# Regular Season Game 66 Thread: Houston Rockets @ Toronto Raptors



## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

​*(40-25)/(36-29)*

When/Where:
*Friday, March 16, 6:00 p.m.*
*Air Canada Centre*​












































*Alston / McGrady / Battier / Hayes / Yao*














































*Ford / Parker / Garbajosa / Bosh / Nesterovic*



*PREVIEW

Nearly an hour after beating the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night, Shane Battier wasn't much interested in trying to figure out what the Rockets needed to do to move up in the Western Conference's pecking order.

He had other thoughts in mind about the Rockets' future.

"We've reached the point in the season where it's crucial that we start playing at a high level," Battier said. "We're just trying to build some momentum for the playoffs."

The Rockets wouldn't mind getting started on Friday night.

With a little more than a month remaining in the regular season, the Rockets will visit the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors with hopes of beginning a late-season surge towards the NBA playoffs.

The Rockets (40-25) have won three of their past four games, but they've experienced mostly up-and-down play since returning from the All-Star break. They're just 7-6 over that span and haven't had at least a four-game winning streak since January.

Despite the muddled play, the Rockets are only trailing fourth-place Utah by 3 1/2 games. The Jazz have come back to Houston in the standings after dropping consecutive road games on a swing through Florida.

The Rockets wouldn't mind moving past Utah, but they're more concerned with getting in a groove over the final month of the season.

"We have to qualify (for the playoffs) and after qualification, we have to get the best seed," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "But we can't become so distracted by trying to make the playoffs or improving our seeding that we forget about improving. This is the time where you have to get your individual game right and you got to have a team game that can stand up to anything under any conditions."

"We have 33 more days in the regular season," the coach added. "If you improve well enough, you'll give yourself chances to win games (in the playoffs). And if you don't improve, even if you win enough to qualify, you're not going to be in position to play well enough."

Unsurprisingly, Van Gundy has concluded that his team needs to play better.

After watching the Rockets blow a 17-point advantage before sliding past the Clippers Wednesday, Van Gundy wasted little time ticking off a list of concerns that have been bugging him since the All-Star break.

He didn't care for the Rockets' relaxed style of play in the second quarter. He criticized his team for not making Elton Brand work harder for his buckets. And, of course, he was less than thrilled with his team's rebounding performance.

Over the past three weeks, Van Gundy could have made some of those same points on any other night. The Rockets have been outrebounded in eight of their last 13 games. Even more astonishing, a team that has boasted the league's best defensive numbers through most of the season has allowed nine of its last 13 opponents to shoot better than 44 percent.

Van Gundy simply sees a team that needs to do a better job of getting better with the NBA postseason on the horizon.

"If we continue on the same path of low peer pressure to demand better play, then we're just going to continue to march on with some good and some bad," Van Gundy said. "I wish they believed the same way that I did that we could make a push to greatness."

Van Gundy's players, actually, don't disagree with the assesment.

"We still have some improving to do," Rockets star center Yao Ming said. "We're giving up too many points in transition and we haven't done a good of job rebounding."

Despite all of those issues, the Rockets still have a chance to gain home court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs if they can catch the Jazz. They'd like to make up that ground and open the postseason inside Toyota Center. But their far more interested in improving their own game.

"We've got 17 games left and every game is so crucial to postseason aspirations," Battier said. "We're trying to win them all and get on a roll."*

_*Next Games*_
vs.








vs.








vs.


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

I hate it when a sides two best players are at PG and PF (our two weakest positions).

Luckily Alston and Hayes are good defenders. PS Howard seems to be hitting all his shots lately hopefully that continues.

WOuld love to see Yao take on Bosh defensively. Also hope Yao plays 36 mins with no foul trouble. We need Yao game fit.


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

hroz said:


> I hate it when a sides two best players are at PG and PF (our two weakest positions).
> 
> Luckily Alston and Hayes are good defenders. PS Howard seems to be hitting all his shots lately hopefully that continues.
> 
> WOuld love to see Yao take on Bosh defensively. Also hope Yao plays 36 mins with no foul trouble. We need Yao game fit.


And our 2 best players should eat their C/SG alive. Bosh has got good range so I wouldn't want Yao to get out of the paint to guard him.

I expect a big game from Yao and another W for the Rockets.


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## Dean the Master (Feb 19, 2006)

Bets on people! Raptors ain't no monsters.


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## ztpc_lukui (Mar 3, 2006)

it's obvious to all ,the Raptor's latest performance is great. Rockets should be careful,careful,and careful again. I hope that Yao will give a lesson to the Bargnani .


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## CrackerJack (Jul 2, 2005)

good D on calderon and ford by our guards and we halt the raptor offense and all we have to do is hit our shots, juwams been on a roll lately so hopefully he provides that punch off the bench


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## Krimzon (Feb 26, 2007)

The Raptors are pretty good. The Rockets has to be careful playing against them. The Rockets can win by playing good defense and getting high percentage shots.


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## HayesFan (Feb 16, 2006)

Calderon is injured... hurt his ankle and is questionable to play.... which is going to help us immensely.


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## HayesFan (Feb 16, 2006)

mms://a1575.l2035344255.c20353.n.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1575/20353/v0001/reflector:44229

You can copy that link into your windows media player and it should work


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## I Ball (May 30, 2006)

Rafer is playing well today ....


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## ztpc_lukui (Mar 3, 2006)

I would rather see Yao grab more rebounds than get more points.BUT Yao seems to have not recovered from the injury .


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## Pimped Out (May 4, 2005)

i would like to see more than 4 free throws attempts in a half


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

HayesFan said:


> mms://a1575.l2035344255.c20353.n.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1575/20353/v0001/reflector:44229


Sure thats the link?

Doesnt seem to be working for me?
Is it working for anyone else?


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## HayesFan (Feb 16, 2006)

mms://a1650.l2035344243.c20353.n.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1650/20353/v0001/reflector:44278


sorry
there is the correct one. My apologies!


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

HayesFan said:


> mms://a1650.l2035344243.c20353.n.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1650/20353/v0001/reflector:44278
> 
> 
> sorry
> there is the correct one. My apologies!


Thats cool Thank you 
:worthy: :worthy: :worthy: 

mms://a1650.l2035344243.c20353.n.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1650/20353/v0001/reflector:44278
link1
I think this is for away games?
mms://a1650.l2035344243.c20353.n.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1650/20353/v0001/reflector:44228
link2
And this is for home games?

I might be wrong.....................

But if I am right we need a sticky.


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## ztpc_lukui (Mar 3, 2006)

Was YAO burstING out ?


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

When Yao can pull down 15 rebounds then I will know he is truely back.


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## ztpc_lukui (Mar 3, 2006)

It must be a big game for Rafer , he will get a triple-double in this game .


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

who is this rafer alston guy? lol


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

I really want Rafer to get 2 rebounds and 1 assist


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

I say that then he gets fouled out........


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

2 from 6 FT pretty bad


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

I'm loving this win...Alston gets Ewing @ home & now TJ in his home, & it's all good!


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

Get

Lucas
Spanoulis
Snyder
Novak
Jake 

out there


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

Utah Takes A Loss In Philly!!!!


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## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

AllEyezonTX said:


> Utah Takes A Loss In Philly!!!!


Only 2.5 games behind now 


PS: Two games to go against them


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## TJ Ford (Dec 16, 2006)

Good win guys. Yao dominate. Gotta love him. He is BACK!!!


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

I hope Heat fans come by w/ a Thank You...we make alot of friends when we play in the East


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

TJ Ford said:


> Good win guys. Yao dominate. Gotta love him. He is BACK!!!


:biggrin: 

still not quite...we will see after this month, we see alot of East teams: Philly, InD, Det. & they love "hacking" at the big man. He should be ready after this month for sure!:worthy:


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## ztpc_lukui (Mar 3, 2006)

I hope Yao's state would be from good to better ,and T-mac keeps his state stable.
After that .we 'll get a great performance in playoffs ,straight forward to the final ,and then take the third championship.

^_^


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

Yeah, we got a good chance we keep playing "this" type of ball, like tonight. I just hate maching up w/ PHX & nash

Can't forget about Durant & Tx winning their 1st Rd game - 25pts 8Rbs for the "FreshMan-child"


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## Hakeem (Aug 12, 2004)

Good to see Rafer play well after a few horrible games.

Head doesn't look to be improving, which is worrying.

Howard is such a poor passer. He doesn't get much of a chance to exhibit his passing skills. But when he does, he shows a lack of awareness.

Yao's touch still isn't there. Neither is his stamina. And we didn't do a good enough job of feeding him in the post. I thought Head and McGrady in particular weren't patient enough.


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## debarge (Nov 13, 2005)

Hakeem said:


> Good to see Rafer play well after a few horrible games.
> 
> Head doesn't look to be improving, which is worrying.
> 
> ...


I have to disagree, with some of what you said... Juwan is a one of our 'best passers' IMO. This just has not been a good stretch of post-passing for anyone on our team since Yao's return. Not even Tracy. That will come in the next week or two, once Yao is able to gather himself, and hold deep position. When he can take all the pushing/shoving and non-calls he isn't getting right now. The Defenders are jackin' him up right now, being really really physical and the refs are just watching, purposely not calling it!:rant: While he's trying to fight for position, the passers sometimes are not looking, or don't pass it quick enough. Once frankly he's truly "DOMINANT" he'll get the calls before he shoots, while he's shooting, then the and/ones' will fall and he won't seem so tired anymore. 

Trust me he's working his butt off right now. Do you know the only difference between this game and the one where he had 37? Free throws, that's it? He looked the same bascially, the only thing that changed was the game was called for the Rockets fairly. The other games, the refs, have been working against us. We've shot fewer FTs as team, and been called for more team PFouls. The upside to this is we are building up Mental Toughness in these games for the PostSeason, where Houston teams do not have a History of getting those calls. They've just kept playing, and haven't focused on it which is good:clap2: . There's even an article in the Chron.com about it, "mental toughness", its that time of the year. I feel pretty good about this team going ahead into the playoffs. No we're not as athletic as DAL, or as fast as PHO, as experienced as SA, or as big as UTA, but we've got Tmac/Yao Battier and some really good role players, we didn't have that 2 yrs ago. IMO (Alston/Howard/Head/Hayes/Snyder/Dke/Wells sound alot better than Barry/Sura/Wesely/Bowen/Padgett but that's just me..:biggrin:


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## Pimped Out (May 4, 2005)

AllEyezonTX said:


> I hope Heat fans come by w/ a Thank You...we make alot of friends when we play in the East


i dont expect any thanks from the heat until wade is back


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Wow, Rafer, like I said I'll never say another bad thing about him if he can keep this up

Great to see T-Mac and Yao get out of their slumps, lets hope they keep it up


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## Legend-Like (Mar 25, 2006)

AHhhhh I missed the game. But I heard Rafer did real good.


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