Lv06|ROCKETS-2| Officially Closed.

[Its_asdf]

Looks like Ming really wants to prove that he was an All-star. What's him and T-Mac's season averages anyway?

On another note, I'm pretty suprised to see Shaq still putting up beastly numbers. He should be on the decline by now.... Oh well, I guess this is where NBA Live's magic plays its part.

[McDwyane]

Nice recap and dynasty

[Phantom18]

this dynasty is superb its the Hakeem of the dynastys! tommorrow im going to come back here read through every single page take notes on how you presented things, make it into my own style and use it in my T'Wolves dynasty [check it out if you'd like] but for the night its time to start installing Photoshop.
keep up the great work

[Cornerthree]

Nice article, BM5, I really love what you're doing here with Houston(especially Yao, one of my favorite guys in the league)... Hoping this will continue to get better and better... Good luck!

[jonthefon]

Still moving really well. You've hit a streak going into the All-Star Game-unlucky for neither Yao or T-Mac to start. But I guess they've had enough of it over years

[Clutch]

TheMC5- you know? i'm not really sure; as far as this season? 19 is definitely the high; i actually mentioned that on the 'wishlist' and got the thumbs up from Andrew woooot http://www.nbaliveforums.com/ftopic50815.php
anyway hope EA can add it in Dynasty Mode '09; would really be cool/useful; actually maybe they already added it in '08? i dunno

graham/williams? well... i'm trying to focus on the positives here lol; actually Graham i can forgive since, well, it's Graham and somewhat expected; but D-Will's starting to give me a little Ridnouritis (a condition also known as, 'Ridnour withdrawl')

and i agree on those Heat jerseys - so hideous I HAD to use 'em

Its_asdf - both them cats are off due to the shorter 10-minute 'played-game' quarters; with subs there just isn't enough time to rack up the stats; scoring is about right but everything else is way down:

YAO '07-08 (played games) 17.7 ppg; 10.9 rpg; apg 1.4; 0.46 spg; 1.83 bpg
YAO '06-07 (simmed seas) 19.9 ppg; 10.1 rpg; apg 2.9; 1.08 spg; 1.78 bpg

TMAC '07-08 (played games) 25.9 ppg; 4.2 rpg; 2.2 apg; 0.83 spg; 0.10 bpg
TMAC '06-07 (simmed seas) 21.4 ppg; 9.4 rpg; 6.0 apg; 2.03 spg; 1.04 bpg

Yao's aren't too bad but TMac's, aside from scoring, are waaay down; i guess the team's deeper now so he doesn't need to work as hard?

Shaq? beastly, even into his retiring days; kinda nice though; wish the big guy would go out like that in real life but probably tough when there's nothing left to conquer

Dwyane - thx man!

snarky08 - flattered man but Hakeem? hahah i'm thinking maybe Biedrins... and that's on a good night heheh

Pursuer - yeah Yao's definitely becoming The MAN for the Rockets no doubt; it's fun to see; "Hoping this will continue to get better and better" Continue? most def; get better and better? well, i'll try but for the better i make no promises

JTF - thx man and not only are TMac/Yao not starting, they didn't make the cut period! kinda sucks but i plan to still recap the games anyway; it'll be a good opp for Yao/TMac to size up their competition going into the post All-Star weekend playoff push

Appreciate the comments guys; definitely stick it out w/your dynasties too - been seeing a lot of cool stuff lately!

[Phantom18]

i love this little thing right here im going to make something with the same displayed information xD

[Clutch]

i love this little thing right here im going to make something with the same displayed information xD

thx and feel free; yeah i wanted something to give a quick look at the teams without having to do a full preview; i usually use it with bigger/more in-depth games or when i simply have more time; it did evolve over time if you look at some earlier recaps where you can see the elements taking form; it'll likely evolve again if/when i feel like it's time; anyway, look forward to seeing how yours turns out

[Chaser7]

Do you think you are going to finish this dynasty, live 08 is almost out for pc i think (ahha i already got it for ps2) and the 08 season is starting soon.. well I guess that doesnt matter since ur playing the 2007-2008 season. I would ahte this dynasty disappear in any case. Good luck dude go ROCKETS!

[Phantom18]

Do you think you are going to finish this dynasty, live 08 is almost out for pc i think (ahha i already got it for ps2) and the 08 season is starting soon.. well I guess that doesnt matter since ur playing the 2007-2008 season. I would ahte this dynasty disappear in any case. Good luck dude go ROCKETS!

i heard from many people 08 sucked ass
Live 07 on PC with the SUM Mod+NLSC Roster+Custom AIACT+PDub's Sliders+Playmakers' Playbooks=Best Live ever. And I own all Lives back to either 2000 or 2001.
but yeah like he said i dont want to see this dynasty go bye bye good luck BD#5

[Clutch]

Do you think you are going to finish this dynasty, live 08 is almost out for pc i think (ahha i already got it for ps2) and the 08 season is starting soon.. well I guess that doesnt matter since ur playing the 2007-2008 season. I would ahte this dynasty disappear in any case. Good luck dude go ROCKETS!

i heard from many people 08 sucked ass
Live 07 on PC with the SUM Mod+NLSC Roster+Custom AIACT+PDub's Sliders+Playmakers' Playbooks=Best Live ever. And I own all Lives back to either 2000 or 2001.
but yeah like he said i dont want to see this dynasty go bye bye good luck BD#5

I plan to continue as long as my time/interest/endurance allow it; I'll say I'm enjoying it a lot and don't plan to hang it up anytime soon (barring an accidental wipe or harddrive crash etc). For me, Live '06 is tuned how I like it and has the basics I need which makes it first and foremost- enjoyable and fun

out-of-the-box Live '07 (I'm talking Dynasty mode only) didn't do it for me; felt clunky like too much hooplah that I really didn’t care for/have the time to deal with ie., some bench scrubs whining about playing time and throwing off team chem, off day chores, unstoppable PGs etc; I realize EA was trying to make the game more immersive but for me I couldn't play it after awhile (and I really really tried to like it), especially with how streamline '06 already felt to me; I know the community patches may have remedied a lot of probs w/07 but the exp of being a tool to EA's marketing the new "blah-blah-X-whatever-feature" and buying a POS product left a sour taste in my mouth

Live '08? I'm in no rush. It'll have issues up the ass which will be bitched about collectively and eventually patched by EA or most likely 'duct-tape' remedied by the take charge NLSC community after some months

So buying '08 PC ver - an afterthought by-product of the console versions and potentially buggier than '07 - just for a roster update and pretty graphics? No thx, especially when I can already get the roster update for Live '06 (the ver I actually like) through this dedicated online community

I'll consider '08 PC when I start reading unanimous reviews all across the web saying that it's worth it; but yeah, til then, this dynasty aint going nowhere

And besides, I'm diggin' it too much

[Phantom18]

BoomDizzle#5,
Good to hear.
Eh, Live 07 dynasty is just more in depth I kind of like the change.
But yeah I'm digging your dynasty too so keep it up.

[Clutch]

BoomDizzle#5,
Good to hear.
Eh, Live 07 dynasty is just more in depth I kind of like the change.
But yeah I'm digging your dynasty too so keep it up.

i hear ya man; it's more of a personal time thing w/me; i was really blown away by last year's XBox hoops my friend had but immediately told myself, "I CANNOT GET THAT" because i know my obsessiveness/lack of self-control - i would never put it down, sleep, exercise, go outside etc and I like having a life and gf too

[Clutch]

ROCKETS VS NUGGETS "Rockets outlast Denver, 4th straight W"
Tues Feb 5, 2008 Pepsi Center, Denver, CO

Hardwood Classics week continues...


BOXSCORE HOU 99 DEN 92 Final
Players at the Half
Player of the Game

Chow's Scouting Report - DEN


In their first meeting earlier this season, the Denver Nuggets stole an Overtime road win at the Toyota Center by wearing the Houston Rockets down with aggressive, physical defense and a quick-strike, attacking offense. Tonight, however, with an injured Marcus Camby watching from the sidelines, the Rockets gave the Nuggets a taste of their own medicine in front their own fans for a 99-92 road victory

Denver appeared on it's way to a repeat of the previous game, getting off to a fast start led by J.R. Smith and revitalized, Kenyon Martin. As a result of Smith's above-the-rim offense and Martin's domination on the glass, Houston found itself in an early 7-point hole to end the 1st

The attacking, physical defense of the Nuggets continued into the 2nd quarter resulting in 11 first-half Rockets turnovers to Denver's 6 and allowed hyper-speed playmaker, Allen Iverson, to run their quick-strike offense and push the lead to as many as 15. Forced to call a timeout, Phil Jackson had an animated talk with his team, especially newly acquired point guard, Deron Williams

"Deron was getting hacked and pummeled anytime he touched the ball or tried to penetrated the paint and he was getting distracted arguing with the refs; I basically told him to forget the calls, forget the fouls - get physical and play through it," said coach Jackson

After the timeout, Williams seemed to settle down and helped chip Denver's lead to 9 by halftime

The Rockets came out with a different strategy to start the second half, working the offense through Tracy McGrady while attacking Denver's big men with swarming double-teams. A refocused Williams also refused to succumb to the Nugget's defensive pressure which had neutralized him in the first half and shutdown former Rocket point guard, Luke Ridnour, in the team's previous meeting

The aggressiveness of the bigger, stronger Williams seemed to wear Iverson down in the second half, which had a domino-effect on the whole Nuggets team; meanwhile the Rockets as a whole, following Williams' lead, seemed to play tougher, inspired basketball and were able to trim Denver's lead to one going into the fourth

Surging into the final period the Rockets quickly overcame the Nuggets as Houston continued it's physical defense while keeping a steady diet of assists pumped into Yao Ming in the post. As a result, the big man punished all Nugget defenders often drawing fouls while converting the basket. The Rockets held a 91-88 lead over the Nuggets with just over a minute left in the game and with Denver threatening to make a final push, Yao quickly stamped out their hopes with a vicious block of Smith on an ill-advised attempt to dunk over the 7'6" Center

Ming commented regarding Smith's drive, "They were making a push and J.R. (Smith) got past Joey (Graham); I knew if he dunked, the crowd would go wild, so I went after him; I was fortunate to catch it at the top and not end up on a poster"

Ultimately turnovers were the deciding factor of the game. After the Rockets' 11 to Nuggets' 6 turnovers in the first half, Houston made some halftime adjustments and took care of the ball well, only turning the ball over two more times while a disheveled Denver team would commit 11 turnovers after halftime faltering to Houston's pressure defense

Yao sealed the Rockets' 4th consecutive win from the free-throw stripe while Denver's big man, Nene Hilario, fouled out ending with 7 points and 6 boards on the night. Ming finished another terrific, all-around performance leading Houston in four categories with 24 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals and threw in 2 assists for good measure. Tracy McGrady, also had a solid effort with 23 points, 4 boards and 5 assists while Williams lead the Rockets with 7 assists. Houston rookie forward, Anthony Sato made his Rockets debut playing only 3 minutes and dishing 1 assist

Carmelo Anthony led the way offensively for the Nuggets with 22 points, adding 8 boards and 4 assists while Martin had a solid double-double ending with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. Unable to penetrate due to Williams' hounding backcourt defense, a flustered Iverson settled for tough perimeter jumpers most the night, shooting a dismal 4-of-13 from the field including 0-for-5 from downtown. Iverson finished the night with 8 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals


In a final game before All-Star weekend, the Rockets travel to Indianapolis to face shooting sensation, Ray Allen, and the Indiana Pacers


Iverson on the attack in the 1st | T-Mac responses from downtown

K-Mart with a wicked offensive putback | AI lobs to JR right on the money - Denver in control early

Martin turning Williams away for 1 of 3 blocks on the night | 'Melo with the oh-so-graceful layup

D-Will clamping down on Iverson after halftime | Smith with an acrobatic finish and-1

Williams hard to the hole between multiple defenders | James following D-Wills' lead taking it right at Denver's rookies

Graham sends a surprised Nene crashing to the floor for another turnover - no foul here!

Yao with a critical block denies Smith's dunk and Denver's last charge

Too little too late for George Karl's timeout as Yao puts the icing on the cake

[Chaser7]

Nice dude, your on a roll! Both of those uniforms are sooo ugly the newer ones that the rockets and nuggets use now are soooo much nicer...

[Clutch]

hahah i kinda like 'em in a funky way but yah the newer ones are definitely better; thought i read somewhere the Rockets were getting new new ones this season... if that's the case, i hope they're nice

[Clutch]

ROCKETS VS PACERS "Rockets take five for AllStar Break"
Thurs February 14, 2008 Indianapolis, IN

Final day of Hardwood Classics Week...


BOXSCORE HOU 92 IND 85 Final
Player of the Game

GAME RECAP

Tracy McGrady helped the Houston Rockets cruise to a 92-85 victory over the Indiana Pacers and their 5th consecutive win heading into the Allstar Weekend festivities. McGrady led the Rockets with 23 points, 6 assists, 2 steals while Yao Ming tallied his 4th consecutive double-double game with 16 points and 13 boards. Sean May had his best game so far in a Rockets' uniform racking up 8 points off 4-for-5 shooting while pulling 7 rebounds in 14 minutes of play. Recently signed free-agent shooting guard, Garrick Briggs, the newest and most likely final addition to Houston's roster, had a modest but effective debut finishing with 5 points and a steal

Indiana was led by phenomenal shooting from Ray Allen who cashed in 31 points off 13-for-18 from the field. The Pacers' backcourt combo of Allen and point guard, Jamal Tinsley, combined for 56 of Indiana's 85 points; but the duo and team would simply run out of gas by the start of the fourth quarter after playing catch-up most of the game. Second year player, Sami Bondra, had a double-double for Indiana with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Bondra, a 6'9" 263lbs Power Forward originally drafted 31st by Washington in 2006, was acquired by the Pacers at the beginning of the season through free agency

Freethrows were the difference as the more aggressive Rockets converted 24-of-27 from the charity stripe while the Pacers were only able to get to the line 13 times converting on 9 attempts

Yao and the Rockets now take a much-deserved break to enjoy the All-Star Weekend celebration and cheer on teammate, Tracy McGrady, as he competes in both the Slam-Dunk and 3-Point Shooting contests

But up first... the 2007-08 Rookie Challenge featuring the #1 overall draft pick, Utah's Sergei Tankosic and Lakers' rookie phenom Center, Juwan Rice

May takes Bondra off the dribble and connects from midrange; his best game as a Rocket so far with 8 points and 7 boards

Brevin Knight left the game at the end of the first and would not return

Rookie Garrick Briggs with a decent debut including this buzzer-beater trey to end the first qtr

Ray Allen on the attack for the Pacers | Dunleavy at the mercy of a healthy McGrady all night

More Sean May, this time with the offensive rebound and nasty flush

Allen buried shots from all over court but too much T-Mac snagged Houston the win

[looser]

Uh...Ray Allen was difficult to defend...anyway you dot the win!!

Also nice game by T-Mac

[TheMC5]

Your team seems to be back on track now. I, too, always have huge problems defending Ray Allen. I wouldn't be surprised if Allen has a 35 PPG average when I'm playing him.

Looking forward to all-star weekend.

[Phantom18]

Ray Allen lights it up on me also so dont feel bad.

Good win. Nice performances from Yao. Keep up the good work

[Impakt]

just started to follow ur dynasty

its well presented and i like it


good luck on ur next game

[Cornerthree]

Strange to see Allen scoring 31 points, while making only one three-pointer...

Really waiting to see McGrady performing in the dunk contest, hope it's gonna be good...

[Its_asdf]

Man, McGrady's gone soft on the boards with 0 rebounds, that's disappointing to say the least. I'm liking the 8-7 in 14 minutes off the bench from Sean May... He was a steal for your team. Aside from the starting guards and that Bondra dude, Indiana played like crap on a stick. Can't wait to see how you'll recap the All-Star weekend.

[Clutch]

looser - Ray Allen's nuts; just glad he's stuck on Indy with Mike Bumleavy in my dynasty so he's not too much of a threat to my Rockets heheh;

TheMC5 - as above + yeah back on track and just in time for ASWknd wooot;

SNARKY - YAO's beastly lately; hopefully he keeps it up into the second half of the season;

Impakt - appreciate it man! All-Star Weekend recaps coming soon so stay tuned;

Pursuer - only 1 trey and i'm glad - freak would've dropped 50+ on me otherwise;

Its_asdf - soft? ehh an 'off day' heheh; actually yeah he's toned down crashing the boards... gotta take care of teh back, ya know? Sean May is definitely coming thru putting up stats at least as much as good ol' Jafari Cotton used to and a fraction of the price! we'll take it

appreciate the comments guys; haven't had chance to recap/or comment on other dynasties lately as things are once again in transition for me (writing from LAX Starbuck's waiting for a connection flight as i speak! lol); anyway can't wait to get back to that as there are a bunch of cool things i've glanced at; for my Rockets dynasty? it's All-Star Weekend and the Rookie Challenge game is done and just needs to be recapped most likely by tomorrow or day after; expect more regular recaps as I'm now very far from my sig other and will be for a while Unfortunate for me... but good for the Dynasty i suppose hahah

[Lamrock]

Oh my goodness... How did I miss this? I just read through this topic, and I am thoroughly impressed. I always overlooked this because I wasn't too fond of the first page, but after that, pure brilliance. Love your team, and the Deron Williams acquisition.

Keep this up; you gained a follower.