Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Back To Earth?


The Rockets faced the Utah Jazz in Utah last night riding a 4 game road winning streak. The Rockets came out blazing for the first 1 minute or so taking a 5-0 lead but then let Utah bring it back to there style of game as the Rockets struggled to adapt to the game. Rockets had there chances to take the crowd out of it but they got to crazy with the 3 point shot taking one after the other! The other problem for the Rockets last night seemed to be there spacing they had no spacing it was always crowded in the paint forcing the 3 ball and at times taking the 3 with a hand in there face and that's not how you win basketball games in Utah! Rockets seemed to be out of it heading into the fourth Ron Artest tried to take the game under his wing but was not able to AB had a nice night holding his own vs Deron Williams but it was Brevin Knight playing better than Kyle Lowry and that was one key factor in the Rockets loss tonight besides all of the other stuff we talked about bench was not an issue for Houston Brent Barry missed like 3 straight 3s and Von could not get anything going to the basket as Utah got Utah calls all night long. There was really no one to blame for last nights loss but the team it self there was no FIRE tonight! Rockets fall to the Jazz 99-86 with the lost and the Spurs winning at home vs the Warriors the Rockets fall back down to the 3rd seed in the west and 2nd in the south west. Player of the game for the Rockets was Aaron Brooks who had 20 points and 4 assist. Rockets next game will be on Saturday at home vs the Clippers and that will be a 7:30 pm start. Rockets also signed James White for the remainder of the season as the Rockets GM feels like White is project player and could be a good one in the long run.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Look Whos On Top Now!


The Houston Rockets have transformed there team alot since the injury of T-Mac that now they play more as a team and do it with ball movement and team defense! Not to say that they couldn't do it with Tracy but this year was not the year for him at all. The Rockets in there last two games they have beaten the Timberwolves and the Spurs! First they took care of the lonely Wolves that where without Al Jefferson but did it in great team fashion winning 107-88. Sunday came with 1st place on the line for both teams. The Rockets seemed to play well not letting the Spurs bully them into playing from behind as the Rockets have done in the past vs teams like the Spurs. The game came down to the last few possions as Luis Scola And Mr. Yao Ming played ill get the ball and pretend to shoot and i will pass it to you for a easy layup! I didn't watch the game do to work!!! ERRRR!!!! But all that matters is that the Rockets came out on top and took the game from the Spurs winning this one 87-85 as the Rockets now own 1st PLACE!!!!! in the Southwest Div. the player of the game was Luis Scola and Ron Artest. Scola finished the game 19 points and a very big 17 rebounds! and for Ron Ron he finished with 24 points and 4 rebounds. Man i want to say one thing to the Rockets as a team I'M SO PROUD OF YOU ALL!!!! The Rockets now face another very big task as they go to Utah and face the Jazz in a showdown! the game will be at 9:30pm on TNT. HOOK 'EM ROCKETS!!!!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

To Close For Comfort!


The Rockets last night vs the Detroit Pistons played to the level of there competition or there where just not into the game at all even though it was a televised game on ESPN. Rockets looked very sluggish and just could not shake off the Pistons at all during the game last night leading as high as 10 in the fourth only to let Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum take charge by taking the ball to the Rockets defense when ever they wanted scoring with ease! Afflalo was another player for the Pistons that was hitting from long and short range scoring 24 points Stuckey had 21 points and 10 assist. The Pistons even being short handed last night vs the Rockets did not back down they took it at the home team in every possion and took the Rockets to a double over time game that the Rockets won but did fight for!! Rockets won do to the leader ship of Yao Ming scoring like a machine in the overtimes and played nice D! Ron had a nice night as well for the Rockets scoring 26 bpoints and 4 rebounds for the good guys! Yao had 31 points 15 rebounds and 4 block shots as the Rockets won in 2OTs 101-106. The Rockets now focus on the Timberwolves who come into town on Friday night to play in the Toyota Center hopefully the Rockets wont play around and take this team for granted cause this team last night came close to beating the Hornets in New Orleans losing by only 1!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Carl Landry Shot!


A story from the Houston Chronicle reports that Carl Landry was shot early this morning. Here is the Chronicles story on the matter. Rockets forward Carl Landry suffered a gunshot wound to his lower leg early this morning about an hour after the team arrived home from New Orleans.
The shooting took place near Landry’s Fort Bend County home. He was treated for a flesh wound at Memorial Hermann Hospital and released. Landry is expected to be out of the lineup for one to two weeks.
Following the Rockets’ 95-84 win over the Hornets, the team charter flight landed at Hobby Airport just past midnight.
After driving home, Landry, 25, went back out to pick up a late meal at a fast food restaurant not far from his house. His car was first side-swiped by a passing car and then the occupants of the vehicle slowed down and fired two shots, the second of which struck him in the leg, according to team officials.
Landry, in his second professional season with the Rockets, had played 23 minutes, totaling 12 points and six rebounds, and played a key role in the Rockets’ win at New Orleans. He is averaging 9.3 points and 5 rebounds this season.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Rockets Get Must Needed Win


The Rockets tonight without Yao Ming who missed tonight's game do to the flu played a great game. In the first half the Rockets hung right there with the Hornets trading baskets and trying to contain CP3 at both ends of the court (If that is really possible!) Paul did do his thing tonight but the Rockets did do a good job not letting him create and dish out to his favorite target in David West. Ron Artest had the worst first half you could have going for like 0-10 at one point. Aaron Brooks held his own tongiht as he went vs Chirs Paul AB is starting to play with alot more confidence out there and he takes what the defense gives him either the drive or the open jumper. The Rockets Bench did a great job getting in there and out playing the Hornets bench alot had to do with the play of Waffer who came into this game and just did what he had to do he drove to the basket and broke down the defense he passed the ball when needed to he did everything his team wanted him to do tonight. The Rockets did lead in the first half by 8 at one point but the Hornets did manage to get back into the game and took the lead going into the half 44-47. In the second half the Rockets got down by 11 with a Hornets 8-0 run to start the 3rd period but the Rick called a time out and the Rockets did respond to the coach going on a nice run of there own and taking the lead from the Hornets as Ron found his game and the Rockets figured out how to beat teams by playing as a team as they did in tonight's game. After the Rockets won the 3rd they never looked back as they won a very big game in the big easy as a team. The final score tonight was the Yao Ming less Rockets 95 and the CP3's 84. I want to talk about how big Deke was tonight with 6 rebounds and 3 BIG block shots that scared the Hornets away from the basket tonight. The Player of the game was Von Waffer who finished the game with 12 points and 5 assist even though i would like to give it to the whole Rockets team! A big game tonight for the Rockets cause they stayed in the 3rd spot in the west and if they would have lost they would have dropped from 3rd to 6th place just like that. Rockets next game will be a home game vs the Detroit Pistons and that will be a 8:30pm start a hour later than normal time.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

What To Do WIth Time Runnning Out?


The Rockets with not much time left in the regular season have alot of things to do! First they need to figure out how to defend the pick and roll! then they need to decide who is the leader A) Ron Artest or B) Yao Ming? Then they need to get Yao the ball down low more often and when they don't give it to Yao they need to give it Ron down low and make him create cause they is not to many defenders that can guard the man one on one! One more thing they need to get going is the rotation of the bench they need to figure out if they feel if its in there best interest if they pull AB from the starting roll and plug in Lowry then they need to see if Brent Barry is in there plans to play in the playoffs or just Von Waffer getting most of there minutes at the back up 2 spot. Well Rockets time is running out and you better figure everything out by April 18th. Anyways the Rockets did have a game last night vs the San Antonio Spurs in Houston. I did miss the first half of action but did make it back in time to watch the whole second half. By the looks of it all the Rockets lost this one in the 2nd period due to them only scoring 15 points in the quarter. Anyways it was to much Parker and Duncan in the final minutes of the game as the Rockets did have a shot but came up short on a Aaron Brooks layup try on Duncan. Once again the Rockets fall to the Spurs 85-88. Rockets so called player of the game was Ron Artest with 21 points and 9 rebounds. Rockets next game will be on Monday vs the Hornets in New Orleans at 7pm. Please Rockets find a way to start making your free throws and cut the darn turn overs.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Artest Saves The Day!


Rockets tonight vs the Charlotte Bobcats had a ok performance on the court. It was there skill to play up to the level of there opponent. Rockets came out alittle lazy like if they where not really up to this game making the same mistakes that have hunted them this season with thing like sloppy passing bad shot selections and maybe coaching. In the first half the Rockets had to fight just to stay within striking distance of the Bobcats tonight. Yao played well in the first half doing what he does making the other team double team him and when the double team came he would find the open man, But the problem was that the open man would either dribble into a double team or just flat out throw the ball away. Going into the half the Rockets had a chance to tie but instead went to the half trailing by 2 with a score of 46-48. In the second half things didn't really change as both teams clamped down on the defensive side of the ball. In the fourth the Rockets managed to take a 6 point lead but they also managed to give the lead up within the closing seconds with a Ron Artest dribble marathon that ended with a turnover and a Bobcats chance to take the lead and they DID! with a Raja Bell put back off the glass. On the Rockets next possion the Rockets went back to Ron Artest who had Gerald Wallace on him, Ron dribble with a some what of a crossover that put Wallace on his bum and Artest open for the 18 foot jumper. The Rockets got the ball back and got fouled as the Bobcats missed there chance to take the lead back Aaron brooks was headed to the free throw line and as calm as Aaron could be he sunk in both free throws that gave the Rockets a 3 point lead. The Bobcats being down 3 with 7 seconds left tried to find Radmanovic for the 3 but he was met with RON RON and Ron took the ball away from him and ran back to the other side for a layup and that sealed the deal for the Rockets as they win tonight 91-86. Player of the game was Yao Ming who hit his first 3 of the way in the 4th! Yao finished the night with 23 points and 8 rebounds. If i could say one thing to Yao it would be PLEASE HOLD ONTO THE DAMN BALL PLEASE SIR!. Anyways nice win for the good guys. The Rockets now go back home to Houston to play the San Antonio Spurs who are up 2 games in the Southwest Division tomorrow at the Toyota Center at 7:30pm. The Rockets also signed James White to a second 10 day contract today.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

2nd Half Troubles!


The Rockets last night vs the Lakers came out like they wanted to win the game and not just win but make a state meant out of it. It was a good game in the first half as the Rockets took an early lead after the bench came in to set the tempo with Lowry, Landry and Waffer the only really Britte spot for the Rockets last night. In the first half for Houston the Rockets managed to run the ball and hold Kobe Bryant to only 6 first half points as the Rockets took a 11 point lead into halftime break 40-51. In the second half the Rockets just looked out of sync turning over the ball alot missing point blank shots and once again falling to nail down the easy free throws. Ron Artest did not have anything last night to offer his teammates as he failed to score when the Rockets needed him to. Rons defense was good at times but him and Shane just did not have any answers for number 24! as Kobe went of for 31 second half points and lead his Lakers to an easy victory in the Toyota Center winning this one 96-102. The Rockets need to learn not pass into double coverage when Yao is being fronted and not make Yao bend over for a bad pass this kind of stuff will hurt the Rockets if players like Lowry and Brooks learn how to pass Yao the ball down low. And as for Ron please stop forcing up shot and trying to be the hero all the time like Von! play team ball and spread the wealth and good things will happen till then we are going to be in trouble. We need to see more of a quick and smart team on the floor! i don't know why they don't put a team like Waffer,Brooks,Lowry,Landry, and Scola just to see what could happen cause it wont hurt. Houston's top performer last night vs the Lakers was Von Waffer who had 20 points and 3 steals. Rockets play again on Friday at Charlotte Bobcats.

Monday, March 9, 2009

A Win Is A Win! But Nothing Is Free!


The Houston Rockets where on back to back games vs the Grizzlies and the Denver Nuggets. Yesterdays game vs the Grizzlies the Rockets just took charge early and really never let there foot off the pedal winning in easy fashion 93-83. The Rockets bench saw alot of garbage time last night after the starters had a 20 point lead in the fourth. Carl Landry and Yao made there presence felt in the middle blocking a team high 9 in the first half. Top performers for the Rockets last night was Yao Ming with 24 points and 17 rebounds and Luis Scola again had a double double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. In tonight's action vs the Nuggets the Rockets had to fight back after being down in most of the 1st half. The Rockets with good play from Aaron Brooks in the second quarter took a 40-45 score to the locker room. In the third quarter the Rockets came out with alot fire power on both ends of the floor. In the fourth quarter things once again got very ugly as the Rockets blew a 19 point lead and let Denver come back with in 3 points but the Rockets with Ron Artest helping the Rockets keep there cool after Yao Ming fouled out with 6 fouls and the 6th one coming on a BONE HEAD! play from Yao reaching around Billups at the half court trying to get a steal. Ron was very huge tonight for the Rockets making shots playing stellar D! and rebounding the ball but the most thing that impressed me was the fact that he was the LEADER on the floor for Houston! The Rockets tonight escape once again on the road with a victory winning by two 97-95. Player of the game was RON RON scoring 22 points and 6 rebounds but his defense and leadership was more important! The biggest story tonight for the Rockets was not that they won but they missed ALOT OF FREE THROWS! going 20-35 from the line a 57% disgrace tonight! Better go to gym and practice. Rockets next game will be on Wednesday vs the L.A Lakers in Houston where the Rockets currently have a 13 game winning streak at home.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Suns Go Down In Houston!


The Houston Rockets last night vs the Suns played well in the first half controlling the Phoenix Suns fast breaks and maintain there half court pace and running with there new point guard Aaron Brooks. Aaron really held his own vs Steve Nash and Barbosa speed wise and scoring but Aaron is still struggling on the defensive side of the ball getting killed on teams pick and rolls and post up of bigger guards but that will come to him in time. The Rockets at the half lead the Suns 56-46. In the second half Steve Nash made his presence felt scoring 28 points in the second half and by his self helped the suns take a 2 point lead after trailing the whole game with about 2 minutes left. Ron Artest in the following possion hit a 15 foot fade away the tied the game up. With under a minute left and the game tied again the Rockets decided to hand the ball off to Aaron Brooks and let him use his quickness to the basket witch he scored on a kind off difficult layup around Shaq with that basket the Rockets took a 114-112 lead. With the Suns next play the Suns decided to go for the win on the road so they gave the ball the Nash for a 3 but he was meet at the top pf the key with a very stretched out Yao Ming who changed and made the shot very hard for Nash and luckily for the Rockets his shot hit the front part of the rim and the Rockets escaped with a 116-112 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Nash after scoring only 3 points in the first half finished the night with 32 points. Aaron Brooks for the Rockets had a career night scoring with 30 points of his own! Ron Artest finished with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Rockets next game will be in Memphis on Sunday night.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Decided By Refs?


The Rockets where in Utah last night to face the Utah Jazz who have been on a roll as of late after getting back forward Carlos Boozer back from an injury. Rockets pretty much held there own last night in the first half getting good play from Brooks and Artest And Yao. It wasn't till the second half that the refs decided not to be any different then all the other refs in the league on calling fouls and all other kind of junk on Yao!If you ask me i don't know what the man can do! There is one play that stuck out on mind and that was i think in the 3rd quarter when Yao went to post up and when he did Okur fell back like 25 feet back and did a tumble like if some one had shot him! and you know it the offensive fouls was called on Yao! Any ways the Rockets did what the Rockets could do and that's go out there and play basketball and hope that the refs wouldnt spoil there effort but we where wrong and they did! After trailing by double digits the Rockets came back with the help of Kyle Lowry who helped the Rockets make a 6-0 run heading into the fourth period. In the fourth the Rockets managed to tie the game at 85-85 but Deron Williams was to much for the Rockets to take as he went of to score 6 points in a row and Utah did not look back winning this one 101-94.Artest finished the night scoring 25 points and grabbing down 5 rebounds and Yao had 19 points and 5 blocks. The Rockets where disgusted about the refs. And if you want proof check out this link to the Houston Chronicle web site. http://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Rockets Take Care Of Raptors!


The Houston Rockets came out in tonight's game vs the Raptors and did what they had to do to stay within striking distance of the Spurs and that's win! Rockets starting five struggled to set a tone in the game letting the Raptors take controll of the game. In the second quarter the Rockets figured out what they needed and that was there bench! Landry and company came to the starters aid and helped set a tone with fast breaks and nice defense. Some of the credit goes to Lowry who once again helped out struggling point guard Aaron Brooks with drives to the basket and finding the open man with penetration. At the half the Rockets took a 57-49 lead to the locker room. In the third quarter the Rockets played ok but once again it was the bench who came in and took charge. Yao is getting hammered again and again by Bosh and Bargnani but yet he was the one who was called for like 3 offensive fouls and a 3 seconds in the lane! (Go Figure!) In the Fourth was yet more of the bench With Von Hitting 2 straight 3's one from the corner and the other from the top of the key. toward the end the Raptors had no answer for the Rockets zone defense as the Rockets cruised at the end for a 107-97 W. Luis Scola once again had a double double with 20 points and 16 rebounds he is just good for a double double every game! Yao had a nice night even with all the bad calls going on him! he finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. And Carl Landry with 22 points and 6 rebounds and 2 blocks all of the bench. Von Waffer added 14 points off the bench. The Rockets tomorrow on a back to back will have the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City at 8pm. Rockets also today signed James White out of the NBDL to a 10 day contract white is a 6'7 foward who was scoring 25 points a game for Anaheim.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Brooks Shows Up As Rockets Beat Wolves!


Aaron Brooks after a terrible game last night vs the Chicago Bulls came to live vs the TImeberwolves. Aaron and his Rockets teammates played well in the second half tonight but in the first half it looked like it would be another one of those scary down to the last second games but luckily it wasn't it was a nice and most needed win for Houston. In the first half the Rockets seemed to be maybe a little tired from last nights game cause they where sluggish at times. Yao played well tonight and was able at times to get some what of a position on his defender when he was being fronted by Kevin Love. It was close going into the half as the score was 53-54. The Rockets in the second half seemed to pick up there level of play as they cruised in the third period scoring at will on fast breaks and open jumpers. In the third quarter the Rockets did not lay down like they did vs the Bulls do in much part of the double point guards on the court at the same time cause Lowry played the point and Brooks the 2 guard spot and it was hard for the Timberwolves to really match them with there quickness. The game came out on the Rockets favor tonight as they beat the Timberwolves on the road 105-94. Yao finished the night with some nice numbers going for 17 points 11 rebounds and 6 block shots. AB finished with 22 points and 10 assist and Ron Artest had 23 points and Luis added to his number of double doubles in the season going for 15 points and 11 rebounds. A nice and needed game for Houston after last night disaster in Chicago cause now the Rockets are 2.5 games behind the Spurs in the Southwest division. Rockets next game will be on Tuesday night at home vs the Toronto Raptors and that will be a 7:30pm tip off.