| Rocket’s Playoff Preview: The I-45 Series Authored by Jason Linnard - April 20, 2005 - 6:43 pm
It all started as speculation. The Steve Francis-for-Tracy McGrady trade was at first thought a mere rumor someone created to spark controversy. Even with McGrady’s trade request, not many thought that the 2-time scoring champ would be traded.
Boy, were they wrong.
On June 29, 2004, it became official: Tracy McGrady was the new face of the Rockets. This was the beginning of the Rocket’s new generation. Rebuilding had begun.
During the rest of the off-season and the winter months leading up to the trade deadline, Houston GM Carroll Dawson made a number of moves, completely redoing the team’s roster. The only players from the end of last season that are still with Houston are Scott Padgett and Yao Ming.
As the season approached, most analysts believed Houston would be a team to reckon with. Some were skeptical to believe it, but the general opinion was that Houston was a new power in the West.
After a 6-11 start, there was a big change of heart. People began to question Yao’s potential, McGrady’s leadership abilities, and the supporting cast. Could McGrady and Yao co-exist?
But after McGrady’s miraculous “13 in 35” against the San Antonio Spurs, there was a new hope. After that game, the Rockets went 23-10 over a span of 2 months, including an 8-game win streak.
Houston has gone 18-9 since the All-Star break, and many analysts have given them high praise and expected great things with them come playoff time. For the rest of the season, the Rockets jockeyed for playoff position with the Kings, Grizzlies, and recently surging Nuggets. They held all of them off and clinched the Western Conference’s 5th seed, currently with a 50-31 record. This is Houston’s first 50-win season since 1997, and 6th of all time.
As the Rockets end their season with a home game against the Seattle Sonics, they prepare for their playoff series against their intrastate rivals: the Dallas Mavericks. Houston has gone 2-2 against Dallas this season, winning one game at home and on the road.
The key to winning the series could ultimately be Yao’s ability to play against Dallas center Erick Dampier. Dallas brought in Dampier as a force underneath the basket, something they had lacked for years. Yao has done well against Dampier, grabbing his share of rebounds and preventing baskets, but Dampier has had spurts where he shut Yao down.
Another key is to minimize Dirk Nowitzki’s scoring. With Juwan Howard no longer available, the Rockets have two remaining power forwards: Clarence Weatherspoon and Scott Padgett, neither of which are very suited to guard Nowitzki. Padgett is not known for his defense and Weatherspoon has become less athletic and lost a step or two over the years.
One possible solution, which was experimented with earlier in the year, was giving the defensive assignment of Dirk to guar/forward Tracy McGrady. McGrady has the speed, agility, quickness and height needed to guard Dirk. McGrady is between 6’8” and 6’9”. If McGrady stays tight on Nowitzki, it should limit open shots, minimize scoring, and force Dallas to use other scoring options.
This is the Rocket’s first legitimate chance at going somewhere in the playoffs, but certainly not the last. The duo of McGrady and Yao will be powerful for many years. But why not start now? |
