Rockets v. Spurs First Half Live Blogging

A few thoughts as we wrap up to half…

*Wonder why the Rockets are winning without Yao Ming?  Defense.  It starts with two guys, Dikembe Mutumbo and Shane Battier.  Statistically, they’re nothing to write home (or away, for that matter) about, but they lock down.  Battier on Ginobili, but more importantly, Deke lurks in the paint on nearly every drive.  You add the thickness of Luis Scola and then Rafer Alston as a decent defender, you’ve got a pretty good five out there.

*Some things never change-Bobby Jackson is an elevator, just going up.  That’s all he’s done, that’s all he’ll ever do.  With Sac-town, with New Orleans, and now with Houston. 

*Bruce Bowen is routinely getting beat, whether by Tracy McGrady or otherwise.  The most embarrassing, and   obvious…a baseline drive that didn’t even have a move attached to it, simply a baseline shimmy, and before you know it, Number One in red is a blur, gone for the dunk.

*Michael Finley just hit a 3 from the corner.  Good first half, 5-6 from the floor.  He’s played great lately, over 16 ppg last 3 contests.  His shooting, with Bowen so streaky and no Barry around yet, really helps this team out, and not just in the obvious way on the scoreboard.

Halftime:

*This just in:  Jacque Vaughn is the best point guard in the world.  You don’t get any cooler than the basket-at-the-buzzer-sprint-into-the-locker room maneuver.  Where he thought he was going, who the hell knows.  By the time he got to the end of the tunnel, he probably realized that the rest of his team was still on the floor, seeing as how the half had ended under five seconds ago.  Likely, he just wanted to avoid the swarms of autograph seekers, and get ready to mentally prep for the second half, and explain to Damon Stoudamire why he doesn’t have a job any longer.

*66 points in the first half, not bad.  You know that the defense will get better from the Rockets, but, with that will also likely come an improvement in how the boys from Houston are shooting.  Rafer Alston and Tracy McGrady are a combined 6 for 24 from the floor.  Expect that to go up.  Also, Michael Finley likely will miss more than one shot in the second half. Ginobili needs to get off.