refused to go away and after Duncan failed shot attempt, Ginobili would force a Houston turnover off a huge steal to stop the clock with 17.0 seconds left and possession

Down three, Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich, would issue a set play executed to perfection, resulting in a Ginobili trey to once again tie the game at 110-110 with 13.6 seconds left in the game

With the possibility of a second overtime looming, a huge mental blunder by Spurs defensive specialist, Bruce Bowen, who fouled Gerald Green on a desperation three-point attempt, stopped the clock with 2.8 seconds and sent Green to the line for 3 free throws

Green caused some anxious moments on the Rockets bench by missing his first attempt, but calmly drained the next two for a 112-110 advantage. With no timeouts remaining, a missed desperation half-court heave by the Spurs sealed the Rockets victory. Given the offensive 'Green' light for the night, Gerald finished with a season-high 26 points and collect 2 rebounds and 2 steals

"We finally got 'em," said McGrady following the game. "it took overtime to do it, but we got it done; huge win for our ball club." McGrady capped the night with a team-high 27 points while collecting 5 boards while teammate Yao Ming bounced back from a sub-par game against the Suns, ending with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks

"They came out with a lot of fire tonight," said Spurs' Tim Duncan. "I thought our execution was great most of the game but Bruce got hit with a tough call at the end; not much you can do about it. That's the basketball." Duncan ended another brilliant performance with 28 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks

Notes:

1st team Power Rankings are in;

The Houston Rockets put a finish to the month of November tomorrow night back at the Toyota Center. They'll go from playing the team with the NBA's best record to playing a team with the league's second worst record, as Phil Jackson is reunited with Kobe Byrant and his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers featuring new head coach, Rick Adelman

BOX SCORE
HOU 112
SA 110 Final OT

Players at the Half
Player of the Game



Gerald Green serving up vicious a facial

PHOTOS
Green off the steal to a breakaway dunk
No foul? Are you blind?
Yao gets revenge
Jackson congratulates Green after his free throws seal the win

[Clutch]

STARTING LINEUPS

Overall Team Ratings: LAL 88; HOU 78
No Intervention

Chow's Scouting Report - (LAL)
Bettman's Training Log

GAME SUMMARY

A strong fourth quarter surge propelled the Houston Rockets past superstar Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson's former team, the Los Angeles Lakers , coached by Rick Adelman

The usually offensive-minded Bryant looked more to keep his teammates involved, dishing a team-high 6 assists while scoring 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting on the night. The Lakers would be led in scoring by 7'0" 294 lbs Rookie Center, Juwan Rice , LA's 8th overall 1st round pick in this year's draft. A solid big man with impressive low-post moves and nice athletic ability, Rice finished with 20 points and 6 rebounds, besting his Rockets counterpart, Yao Ming, who finished with 7 points, 8 rebounds but also collected 2 blocks and 2 steals

The score was close til early in the fourth, when Joey Graham entered the game for an injured Gerald Green, igniting a huge 11-0 run for the Rockets

"Gerald took a hard hit and I knew it was on me to step up," Graham said. "When you see your teammate go down like that, you want to do everything you can to win it for him." Graham finished the game with 17 points, 3 rebounds off 4-of-5 shooting from the field and a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe

Although early reports indicated Green's injuries were not serious, he remained on the bench for the rest of the 4th quarter and did not re-enter the game

Notes:

Phil Jackson started Green for the second consecutive game with Graham coming off the bench;

Bryant refused to talk to the press after the game but was heard commenting in the parking lot, "No, I haven't changed my position one bit; I want to be f***'n traded";

The Rockets next play the team with the second best record in the league, the red-hot Philadelphia 76ers led by rising star, Andre Igoudala

BOX SCORE
LAL 93
HOU 102 Final

Players at the Half
Player of the Game



Green hard to the hole

PHOTOS
Sub-par offensive night for Kobe but not without reason
even more reason
Kobe stripped in the double team
Adelman wonders what it would be like to coach Yao...

[Clutch]

NOVEMBER 2007 RECAP


Entire League
Eastern Conference
Western Conference

Southeast
Southwest
Pacific
Northwest
Atlantic
Central

[kibaxx7]

I like the recaps... nice job.

[Clutch]

I like the recaps... nice job.

thx TH50; feel the same about your sig btw

[Clutch]

LEAGUE LEADERS - NOV 2007



Points
Points Per Game
FG Made
FG Attempted
FG %
3PT FG Made
3PT FG Attempted
3PT %
FT Made
FT Attempted
Off Reb
Off Reb Per Game
Def Reb
Def Reb Per Game
Reb
Reb Per Game
Blocks
Blocks Per Game
Steals
Steals Per Game
Assists
Ast Per Game
Minutes
Minutes Per Game

[Chaser7]

Damn Bd this is shaping out to be really good, sorry i havent commented in a while I've been really busy, but I have been checking this thread. keep up the good work!

[Clutch]

Damn Bd this is shaping out to be really good, sorry i havent commented in a while I've been really busy, but I have been checking this thread. keep up the good work!

ohhh... no.... not you...

j/k

thx man and no worries; i've just been kinda buying time having fun with this til a conversion of the latest rosters + draft picks into Live '06; I think one's being worked on at the moment by ReMix (see: http://www.nbaliveforums.com/ftopic49417.php)

I tried running it but Dynasty Mode crashes on me unfortunately and others were having similar probs; I may have to do a complete uninstall/reinstall and try it again

but as soon as that's up and running w/Oden, Durant + all the crazy trades like JRich to CHA and Ray Allen to BOS, I'll be starting up a brand new GSWarriors dynasty with Brandan Wright or KG or Artest or whoever else is being rumored the Dubs are going after since they've been my hometown team since the days of Run TMC - I can't friggin' wait!

course, I do like this Dynasty too; so I'll try keep it going as long as there's interest; hard to tell sometimes

[Clutch]

STARTING LINEUPS

Overall Team Ratings: HOU 78; PHI 80
No Intervention

Chow's Scouting Report
Strategy adj - TMac to SF; Inside/Outside

QUICK GAME SUMMARY

Yao Ming would have a solid night, carrying the Rockets to a 94-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Ming would finish with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks while teammate, Tracy McGrady, would contribute 22 points and 4 rebounds, including an offensive rebound and put back conversion in the game's final minute to seal the win.

76er's star, Andre Iguodala, would be held to 17 points and 3 assists and recent Pacers free-agent acquisition, Ike Diogu, would have a nice game finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds

The Rockets on the back-to-back fly out to face King James and the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night

Notes:

11 players would score in double-figures From both teams combined;

Houston rookie, Jafari Cotton, would go down injured in the 4th and did not return to the play


BOX SCORE
HOU 94
PHI 92 Final



T-Mac snatches the offensive rebound and hits the go ahead basket with less than a minute on the clock

PHOTOS
A slow start for Yao
Yao finding his rythme
Payback time
Phil Jackson time

[kibaxx7]

Nice to have Phil Jackson on the bench

[BeByeMiS]

Good win, T-MAC photo is damn good keep it up

[Clutch]

tp50 - yeah having the Zen Masta coaching in those tight games is nice

bbM - thx man and will do my best; looking forward to the TMac/LBJ showdown!

[Chaser7]

hella pumped next update soon please! haha

[Clutch]

Hopefully soon; too much summer festivities and socializing lately

[Clutch]

STARTING LINEUPS


No Intervention

Chow's Scouting Report - (CLE)
Injury Report - (HOU)

GAME RECAP

In a game of runs, Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers matched up against Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets, in a battle between two of the league's hottest teams

McGrady paved the way for the Rockets offensively, scoring in a variety of ways both inside the paint and from beyond the arc. He led Houston with 34 points, hitting 4-of-8 from downtown while collecting 6 rebounds. McGrady's offense sparked a 12-0 run in the 4th quarter, giving Houston a seemingly comfortable 9 point lead with just over 3:30 left in the game; but from that point on, King James took over the show

In a majestic sequence, Lebron thundered his way down the paint for the basket and one; then moments later, pump-faked McGrady into the air on a three point attempt, drew the foul and connected on all three free throws

With a 1:15 left in the game and the Cavs trailing by only four, James would pull up and connect from long distance cutting the lead to 1. Houston would fail to convert, sending Larry Hughes to the line the very next play; Hughes would connect on 1-of-2 to tie the game 92-92 with 53 seconds remaining

Both teams would fail to connect on their next possessions but with the game clock about to expire, Lebron would pull an incredible offensive rebound off the Igauskaus miss and zip a bullet pass to a wide open Damon Jones who would bury a game-winning trey with 1.9 seconds left on the clock

A broken play and desperation heave by McGrady sealed the victory for Cleveland

"It's disappointing; we did a poor job closing out tonight," McGrady said. "You can't win games if you're going to lose focus like we did in the final minutes; Lebron's a great player, but we had several chances to stop the bleeding and couldn't get it done."

When asked about the dramatic comeback and stealing the game at the end, Lebron commented, "This was a great test for our squad tonight. Our guys showed a lot of poise coming back from a big deficit late in the game. DJ hit a clutch trey at the end and gave us the win; I don't feel like we 'stole' anything. I think we just played tough, kept believeing and earned the win."

Lebron finished with a team-high 24 points, 7 rebounds and dished 3 assists

The Rockets return home to face a struggling Charlotte Bobcats team led by inside force, Emeka Okafor

BOX SCORE
HOU 92
CLE 95 Final

Players at the Half
Player of the Game



Lebron scores 2 of his 24 points, including 9 points with just under 3:37 minutes in the game, for the comeback victory

PHOTOS
T-Mac had his way early in the game
Playing with a sore thumb, JC coughs up a horrible pass for a crucial late game turnover

[Its_asdf]

This is a very well done dynasty, nicely written in contrast to a lot of dynasties who simply just paste a bunch of pictures (good in its own right, but I guess I'm more of a text-based guy).

This dynasty kind of reminds me of the ones I used to make, I guess that's why I kind of like them so much.

[Kyle515]

Tough loss but still a good season so far. Good Luck.

[Chaser7]

damn nice work,, good luck next game agianst bobcats what urs record now?

[Clutch]

Its_asdf/ Kyle515/ nbarulez - appreciate the comments guys; plan to keep this puppy goin' as long as there's interest

edit: i believe the Rockets are 13-6 now after the loss to CLE