# Preseason Game 3 Thread: Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks



## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

​*(1-1)/(2-2)*

When/Where:
*Thursday, October 18, 7:30 p.m. CST*
*Toyota Center*​












































*Alston / McGrady / Battier / Scola / Yao*














































*Harris / Stackhouse / Howard / Nowitzki / Ham*



*PREVIEW

As they stretch from one end of the Toyota Center bench to the other, with 19 players filling every seat and beyond, the Rockets look like a baseball team spreading across the dugout.

And as they have gone through day after day of practices and scrimmages, they have been more like a football team, with six days to fill between games.

Tonight, the Rockets finally will get to be a basketball team again as they play the Dallas Mavericks and return to a normal NBA life, if there is such a thing.

The Rockets' third preseason game, and just their second against an NBA opponent, comes just in time. And not only to keep them from killing each other.

"It was such a long layoff between games, we need to get out there and get some work, especially against an NBA team," guard Rafer Alston said. "We need to play a game. We need to see how far away we are from being ready for opening night.

"We scrimmaged game-like for two days and (Wednesday), worked on some sets. It will be nice to get out there and go against opposing competition."

After a week of preparing, the Rockets need a test, even the relatively modest test of a preseason game. More specifically, they need to find if they have worked out the bugs of an offense that was dangerously turnover prone against the New Orleans Hornets and Panathinaikos and in the simulated games against one another since.

"I know we share the ball together," center Yao Ming said. "We swing the ball. Everybody gets touches, shoots the ball and has turnovers together. It sounds like a team."

The problem with all that togetherness is that the turnover bug has been passed around like a flu someone packed along for a road trip. Everyone gets it.

Coach Rick Adelman has not been amused. He put the Rockets through long scrimmages Monday and Tuesday and through scrimmages and drills on Wednesday, hoping to sweat the virus out of them.

"We can't continue to make the same mistakes," he said. "I'll give you an example. Our big guys have the ball, and the guy makes a good cut, and they throw it right into the hands of their defender. It's where they are, where they have the ball. Sometimes guys are trying to make great plays.

"What is hard about what we're trying to do is a guy may make a great cut and may be open against his guy, but in our league, he draws the defense. You have to see the defense. That guy makes a great cut, somebody else is probably open. We're trying to throw it to that guy without looking at the team defensively. That's a process we have to keep going through."

By Wednesday, Adelman was much happier about practice. But the measure will be today against a Dallas team that last season was among the league's best defensively (fourth in points allowed, seventh in opposing field-goal percentage).

"I think they're one of the better teams in the league, so it's always going to be good to see what your concentration is defensively and how you execute (offensively), because they are a good offensive team," Adelman said. "We haven't played for a week, so we'll see how sharp we are."

The Rockets also will see something they have not seen in a week: an opponent trying to stop them in ways they cannot predict. The progress of a week's worth of work to make their new offense run better will be gauged when another team tries to stop it.

"You see what you have to do to counter against an opponent," Alston said of facing other teams. "Opponents love to take away the first option, sometimes the second option. It will help you better read the defense and give you a better understanding of the third and fourth option in the offense, especially with the offense we have. We need the games."

Adelman liked the idea of the break. The Rockets got some work in, maybe got a few things ironed out, and will get to be an NBA team again tonight.

"I don't know about six (days between games)," Adelman said. "Sometimes it's good to have a break where you can just practice and not play so many games. I think it was good for us. We were able to do some things and scrimmage and put some things in during this time frame.

"Usually, I put things in a lot quicker than I did this year because I knew I had this time coming. Now, we'll play more games in more days (five games in eight days), and we'll get in a little bit of a groove before the season starts."*


_*Next Games*_
vs.








vs.








vs.


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

We'll see how our practices have been going. Last couple games, we did extremly well in bursts. If we manage to cut down on the turnovers, I feel we can give them a good run for their money.


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## Krimzon (Feb 26, 2007)

It's been awhile since our last preseason game. I hope we can win this.


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## Legend-Like (Mar 25, 2006)

Darvin Ham is starting Center??? I thought he retired


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## yaontmac (Jul 5, 2006)

Now we know what Adelman wants. Yao shooting from the outside. No one can stop him. LOL :clap:


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## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

Starting Lineups:

Yao/Chuck/Shane/T-Mac/Rafer

Ham/Fazekas/Jones/Ager/Harris :|


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

do we really have to cut someone??


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## Legend-Like (Mar 25, 2006)

AllEyezonTX said:


> do we really have to cut someone??


Sadly Yes


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

"This" team seems ready

Francis is * nice reverse


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## lingi1206 (Jun 2, 2006)

AllEyezonTX said:


> do we really have to cut someone??


sad but true and i been thinking who the 4 guys should be well one of them should be Jackie Butler i know some of you guys like him because he "seems to have potential" because of his size and youth but he looked like he didn;t know what he was doing, he just stands around not knowing what to do i really don't think that he is the answer for us like i said before in the summer leagues he shot fadeaways for a guy with his size and in the game today he look like a deer caught in head lights, he really doesn;t seem like a guy we should keep


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

Luther better be consistent the whole year


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

lingi1206 said:


> sad but true and i been thinking who the 4 guys should be well one of them should be Jackie Butler i know some of you guys like him because he "seems to have potential" because of his size and youth but he looked like he didn;t know what he was doing, he just stands around not knowing what to do i really don't think that he is the answer for us like i said before in the summer leagues he shot fadeaways for a guy with his size and in the game today he look like a deer caught in head lights, he really doesn;t seem like a guy we should keep


very tough choice, I wouldn't be upset if Bonzi go - I know he a fav. & played for Rick. 

Butler 
Landry
J.lucas (i hate it)
Wells


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## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

AllEyezonTX said:


> very tough choice, I wouldn't be upset if Bonzi go - I know he a fav. & played for Rick.
> 
> Butler
> Landry
> ...


You're crazy if you think they're gonna cut Bonzi.

The guys that'll get cut will come from this group:

Butler
Harris
Snyder
Reed
Landry
JLIII
Novak

I would cut the last 4 guys.


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

Good game.... I think. :biggrin:

Bonzi is staying.


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## gi0rdun (May 31, 2007)

Damn I missed the game.


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## Krimzon (Feb 26, 2007)

I was only able to watch the second quarter. It look like the Rockets are ready.


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Meh, the Mavs threw this game away. Good to see Yao destroying the opposition when he's expected to though.


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## Dean the Master (Feb 19, 2006)

Glad that I didn't miss much. I was at this game. 

Battier has shown his offensive ability in this preseason game. We have more weapons now.


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## jdiggidy (Jun 21, 2003)

This is the first preseason game I've seen. Gotta say that I wasn't very impressed with Landry as far as players on the bubble go. At the same time, Steve really didn't impress me either. I know it is only one game but, from what I saw, Rafer and James are running 1 and 2 right now.


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## AZNoob (Jan 21, 2006)

Anyone paying attention to today's game between the Mavs and the Pistons?

Nowitzki and Howard are both playing! How retarded is that? I wish the duo would have played in the game against the Rockets...

We would actually see some resistance, instead of the Mavs letting Yao and Bonzi have their way with them...


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## lingi1206 (Jun 2, 2006)

AZNoob said:


> Anyone paying attention to today's game between the Mavs and the Pistons?
> 
> Nowitzki and Howard are both playing! How retarded is that? I wish the duo would have played in the game against the Rockets...
> 
> We would actually see some resistance, instead of the Mavs letting Yao and Bonzi have their way with them...


that is kinda confusing, my take is maybe they want to surprise us when they play us in the reagular season cause i guess we are more of a threat to them or something every game counts since we are in the same divison and since we are "suppose" to have a 61 season...thats one of my takes


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