# Regular Season Game 79 Thread: Houston Rockets @ Portland Trail Blazers



## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

​*(49-29)/(31-46)*

When/Where:
*Wednesday, April 11, 9:00 p.m.*
*Rose Garden*​












































*Alston / McGrady / Battier / Hayes / Yao*














































*Jack / Roy / Udoka / LaFrentz / Magloire*



*PREVIEW

The Rockets considered the race for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs a lost cause after dropping three straight home games.

They've changed their mind.

Despite all of their recent struggles and injury concerns over the past week, the Rockets will arrive in Portland Wednesday with a surprising half-game lead over the fourth-seeded Utah Jazz in the Western Conference.

That's right. With four games remaining in the regular season, the Rockets are ahead of the Jazz and have the opportunity to seize the home-court edge in their impending playoff series against Utah.

On Wednesday night, they'll try to maintain their lead with a road win in Portland.

"The most important thing is to keep moving up the standings," Rockets center Yao Ming said following Monday's win over Seattle.

The Rockets (49-29) didn't feel like there was going to be much of a race for the all-important home court edge heading into the final week of the season. They had lost three straight home games including a pivotal matchup against the Jazz.

With that victory over Houston on April 1, the Jazz secured the tiebreaker in the series. Utah also gained what looked like a comfy 2 1/2-game lead in the standings with less than a week ago.

That, however, has vanished. The Jazz have dropped four straight games to teams with losing records and might have to finish the regular season without sharp-shooting forward Andrei Kirilenko, who has a fractured thumb.

Making matters more difficult for the Jazz is that they have a tougher remaning schedule than Houston over the final week of the regular season.

Utah will play four of its final five games against teams with a winning record, while the Rockets will face two teams over .500 in their season-ending four-game stretch.

The Rockets, however, maintain that their focus is on trying to get back on a roll heading into the playoffs.

"It's very important to get it going,'' Rockets star Tracy McGrady said. "It's coming down to the last few games before these playoffs. We want to be a good-executing team. You don't want to wait too late. We're not about trying to catch Utah out here. We're just trying to get better.''

The Rockets still have a trip to Salt Lake City looming in a regular season finale that could ultimately decide whether Game 1 is played in Houston or Salt Lake City.

Since Utah owns the tiebreaker, the Rockets would have to own a two-game lead over the Jazz to make the possible showdown for home-court advantage in the season finale a moot point.

The Rockets, in any case, have a chance to begin the playoffs at home.

"I don't want to stay a week in Utah (for the regular season finale and first two games of the playoffs)," Yao said.*

_*Next Games*_
vs.








vs.








vs.


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

MUST win, and its time for revenge.... lets go for #50 guys!!


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## CrackerJack (Jul 2, 2005)

we have to win for so many reasons:
get on a roll
home court advantage
dont want to rely on utah having to lose
cant afford to drop games against **** opposition
MAKE SOME NOISE!!!
many more which i cant think of:biggrin:


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## Krimzon (Feb 26, 2007)

We have to win this game and the next game. We need to build up momentum for the last two games and the playoffs.


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## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

This is our last "winnable" game of the season.


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## sherwin (Mar 21, 2005)

**** the Jazz


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

Revenge Time


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## Dean the Master (Feb 19, 2006)

Bets On! One Hour bonus.


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## PriceIsWright (Oct 11, 2006)

win


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

like anybody on Roy other than Alston


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

niiiice shot by Roy to end the quarter


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## PriceIsWright (Oct 11, 2006)

Yao For Three ! Lol

edit: aww they waved it off =/


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

oh man I wanna see that Yao 3!


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## lunarsmile (Mar 18, 2005)

Haha~~~ Yao for THREE!


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## lingi1206 (Jun 2, 2006)

hey anyone got a link for the game?


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## PriceIsWright (Oct 11, 2006)

I love how alston has 0 assists this late into the game


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

hahaha...50+ half! Blazers don't stand a chance


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## Krimzon (Feb 26, 2007)

53-36 Rockets. Awesome.


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## lunarsmile (Mar 18, 2005)

halftime 53:36 :clap2: 

Alston 15 points 0 assist :eek8:


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

As long as we're winning and Alston's hitting over 50% of his shots, I won't complain


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

Yao doesn't even give a move & gets fouled...


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Mac and Yao are on tonight. The bench will be getting some PT soon.


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

memo to roy: jump/pass in the lane 2ft next to player is a turnover 90% of the time


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## lunarsmile (Mar 18, 2005)

Alston steals the ball from Roy!


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

give it up for Chuck "Lane Violation" Hayes!


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Chuck's really been deferring the rebounds as of late. Only 2 up to this point?


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

I say we give Billy some time this game. Just to be nice


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Key to the game so far: only 7 TOs. Usually T-Mac and Yao would like combine for more than that alone.


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

78-59 4th quarter comin' up


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

20pts for alston, if he can keep this up the sky is the ceiling


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

T-Mac somewhat close to the trip-doub: 25/8/7 so far


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

and I have never heard of Luke Schensher before.


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## Krimzon (Feb 26, 2007)

:eek8: I turn away for about half an hour and it's 92-82 in the 4th.


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

uhhhhh this is making me scared somewhat....


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

OMG what the hell....


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

Wow, they came back and are giving us a scare.


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

well that was discusting


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## AZNoob (Jan 21, 2006)

We up by 1.5 games now, or what? Utah almost came back in the DEN game! Wow...close ones!


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

AZNoob said:


> We up by 1.5 games now, or what? Utah almost came back in the DEN game! Wow...close ones!


Yep, 1.5 games right now. I am trying to figure out how many games we have to win and Utah to lose from now on in order for us to clinch without having to really care about the Utah game...


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## lingi1206 (Jun 2, 2006)

what happen to t-mac? any one know?

Roy fell on McGrady's legs with 58.8 seconds left. After spending some time on the floor, McGrady rose and walked gingerly on the sidelines. It was not immediately known if he was injured, but he was standing with his teammates as the clock wound down.


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

wow, can't believe we collapsed like that... wait, I mean, I can believe it, just sucks that we did!

Playing NOK should be a bigger test for us. Chandler may be out, but they're still solid and playing with flare. David West and Paul will give us a lot of trouble.


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

Good game was happy with the win..

Little fright aswell at the end there.............


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## Pimped Out (May 4, 2005)

OneBadLT123 said:


> Yep, 1.5 games right now. I am trying to figure out how many games we have to win and Utah to lose from now on in order for us to clinch without having to really care about the Utah game...


if utah loses 1 of its next 3 and we our next 2, we will clinch
if utah loses 2 of its next 3 and we win one of our next 2, we will clinch
if utah loses 3 of its next 3, we will clinch.


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

oh btw, *50 WINS BABY!!!!!* :djparty:


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## bronx43 (Dec 9, 2005)

This is the second game in a row that either Yao or Tracy has had an injury scare. I almost want JVG to sit both of them until the playoffs.


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

bronx43 said:


> This is the second game in a row that either Yao or Tracy has had an injury scare. I almost want JVG to sit both of them until the playoffs.


its the starters fault for not being able to pull the game away. I think there will be no rest of them from now 'til playoffs...


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## Hakeem (Aug 12, 2004)

Yao Mania said:


> and I have never heard of Luke Schensher before.


Some Australian player. These guys pop up now and then, then disappear after a few years. Like Andrew Gaze and Chris Anstey and Shane Heal.


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## Pimped Out (May 4, 2005)

whatever happened to Ha?


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## Foulzilla (Jan 11, 2005)

He was traded to Milwaukee as part of the Magloire trade. Not sure what they've done with him.


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## Pimped Out (May 4, 2005)

apparently he is in the d-league and not part of the bucks organization anymore.


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