Charlotte Bobcats at Houston Rockets 3/14

[ziggy]

Wouldn't it be nice to stroll into Houston's arena Friday night, catch the Rockets napping and be the team that breaks their 20 game win streak. That would be real sweet.

The Rockets have the Lakers and the Celtics coming up right after us, so maybe... just maybe they will be sleeping on the Bobcats and we can catch them off guard.

What do you guys think?

[davcbow]

Lets us pray for napping Rockets so we dont turn into Rocket prey...... :g:

[TheBeagle]

As a Houston Astros fan, I frequent the Houston Chronicle website fairly often, so I've already given columnist Richard Justice fair warning that we'll break the streak :biggrin:

Apparently they're good, but I really don't know how they've won that many because they don't appear that good. We've got to remeber to rotate quickly on defense and rebound or we don't stand a chance though.

[Wallace15]

Breaking the Rockets winning streak could possibly give us that momentum boast to get us in the playoffs. Plus, if we were to beat Houston, ESPN would talk about us for a day or 2 which would be nice.

[Muttley]

Breaking the Rockets winning streak could possibly give us that momentum boast to get us in the playoffs. Plus, if we were to beat Houston, ESPN would talk about us for a day or 2 which would be nice.


I don't know. I've seen us pull off good wins before (granted, not on the level of breaking a 20 game win streak), and all ESPN does is talk about how the other team played poorly. Maybe I'm being too pessimistic, but when we beat Houston, I don't see the mighty ESPN giving us credit for anything ever.

[tamburello]

Ha ha ha ha. Look at that: The Rockets fans aren't thinking about tonight's game, Bobcats etc. The only thing they could think about is all "21". http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=144805&page=1

It would be extremely sweet to spoil their streak.

[Dead_Real]

Don't know how tonights game will turn out but all I ask is for our guys to atleast keep it competitive any given night we can beat an elite team point blank "team ball" and a huge game from Okafor and Rich will seal our fate.

[davcbow]

Id love to read their forum after the Bobcats upset them....

Truely I think V is paranoid of that division and freaks out with crazy line ups when we play anyone from that division, but there is always the first time for him to call it right.

Let us pray. "Basketball gods be on our side tonight, be with us in our times of need. Let us win". :g:

[Melanie]

Oh, it would be so sweet to beat Houston tonight! Bob's are pretty good at crazy upsets so it's totally possible. We've got a big hill to climb though!

[BIGCatBobcat]

I'm pretty optimistic about tonight's game. I don't like T-Mac, I don't follow the Rockets at all. I haven't liked them since Hakeem left. My least favorite Dukie, and I used to like Duke in high school, Shane Battier is their most vocal player. All the news stories I've read have a quote from him in them and honestly he's getting on my nerves.
I don't know how they are doing it but they have won 20 games in a row. ESPN tells me (that's the only place I get any info) that it hasn't happened in 40 years. The longest ever is 33 right? 21 would put them in 2nd spot all time. Yeah, we have to win, screw the Rockets.

[ziggy]

Ha ha ha ha. Look at that: The Rockets fans aren't thinking about tonight's game, Bobcats etc. The only thing they could think about is all "21". http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=144805&page=1

It would be extremely sweet to spoil their streak.

Good Lord! They're having a field day over there.

[ohara831]

Well, if we had won 20 in a row and were playing a team at home with our record, I think we'd be having a field day on this site as well. Let 'em have their day, they have earned it. 20 in a row in this day and age is really an accomplishment, especially in the Western Conf.

[Dead_Real]

Rich and Okafor feeling it so far good sign hopefully they'll both keep it up.

[Melanie]

Well I just checked up on the game and noticed we're up by 5 at the end of the 1st!!! That's exciting!

Channelsurfing isn't working for me... Is that working for anyone else?

[Melanie]

Oh wow, up by 11! Come on Bobcats!

[ALong13]

Richardson and Okafor are having very good starts, hopefully they can keep it up. I'd love to be the team to snap this streak, what a spot that put us in...plus it keep us in for a shot at the playoffs...

[Dead_Real]

wow bull shit technical foul call on Crash.

edit - Ref changed up the call :biggrin:

[Dead_Real]

16 already for J-Rich.

[BIGCatBobcat]

The Cats are looking good. J-Rich is strong but seriously guys, wouldn't you rather have Brandon Wright?

[Melanie]

Up by 7 at the half.

Did something happend to Nazr??? He's only played 7 minutes and I don't think h ecame in once this last quarter. He didn't get hurt did he?

[ziggy]

Up by 7 at halftime!!! J-Rich and Emeka both have real nice games going.
I'd like to see a little less of Matt Carroll guarding T-Mac in the 2nd half.

[Dead_Real]

Nazr got two early fouls if I'm not mistaken.

Cats go into the half with the lead JRich and Mek just need to keep doing what they did in the first half Hammer and Ray need to step it up though and Crash looks better.

[Bobcats126]

Good game for the Bobcats I am looking to see that 20 game W streak to be snapped tonight.

[Melanie]

Okay, come on guys, let's get something going here!

[Dead_Real]

Gone cold :(

[Dead_Real]

Hopefully we just keep Crash or Rich on McGrady for the rest of the game.

[Dead_Real]

McGrady beasting right now damn.

[Melanie]

Well I'm happy that they didn't get blown away and that they kept the game close. We didn't lose by 10.

On to the Cavs.

[ziggy]

Damn... Even at 40-whatever years old, Dikembe is still one hell of a defensive force.

[ohara831]

Great effort from J-Rich, Okafor and Crash. Dudley did OK from the bench. But no one else really showed up tonight. Needed more help.

[CMc$]

A good game from Felts and this would've been a W.

He was an explosion of suck tonight. Pretty much the worst looking boxscore of all time for him.

[VMaK53]

Damn... Even at 40-whatever years old, Dikembe is still one hell of a defensive force.



You don't think at least 3 of the blocks were fouls?
I'm gettin sick of refs these days. There HAS to be some decent ones out there somewhere.

I am blaming this loss on Sammy V?
Look who was guarding T-Mac. Felton or Carrol.
It doesn't make sense why our coach (?) wouldn't put J-Rich, Dudley or Wallace on him. He is the reason we lost this game. Every time he got the ball, something good happened for the Rockets.

I guess we put this in the category, "Another game that slipped away after the 3rd quarter started."

Anybody think we can beat the Cavs?

[ziggy]

VMak53,

Of the 4 blocks, I'd say 1 was a foul, 2 were clean and 1 could go either way. But when you have a history of playing that kind of defense, the refs give you the benefit of the doubt.

I definitely had a problem with Matt Carroll repeatedly getting isolated by T-Mac. Theres no way that he could slow down McGrady.

[Keetch]

I too thought that Sam put us at a disdvantage with Carroll on McGrady, but hell; Matt did pretty well considering....yeah Wallace could have guarded McGrady more.

Man during the 1st half when Mek was making all those 10 footers, I was thinking WTF!? Who is this new center? Then the announcers mentioned that he was playing before a lot of friends and family in Houston ... go figure. Yeas I play my best in my own driveway too I suppose. Okafor went kind of soft I thought in the second half though. So how does it work that you suddenly can shoot jumpers because you are in Houston!? Strangeness.

Not sure why Felts could go so bad out there. Only 4 assists? He never found a rhythm it seemed. It was bad Felton...forcing shots and running into defenders. Oh well.

Otherwise; I thought this was a game that Mohammed could start; with the Rockets playing Mutombo and Scola; but Nazzie kinda sucked out there. He made one horrible turnover in the 4th quarter that had me yelling at the TV.

[Muttley]

Wasn't it Joe Forte that bent us over last time we played the Rockets in Charlotte?

I swear those non-calls at the end with Mutumbo "blocking" Okafor were making my head spin. I was so furious. We're doing our best to be in this game. Maybe we wouldn't have won, but we definitely won't win if the refs allow the other team to hack at our every shot (especially when those shots are being made by our center, who usually goes to the rim about as hard as a pint of ice cream that's been sitting on the blacktop for hours in the middle of a day in August).

[TheBeagle]

Oh my, that was a frustrating game! Had to cool off for a bit before I did this, and now I'm pretty much worn out now from all the basketball I've seen today....

(By the way Keetch, I caught someone sitting in your seats today; I felt like going down there and telling them, "Hey, those are Keetch's seats. You can't sit there!," but then I figured I'd get "escorted" out of the arena, so....)

I absolutely hate that team. I guess it's the result of winning 20 games consecutively, but they are so fuggin' pompous and whiny, as if they should just be given this game on a platter so they can go ahead and get 21 like everybody assumed they would.

That pansy-assed Mcgrady, what the hell has he ever done that he gets such calls??? The refs screwed us over when they came here and "beat" us in November, when Mcgrady committed an offensive foul on GW, but it was inexplicably called a defensive foul on GW. The jackleg hasn't won a playoff series in 11 or 12 years in the NBA and he gets treated like Kobe or Lebron royalty??? WTF gives???

Terrible calls that I need to mention:
1. GW techinical in 1st half. Uh......what did he do exactly to warrant a technical? If the guy is going to continue to drive to the basket after a foul has been called, why can't the defender continue the play? For all GW knew it could've been continuation, plus it wasn't even a hard foul. Mind-boggling.

2. GW getting called for a foul on Mccrybaby shooting a 3. No contact at all. The primadonna missed a shot for crying out loud, refs; it can happen!!

3. GW getting called for a foul when he blocked the everluvin' $@#!@ out of the old fellow with the crooked finger. After I caught my breath and saw that GW was okay from the fall, I was starting to wonder what game the refs were watching, cause it wasn't this one. He flat-out stuffed Mutombo's wrinkled ass!

4. Mutombo's first block on Mek toward the end. 70% forearm/30%ball. How the hell is that not a foul? The other's I'll let go, but come on, enough damn kowtowing to these Rockets, may they have their asses handed to them thoroughly in the playoffs!!!!!

Wow, all that anger, and to think I cooled off for over an hour. Think what woulda been on this space if I'd typed directly after the game :biggrin:

***************

Sweet game by GW. Solid game from JRich and Mek and JD (when he played). Special recognition to Matty for guarding Mcbaby, when GW or JD would've been better suited, but still putting up a strong effort.

I think, much like me, most of the guys lost their cool in the 2nd half (and for good reason), though it would probably have served them better to stay calm, work the ball around more frequently, and have a very good shot at winning, as opposed to having just a good shot.

Overall, loved the effort, questioned some of the rotation and defensive assignments by "coach", and found a team to despise in the process! ANYBODY BUT HOUSTON!!!!!! (Ironically, I'm an Astros fan, and thought I'd never type that sentence, but the Rockets are just so unlikeable; from their high-strung PG Alston, to that cro-magnon Scola, to Shane Battier for obvious reasons, and to that walking over-inflated ego, scowling-like-he's-got-hemrrhoids-but-lost-his-Preparartion H, never-missed-a-shot-that-he-wasn't-fouled-on, no account Mcdonaldshappymealtoyistheonlythingheseverwonoreve rwillwin-grady!

Whew....I think my work here is done :P

[WarioVsMooChicken]

meh

[timang]

great game... by the rockets. :P

well, i'll take this loss and move on to the next game, even if stealing that game from them would have felt REALLY REAALLLYYYY GOOOOOOOOD. *sighs*

man, i wonder what a 21-w streak feels like :g: :-\

[davcbow]

Just like winning that 6th game would have felt to us I imagine..... :g:

[Muttley]

Beagle, I'm glad to know someone was as pissed off as I was. I was about ready to throw something through my TV, hoping it would hit one of the refs.

[Keetch]

They said on the TV that Wallace got his T because he made a gesture at the ref.

Jeez; you'd think by now the refs would be able to handle those gestures a little more gracefully :P They for sure could have Teed me up during the Warriors game. I am SO fortunate.

I dunno; the Rockets are a BIG team, I mean McGrady plays Shooting Guard. If Sam had him; he'd be a Power Forward for sure. So the only way we could have matched them up was to go small on Battier; which we did when Wallace was on Tracy.

The Houston house was rocking for the Rockets (yikes thats bad heh) and was a pretty tough place to get a win.

It was nice, in the first half to see the Okafor that won the NCAA championship and that we thought we knew during his first 2 NBA seasons. Will he bring it with him beyond Houston? If so, he makes us a pretty good team.

Beagle: I've taken some kidding about those seats this week...I think I saw a bunch of UNC people around that area. I'm not sure I shouldn't get a kick-back or something. Well, I just hope no one spills anything on them. I want them fresh and clean for the Heat game next week.

[BIGCatBobcat]

I was pretty damn frustrated there towards the end of the game. T-Mac really isn't that good but I think Stern has told the refs "Guys you have to give him calls, especially with Yao out. I bet the Premier of China a bucket of chicken wings the Rockets could win 25 in a row."

I wish Mutombo would just stick that finger up his....nose? He has been around so long, didn't he get drafted behind Grandmama in like '91? I kind of like him, all that charity crap and the cookie monster voice, but seriously how does he not get a tech every time he wags that finger? And I think on the conservative side 1 block was a foul one other I would have called a foul but I guess you can't stop a team on a roll like this.

Matt on T-Mac was an abomination, I don't feel bad for any NBA players, they're pros they get tough assignments sometimes. But seriously Sam left Matty out there on an island. I thought it was exacerbated by Stan Smith calling him Matty every time something happened.

[TheBeagle]

Beagle, I'm glad to know someone was as pissed off as I was. I was about ready to throw something through my TV, hoping it would hit one of the refs.
Oh, man, I know, Muttley. I've obviously deatl with it and all, but it is still a sham of game. It seemed to me in the second half that this whole thing was just a formality for getting their 21st win. Admittedly, Felton was way off last night, "coach" was AWOL, so we had those things going against us, but damn if it didn't seem like all that bitching by T-Prick, Adelman, and the fans began to influence the refs. The pompous Rockets, because they have such a win streak have started to think they can do no wrong, and undoubtedly the refs have followed suit.

Like I said, I've got a least favorite team in the league and it's the Rockets....by a long shot! Likewise a new least favorite player in T-Bag.....sorry, that was classless, but well-deserved, in my estimation!! :biggrin:

[BIGCatBobcat]

Beagle, I'm glad to know someone was as pissed off as I was. I was about ready to throw something through my TV, hoping it would hit one of the refs.
Oh, man, I know, Muttley. I've obviously deatl with it and all, but it is still a sham of game. It seemed to me in the second half that this whole thing was just a formality for getting their 21st win. Admittedly, Felton was way off last night, "coach" was AWOL, so we had those things going against us, but damn if it didn't seem like all that bitching by T-Prick, Adelman, and the fans began to influence the refs. The pompous Rockets, because they have such a win streak have started to think they can do no wrong, and undoubtedly the refs have followed suit.

Like I said, I've got a least favorite team in the league and it's the Rockets....by a long shot! Likewise a new least favorite player in T-Bag.....sorry, that was classless, but well-deserved, in my estimation!! :biggrin:


No, I was holding back in my pre-game rant. I would have called him T-Bag. He's a good player, not great, doesn't deserve calls. Actually I take it back about liking them when Hakeem was there. They went out and bought Sir Charles just to try and win a championship towards the end of the era of The Dream and Clyde and they couldn't do it.
Probably a question for a separate thread but is Shaq this generation's Charles Barkley + championships? Chatty and funny with the media. Overweight, plays hard, teams think he will be the final piece of the puzzle. Probably a stretch.