NBA Playoffs- Rockets vs Mavericks

[Bull's-eye]

Last night, the Rockets defeated the Clippers by 25 points to clinch the 5th playoff position. Unfortunately that places them against the red hot #4 Dallas Mavericks. These 2 teams split their 4 game series. One Maverick victory was an over-time thriller and the in last game, Houston easily defeated an injury depleated Dallas team. Houston has lost Juwan Howard for the season and doesn't have anybody to matchup against Nowitzki. Tracy McGrady imposes similar problems for the Mavericks. The "I-45" series should be one of the better first round match-ups.

[HighSchool Fan]

i'll take the mavs in 6

[Astrosdawg07]

ROCKETS IN 7!

[AggieJohn]

rockets in 7!~clutch city baby!~

[Holmes_Fans]

Mavs in 6

[Bandera YaYa]

Originally posted by Holmes_Fans
Mavs in 6 I agree!! GO MAVS !! :D :D

[SPF25]

.

[AggieJohn]

Originally posted by Holmes_Fans
Mavs in 6 you would

[pirate44]

im goin wit the Mavs. cant say how many games though.

[TheDOCTORdre]

I dont know who but I know its gonna go 7 games

[kepdawg]

Game is Saturday at 4:30 on ESPN.

Go Mavs!

[Holmes_Fans]

Everyone look for me on TV

[Bulldog_12]

Rockets in 6! just to be different. I have a feeling it will go seven though. Unless Dallas can shut down Houston's perimeter game. That is their main game. Yao is starting to get more touches, but he is going ot have to get a little more physical in case they cant hit anything from outside.

[KTJ]

Mavs in 5.

[Holmes_Fans]

Rockets are going to have to find an answer for Dirk. Juwon Howard being out hurts them alot this series.

[mwynn05]

If they drive, which I highly doubt they will they will come through here.

[AggieJohn]

Originally posted by Holmes_Fans
Rockets are going to have to find an answer for Dirk. Juwon Howard being out hurts them alot this series.

you still have to find an answer for yao and mac

[NSUTrumpet08]

Goin for the Rockets in 6! I actually met Juwan Howard on a plane coming back home from the Philippines! Me and my brother got a picture with him and Coach Jeff Van Gundy!

[Phil C]

It's too bad that two of Texas teams have to face each other because it would have been great to have had all three advance. Also more higher tv ratings so television and NBA lost money too. :(

[rhs78]

MAVRICKS WIN THE SERIES-EXPERIENCE IS THE DIFFERENCE

[Holmes_Fans]

Originally posted by AggieJohn
you still have to find an answer for yao and mac
Jason could cover Yao Ming. But Shawn Bradley/Eric Dampier will have to do it for now. As for Tmac Josh Howard will have that job

[shellman54]

rockets in 6. Josh Howard will not hold T-Mac. Perimeter play will be a key, and I have a feeling that Dallas will suffer a little bit by not having Nash directing from the point. Defense will be a big key.

[HighSchool Fan]

Dallas is a better team without Nash. his defense is horrible and the only play dallas ran with him was the pick and roll. dallas' defense of late has also been better than houston's.

[Bull's-eye]

Originally posted by rhs78
MAVRICKS WIN THE SERIES-EXPERIENCE IS THE DIFFERENCE

The Rockets are one of the oldest teams in the NBA.

Mutombo- 13yrs, Weatherspoon- 12yrs, Barry- 12 yrs, Wesley-11 yrs, Sura- 9yrs, T- Mac- 7 yrs, Padgett - 5yrs

Dallas does have more experience playing together. Yao Ming is the only Rocket still remaining from 2 years ago.

[jason]

Originally posted by shellman54
Dallas will suffer a little bit by not having Nash directing from the point. they havent suffered yet...

[KTJ]

two words

avery johnson.

[AggieJohn]

Originally posted by KTJ
two words

avery johnson.
two more words

free refills!

[rhs78]

Originally posted by Bull's-eye
The Rockets are one of the oldest teams in the NBA.

Mutombo- 13yrs, Weatherspoon- 12yrs, Barry- 12 yrs, Wesley-11 yrs, Sura- 9yrs, T- Mac- 7 yrs, Padgett - 5yrs

Dallas does have more experience playing together. Yao Ming is the only Rocket still remaining from 2 years ago.

THAT WAS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT PLAYING AS A TEAM AND PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE(I LIKE THE ROCKETS AND HOPE THEY WIN BUT I THINK THE MAV'S ARE A BETTER TEAM RIGHT NOW)

[Bandera YaYa]

Originally posted by KTJ
two words

avery johnson. H@ll Yeah !! :D

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by HighSchool Fan
Dallas is a better team without Nash. his defense is horrible...
Can I get an amen? Playing offense is only half the game... that's why he shouldn't be the MVP.


Originally posted by Bull's-eye
The Rockets are one of the oldest teams in the NBA.

...T- Mac- 7 yrs...
T-Mac's only 25.

[Bandera YaYa]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
Can I get an amen? Playing offense is only half the game... that's why he shouldn't be the MVP.


T-Mac's only 25. AAAAMMMMEEEENNNNN!!!! :D

[big daddy russ]

By the way, if Yao decides to get nasty this series could get ugly real quick. Shawn Bradley is one huge toothpick. For a guy that huge, he shies away from contact way too much. No way he can contain someone almost as tall Yao... if Yao gets mad. Then you have Sura, Wesley, Barry and T-Mac to worry about on the outside.

Now if Yao can't control the series I have the Mavs in 6. Dirk is going to dominate whomever gets thrown at him and Jason Terry's been playing lights out.

[nutcrackin]

here are the matchups. Who is the favorite at each position??

Mavericks Rockets
G- JASON TERRY G- DAVID WESLEY (my hometown)
G- MICHEAL FINLEY G- BOB SURA
F- JOSH HOWARD F- TRACY MCGRADY
F- DIRK NOWITZKI F- SCOTT PADGENT??(howard is out)
C- ERIC DAMPIER C- YAO MING


THE MAVERICKS HAVE THE BIGGER ADVANTAGE WITH THEIR STAR PLAYER.. WITHOUT JUWAN HOWARD, THE ROCKETS WILL BE IN FOUL TROUBLE WITH THE OTHERS...JOSH HOWARD IS A DEFENSIVE STANDOUT HOLDING MANU GINOBLI TO 1-9 SHOOTING IN THE 36 POINT BLOWOUT 3 WEEKS AGO. HE WILL HOLD MCGRADY TO LESS THAN HIS SEASON AVERAGE WHICH MEANS THE PRESSURE WILL GO TO YAO.. CAN HE HANDLE THE PRESSURE????? MY PREDICTION IS NO.. NOT YET..

[nutcrackin]

the outcome will be decided by the bench... Dallas has the far superior bench with (2) 20 pt. scorers in their careers previously in Van Horn and Stackhouse. Also Marquis Daniels, who led the team in scoring against Sacramento last year in the playoffs averaging over 20 pts. a game. Their bench has more "balance scoring" than the starters.. and don't forget about Yao's nemisis.... Shawn Bradley.. look at Yao's career stats against Bradley.. they are alot less. Allen Henderson and the 1st round phenom Devin Harris... Look out clutch city...

[Holmes_Fans]

Here are the regular season stats for Houston and Dallas and how they match up with each other

PPG
Dallas 102.5 (3rd) - Houston 95 (20th)

FG%
Dallas .457 (8th) - Houston .443 (20th)

PPG Allowed
Houston 91 (3rd) - Dallas 96.7 (14th) - (PPG is around 90 since Avery took over)

FG% Allowed
Houston .423 (2nd) - Dallas .438 (7th)

RPG (Rebounds Per Game)
Dallas 42.9 (8th) - Houston 42.3 (13th)

BPG (Blocks Per Game)
Dallas 5.6 (8th) - Houston 4.6 (16th)

SPG (Steals Per Game)
Dallas 8.6 (4th) - Houston 6.6 (23rd)

[AggieJohn]

don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by Bandera YaYa
AAAAMMMMEEEENNNNN!!!! :D
Thank ya' sistah.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by nutcrackin
here are the matchups. Who is the favorite at each position??

Mavericks Rockets
G- JASON TERRY G- DAVID WESLEY (my hometown)
G- MICHEAL FINLEY G- BOB SURA
F- JOSH HOWARD F- TRACY MCGRADY
F- DIRK NOWITZKI F- SCOTT PADGENT??(howard is out)
C- ERIC DAMPIER C- YAO MING

They're also two different types of teams. The matchups don't tell the whole story. Dallas can spread the ball around and score from five positions. OK, on second though, four positions.

Houston, on the other hand, is an inside-out team. While their guards have carried them most of the way, the offense is still being funneled through the middle. If you start with Yao making some noise in the paint and then kick it out to a jumpshooter (Sura, Padgett) or a slasher (McGrady) those outside guys will get better looks. The defense can only be in so many places at one time. Different dimension than Dallas.

All in all, nobody's going to contain Nowitzki or McGrady. Ron Artest, Bruce Bowen... not even if Michael Cooper suited back up for a few days... would McGrady be held in check. Same goes for Nowitzki. The Duncans, Garnetts and O'Neals of the world haven't been able to contain him. What makes us think anyone on the Rockets can?

[Bull's-eye]

Originally posted by big daddy russ

T-Mac's only 25.

He was drafted out of high school in 1997 and his birth date is 5-24-1979. He does have 7 years experience & 8 if you count this season.

97-98 TOR
98-99 TOR
99-00 TOR
00-01 ORL
01-02 ORL
02-03 ORL
03-04 ORL
04-05 HOU

[Holmes_Fans]

Link (http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/35701/20050421/frank_and_johnson_names_nba_coaches_of_the_month_f or_april/)


Frank And Johnson Names NBA Coaches Of The Month For April

21st April, 2005 - 4:15 pm

NBA PR - New Jersey‘s Lawrence Frank and Dallas’ Avery Johnson today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month for games played in April.

Frank led the Nets to an 8-2 record this month, finishing the season with four essential wins over Toronto, Philadelphia, Washington and Boston to secure a playoff berth. The Nets held opponents to 91.5 points per game on 43.3% shooting and held the second highest point differential at 10.2 points per game. The Nets dished out 24.5 assists per game, while holding opponents to only 20.2 per game.

Johnson led the Mavericks to a 10-1 month, closing out the regular season with nine straight victories, five against playoff-bound teams. The Mavericks held their opposition to 91.1 points per game on 42.8% shooting and only 18.2 assists per game (2nd in the league), while having an NBA-best 10.4 point differential for the month. Dallas is 25-6 in games in which Avery Johnson has served as head coach, 16-2 since he officially took over for Don Nelson.

Other nominees for the Coach of the Month award were Denver’s George Karl, Detroit’s Larry Brown and Philadelphia’s Jim O’Brien.

[Matthew328]

T-Mac and Dirk will cancel each other out....the question will be the supporting cast and Dallas has a far superior supporting cast....Yao is very inconsistent and can be soft at times....ala Shawn Bradley....the Mavs actually have an inside prescence with Dampier...then when you have the ability to bring 3 guys who can put up 20 off the bench (Van Horn, Stackhouse, and Daniels) that is tough to stop...plus the Mavs are actually taking the ball to the basket and getting to the line...T-Mac will singlehandedly win a game or two by himself...but he won't be enough...Mavs in 6

[Raider4ever]

NEver mind.

[Raider4ever]

i take Rockets in 5. Love the Mavs one of my fav teams but rockets are going to be to much i believe.

[Pmoney]

I take Mavs in 4....too much scoring for Tmac n who else is on the team???? :D

[Bull's-eye]

Should be the best series in the first round and I would be shocked if they don't play at least 6 games. Everybody has made some great points, but I think it will come down to the team that shoots the best. Nobody can stop Nowitzki or McGrady when they are on their game. Nowitzki is probably more consistant, where T-Mac is streaky. I have seen him carry the Rockets on his back, but I have also seen him shoot them out of a few games. The Rockets will need McGrady to be on and have their guards shoot well from the outside. The Rockets are hard to beat when Wesley, Sura, Barry and Padgett hit their shots.

I have too much respect for the Mavericks. They were the 3rd best team in the West. They had to battle through a stretch of injuries and also adapt to a different system under a new coach. They play consistant on both the road and at home.

Both coaches have done a great job and both teams seem to be improving as they get more comfortable with their team-mates and their new coach. Good luck to both teams and may the better team win.

[AggieJohn]

Van Gundy is do depressing to listen too....