Really frustrating loss in Game 4 of their West quarterfinal series for the Blazers. Is there anything more aggravating in basketball than playing rock solid defense, forcing the opponent into a tough shot but failing to secure the rebound. That more than anything, plus some knucklehead crunch time play, was the big downfall last night. Houston pulled down 10 offensive boards in the 4th quarter alone as they hurt Portland with 2nd chance points all night. Excellent game by Luis Scola who is key because as the Blazers try to help out on Yao Ming, he's finding open space and delivering points. Adding to the misery was some awful decisions and results down the stretch. With about 2 minutes left, Brandon Roy stole a pass, it ended up in the hands of Steve Blake who showed no clue about the situation & got pick pocketed from behind in transition. Then with :45 seconds left and trailing by 2, Joel Przybilla grabbed an offensive rebound and for some reason suffered from brain lock, and in a panic threw the ball over Blake's head into the backcourt for a horrible turnover. Then you had Mr. Control, Brandon Roy, completely out of control driving to the basket with no plan for an offensive foul. This was a brutal defeat as they blew a shot to regain home court edge and now must reel off 3 straight or it's golf season.
As for the NFL draft, was quite pleased with my Jets moving up to take the best QB in the draft, Mark Sanchez from USC, but let's focus on the Ducks chosen. Gotta be happy for Pat Chung going to one of the great organizations in American team sports, the Patriots. They've been lacking in the secondary for the past few years so he will get every opportunity to make an immediate impact. Later in the 2nd round center Max Unger was selected by the Seahawks. The Seattle offensive line has been in decline since winning the NFC during the 2005 season. They let guard Steve Hutchinson walk to Minny as a free agent, and this year, both starting center Chris Spencer and guard Mark Wahle ended the year on injured reserve. In the salary cap era, teams don't take guys in the 2nd round to groom, they want them to play immediately. We'll get caught up on the rest of the draft, NBA playoffs, baseball & more when it's showtime.
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Today the Rockets took another significant step towards realiziing their biggest dream; ending that playoffs jinx. I can truly understand just most Rockets fans might be feeling right now.
Yao was again the fundamental principle in tonights win over the Blazers. Just as when the young Blazers surround him, they left the likes Scola, Battier open to make easy jump shots.
For me Scola, has been the key to this series. He always picks up the slack when other are having a trouble nights. I'm just amazed but his athletism, hustling, and professionalism. I'm sure most Rockets fans will agree with me on this.
So what was your overall reaction about this game? Can expect the Rockets to pull it off in Game 5 or do we have a Game 6?
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