The Houston Rockets, 04-05

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The Houston Rockets 2004-05 Pre-Season Preview
Tracy McGrady brings hope to Houston
New Rockets star Tracy McGrady arrived in Houston today to participate in the first team practice. After former Rocket guard Steve Francis butted heads with Coach Jeff Van Gundy, a change was needed in the organization. The Rockets sent Francis, guard Cuttino Mobley, and center Kelvin Cato to the Magic for McGrady, guard Tyronn Lue and guard Reece Gaines. McGrady brings a sense of optimism and encouragement to a Rockets organization that has failed to get out of the first round since the 1996-97 season. McGrady, along with a burgeoning star in Yao Ming, entering his 3rd year in the league, should make a powerful scoring punch for the Rockets this year. Said McGrady: "I'm just looking for something great to happen in the city of Houston."


In other news, the Rockets have also brought former all-star center Hakeem Olajuwon out of retirement to back-up Yao Ming a long with veteran Dikembe Mutumbo. Olajuwon saw his numbers tail off at the end of his career, averaging only 7.1 points and 6 rebounds per game in Toronto his last year. The move is seen as symbolic for the most part. The Rockets main motivation in pursuing the famed player is Yao Ming's development. Coach Jeff Van Gundy commented on the signing: "Hakeem gives us an invaluable tool to help the development with Yao. We hope Yao can learn from him."



Settings:
NBA Live 2005
10 minute quarters


Pre-season Roster:

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Pre-Season Activity Galore
The Rockets opened up training camp this week. To start off, Yao Ming and Hakeem Olajuwon had several one on one practices. Yao said that he is soaking in all the knowledge he can. "I'm just trying to learn from Hakeem. He is a great player, and he has a lot to teach me."

Hakeem shows he can still live up to his trademark

On top of the practices between just Yao and Olajuwon, the Rockets played their new annual event: the Red vs. White game. Coach Jeff Van Gundy split his team into two practice teams. A game was held on Saturday, free to the public. Team Red got off to a quick start, with forward Scott Padgett nailing a three, and new Rocket Tracy McGrady driving to the hole.

New Rocket Tracy McGrady brings an aggressive offensive skill set to the team

As the game continued, the strengths and weaknesses of the team became more apparent. "I felt that the defensive effort was adequate, but we have to make easy baskets," said Van Gundy. Team Red finished with 12 blocks, while Team White finished with 6. Hakeem Olajuwon had an impressive opening game, with four points, six blocks and seven rebounds. Opposite of him, Yao struggled to get touches offensively, finishing with only 4 points, but was in a groove on the defensive end, finishing with nine rebounds and four blocks. Team White pulled away behind Mike James, who scored a game high 21 points on 9-14 shooting. James is expected to compete with current starting point guard Bob Sura for the starting job.

Bob Sura and Mike James are competing for the starting point guard position

Tracy McGrady stayed aggressive on the offensive end, scoring a team high 11 points for Team Red. He also proved his ability to see the floor with 4 assists. "I have full faith in Tracy's ability to be a playmaker," said Van Gundy. "He's completely unselfish with the ball." While Team Red gave a great defensive effort, their inability to get the ball in the hole cost them the game, which finished at 45-34.

Team Red:


Team White:

[Andrew]

Nice start. I like the idea of bringing The Dream back, I did a similar thing in my NBA Live 06 Dynasty with Shawn Kemp. Did you edit his ratings to reflect his age or did you leave them at their legendary level?

[SC1211]

Nice start. I like the idea of bringing The Dream back, I did a similar thing in my NBA Live 06 Dynasty with Shawn Kemp. Did you edit his ratings to reflect his age or did you leave them at their legendary level?

I edited his ratings to an age-appropriate level, he may be a bit too high at 65 ovrl still, but his stats match up to that of his last year in Toronto.

Thanks, by the way. I'm going to try and post the first game tomorrow.

[Andrew]

65 overall sounds alright, I did the same with Kemp. I feel it creates a reality without pushing the bounds of reality too much.

[SC1211]

Rockets hold on in defensive opener with Pistons
The Rockets won their regular season opener against the Pistons last night, defeating them 85-74. Their stifling defensive effort held the Pistons just 3 assists for the entire game, and threw off any attempt at establishing an offensive rhythm.

Hakeem Olajuwon contributed to the Rockets defensive efforts

Yao Ming was the player of the game, finishing with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 steals. New Rockets star Tracy McGrady also contributed to the offensive game, with 26 points and 6 assists. Besides the star duo, Mike James came off the bench with 17 points, and Juwan Howard scored 10.

Yao Ming was unstoppable around the rim, shooting over 60%

The Pistons backcourt contributed to the offensive game, with Richard Hamilton finishing with 28 points and Chauncey Billups with 26 points. Unfortunately for Detroit, the offensive production stopped there. Tayshaun Prince was held to 7 points, Rasheed Wallace to 4 and Ben Wallace to 2. Both Wallaces were magnificent on the defensive end, however. Ben Wallace had 11 rebounds and 5 blocks, while Rasheed had 10 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Richard Hamilton couldn't carry the offensive load by himself

The defensive tone of the game was set from the beginning. Center Yao Ming said, "I thought we were able to come out, from the beginning, with energy." At the end of the first quarter, the score was 19-18 in Rockets favor. Coming into the second quarter, the Rockets made a run, distancing themselves by 5 points with 6 seconds to go in the half. The Pistons then inbounded the ball, and Prince threw up a three to cut the lead to two. Center Yao Ming exploded in the third quarter, going off for 14 points. Coach Jeff Van Gundy praised his effort: "Yao was phenomenal in the 3rd quarter. I thought he struggled in the first half, but picked it up with his offensive hustle." Late in the quarter, the Pistons went on a 9-0 run, piling up their biggest lead at 49-43. The Rockets, led by Mike James, quickly regained composure, cutting Detroit's lead to 1 going into the final quarter. The game remained close until, with 3 minutes remaining, the Rockets went on a 12-2 run to finish the game.

Defense was responsible for this victory

Box Scores:



Rockets Notes

James remains on the bench
One of the closest position battles coming into the season was the point guard position, where Bob Sura and Mike James were both viable candidates. Coach Jeff Van Gundy decided to give the job to Sura, but not because of incompetence on the part of James. "I think it behooves us to have a scoring punch off the bench and a facilitator start the game. They both have different styles and they are both performing well."
James is happy with his role. "I'm just here to do what I can, as long as I'm playing."

Olajuwon struggles in debut
Hakeem Olajuwon struggled offensively in his return to the Houston Rockets, going 0-2 from the field and 1-2 from the line. "I just need to find a rhythm with my shot," he said.
Van Gundy wasn't worried: "As long as Hakeem can continue to play hard defensively, his offensive struggles are secondary."

The Twin Towers return
After letting Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups drive to the basket at will for the first half, Jeff Van Gundy put Dikembe Mutumbo at power forward alongside Yao Ming to start the third quarter. "I felt like we needed a defensive stopper in the middle, so I went with the old Twin Towers line-up."

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Christie to Houston?
The Houston Rockets have reportedly closed in on a deal for Orlando Magic shooting guard Dough Christie. The deal would land Christie, forward Hedo Turkoglu, and center Mario Kasun in Houston, and send guards Moochie Norris and David Wesley, along with center Dikembe Mutombo to Orlando. The deal came after Coach Jeff Van Gundy was concerned about his backcourt size and defense. After the previous game, he told reporters: "I'm a little worried about our backcourt defense. Rip [Hamilton] and [Chauncey] Billups ripped us apart. The effort is there, it's just a size issue." Wesley, 6'1", has an expiring contract. The Magic are seeking cap flexibility to make a splash in the free agent pool this summer, and acquiring Mutombo and Wesley's expiring contracts may allow them to do so. The deal was discussed in the offseason, but was nixed by the Magic after they declined to take on Clarence Weatherspoon's contract. The Rockets substituted Norris instead, and both sides came to an agreement. A press conference and official announcement are scheduled for tomorrow.

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Short-handed Rockets power past Raptors
The Houston Rockets are now 2-0, thanks to offensive execution and defensive tenacity. The Rockets beat the Toronto Raptors without starting shooting guard David Wesley, and back-up big man Dikembe Mutombo, who are both expected to be a part of a 6 player deal with the Orlando Magic. The absences didn't make much of a difference, however, as the Rockets powered past the Toronto defense with ball movement and an aggressive mindset.

Tracy McGrady contributed more than just scoring, finishing with 10 assists to back up 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Yao Ming admired his effort: "Tracy played like a true teammate, setting us up and making things easy for us." Yao led the game in scoring with 28 points, on 13-of-20 shooting. Yao also had 10 rebounds and a career high 7 blocks to go along with it.

Bob Sura commented on the improvement in Yao's game, saying "Yao has been amazing. He's been much more aggressive this year in the post up game, and has really improved his awareness. I think that this is the year he'll live up to all of his critics."

For the Raptors, guard Rafer Alston led in scoring with 27 points. He stayed aggressive the entire game, getting to the foul line 8 times. "I was just in attack mode," he said. "I knew that if we wanted to win, I had to pull my weight." Morris Peterson and Jalen Rose also both finished with 18 points.
The two teams were close in the first quarter, finishing the period 25 to 25. The Rockets had a hard time getting the ball in the basket in the second quarter, as Yao Ming took a rest. Come the third quarter, the Rockets were fired up, extending their lead to 15 points by the end of the period. Yao had 12 points in the third alone. Coach Sam Mitchell said he had no answer for the big man. "I thought Chris [Bosh] did a good job defending him, it was just something that couldn't be stopped. With Tracy inciting ball movement and Yao powering our bigs down, we were really caught in a tough position."

The Rockets sealed the deal in the fourth, finishing the game 96-77. Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy still saw room for improvement. "I thought there were times where we didn't put our full effort in to defense, we have to become more consistent."

Tracy McGrady put out an optimistic sentiment. "Man, I've never been on a team like this before, where everyone cares about winning and not personal statistics. When you have that, you have more offensive execution. I'm excited for where we can go, especially with the new guys coming in tomorrow."


Yao Ming was relentless with his interior defense, finishing with a career high 7 blocks


Rafer "Skip-to-my-Lou" Alston tried, but it wasn't enough to cut it.


Fastbreak points were key to the Rockets' success


Staying aggressive was vital to victory

Box Scores:

[SC1211]

Sorry, haven't updated in awhile, been on 2k8, but the PS3 broke so I'm back here for a bit, haha.


Despite monster game from Yao, Rockets fall short to Grizzlies
The new additions were there, but could not get the Rockets over the hump, as they were hammered by the Memphis Grizzlies, 111-88. The Rockets were outplayed in every facet of the game, despite stellar play from there two superstars, who combined for 57 points on 23-39 shooting. The rest of the team, however, only scored 31 points, and brought the overall field goal percentage of the Rockets down to 40%.

The new additions to the team didn't play out too well, offensively, in their first game in Houston uniforms. Hedo Turkoglu was 3-12 off the bench, and 0-2 from behind the arc. Doug Christie was only 1-6 from the field, but exerted himself on the defensive end, finishing with 3 steals and holding sharpshooter Mike Miller to 6 points on only 3-10 shooting. Behind the arc he was an abysmal 0-1. Said Coach Jeff Van Gundy: "I felt that the offensive rhythm will come with time and chemistry. But Doug definitely showed himself on the defensive end against Mike. It's definitely an upgrade from before."

Overall, however, Van Gundy was disappointed with the play of his team. "We have to be smarter. We took too many bad shots and we didn't think about what we were doing offensively or defensively. 111 points is ridiculous. It exhibits a lack of intensity and effort as a team." The Grizzlies shot 51% from the field, lead by point guard Jason Williams, who finished with 33 points.

Shane Battier, known as a defensive stalwart, also had an unusually productive offensive night as well, with 24 points. "I felt it was a great win," said Battier. "Houston is known as a defensive team, and I think tonight we beat them at their own game. I'm excited for our season. With Pau, Jason, and Mike, I think we can be pretty dangerous offensively while still being a hard-nosed defensive team as well."

The loss echoed concerns that the team had coming into the season; the dependence of their success on the star duo. Jeff Van Gundy commented, "This has to be a team effort, night in and night out. Yao can't be expected to put up 35 and 16 every night. Tracy isn't going to shoot lights out every night. What we can have is intensity and a desire to win as a cohesive group."


Hedo Turkoglu had an off night, but is expected to give the Rockets a boost off the bench


Tracy McGrady stayed aggressive, finishing with 22 points and 6 dimes


Doug Christie brings size and defensive tenacity to the backcourt

Box Scores:

[MadNice]

Nice win bro i already luv ya dynasty and try to put Hakeem at PF with Tronn Lue at PG cuz they are good. Mkae them starters...

[Oskar]

Looks good, not like most of the dynasties.

MadNice, nah. Lue isn't that good, I agree with SC1211, Mike James and Bob Sura are better. Don't want to argue too, Lue is alright.

[SC1211]

Haha, it doesn't really matter though, I'm using the end of the year roster for 04-05, so Lue isn't even on my team anyway. Thanks for the compliments guys

[SC1211]

McGrady was unstoppable, even in the face of a double-team
Interior defense, McGrady's scoring attack lead Rockets to victory
Cuttino Mobley's homecoming to the Toyota Center was spoiled by the very man he was traded for: Tracy McGrady. McGrady's 27 points on 12-17 shooting (including 3-4 from behind the arc) personified why Carroll Dawson brought him to Houston: his offensive prowess. He lead the Rockets to a 99-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings"He's a great player, no doubt," said Mobley. "It was great getting to see the fans again tonight. I love this city and I love the people. Unfortunately, business forced me to leave it." Mobley received a standing ovation when he was announced during the starting line-ups.Houston got out to a quick start, ending the first quarter with an 11 point lead, at 34-23. After that, they coasted to the finish, though they did allow the lead to slip at times.

Along with the offensive prowess displayed by McGrady, Yao Ming (with dumped in 21 points), and former King Doug Christie, who scored 16 points, the Rockets also excelled with their interior defense. "As a former King myself, I know Coach [Rick] Adelman's system and how it works," commented Christie. "It made it easier for me to defend against it, and I thought we did a great job." Christie himself held Cuttino Mobley to 18 points, on only 6-21 shooting, including 0-5 from the three point line. Yao Ming topped his career high in blocks for the second time this season, garnering 9. He also pulled down 15 rebounds. Hakeem Olajuwon also contributed to the defensive game, erasing 7 shots of his own.

Coach Jeff Van Gundy was pleased with the play of his starters, but had concerns with the bench. "I thought our starters were excellent out there," he said. "Our bench, offensively, was horrible. 6-26 isn't going to cut it. We were just taking bad shots." Mike James, specifically, had an off night, going only 1-9 from behind the arc. Hakeem Olajuwon was 0-7, and Clarence Weatherspoon was 0-2. While the bench struggled, the starters excelled. Along with the three previously mentioned, Juwan Howard also had a good night with 11 points.

The Kings, on the other hand, struggled offensively, shooting only 40% from the field. Former Sixth Man of the Year Bobby Jackson was held to 0 points on 0-8 shooting. "We just didn't execute," lamented Coach Rick Adelman. "We didn't look for easy buckets, and we paid the price in the end." They did win the rebounding battle, however, 44 to 33. Former Rocket Kenny Thomas pulled down 17 himself, to go along with 23 points. The effort didn't have the support of his entire team, however, and even though the starters all scored in double figures, the bench only netted 8 points.

To make things work, Kings guard Mike Bibby went down with an injury to his wrist. After going up for a shot, he was fouled by Juwan Howard and came down on his wrist at an angle. He winced in pain and was helped off the court by two Kings. At this point, the prognosis is unclear. Said Adelman: "We'll get tests done, but right now it looks like a level 2 sprain. It sets us back, certainly, but we have to look at his best interest."

New Rocket Tracy McGrady was optimistic about the future after the game. "This system is great, man. Jeff is such a great coach, we're playing good defense, which they say is the key to a championship. We just gotta keep this up and put our effort into it. There are things we still need to work on, and I think that they'll work themselves out as we continue to mesh together. But Yao and myself are gonna do our best to bring excitement to this city."


Hakeem Olajuwon has still got it, finishing with a season high 7 blocks


As much as he tried, former Rocket Cuttino Mobley couldn't get things going


For the second time this season, Jeff Van Gundy went with the "Twin Towers" line-up

Box Scores:

[Awesom3]

Wow, 22 blocks! I'm liking this dynasty so far.