Thur. 4/01 vs. Rockets - Results Inside - Postgame comments

DIESEL wrote:ANYBODY KNOWS IF IT WILL BE RUSSELL OR COOK HOW IS GOING TO BE OUT OF THE TEAM FOR THE PLAYOFFS?????????????

A year ago, after he'd put 39 points on the Houston Rockets, Shaquille O'Neal pulled a reporter close and said, "Now, I don't want to hear any more questions about Yao Ming."

As if that were that.

Nearly two years into it, the Rockets are 4-3 against the Lakers in the Yao era, and Yao is averaging 20 points and nearly 10 rebounds in the series. In the five games in which O'Neal was on the floor, the Rockets have won three, and Yao's numbers have fallen only slightly.

ClutchFans.Net: The New York Knickification of the Houston Rockets is continuing, and it's starting to reach the bizarre. Two sources confirmed to ClutchFans this morning that the Rockets are set to activate assistant coach and former NBA legend Patrick Ewing today before their matchup with the Lakers.

The team announced later this morning that Ewing in fact is returning. "Kelvin [Cato] is going to be out for a while, longer than anticipated," said one source. "This is only temporary, but Pat has practiced with the team all year. Can he stop Shaq? No, but ten minutes a night he can give us."

Lakers Dynasty 2000 wrote:EWING RETURNING TONIGHT?

ClutchFans.Net: The New York Knickification of the Houston Rockets is continuing, and it's starting to reach the bizarre. Two sources confirmed to ClutchFans this morning that the Rockets are set to activate assistant coach and former NBA legend Patrick Ewing today before their matchup with the Lakers.

The team announced later this morning that Ewing in fact is returning. "Kelvin [Cato] is going to be out for a while, longer than anticipated," said one source. "This is only temporary, but Pat has practiced with the team all year. Can he stop Shaq? No, but ten minutes a night he can give us."

"He's a good player, but at 7-7, he's just doing what he's supposed to do," O'Neal said. "So, it's not that I'm going to say I'm not impressed, but at 7-7 you're supposed to shoot over whoever's sticking you. He's a long, long drink of water. I probably won't help out [on the defensive end] as much. I'll probably lean on him a little more, get him tired. And hopefully in the fourth quarter I'll have a little more than he will."
Asked if he might get some help from Karl Malone, O'Neal appeared to have been poked in the neck by a cattle prod.

"No," he said. "I'm just going to try to stay in front of him. If he scores, he scores. Hopefully, I can get the opportunity to go back at him. Whenever you're playing somebody that's a scorer, you have to make them work on both ends. So, if those guys are coming down shooting and not playing defense, then he's probably going to have a big night.

"But I guarantee he won't stick me one-on-one. I guarantee you that. They have to double- and triple- and do that. We play him straight up.... I think I can affect his shot most of the time."

Lakers Dynasty 2000 wrote:

DIESEL wrote:ANYBODY KNOWS IF IT WILL BE RUSSELL OR COOK HOW IS GOING TO BE OUT OF THE TEAM FOR THE PLAYOFFS?????????????

No news yet. When are the playoff rosters supposed to be in by? Does anybody know?

Lakers Dynasty 2000 wrote:SHAQ's LATEST COMMENTS ON YAO

"He's a good player, but at 7-7, he's just doing what he's supposed to do," O'Neal said. "So, it's not that I'm going to say I'm not impressed, but at 7-7 you're supposed to shoot over whoever's sticking you. He's a long, long drink of water. I probably won't help out [on the defensive end] as much. I'll probably lean on him a little more, get him tired. And hopefully in the fourth quarter I'll have a little more than he will."
Asked if he might get some help from Karl Malone, O'Neal appeared to have been poked in the neck by a cattle prod.

"No," he said. "I'm just going to try to stay in front of him. If he scores, he scores. Hopefully, I can get the opportunity to go back at him. Whenever you're playing somebody that's a scorer, you have to make them work on both ends. So, if those guys are coming down shooting and not playing defense, then he's probably going to have a big night.

"But I guarantee he won't stick me one-on-one. I guarantee you that. They have to double- and triple- and do that. We play him straight up.... I think I can affect his shot most of the time."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketbal ... nba-lakers

lakerster78 wrote:I give him credit, but Shaq's right. You can't call it a Shaq vs Yao match-up if they're not even matched up. Yao doesn't guard Shaq one-on-one. And yeah, Shaq is doing what he's supposed to be doing, on double and triple teams.

Be careful of the stats, they can be deceptive. They don't show who's guarding who.

We're gonna tie for the #1 seed tonight..

K8BE wrote:what can you say, the mavs are blowin out the queens!!! NO.1!!!