[Matthew's Note: Bobcat recap post coming Thursday night at the latest.]
[Co-Editor's Note: Sorry, but a term paper last night on God knows what prevented me from writing this sooner. So just slap your head against the wall a couple times and pretend that televised abortion we all just witnessed vs. some team that actually calls itself the "Bobcats" if I have that right didn't happen yet.]
Game 7: @ Houston: Spurs 92, Rockets 84
Record: 6-1 Streak: W-5
Yes, I'm being facetious.
I don't think Tony's job should be in any danger.
As far as you know.
Still, that was quite lovely. It was an outright robbery actually. In fact, we need to break out an alternate jersey just for the occasion. See here's Manu even modeling it.
What do you mean "That just looks like some guy in a Hamburgler outfit?" Do you think I'm some kind of asshat who just goes around making shit up? I'm telling y'all that's Manu. Maybe he doesn't look like Adrien Brody or the Daily Show's John Oliver or the drummer from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but it's really him this time. It's not like he hasn't worn dorkier outfits.
I gotta be honest, in my mind this was our first "icing on the cake game" of the season. By that I mean it would have been perfectly rational and expected if we lost it, given that it was against a very good team on the road, and if we somehow scratched a W, it would be icing on the cake.
And scratch we did my friends. You see that huge gash on Yao's left arm? Okay so Shaq did that, but still. It would've been one thing if we came out gangbusters and were up 30 on them by half, but winning it the way we did I think is even more of a mindfuck. The Rockets were playing as well as they could possibly play for the first 32 minutes, up 73-54, and we close the game out with a "what the fuck just happened?" 38-11 run.
Nothing says "This is US, here
And
This is YOU, here" like a comeback fueled by the quintet of Elson-Horry-Bowen-Finley-Udrih. I mean, if they can't win a home game when Tim and Tony play like complete ass for the better part of three quarters, what will their mental state be the next time we face them? It's almost sad in a way. I LIKE the Rockets. I like T-Mac. I love Yao. I can even put up with their raccoon of a coach. They're easily my 2nd favorite team in the West. But you have to wonder how a loss like this will affect them for the rest of the year. Can they recover from it? Your guess is as good as mine. They don't look like a very hardy bunch to me.
Anywho, here's some things I liked about the game, and some I didn't.
The Good:
-Timmeh's 4th quarter defense. Came up with a couple of huge stuffs on Yao and was a monster on the glass. Also hit some big shots late, including a crazy fadeaway one-hander from the baseline while the shotclock was running out. All of this was awful nice to see since he had his lunch handed to him by The Great Wall and The Cookie Monster for most of the night.
-Elson's all around game. Got a couple of buckets off the offensive glass early and then showed some flashes of an offensive repertoire with a jumper from the wing and a turnaround banker. Also bothered Yao quite a bit during that late 3rd quarter run.
-We finally show up on the glass. Outrebounded them by 15. That 1 for 19 stretch kinda helped, but it's a credit to our bigs that they limited the second chances.
-Clyde Drexler. The one time Elliott tormenter now does the color for the Rockets TV broadcasts, and he is mostly awful. However, I was delighted at the gratuitous shot he took at Rick Pitino. When play-by-play guy Bill Drewer pointed out that Pitino might still be with the Celtics if they got Duncan in the '97 lottery, Clyde "The Glide" chortled for a bit before replying, "He might have traded him too." Just awesome.
The Bad:
-Tony Parker. Let's not quite suck each other's dicks yet about his jump shot, eh?
-Fabricio Oberto. A Voskuhl-like four fouls in five minutes. I'm telling y'all, it doesn't matter if he can play or not, as long as he looks like a token white stiff, the refs will pick on him in the big games. They gotta call the fouls on SOMEBODY and Duncan bitches too damn much. I like watching him play, I really do, but it will be harder for him to earn the zebras' respect than ours.
-Bruce Bowen. "Beep Beep." Anybody notice how the Hustlemaker did a much better job on T-Mac in the second half than Bruce did in the first?
-Bill Drewer. This guy HATES Manu. Every damn Rockets game I have to hear this crap. Luther Head elbows Gino in the chest and it's a flop. He drives in on Yao inside the half-circle and it should be a charge. I can't stand him. And he says this stupid "rat-a-tat off the rim" shit after every other miss. Ugh.
Your 3 Stars
3. Manu Ginobili- Finally took it to the basket strong and made a couple of nifty lay ups when we needed it in the 4th quarter. Finished the game with a season high (this sounds strange) of 19 points, and his three pointer with seven minutes to go gave the Spurs a lead they would not relinquish. Also played great D on T-Mac in the 4th.
2. Robert Horry- Nice of Robert to show up for this one. Apparently his calendar had the season starting on the 14th. Whatever. He hit his first two bombs of the season and had a nifty steal and dunk that brought us all the way back from a 19 point deficit. Also created the turnover that led to an Udrih lay up earlier. He seemed to hurt his hammy late in the game, so it'll probably be another month or so before we see another good game out of him.
1. Beno Udrih- Yeah, he didn't have the best statline of the night. Not even close. But it was the Beeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnn-Oh's eight straight points in the 3rd that puckered up the Rockets collective anuses for good. After his mini-run to cut it to 75-71 going into the 4th, the final twelve minutes were a mere formality. So far he's been very good every sixth game, so this means that the Mavs are on course to be victims of another Udrih "romantic explosion on the chest" on the 24th. Give Beno credit, he saves it for the big games.
Up Next: Vs. Bobcats
Normally we'd have no problem wiping the floor with these guys, but it's the dreaded SEGABABA, so it might be tougher than expected. Eh, who am I kidding. This is the frickin' Bobcats! They're soft. They're leading the league in turnovers. We're gonna spank them so badly that they'll be begging us to take it easy on them by the 3rd quarter. Expect to see PLENTY of Vaughn or Bonner. Take it to the bank folks.