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@  cointurtlemoose : (31 January 2015 - 02:58 AM) Well, the first half of the game looked really good...
@  08huangj : (30 January 2015 - 12:21 PM) Dwight Howard could be out for an extended period of time
@  jorgeaam : (30 January 2015 - 12:44 AM) No Demarcus Cousins or Damian Lillard in the All-Star game, by the way
@  jorgeaam : (30 January 2015 - 12:40 AM) In the non-surprising new of the day, James Harden was selected as an All-Star reserve
@  Alituro : (29 January 2015 - 04:49 PM) If you look in the corners and behind the basket... where the regular ticket buyers sit, it tells a different story.
@  Alituro : (29 January 2015 - 04:48 PM) Our home crowd appearance is misleading as the seats along the sides that you see on TV are corporate seats and usually spoken for each game but the patrons spend their time in the lounges and restaurants
@  Alituro : (29 January 2015 - 04:45 PM) Our crowd certainly came alive when it came time to Ice Chandler's Flagrant FTs
@  Matt Maloney... : (29 January 2015 - 04:44 PM) Congrats to Josh Smith for having a ONE good night on the offensive end. His D and rebounding is always good, don't tell me you don't cringe when he takes a jumper at the top of the key when you have a MVP out there
@  Matt Maloney... : (29 January 2015 - 04:42 PM) If you have league pass, even the Knicks have a better home crowd
@  Matt Maloney... : (29 January 2015 - 04:40 PM) For those of us who no longer live in Houston, lives in LA, and pays the high prices at the Staples Center to watch the Rockets play, and you see the support the Lakers get, yeah I think I have a point
@  rocketrick : (29 January 2015 - 01:41 PM) Same dude also complaining about Josh Smith jump shots. Yesterday evening at the game over at Toyota Center (it's Downtown, let me know if anyone needs directions on how to get there) I saw solid evidence of the 2011 Josh Smith.
@  rocketrick : (29 January 2015 - 01:35 PM) I don't understand people on this site complaining about the Rockets home crowd while the complainers clearly are not buying tickets and going to the game.
@  Losthief : (29 January 2015 - 07:29 AM) tjones looked really good tonight...and bigger/stronger in the upper body which should help on d!
@  Matt Maloney... : (29 January 2015 - 02:09 AM) Rondo has a ghost defender on him most of the time.
@  Matt Maloney... : (29 January 2015 - 01:17 AM) Another crappy home crowd...
@  08huangj : (28 January 2015 - 11:47 AM) Why are there no more previews on this website?
@  Matt Maloney... : (26 January 2015 - 05:00 AM) THEY KNOW HE WILL MISS*
@  Matt Maloney... : (26 January 2015 - 04:59 AM) Our opponents have running start when Josh Smith shoots a jumper. After miss seems to turn into a fast break. THEY HE WILL MISS!
@  Mario Peña : (26 January 2015 - 04:39 AM) These fourth quarter runs (and late third quarter ones too) that the Rockets give up are getting me worried. A bad development since the end of December that I've been noticing.
@  cointurtlemoose : (24 January 2015 - 05:29 AM) 2) At least Klay waited a game before he turned into a human fireball...

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Houston Rockets 99, Dallas Mavericks 94: The Cavalry


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#1 thejohnnygold

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Posted 29 January 2015 - 04:44 PM

Houston Rockets 99, Dallas Mavericks 94: The cavalry
by FORREST WALKER | JANUARY 28, 2015 at 11:27 PM

The Houston Rockets might have been sunk if the cavalry hadn’t arrived. Dwight Howard was still out with a rolled ankle, James Harden took a nasty bump to the knee, and the Dallas Mavericks were nipping at Houston’s heels all night long. The extra ounce that it took for Houston to get over the top on the Mavs came from the bench, and most notably, it came from a couple of unlikely sources. Josh Smith had easily his best game as a Rocket, and the long-missed Terrence Jones came back with a head of steam at the perfect moment.

Jones may have come off the bench, but he played 21 minutes to (temporary) starter Joey Dorsey’s 13. With another fairly reliable big man in the rotation, the load on Dwight Howard is lessened significantly, and with the Celtics next on the docket, Howard doesn’t need to hurry his return to action, especially with reports that his injury may be worse than expected. Whether Jones or current starter Donatas Motiejunas comes off the bench, tonight was a sign that the Rockets will have a deeper rotation in the frontcourt, as either of those players should feast on most bench units. 10 points on 4-8 shooting, 5 rebounds, an assists and 2 blocks is a fantastic line for his first game back, and once he’s shaken some more of the rust off, Jones’ help will be mission critical to this Rockets team.

 

Josh Smith was the captain of the “bands of brothers” tonight, hitting a ludicrous 4-5 from three point range, a feat which likely won’t happen again any time soon. He was 7-13 overall, and those 18 points were not only a team high, but also stemmed from open looks and assists. He was in the right place at the right time more often than not, and so far he seems to be buying into the Rockets’ offense and his place in it. As an added bonus, he went ahead and notched 6 boards, 2 assists, a steal and 3 blocks in 28 minutes. He won’t have games this good regularly, but between himself, Corey Brewer and Terrence Jones (and Jason Terry, if you’re being technical), the Rockets’ bench is likely to see a good line off the bench on most nights, something which is an increasingly important luxury as the season wears on.

In fact, the Mavs were worn out from a disappointing loss to the Memphis Grizzlies the previous evening, and didn’t have the luxury of the tight 9-man rotation the Rockets used. Fatigue showed as the game wore on and the fast pace the Rockets were running extracted its toll on the Mavs. Dirk was only 4-11, and the wings, Chandler Parsons and Monta Ellis, were keeping the entire team afloat. Parsons was a blistering 5-8 from three, and Monta’s 33 points (!) came on 14-23 shooting (!!). The Rockets may have to figure out how to beat the Mavs when they haven’t played the day before, but not until the playoffs at earliest. Somehow, all four games these teams play each other feature a fatigued Dallas.

What, then, of Houston’s hero, Harden? His night wasn’t flashy, but it was effective. In his continued expansion of his skillset, Harden leaned more toward playmaking than scoring, picking up 8 gorgeous assists while only shooting 14 times. He had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals to fill out the box, a line which isn’t as gaudy as some he’s had recently, but was just what was needed against a Dallas team not sufficiently prepared to chase the ball. There was a brief scare when Harden knocked knees with Monta Ellis, but he played the rest of the game, though his knee did seem to bother him a bit. There’s been no news on this potential injury so far, and if Houston is lucky, that will stay the case.

The rest of the starters were in good enough mode, with Trevor Ariza leading the group with 13 points on 10 shots and 3-6 behind the arc. Motiejunas’ 16 points on 16 shots and 5 boards weren’t amazing, but he was continues to be able to operate in the post, and that was good enough tonight. Patrick Beverley went 0-6 from three, and took 9 shots to get 6 points. His defense remained intense, but his offense is likely to be hot and cold all season long. Joey Dorsey, bless his heart, filled in for Dwight as best as he could against Tyson Chandler. Yes, let’s leave it at that.

This game was another nailbiter, as all games against the Mavs seem destined to be. The starters were largely lackluster, but Smith and Jones came alive in a pairing of exciting play and generic names. If Dwight can get healthy any time soon, this Rockets team has a real shot at picking p the pace and rolling on a schedule that’s only going to soften in coming months. In the meantime, the basketball Jones is back, and he’s leading the cavalry.

 


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#2 thejohnnygold

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Posted 29 January 2015 - 05:34 PM

I don't think we win that game last night without the combined team effort (duh!), but I really think it was the plays Josh Smith made in the 4th quarter that pushed us to victory.  (Bev's spinning lay-up was huge too).

 

First, a little love for Josh.

 

 

To me, it looks like he is getting more comfortable with his role and his teammates--except for that hilarious double dribble.  I know this won't be the norm, but it isn't once in a lifetime either.  We'll see more of these.  (also funny is teammates seem to be ready for his wild, off-target, fastball passes now.  They're like the catcher from Major League when Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn comes in the game.)

 

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Now, let's give it up for the defense.

 

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Monta Ellis: 0-2 in the 4th quarter.

 

Dirk Nowitzki: 1-5 in the 4th quarter.

 

Rondo: shotless.  2 turnovers 1 shooting foul on Terry.  0 assists.

 

T. Chandler: 1-3 in the 4th.

 

Barea, Villanueva, Aminu, and Harris: 0-6 in the 4th.

 

Chandler Parsons: 3-3!!!  Good job, Chandler.  That was 2 three pointers and a nifty up and under lay-up.

 

That is 2-16 for everyone not named Parsons and 5-19 with him.  We can't take ALL the credit, but we can definitely take some.

 

In all fairness, our 4th quarter was not an offensive explosion.  Our defense gutted it out and as more and more teams try to beat us by shutting down Harden I think the guys will adapt and learn how to score when defenses are paying that much attention to him.

 

By the way, did anyone else think Rondo's defense on Harden was a little....bizarre.  There were times he was flat out hugging him.  Is that legal?  It was bordering on wrestling....which wouldn't be the worst thing ever.  Many an NBA player has stepped inside the ropes.  Just imagine the possibilities.....

 

 

...and everyone will enjoy seeing Karl Malone get taken down.

 

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Back to basketball...Monta Ellis was simply on fire.  I don't think we played poor defense on him all night--he just wasn't missing until the 4th quarter.  Really glad he has come into his own as a player--he's fun to watch.

 

One last thing.  For those who enjoy the spite and malice that go with the Mavs' rivalry, here is a video from the same angry Mavs fan who went on a 5 minute rant after their first loss to us this season.  CAUTION: NSFW--lots of colorful, objectionable, and down-right immature language....but the agony and anguish are worth it.  It's a good reminder that the grass is (almost) never greener when you're a sports fan.

 

LINK


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#3 Alituro

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    Posted 29 January 2015 - 05:38 PM

    It was nice to see Jones come back and be effective on his first night back. He seems to have worked on his upper body while out and that will bear well for him defensively.

     

    I seemed notice a tactic last night in slowing down Ellis from the scoring pace he was building that can also be effective when slowing down Curry if the need arises. It may also be a reason why Harden didn't score as much either, but it worked. Rondo was on Harden all night (and was on him like a glove in the clutch... literally) Ellis was on Beverley because he's not much of an offensive threat and can save energy for the other side of the court. Beverley controlled the ball Harden set a pick up high with Ariza or Jones or Smith nearby on the weak side, Rondo wouldn't switch off Harden (as he shouldn't), forcing Ariza's defender (in this case) on the weak side (and close by) to cut Beverley off as he came off the screen. Ariza fades quickly to the corner forcing Ellis, who was in no man's land at the time, to try to cover the distance to the corner and contest Ariza's shot (he was too late).

     

    Action like this is what is needed to curb high offensive production from dynamic scoring guards like Curry and Ellis. While Rondo did a good job of limiting Harden's scoring, he didn't limit his effectiveness. This forced us to kill two birds with that one stone in wearing out their primary offensive option and also giving us open 3s from a 6'8" guy being closed out by a guy much shorter.


    Edited by Alituro, 29 January 2015 - 05:39 PM.

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