The Dream Shake

T-Mobile Player of the Week: Luis Scola

2010-03-16T20:12:48Z

More photos » Bill Baptist - NBAE/Getty Images

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44 points. On 25 shots. And a bunch of rebounds, too.

That is all.

Game 65 Recap: Resilient, Balanced Effort Propels Rockets To 125-123 Comeback Victory Over Nuggets

2010-03-16T04:01:20Z

More photos » David J. Phillip - AP

about 23 hours ago: Houston Rockets' Aaron Brooks (0) celebrates after beating the Denver Nuggets in a NBA basketball game Monday, March 15, 2010 in Houston. Brookes scored the game-winning basket in the Rockets 125-123 win over the Nuggets. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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Whew. That was fun.

There was plenty of good, but you know what stood out most? Everyone. At the end of the game, after the Nuggets had started the fourth quarter on the kind of run that puts away most teams, everyone made a play. Trevor Ariza's clutch three. Kevin Martin's jumper in the lane. Kyle Lowry's drives to the basket for lay-ups. Shane Battier's three pointers from the corner. Jordan Hill's offensive rebound and free throws. Chuck Hayes' free throws. Luis Scola's jump shots and rebounds. The collective defensive effort when it mattered most.

I know it's monotonous. That's the best part.

And then there was Aaron Brooks. Take it from Kevin Martin: Aaron is the best sub-six-foot scorer since Iverson, and perhaps the most diverse scoring point guard that the league has to offer. Finally, it appears that Aaron Brooks has taken that jumbled mess of scoring talent - the speed, the shot, the ability to finish at the rim - and has added a key ingredient: poise. Or whatever you want to call it. There's a confidence in him that hasn't been there before. The confidence not only to take advantage of scoring opportunities when presented, but to create his own scoring opportunities without hesitation. And, really, it's only taken half a year to develop, which is scary. We'll ignore the crunch time free throw issues, but just for tonight.

If there's one team that you can defend effectively and yet still give up 120 points to, it's Denver, and tonight was no exception. We like to talk about efficiency and which shot attempts are most efficient. Dead last on that list is the long two-point jumper. I think Carmelo Anthony hit about five of those in the fourth. With finger nails grazing his eyelashes. Sometimes, statistical analysis just gets p'wned by Awesomeness.

But despite Denver's fireworks, the Rockets were unbelievably resilient. I don't think the Nuggets saw it coming. Since when do the 2010 Houston Rockets go back-and-forth with anyone, much less a championship contender? They've been terribly inconsistent all season in both quarters and in full games. They'll get hot for a few minutes, then give it all back in one giant run. We thought that was going to happen as the fourth quarter began. And then, this team put together one hell of a performance to finally give themselves a legitimate win to build off of. Even if the inconsistencies continue, which they most likely will, at least the Rockets know what they're capable of.

Surprisingly, this looked like the scrappy old bunch that we championed early in the season. All of the hustle, the intensity, the energy - it was all there, all in the same form that we are used to seeing. But this team, although scrappy, is also very, very good. We're no longer overachieving on talent, but rather on chemistry. It's been a month since the deadline deal, and it already feels like this team has been together since the Lakers' series. I can't wait until Yao gets to join the fun.

Having said that, the Rockets still have a long way to go to becoming a contender. But that's far off in the distance, and to be honest, I really don't care about the distance or the "big picture" or any of that right now. This win is as significant and as important as any that the Rockets have had in a long time. It's the kind of victory that makes everyone happy together, as a team.

So, let's enjoy it with them.

Rockets outlast the Nuggets. And I'm beginning to have a love/hate relationship with Aaron Brooks.

2010-03-16T03:27:27Z

More photos » David J. Phillip - AP

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The Rockets win! This time an important game... keeping their fading playoff hopes alive. Kinda like what the Texans do to us every single year, but I digress. But it took a blown 11 point halftime lead... coming back from a double-digit 4th quarter deficit... blowing another lead in the last minute... and then making a game-winning running 17 foot shot at the end. Talk about stressful!

Oh, and that overlooks the fact that ~~Nick Anderson~~ ABZ had a chance to put the game away with 20 seconds to go, but missed yet another clutch 4th Q free throw. Again. For an 81% shooter, he must be no more than 50% when the game is on the line. If that.

But just when I thought he couldn't possibly make things worse -- Aaron Brooks goes out and totally redeems himself !!! I can't say I was happy when he released that last shot. But it went in, and the Rockets won, so who am I to talk?!?

Meanwhile, the guy who got snubbed as NBA player of the week went out and had another ho-hum double double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Luis Scola is kinda good people.

Now that ABZ has tried to give me yet another heart attack though, I'm gonna go rest on the couch and watch Kobe. I'll still very happy the Rockets beat one of the elite teams in the Western Conference. If only they didn't make it so hard on themselves in the process!

Game 65: Rockets vs. Nuggets

2010-03-16T00:30:17Z

David Zalubowski - AP

2 months ago: Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola, left, of Argentina, goes up for a shot as Denver Nuggets forward Chris Andersen covers in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Denver on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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This isn't quite "must win," but the Rockets are at a point where losing any more games is going to all but destroy their hopes for the postseason. So, yeah, it's kinda must-win.

Game Preview: Denver @ Houston

2010-03-15T19:53:54Z

I'm going to preface this with thinking that ak2themax said that he can't do a game preview today because of traveling, or something like that.

Tonight is a big game, as is the rest of the games this season if we have any shot of making the playoffs. Both San Antonio and Portland (the two teams we have any realistic shot of catching in the playoff race) are beginning to play pretty well, and a caller on KILT 610 the other night pointed out that the Rockets must finish the season 14-4 in order to tie Portland if they finish 7-7 (they have played 4 more games than us this season). That's quite the task, considering we still have games left against a lot of +.500 teams.

Denver is coming to Houston on a 6-game winning streak, and looking for their first season sweep of the Rockets in 32 years and having vanquished New Orleans and Memphis in their last two games. The Rockets are looking for their first 3-game winning streak in a long, long time. Said streak would tie the longest for the season. The last time Denver visited Houston, they played without Carmelo Anthony, but got big games from Billups and Smith, pulling away in the 4th quarter despite the good guys being up by as much as 15 early in the game.

Matchups:

PG: Aaron Brooks v. Chauncey Billups: Chauncey Billups is kind of really good at basketball. He is big for his position, an amazing passer, solid 3-point shooter and plays great defense. Not much can be said about him that hasn't been said here, on ESPN, or illustrated by his career. Aaron has been struggling lately; to be frank, he is taking too many shots, and they are not the smartest shot attempts. This problem is especially visible in late-game situations - his dribble for 22 seconds and shoot strategy has cost us games recently (see: Detroit), or let bad teams get in the game (see: Washington). Aaron has had some bad games against Billups, but he's also had some great games against him. Still. . .

Advantage: Nuggets

SG: Kevin Martin v. Aaron Afflalo: For clarity's sake, basketball-reference has Afflalo listed as Denver's starting SG. Kevin Martin had a quiet 20 points Saturday night, and continues to play pretty well as a Rocket. Afflalo can play decent defense, but I imagine him getting the Blue Light Special tonight. Don't be surprised if Kevin has a 25-30 point game tonight; then again, you should probably never be surprised if he dumps that many points on someone.

Advantage: Rockets

SF: Trevor Ariza v. Carmelo Anthony: Melo continues to be a monster this season, having dropped 24 and 6 on Memphis the other night. Ariza is starting to make decent strides, having posted a double-double against the Nets. The key phrase in that sentence, however, is 'against the Nets.' Help defense is going to be so crucial in this game - if the Rockets make Melo take the lion's share of his team's shots and keep the passing lanes closed, we stand a chance. Otherwise, we're toast. Even if we do execute a solid defensive game plan, Melo still might win it anyway for his team. He's done it before.

Advantage: Nuggets

PF: Luis Scola v. Johan Petro: The Nuggets have been bitten particularly hard by the injury bug in the front court department, so I'm making an educated guess about who starts at PF for them. He's only averaging 3 points and 3 rebounds this season, and had 5 and 5 against Memphis. Needless to say, the guy isn't used to seeing 20+ minutes a game, and that's probably going to show against Scola, who posted an epic career high this weekend. Interesting tidbit of info: Scola is the first Rocket since the Dream to hit 20 shots in a game, and that was in 1990. The Rockets need to lob it in to Scola, and play a more inside-out game against Denver in order to exploit their current glaring weakness in the post.

Advantage: Rockets, and clearly the most important advantage of tonight's game.

C: Chuck Hayes v. Nene Hilario: Nene is having a pretty solid season this year, averaging 14 and 8. He played pretty well against Houston their last visit here, and Scola is going to be exerting a lot of energy on the offensive end (hopefully). Subsequently, it's going to be on Hayes to really contain the Nuggets' only [current] front court weapon. Chuck has done it before, and knowing when he's gonna come to play is hard to tell.

Advantage: Nuggets, but definitely not set in stone

---

Denver Bench: J.R. Smith is coming off an incredible 4th quarter against Memphis, and Anthony Carter has been playing well as of late. Unfortunately, for Denver, Andersen Balkman and Martin are all hurt, severely hurting their depth at the moment.

Conversely. . .

Houston Bench: Houston is finally at full strength in the wake of Lowry and Ariza's return. Battier has played OK off the bench, Lowry has been Lowry, and Jordan Hill is continuing to show why he was the 8th pick in the draft. This is a game where the bench really has to give it to Denver, given their weaknesses right now. Luckily, having a defensive-minded wing come off the bench (Battier) with a scoring wing (Budinger) means we might be able to slow down Smith while still putting points on the board.

Advantage: Houston, and once again is a crucial one.

All in all, Houston has looked more and more like they are playing to the level of their competition in the last week or two. Let's hope that continues tonight, so that the Rockets scrape out a victory. I'm gonna be at the game, and I think they've only lost 5-6 of the last 20 games I've attended, so here's to banking on my presence.

Prediction: I really think the Rockets can scrape this one out tonight. Rockets by 6.

I told you so: Luis Scola is a complete and total badass

2010-03-15T17:07:44Z

More photos » Steve Campbell - AP

This man is awesome. Doubters should just ask New Jersey for their opinion.

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The concept of "Luis Landry" may be dead... but one thing remains the same:

Luis Scola is a complete and total badass.

And I told you so.

44 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists...... and I do not care that it was against the Nets. Scoring 44 points in an NBA game is not easy. Unless you are Kobe Bryant or Kevin Durant. Scoring 44 points when you are never the first option on offense and your coach never wakes up in time to let you play in the fourth quarter also presents a bit of an obstacle. Because Luis Scola is the freakin' Man, such obstacles do not slow him down. At least not on Saturday. He rules. And he better remain in a Rockets' uniform next October!

Luis Scola scores 44 points on 20-25 shooting, pulls down 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1...

2010-03-15T16:20:13Z

Luis Scola scores 44 points on 20-25 shooting, pulls down 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. That's notable. You'd think someone outside the Houston media circle, opposing team media and the wire services might mention it. You'd think.

You'd be wrong. (At least right now. Maybe there's more in Argentina.)

Game 64 Recap: Rockets Defeat Nets116-108, and Luis Scola shows off

2010-03-14T16:39:37Z

More photos » Steve Campbell - AP

2 days ago: Houston Rockets' forward Luis Scola reacts in the second half after scoring two of his 44 points during an NBA basketball game Saturday, March 13, 2010, in Houston. Houston defeated New Jersey 116-108. (AP Photo/Steve Campbell)

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The Nets are a bad team - clearly the worst in the league. Dead last in offensive efficiency, not much better on defense, and painfully slow to watch, there's not much going for New Jersey this season, and that's why they're on pace to set the record for fewest wins in a season (in a ridiculously weak Eastern Conference, at that).

The pace-adjusted stats show that they really are as bad as most people think they are, but their pythagorean record (based off of point differential) suggests that, while the Nets are really bad, they aren't historically bad, or even particularly awful in terms of the last few years: 12-54, still the worst in the NBA, but a fairly typical "worst in the league" record.

So while it was frustrating to watch the Rockets struggle to gain any sort of lead on these Nets through the first half, it shouldn't have been too shocking. Devin Harris is one of the best point guards in the NBA when he's not battling a variety of injuries, and though this has been a tough season for him, he's still capable of scoring efficiently a burning any defense in the league. He might not have AB's shooting touch from behind the arc, but he's got Brooks' speed and the finishing ability that the Rockets' starting point guard never really developed. Brook Lopez is a great young player, fully able to do the same.

But at the same time, one doesn't expect guys like Courtney Lee and Jarvis Hayes to light up your defense. Well, maybe Lee, but certainly not Hayes. And the story of tonight's game would certainly be, had a certain Argentine Slayer not exploded for a career night, of the Rockets' failure to defend properly.

On some level, I'm aware of the dangers of making any sort of "trend" based off of single-game (or multi-game, for that matter) samples. Shit happens - the tail ends of statistical distributions are bound to occur, eventually, right? But the Rockets totally failed to defend the perimeter for the first half, so that has to be their fault. Well, maybe not - the Nets are an awful team from beyond the arc. Their best three-point shooters (Yi Jianlian and Chris Quinn) stayed on the bench, and the only other "dangerous" perimeter shooter on their roster is Keyon Dooling, who decided to not shoot last night. Courtney Lee shot well last season, but he has declined this season significantly. Jarvis Hayes, who went off for 4/5 shooting from beyond the arc last night, is a career .354 shooter, but is also having a tough season.

But we should be aware that those players are capable of hitting open shots. Ariza is shooting terribly this season, but he can knock down threes like he's wearing purple and gold again when he's left open, and the same is true of most players (Rafer was, of course, the exception). So the Rox fucked up pretty bad in the first half when they kept leaving these players wide open, but even in the second half they didn't really close out like they should have.

In the end, it didn't matter. Luis Scola exploded for 44 points and 12 rebounds. He only turned the ball over twice (a nice change from some of his recent games), fouled only twice, and actually defended Lopez reasonably well down the stretch. I guess Josh Boone is considered something of a defensive player, but Scola destroyed him and everyone else Kiki Vandeweghe threw at him tonight. More on him later.

Part of what intrigues me about bad teams is that the way they lose goes beyond simple issues with not hitting shots or not defending properly. Bad teams find other ways to screw up, and the Rockets were able to exploit that last night. The Nets were destroyed on the fast break: 23 points vs only 9. The Rockets make a point to pressure the defense after every shot, attempting to run the break whenever the opposing team crashes the boards or makes a shot, and it showed. A 14-point advantage here was huge.

Turnovers, as usual, were something of an issue for the Rockets, but no more than normal. That was mitigated by massive advantages in rebounding (Jordan Hill continues to be critical here, as was David Andersen, Battier, and - of course - Scola).

Three Up:

Luis Scola - Yet another in a long string of great games from Luis, but this was obviously the best. He has really been on for the past month, basically. The increase in minutes has paid off in rare form.

Kyle Lowry - Continues to show why he's so important to the team. Plus/minus continues to be denigrated in the statistical community, but if there's one case for its truth, it might be Lowry (and Battier, too. But both look pretty good in boxscore metrics, too, so whatever). In any case, he settled down the defense and slowed down Devin Harris' initially-frantic pace. Critical, as usual.

Kevin Martin - A very quiet 20 points, but I continue to be blown away by his efficiency. Not that efficient tonight, but he kept getting to the line and didn't turn the ball over once.

Three Down:

Aaron Brooks - Unlike ak2themax, I feel pretty strongly that AB isn't Harris' equal, let alone his superior. Still, he shot poorly for much of the night, and I don't think he really made up for it elsewhere. Seven assists, though, so I might be wrong. Continued to get burned on the defensive end by screens, though that isn't really unusual. Fouling out is however, and he was clearly frustrated throughout the game. Just kinda pissed me off a little, I guess. Not particularly awful or anything, though.

Chuck Hayes - I don't know. Maybe Chuck needs rest, because he hasn't been getting it done the last few games. Weird. On the other hand, it could just be poor luck. Couldn't stop Lopez in the first few minutes and wasn't really given much of a chance to try again later. Helped get Lopez in foul trouble, though, so that was good.

Jordan Hill - Tough to criticize a 4 offensive rebound performance, but he didn't do much else, and kept trying to make tough shots early in the game. Play what you know, or at least save the experimental stuff for when the Rockets are up by 20.

Game 64: Rockets vs. Nets

2010-03-14T01:33:02Z

Pat Sullivan - AP

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All the Rockets/Nets pictures sucked.

yawn... not much to see here at the moment

2010-03-13T17:51:55Z

So the Rockets have limped back to barely being over .500. At least they have the Nets to pick on tonight (though the Nets have been quite feisty lately). Then again...

as exciting as the Kevin Martin trade was, and as good as the Rockets are gonna be next year because of Mr. Morey's savvy trade skillz...

I'm finding it harder and harder to write creative and whimsical things about my favorite team. Which kind of explains my recent absence here. Yes, the Rockets will surpass 35 wins this season. Which kinda sorta will prove me wrong... but not really. And yes, the Rockets have a bunch of guys that you can root for now. Even Tweek. There's no more Rafer or Luther Head or Brian Cook... these are all guys I truly enjoy watching. Even if Shane Battier runs up and down the court like he's 60 years old.

That said... I'm getting an Officer Barbrady complex about this team. As in:

In light of this, someone give me a reason to return to being overly emotionally invested in this team. WIth under 20 games to go and nice weather returning... maybe Coach Sleepy comes out of hibernation and the Rockets finish the season on a big kick? Maybe? Or am I grasping at straws here? Someone - anyone - help me out here.

Oh, and the person who suggests "well, you only have 19 more games to watch Luis Scola in a Rockets jersey" gets insta-banned. FYI.

Game 64 Preview: Nets at Rockets-Winning Streak Part 4. Please!

2010-03-13T15:00:23Z

More photos » Bill Kostroun - AP

I said a-bang, bang, bangety-bang, I said a-bang bang bangety-bang, a-BOOM BOOM BOOM.

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The obvious: we cannot lose this game. Why?

1) Playoffs

2) My friends will never let me hear the end of it.

Yes, I am saying that the Rockets need to take my pride into account for this game. I have followed the team since 1993. I have put in too much time and effort for them to lose to a team that is currently 7-57 with a game against the Thunder currently underway at the time of this writing. I don't want the Nets to become the worst team in history (1972-1973 Sixers hold the record at 9-73), but I don't want us to help them any, especially because they let the Mavericks rape and pillage them in the Jason Kidd. And yes, that trade will probably be in the Nets favor in a few years, but for now it pisses me off.

Point Guard

Aaron Brooks vs. Devin Harris

Harris really is a good player, and he wasn't going to improve much in Dallas. With new scenery, he's able to become more of the scoring point guard he was supposed to be. He's very similar to ABZ, but has better passing abilities. However, he's also shooting worse than 40% this season, so yeah...

AB played okay against the Wizards, and I'm hoping he took the three days off to rest as much as possible.

Edge: Rockets, but it's close

Shooting Guard

Kevin Martin vs. Courtney Lee

"The guy who missed that alley-oop to beat the Lakers in game 2" starts for the Nets. He's quick, has rounded out his game a little bit, and will improve as long as he keeps off the injured list.

Plus, he's dunked on LeBron twice.

Martin has turned into a one-trick pony with the Rockets. It's a trend that's been developing for a while now. Against the Wizards, he scored 21 points, but only had 3 rebounds. He also had 3 turnovers, 0 assists, and was 1-7 from the three-point line. He's still better than Lee, though.

Edge: Rockets

Small Forward

Shane Battier/Trevor Ariza vs. Trenton Hassell

Who? Exactly.

Edge: Rockets

Power Forward

Luis Scola vs. Josh Boone

Boone shouldn't be starting, but with Yi out they have to turn to him. He's averaging 4/5, and that's about what he'll give them. He also plays very poorly against the Rockets.

On the other hand, Scola=Beast.

Edge: Rockets

Center

Chuck Hayes vs. Brook Lopez

Lopez is the bright spot for the Nets this season. He's averaging 19/9/2/2, and has kept them in several games. Say what you want about these Nets, but they've been in several games until the final few minutes, and Lopez is a big reason why. Hayes will defend him well, but Lopez might be the second-best center in the East.

Edge: Nets

Bench

Nets: Kris Humphries, Terrence WIlliams, Keyon Dooling, Jarvis Hayes. Here's why the Nets suck. All of these players, with the exception of maybe T-Will, would play for the Rio Grande D-League team of the Rockets.

Rockets: Ariza or Battier may start, but either way, with the addition of Lowry and Ariza, the Rockets bench has become way better.

Edge: Rockets, easily

Out

Nets: Yi Jianlin (ankle)

Rockets: Andersen?

Prediction: Rockets win. They had better.

Also, I may not be posting a game preview for Monday's game against Denver. I will be on a road trip so I don't know if I'll have access to the Internet.

Finally, I want to send a shout out to Tony Battie, the only Red Raider in the NBA. Wreck 'Em Tech!

Nets vs Rockets coverage

NetsDaily

Sergio Llul interview.

2010-03-11T16:44:10Z

Sergio Llul interview.

[oal: Llull's team is currently in the EuroLeague playoffs. He hit a game-winning three last week, guaranteeing Real Madrid a place in the quarterfinals, and they go up against Maccabi Tel Aviv - Israel's best - this week to win home court advantage. Here, Llull answers some questions from fans.]

Mark Your Calendars: Yao Ming Set To Return October 5th Against Magic

2010-03-11T05:54:06Z

Hidalgo might not be big enough for Yao Ming, but it's precisely where Yao will return to the court for the first time since ankle surgery. This isn't terribly exciting news - at its core, it's just a pre-season scheduling announcement and nothing more. But the people of Hidalgo are happy, and if they're happy, then the Rockets are happy.

Yao and Rockets CEO Tad Brown were in the Valley to announce details of the exhibition. In addition, the Rockets will hold training camp in the McAllen area beginning Oct. 3.

"We are going to be here for a long time," Brown said. "And we think the relationship with the (Valley) fans is going to be better."

Carry on with your lives, now.

Jordan Hill: Much More Than Another Long-Term Project

2010-03-10T06:25:15Z

Photo courtesy of Bill Baptist/Getty Images

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Jordan Hill is not a project. Don't care what Mike D'Antoni didn't see in him in New York. This is a guy who needs to see minutes right now.

Hill may be in his developmental stages, sure, but when I think about projects, I think DeAndre Jordan, the prototypical seven-footer with the athleticism of a small forward and the basketball skill set of a high school benchwarmer. As someone who has witnessed DeAndre play since his high school days (I was on the Episcopal High School freshman team when 'Dre was a junior on varsity), I can tell you right now that our Jordan is the better of the two. Dare we forget that this dude was a lottery pick?

Some athletes aren't basketball-coordinated. Their technical footwork is shabby and awkward, they have no touch on their shots, any move they make looks panicked and rushed, etc. The list goes on. It is the textbook definition of Hasheem Thabeet, a project who has proven to be so raw that the Grizzlies were said to have been forced to coach him "as if he were an eighth-grader."

When you look at Jordan Hill, you instantly notice how basketball-coordinated he has become in only six years of experience. And you probably didn't expect that from him. His footwork is very precise and fluid on his hook shot, which appears to be the only post move currently in his arsenal. He can catch and shoot comfortably, and can finish with authority at the rim. Each of these strengths is incredibly encouraging, because it is much more difficult to teach coordination than it is to refine it.

What is the difference between the two, exactly? In the spirit of comparison, Hill is a college student who must to take certain classes to earn his degree, but already has the necessary credits to enroll in the classes. Simply put, he must refine his knowledge. Thabeet doesn't have the those credits, and thus, he is forced to spend a semester at community college in order to gain the knowledge necessary to attempt to earn his degree again. Easy enough?

Hill has all the ability in the world to become a solid third option. He doesn't need to be taught how to play basketball - he needs to learn how to take what he is good at and make it better. Carl Landry was the same way. He had a decent 15-foot jumper, and he made it better. He had good footwork and soft touch, and turned it into an effective jump hook. Jordan's development, much like Carl's, will revolve around improving the efficiency of his current strengths. The scary part is that Jordan has learned so much so quickly - he may have much more upside than anyone thinks. Then again, it's impossible to tell sometimes. Amobi Okoye, FTW.

We haven't seen too much of Jordan yet, especially against formidable competition. But the early signs are encouraging, and much more so than we could have originally predicted. Make no mistake: Jordan Hill should be treated more like a capable rookie, in the Chase Budinger light, than a long-term project.

And, please, stop with the Mikki Moore comparisons. They have the same hair. And that's it.

Game 63 Recap: Rockets defeat Wizards 96-88, return to the land of the winning

2010-03-10T03:24:27Z

More photos » Nick Wass - AP

SO MUCH PATHOS IN DEM DREADS

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On the whole, this wasn't the most interesting game. Scola dominated, Hill continued to show off what made him a lottery pick, and Lowry and Ariza made their returns. Instead of focusing on the "whats" of the game, I'd like to look at some of the implications (or, at least, what I was thinking).

Earlier today I posted a link to the Crawfish Boxes' story on the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, hosted by Daryl Morey, Mark Cuban, and MIT. Contained within that article and the comments section is a short debate between the TCB faithful (including yours truly) about the existence of "clutch-ness." In case you haven't figured this out by now, I come down fairly firmly on the "nerd" side of the statistics debate in sports, and so my position shouldn't really surprise you.

But that's not really the point right now. Here's what is important: clutch-ness is overrated. Good teams blow out teams like the Wizards. If you want to win lots of games, you can't rely on any magical ability to come through in the clutch. And after seeing the NBA's "WHERE CLUTCH HAPPENS" eight or nine times during the broadcast, I began to think about this in relation to the game (btw: why was Clutch the Bear not in that commercial???)

Anyways, the Rockets built an 18-point lead in the third quarter, and they rode that to victory. If you rearrange some of the scoring events, the Rockets would have the same outcome, but we'd be talking all about how the Rockets "came back" because of their "clutch play" or "iron will" or some shit. In reality, the Rockets are simply a better team than the Wizards, and they were able to overcome some late difficulties by playing really well earlier.

I guess that's not particularly insightful or anything (gee, the Rockets won because they scored more points than their opponents), but I suppose it's de-mystifying.

The other not-so-revelatory info you might take from the game is this: size ain't shit. As we were all reminded by ak2themax, xiane, and a few commenters in the preview section, Blatche and McGee are big guys. Since this is basically what was said at the beginning of the season (the Rockets are smaller than their opponents), I was a little surprised, particularly because I thought we had dispelled these notions around the time Carl Landry was kicking the league's ass up and down the court.

Going by the numbers, Scola is one of the best defensive rebounders in the game. He's 6ft 9in and has no lift whatsoever. He does that by (ugh) out-hustling and generally being more skilled than his opponents. Kyle Lowry rebounds like a spry Jason Kidd - that's mostly strength and tenaciousness.

The fact is that size helps, yeah, but it's not the end of the discussion. The Rockets aren't rebounding particularly well as of late, but tonight was an exception. And they did it against two big guys (who aren't that great of rebounders, anyways, I might add). So take that, comparatively-short-people-haters.

Three Up:

Luis Scola: Freed of competition from Carl and the Kraken (I guess; I doubt Joey ever really scared Scola when it came to minutes), Scola continues to prove that he's one of the more underrated contributors in the league. 23 points on 16 shots, 10 rebounds. Not the best night for him, and he gave up the ball seven (!!!) times, but, hey, they won, and so I won't complain.

Jordan Hill: So, it turns out he can play. I doubt Walsh is losing any sleep over this, since he got what he wanted, but as Xiane is so quick to point out, it's a real wonder why the dude didn't get any PT while in New York.

The Undead: So, it turns out that Ariza and Lowry are kinda critical to the Rockets' gameplan. Neither had a great game, boxscore-wise, but after their absence I'm starting to notice the little things they do more and more. A lot of things swung the Rockets' way tonight, and much of that was Lowry and Ariza's doing. None of that will show up on the official stats sheet, but the Rockets know whom to love.

Three Down:

Speed and Trixie: Neither had a bad game, but Brooks and Martin didn't quite live up to expectations tonight. Threes weren't falling, and the shots they took weren't really the best. Martin had a good run in the third though, possibly carrying the team for a while.

Hilton Armstrong: You suck, I always knew you sucked, and frankly I'm a little glad you're not playing anymore. At the same time, I wish you were any good. There, now I feel better.

Al Thornton: Thornton's relatively good play (relative to his first two seasons) as of late has been quite worrysome to me. It called into question everything I thought I knew about him. So it was refreshing to see him throw bad passes out of bounds and generally suck up until he started hitting some lucky jumpers. Hooray for me.

Game 63: Rockets @ Wizards

2010-03-10T00:17:58Z

Pat Sullivan - AP

14 days ago: Houston Rockets' Kevin Martin (12) tries to maintain control of the ball under pressure from Toronto Raptors' Sonny Weems during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, March 1, 2010, in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

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They're starting games at 6:00 now? When did that start?

Rockets and the Pac-10?

2010-03-09T22:13:59Z

More photos » Duane Burleson - AP

"I scored a ton of points at Oregon. I'm scoring a ton of points in the NBA. Coincidence?"

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I was looking over the Rockets roster the other day and couldn't help but notice how many Pac-10 players are on the squad.

Aaron Brooks - Oregon

Trevor Ariza - UCLA

Chase Budinger - Arizona

Jordan Hill - Arizona

Will Conroy - Washington*

The next highest teams are Portland, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and OKC with 3 each. What's interesting is where these guys fell in the draft - only Hill is a Top 10 pick, a Top 10 pick whose team essentially discarded him in his rookie year. Ariza is a 2nd rounder, along with Budinger. Brooks was late 1st round. Conroy wasn't drafted. Yet it's clear these guys are NBA caliber talents at some level.

Is the Pac-10 a source of undervalued performance for Morey and the front office? It certainly looks as if it might be. As of the start of this season, the four colleges with the most players picked were Duke and UNC, no surprise there, right? In a virtual tie with those two NCAA superpowers? Arizona and UCLA.

I'm not sure what it all means, and I haven't dug into the numbers, but amongst Western Conference teams with a lot of bright young talent, the PAC-10 features prominently:

Portland: Brandon Roy, Jeryd Bayless, Pendergraph

OKC: Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Weaver

The East teams have fewer star players, but Philly still has JaRue Holiday hailing from the PAC-10.

I'm going to investigate this more, in terms of draft positions, salary and production. An article in the invaluable 82games.com suggests that Wakeforest has produced the most value in the NBA in the last 10 years. A healthy dose of Tim Duncan and Chris Paul will do that for a school.

*Granted, Conroy is a 10 day contract, but the Washington pedigree and his ongoing destruction of the D-League should make some people consider him in a new light. He was the high school and college backcourt partner for Rocket-Killer-Roy.

Poll

Do you think PAC-10 players are undervalued relative to those from other major NCAA conferences?

The Spring of Our Discontent?

2010-03-09T19:47:51Z

More photos » Duane Burleson - AP

Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman considers the few remaining games on the schedule.

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It's getting harder to write recaps, and I apologize for that. I think I'd only be telling our faithful readers something they already know all too well, and any new readers can see it with their own eyes easily enough. I'll just say that many tediously familiar patterns repeated themselves in Minnesota and Detroit, including the well-worn theme of the tougher team on the second night of a B2B.

The Rockets are running out of season, and look to really be a .500 team right now. The early promise of 2009-2010 has been ground down by the toll of max-effort play, an honestly ( and truly) absurd schedule, the difficulty of adding 4 new pieces at the trade deadline, and that beloved Rocket staple, injuries.

Over the last 11 games we've gotten to see just how much Kyle Lowry, and Trevor Ariza mean to this team. Lowry's contribution in particular seems crucial to winning basketball. It's nice to read that everyone has missed everyone - Lowry the Rockets and the Rockets, Lowry. Don't think the price tag for Lowry (and Scola) isn't going up, either.

Trevor Ariza has been missed as well. There have been times where the Rockets have needed a stop, a basket, maybe a steal, and neither Lowry nor Ariza has been around to get it for us. Battier has played insanely good D, Hayes has been Hayes, and Jeffries looks to be a fine defender as well, but it hasn't been enough. Possibly because there's been no one to slow down quick backcourt players. Brooks and Martin have many virtues, being prime defenders isn't among them.

Our inability to close down an opponent, has made the generally good offensive contributions of Kevin Martin, Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola less meaningful. To win right now the Rockets basically have to demolish their opponents with an offensive barrage. Raise your hand if you thought this season would go that way.

But guess what? It's not quite over yet. 20 games remain, and neither Portland nor San Antonio is out of reach for the last playoff spot. San Antonio looks to have lost Parker for the rest of the regular season and Portland double-lost Przybilla to his second consecutive patella tendon injury (albeit in the shower - poor guy can't buy a break). Also they are still missing Camby. The 8th seed might not even play the Lakers, who, when presented with an NBA-level stretch of tough road games, wilted like a pansy in a Texas August.

>>>So! Welcome to the NBA LA! That's the schedule (almost) everyone else plays. Yes, yes, LA had a long stretch of road games to counterbalance the fact that they didn't leave LA for 8 weeks to start the year. That earlier road stretch was against: the Washington Generals, the Bad News Bears, the Sacramento Monarchs, The Flint Tropics, Yates High (a close game), Athletes in Action, The Dakota Skyforce, and Hickory High. Who wasn't impressed by that? The three teams that just beat them, apparently.<<<

Pardon the digression. A little Laker-bashing always cheers me up. Dallas, at any rate, is making a strong play for the #1 seed and has been almost unstoppable lately.

Anyhow, the Rockets are not eliminated, and we look to get Lowry and Ariza back very soon. We've added Martin, we've added height, we've added a guy who looks like he might, after all, have been worthy of a top 10 pick in Jordan Hill (working with CD and Sikma does wonders for front-court players it seems - I can't wait to see his game next year).

Some of you might be asking, "Why would we want to sneak into the playoffs as an 8th seed?" I can give five reasons for that.

1. It's fun. You never know what might happen in a series. We could win a couple of games, or a series, and that's never a bad thing. The eventual NBA champ Lakers lost to a painfully undermanned Rockets team nearly as many times as they lost to all their other playoff opponents combined. This team is arguably better than that one. While I don't think LA is scared of anyone, I have a feeling they'd rather not play Houston again.

2. It's better for our self-esteem and our future. Seriously, making the playoffs is better than otherwise for a young team - the more playoff tested our young roster becomes, the more likely it is we will advance in a future playoff series. That's the conventional wisdom anyway, but I don't see much wrong with the theory. I certainly do not see exposure to a playoff basketball atmosphere hurting our team.

3. Money. Let me say that again, MONEY. Being in the playoffs brings some very lucrative games to the Rockets. That's income you simply don't get if you stay home. Winning a first round series brings even more. Don't think this doesn't matter. If management can stock the coffers a bit more this year, it means that much more to spend next year. And we're going to have to spend money on Scola and Lowry for sure.

4. The odds of a .500 team getting a top 3 pick are really low. The (statistically likely) pick we get for the 8th seed wouldn't be that much worse (again with typical odds) than the one we'd get for not making the playoffs.

5. Money. It's worth saying thrice.

Game 63 Preview: Rockets at Wizards

2010-03-09T15:01:07Z

More photos » Allen Einstein - NBAE/Getty Images

Wow, Aaron, that wasn't even close. In fact, you're going in the wrong direction. You just look silly. Stop it.

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The Rockets are coming off what was the toughest loss for me as a fan since the Jazz beat us in game 7 in 2007. God, you know how much I hate the Jazz. Thank you for preventing them from winning a championship. Ever. Please?

The Wizards are 21-39. They pretty much traded everyone after the Gilbert Arenas "fiasco." The traded Caron Butler for Josh Howard, then Howard promptly tore his ACL and is out for the rest of the year. They traded Antawn Jamison for Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Al Thornton, and Cleveland's first-round pick this summer. Then they bought out Big Z and he's headed back to Cleveland. Why didn't Morey get in on any of this action?

Even with no superstars, they lost Sunday night in Boston by only 3 points. Sound familiar?

Point Guard

Aaron Brooks vs. Randy Foye

Aaron needs to attack the basket more. I don't want to hear about refs. Just attack, attack, attack. That's it. If he has time to think, that's time should he should have spent attacking.

Following their loss to the Celtics, Foye said, "We just had trouble executing down the stretch. It seems like things just came grinding to a halt." Sound familiar again?

Edge: Rockets, but only because Foye isn't very good

Shooting Guard

Kevin Martin vs. Mike Miller

The people over at Clutch Fans love this guy, but I'm not high on him. Dude can shoot, but can't do much else. He's averaging 10/6/4, which isn't too bad, but on the defensive side of the ball he is a liability. Yes, he's been on three different teams for the last three years and was injured this season, but just watch him play. As long as you don't rotate off him he can't do much harm to you.

Martin has got to be more aggressive. Period. Take fewer jump shots and force the issue more often.

Edge: Rockets

Small Forward

Shane Battier vs. Al Thornton

I remember two years ago when everyone in LA was talking about how Al Thornton was going to be an all-star in this league. He improved upon an impressive rookie season last year, then slumped early this year. Once traded, he's picked his game back up, mainly because he's kind of their best scorer.

Shane is in my doghouse for holding up on that 3-on-1 fast break towards the end of the fourth quarter against the Pistons. He could have put it away. Even Jeff van Gundy takes that to the cup, and he went to NAZARETH!!! You went to DUKE! Be smarter, Shane. I expect better. Way better.

Edge: Wizards

Power Forward

Luis Scola vs. Andray Blatche

When I was applying to college, admissions officers would tell me that they wanted to see students who had good freshmen years, who then took more chances with AP classes and whatnot and still increased their grades over the next three years. Andray Blatche is the perfect college candidate. He's averaging 11/6/2/1/1, which looks all right. But look at his career. He's increased steadily in almost every category every year since his rookie season. I really like this guy and think he'll be a second tier center in the NBA, which means he could be making all-star games since the center position is so weak right now. Oh yeah, and he's averaging 26.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game since Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood were traded. Here's a great piece by Michael Wilbon about Blatche's change of image. Finally, Blatche=Beast.

Ironically enough, Andray Blatche did not attend college.

Scola was really exposed on defense against the Pistons, and I expect Blatche to attack him constantly. So much so that Chuck may guard him. On offense, he came back down to Earth in Detroit, with only 20 points and 15 rebounds.

This is the matchup of the game in my opinion. Winner of this probably wins the game.

Edge: Even

Center

Chuck Hayes vs. JaVale McGee

He's averaging 11/5 since the trade deadline, and he's blocking almost four shots a game in that same timeframe. The Rockets are the most rejected team in the NBA, and I'm not just talking about Saturday nights at the club. He's young, talented, and has potential. He's going to have a field day. Six blocks. I'm calling it.

Edge: Wizards

Bench

Wizards: They've got Fabricio Oberto, Earl Boykins, James Singleton, Quinton Ross.

Rockets: What they have is better than what we have right now, though I like that Jordan Hill fellow. He was involved in that trade where the Knicks stole T-Mac from us for nothing, right?

Edge: Wizards

Out Wizards: Howard (ACL)

Rockets: Lowry, Ariza, Andersen. All three are officially "day-to-day." All need to be "ready to play." Haha get it? 'Cause it rhymes?

Prediction: Rockets win a close one. Yes, a close one. Because if they don't, I might pick up my television and through it through my window into our swimming pool. Oh, and the tv is old school and weighs approximately 9 gajillion tons.

Also, if anyone is going to be at the game, say hi to my boy Noel. He'll be there, probably in his alternate Rockets jersey, yelling at the refs.

Rockets vs Wizards coverage

Bullets Forever

T-Mobile Player of the Week: Luis Scola

2010-03-09T16:35:18Z

More photos » David Sherman - NBAE/Getty Images

9 days ago: MINNEAPOLIS - MARCH 6: Luis Scola #4 of the Houston Rockets goes to the basket against Darko Milicic #31 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the game on March 6, 2010 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

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As a young child, Luis Scola was out to prove that there is more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. Apparently, he found rebounding, because he's ridiculously good at that, too.

Scola finally hit the 40+ minute mark last week - three times, in fact. He amassed a total of 62 rebounds in four games, including 21 against the Timberwolves. He went 13 for 13 from the free throw line, and shot at or above 50% in each contest. Come to think of it, Luis hasn't missed a free throw since February 26th. That's 31 straight makes, people.

While the fifteen turnovers were forgettable, it was a fantastic week for Luis, even if the Rockets went 2-2. He did everything he could to help.

On a side note, while it was nice to see Luis receive so many minutes, I'm praying that Coach Adelman decides to show us some more Jordan Hill. I think the brunt of Rockets' fans dismay with Scola's playing time earlier this season was that he was never on the floor in the fourth quarter when we really could have used him. I don't want to see Luis have to play 40 minutes a night, but I would like to see him during important situations. Given Hill's standout performance against Detroit, even if it's just one game, he proved to Adelman that he's not going to be the same waste of space that Hilton Armstrong is. Ideally, he would spell Scola sparingly during the second and third quarters, and then give way to Luis come crunch time.

We'll see how it plays out, but there's no sense in playing your thirty year-old power forward for nearly an entire game when you have a young talent that could use some developmental minutes sitting on your bench.

The Dream Shake

T-Mobile Player of the Week: Luis Scola

Game 65 Recap: Resilient, Balanced Effort Propels Rockets To 125-123 Comeback Victory Over Nuggets

Rockets outlast the Nuggets. And I'm beginning to have a love/hate relationship with Aaron Brooks.

Game 65: Rockets vs. Nuggets

Game Preview: Denver @ Houston

I told you so: Luis Scola is a complete and total badass

Luis Scola scores 44 points on 20-25 shooting, pulls down 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1...

Game 64 Recap: Rockets Defeat Nets116-108, and Luis Scola shows off

Game 64: Rockets vs. Nets

*yawn*... not much to see here at the moment

Game 64 Preview: Nets at Rockets-Winning Streak Part 4. Please!

Sergio Llul interview.

Sergio Llul interview.

Mark Your Calendars: Yao Ming Set To Return October 5th Against Magic

Jordan Hill: Much More Than Another Long-Term Project

Game 63 Recap: Rockets defeat Wizards 96-88, return to the land of the winning

Game 63: Rockets @ Wizards

Rockets and the Pac-10?

Do you think PAC-10 players are undervalued relative to those from other major NCAA conferences?

The Spring of Our Discontent?

Game 63 Preview: Rockets at Wizards

T-Mobile Player of the Week: Luis Scola

yawn... not much to see here at the moment