Game Preview #42: Houston Rockets @ San Antonio Spurs

by CapHill on Jan 22, 2010 2:00 AM CST in Game Previews

I'd forgotten how much fun bubble wrap is, until today when I got a water bottle wrapped in the stuff. I defy anyone to not immediately start popping the bubbles and getting a huge smile on your face. Sometimes the simplest things are the most fun. Maybe the Spurs can start playing basketball again like that tonight. Simple, yet smile producing.

Since there is no way I'm going to top silverandblack's preview, I'm not going to try.

Houston Rockets @ San Antonio Spurs
Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX
When: January 22, 2010, 7:30 PM Spurs time
Watch: FSNSW (SA), FSNHOU (Hou)

How They Stack Up


17-7	Home	13-5
8-9	Road	10-13
101.0	Offense	100.6
95.6	Defense	100.3
48.0	FG%	44.4
38.2	3-pt%	34.1
73.7	FT%	76.2
42.4	Rebounds	42.3
13.5	TOs	13.8
5-5	Last 10	5-5
Lost 1	Streak	Won 1
2nd, Southwest	Position	3rd, Southwest


Country/Time Zone	Game Time
Argentina	10:30 PM
Rainy Land	5:30 PM
Philippines	9:30 AM
Central Europe	2:30 AM
Palestine/Egypt	3:30 AM
East Coast	8:30 PM
Sun and Snow	6:30 PM
Perth, AUS	9:30 AM
Tokyo, JP	10:30 AM
Sydney, AUS	11:30 AM

Spurs (25-16)	Matchups	Rockets (23-18)
Tony Parker Needs Rest	Point Guard Tony is definitely hurting, but he faces almost his mirror image tonight. Both Parker and Brooks use their quickness to score in the paint. Neither is a stout defender. This matchup is pretty even. Advantage: Tied	Aaron Brooks Speedy

Manu Ginobili Do-It-All	Shooting Guard In his role with the Rockets, Ariza has become more of a scorer, but he still has a well-rounded game. However, Manu is the original jack of all trades, who keeps getting better this season. The white box goes to the ARGENTINE! Advantage: Spurs	Trevor Ariza Lanky

Richard Jefferson ????	Small Forward I can't figure out RJ. He's inconsistent and still hasn't fit into the system. Tonight, he faces the consummate system guy. Battier just goes to work every night and gets the job done. He would be a perfect Spur. Advantage: Rockets	Shane Battier Can't believe he's a Dookie

Tim Duncan Another Record	Power Forward Scola is a heck of a player. He combines physicality and skill. But Luis is going against Timmeh tonight. And Timmeh is coming off a bad game. He should be raring to go. Plus Duncan only needs 1 point to get 20,000 for his career, not that he cares. Advantage: Spurs	Luis Scola Would have looked good in the S&B

DeJuan Blair No More Dunks	Center Talk about two guys with similar games. Both are undersized, but for once, neither will have a height disadvantage tonight. This should be an interesting matchup - the one who can take advantage might be the key to the game. Advantage: Tied	Chuck Hayes Not really a center

George Hill Most Improved	Bench & Role Players Houston has some hard-nosed players - just ask Dirk's arm. If Hill starts again, then the bench play is probably a wash, but for now I'll give the white box to BAM. Advantage: Spurs	Carl Landry Doesn't need teeth

Gregg Popovich Bring back the Beard	Coach Pop is Pop, but Adelman's coaching job over the last few seasons has been superb. Even though Houston is down its two "best" players, the team continues to compete at a high level. Advantage: Tied	Rick Adelman Coach of the Year
	images via yahoo.com

	Other Factors
Intangibles
The Spurs are at home, but the Rockets are not a bad road team. Advantage: Tied
Mojo
The Spurs were pwned by the Jazz. Hopefully, that'll be a kick in the butt they need. However, the Rockets are the prototypical team, who never give up. And it's a division rivalry Advantage: Rockets
Winner:
The Spurs should come roaring out of the gate, after that showing against the Jazz. But Houston scraps better than any other NBA team and never lacks in effort. Prediction: On paper, the Spurs are the better team, but the game is played on the court. Houston in a close one.

Keys To The Game

Shot Selection - In the last 3 losses, the Spurs have shot poorly. Some of this is due to missing wide open shots, but most of it has been poor shot selection. Missing dunks and layups is also not acceptable.
Clean up the Mess - Sloppy offensive ball returned, with waaaay too many turnovers. This is a team-wide problem that needs serious attention.
Man the Paint - Remember when the Spurs' played defense? I don't. Seeing the Jazz waltz through the lane, scoring with ease, was sickening. Bring back the physicality, boys.

Strength of Schedule

This is the second game of the homestand, following a day of rest.

The Rockets last played on Monday, beating the Bucks at home. I'll never understand the NBA schedule.

Last Time They Met

The Spurs and Rockets last played on November 27, winning 92-84 on the road. Timmeh had a monster game, and Manu was still sidelined. We shot 26-34 from the line. A repeat of that stat would be nice.

Some Other Reading

Jazz

The Dream Shake - The masthead reads "Will trade McGrady for food, shelter." They're both crazy and funny - good stuff.
Red94 - This is the TrueHoop network blog for the Rockets. Massive, stat laden posts.

Spurs

48 Minutes of Hell: Best damn TrueHoop affiliate out there. Always a must visit Spurs site.
Project Spurs: Features live chats, call-in shows and podcasts (in Spanish too), with lots of content.

Where to Tune In

TV

This game will be aired by FSNSW in San Antonio and by FSNHOU in Houston. If you have cable or satellite, you'll have to look up your individual channel. And of course, there's always League Pass for the haves. For the have nots, read on.

Online

As always, NBA League Pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Most Spurs games will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area.

Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance.

NBA League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out.

Radio

If you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM).

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Comments

Holy [insert curse here] do I need a Spurs win.

The Spurs - now playing like sh*t again!

by Tim C. on Jan 22, 2010 2:13 AM CST reply actions

YOU. ARE. IN. MY. WAY.

...!!

by transgojobot on Jan 22, 2010 4:33 AM CST reply actions

Spurs need to be tough tonight. No more rolling over for the opponent.

They need to grow some marbles.

"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich

by Aaron "Hirschof" Preine on Jan 22, 2010 6:40 AM CST reply actions

Maybe this year’s edition of the Spurs is seeking to pattern itself after the rope-a-dope Houston Rockets of the mid-90’s – very talented teams that had a so-so regular season record but turned on the afterburners in the playoffs en route to championship glory.

by 4Him on Jan 22, 2010 6:48 AM CST reply actions

We can only hope

by Manu ex Machina on Jan 22, 2010 1:37 PM CST up reply actions

This is a statement game if you ask me. I think we have a lot of statement games lately. We failed to make a statement earlier this week by falling to Utah (9th in the West) for the 4th time this season. Let’s not lose next to an above .500 division rival!

by Ed (dfjmed) on Jan 22, 2010 8:53 AM CST reply actions

Battier

I’m reading “Art of a Beautiful Game” by the SI writer Chris Ballard. In his chapter on the defensive specialist, Battier claims that he studies other teams so much that he feels like he could be traded to another team and be able to play within their system pretty well the first game. He specifically mentioned the Spurs as an example, probably because he’s played in the same division with them every year of his career. This just adds to the idea that he would make a perfect Spur.

by tandyman on Jan 22, 2010 9:12 AM CST reply actions

Yeah, I remember seeing in a pregrame for the Rockets a thick booklet of stats & stuff that he studies about players/teams, and I’m pretty sure he made it himself.

by Manu ex Machina on Jan 22, 2010 1:41 PM CST up reply actions

The Spurs lost to the Jazz because the Jazz seem to be the Anti-Spurs these days: hard-working, perfectly-tuned, and everyone with a “I know my role” type of mentality. Well, now you know how well the Spurs are in all of those categories. So, they will probably win tonight, I feel, because Duncan won’t be too preoccupied with his jaw like the last game, and the Spurs need momentum for their Rodeo Road Trip (gulp!). As long as we don’t face the Jazz anymore this year, I think we be good! And I seriously hope that after the All-Star break, these Spurs wrangle up their cajones and play the best damn basketball they could play.

Oh, and I didn’t see the last game against the Jazz that much; why does it say for Blair NOT to dunk?

by ZeusVizzle on Jan 22, 2010 9:13 AM CST reply actions

two games in a row where he missed dunks by pulling the rim down before the ball goes down

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 9:15 AM CST up reply actions

Ahhh. Just like in New Orleans. What’s up with Blair?? We need him shooting 60 percent again, but when he tries he misses the easiest way to score!

by ZeusVizzle on Jan 22, 2010 9:45 AM CST up reply actions

if you didn’t look at the boxscore, check out this craziness on the boards:

Duncan: 10 TOT, 9 OFF, 1 DEF
Blair: 11 TOT, 2 OFF, 9 DEF

I wonder if that is Duncan’s highest OFF/DEF rebounding ratio of his career.

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 9:49 AM CST up reply actions

what the hell? i’d expect that from chuck hayes or something. it just shows how “off” Duncan was playing…

by ZeusVizzle on Jan 22, 2010 9:51 AM CST up reply actions

he should learn from RJ on how he releases his grip on the ring immediately after he dunks

If you liked it then you should have put a 5th ring on it. Oh oh oh.

by TDzilla! on Jan 22, 2010 9:48 AM CST up reply actions

that’s true, that dunk is probably related to the Melo dunk. not so much flash but its too the point. Blair is trying to force it in emphatically but he’s too short dang it!

by ZeusVizzle on Jan 22, 2010 9:55 AM CST up reply actions

Yeah, stop trying to rip the rim off and focus on getting two points.

Best thing about Blair is even when he misses a shot or has it blocked he often gets his own rebound. So a 50% FG percentage is actually more like a 75% scoring percentage. But you can’t rebound when you’re swinging from the rim, so missed dunks are doubly damaging.

by doggydogworld on Jan 22, 2010 11:07 AM CST up reply actions

We’ve lost 3 of the last 4 after losing 3 of the 15 before this.

We’ve lost 6 games after losing the previous and won 9. We’ve lost 10 and won 14 after winning the previous game.

Chances to win a game after a loss = 60%
Chances to win a game after a win = 56%

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 9:43 AM CST reply actions

Don’t confuse me with your stats.

Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way. - Jane Austen

by CapHill on Jan 22, 2010 9:58 AM CST up reply actions

I know it’s not that early but damn. How about you just put: Chances to win tonight ____?

by xman130 on Jan 22, 2010 10:00 AM CST up reply actions

Oh you wanted chances to win tonight….well we are 1-0 against Houston and that was on the road, so the chances have to be 100% tonight.

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 10:10 AM CST up reply actions

and I don’t really have to look this stuff up since I have my color coded schedule pinned up on my cube wall.

Brackets around two dates = back to back
Yellow highlighted opponent name = home game
Tip time crossed off in black = win
Tip time cross off in red = loss
Blue highlighter circle next to opponent name = big game (DAL, LA, DEN, PHX, CLE, BOS, and ORL)
Orange highlighter circle or orange highligher ring around a blue dot = opposing team has a good UT player (POR, OKC, CHA, IND, and CLE)
Tiny red dot next to opponent name = opponent that has already beaten us once this season
*I also put the record for each month next to the month heading and our record after each game next to the crossed out tip time in red or black depending on loss or win.

So it’s easy to tell you 14 of our last 41 games are against opponents that have already beaten us once and we are currently 1-5 in those games right now (3 losses to Utah, 1 to Dallas, and 1 to Portland and 1 win at OKC). Four of those 5 rematch losses were at home too….double burn.

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 10:31 AM CST up reply actions

You might need help.

Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way. - Jane Austen

by CapHill on Jan 22, 2010 10:37 AM CST up reply actions

Because it’s complicated?

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 10:39 AM CST up reply actions

Atlanta is a blue dot too. We’ve played 7 of our 22 blue dot games so far this year so we have more than double the top tier games we had in the first half in the second half of the season.

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 10:39 AM CST up reply actions

any way you could share this with the rest of the class?

"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html

by Joe deLarios on Jan 22, 2010 10:48 AM CST up reply actions

I wanted to but the scanner only outputs black and white….

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 12:58 PM CST up reply actions

You friend, are obsessed.

by xman130 on Jan 22, 2010 4:24 PM CST up reply actions

if someone who reads a sports blog tells me I’m obsessed, than its probably pretty serious…..

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 4:28 PM CST up reply actions

My main issue is this: you need a color scanner!

Consider the gun jumped
5 in 10

by J.R. Wilco on Jan 23, 2010 2:05 PM CST up reply actions

I added something else….

a blue dash after an opponent name means they are an opponent we have previously beaten…

In these games, we are currently 6-4 (7 of the 10 on the road). The four losses are @DAL, @TOR, DAL (again), and @CHA. Obviously, we split home games with TOR and CHA. Including tonight, we have at least 23 of these revenge games left. We haven’t played ATL, CLE, or ORL yet this season so those teams don’t have any red dots or blue dashes.

Another interesting thing I gleaned from adding this to my schedule is that we have already beaten 6 of our 8 RRT opponents, Portland and Denver being the other 2.

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 4:28 PM CST up reply actions

That’s pretty good news.

Consider the gun jumped
5 in 10

by J.R. Wilco on Jan 23, 2010 2:05 PM CST up reply actions

It’s worth noting that 13-6 over our last 19 is the pace we need to be on, but it doesn’t make up for the 12-10 start. Really, since starting 9-9 (ending with a loss to Utah), we went 16-7 which is an even better pace. If we follow this Utah loss with another 15-4 run like last time, that would be awesome. That would be a 40-20 record (54 win pace) heading into the Cleveland road game on March 8th.

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 10:09 AM CST up reply actions

dude – love the analysis. i mean, its top notch stuff. really.

the bad part is my head is spinning. i also dont have enough markers to do up my own office wall schedule accordingly……and if i try a color switch, it will be comepletely out of sync and then i really wont be able to pick up your sysytem…….

by bones on Jan 22, 2010 11:31 AM CST up reply actions

yeah engineering assistant or whatever her title is has a cabinet full of office supplies so it makes it really easy

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 12:40 PM CST up reply actions

actually with just a red and black/blue pen you could do back to back brackets and then the win/loss stuff. that’s really the most important things to have for cursory glances

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 1:09 PM CST up reply actions

oh yeah, and print the schedule from the pdf link here….it has to be the best printable version…I used BSPN’s last year but Lakers and Clippers were all marked as Los Angeles so I was screwed. The only mess up on this one is that the New York home game is the only home game not in all caps. I emailed the Spurs to fix that page to list the February 28th, March 1st back to back but they never did it. You also have to change our @ Atlanta start time but all the start times are Spurs time on this one too which is helpful.

by BlaseE on Jan 22, 2010 1:19 PM CST up reply actions