Rocket red: Five memorable games from 2008

December 18, 12:32 PMHouston Rockets ExaminerDavid Hartnett

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Houston Rockets Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

With Christmas a week away, and the eighth year in the 21st century near completion, now is probably a good time to start reviewing the year that was for the Houston Rockets.

With a year that brought many highs, and lows, there will be a three-part series intended to review the year that was for the Houston Rockets.

Today is the five most memorable games of 2008.

It should be noted, one of the perquisites to be on the list was the Rockets had to have won.

5) Washington Wizards vs. Houston Rockets, February 26 (Rockets 94 – Wizards 69)

In the first game following the revelation Yao Ming would miss the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in his foot, the Rockets played inspired basketball.

Thanks to a strong defensive performance by Dikembe Mutombo, the Rockets routed the Wizards, and showed things weren’t so bleak with Yao away.

4) Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks, October 30 (Rockets 112 – Mavericks 102)

The second game of the current season, it was the first time a national audience would be able to witness Yao, Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest on the court at the same time.

As it was the home opener for new Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle, the game had it all. There was a near skirmish between Josh Howard and Yao Ming, which had Ron Artest breaking up the fight, but not before receiving an unwarranted technical foul.

Then of course, you had Dirk Nowitzki playing great through three quarters, scoring 35 points during that span. Then fell flat on his face in the fourth quarter, scoring only one point on the technical free throw from Artest’s “involvement”.

Maybe the best part of the game wasn’t necessarily the beat down the Rockets put on the Mavs in front of a national audience, or the postgame comments Charles Barkley made regarding Dirk. Rather the solid performances by both Yao (who had 30 points and 13 rebounds) and Artest who chipped in with 29 points.

It was a great initial national telecast for the Rockets’ “Big Three”.

3) Sacramento Kings vs. Houston Rockets, February 13 (Rockets 89 - Kings 87)

As most are well aware, the Rockets had a 22-game winning streak during the middle of their 2007-2008 season. While the streak ended at 22, it nearly ended abruptly at seven games if it hadn’t been for the late game heroics of Steve Novak.

With the Kings up by one — thanks to a great second-half showing by Ron Artest — the Rockets nearly blew a late lead against a mediocre Kings squad. That was until Novak scored his only basket of the game to give the Rockets a win and continue the streak.

Novak has since been dealt to the Clippers, but this moment will live on in Rockets’ lore.

2) Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz, April 24 (Rockets 94 – Jazz 92)

The Jazz were up 2-0 in the series. They had the Rockets were they wanted them. The game was close and the Jazz’s all-star point guard Deron Williams had the ball in his hands.

He drove left, right by Rafer Alston. He was going up to give his team a one-point lead, and a 3-0 lead in the series. That was until rookie Carl Landry was able to go up and not only block the potential game-winning shot, but also save the rebound and throw it to fellow rookie Luis Scola to give the Rockets a chance in the series.

Sure the block by Landry and the subsequent kiss he received from Alston are both memorable moments, but what’s lost in the whole discussion of the game was the great fourth quarter play by the Rockets to keep the game close. While the block is the thing to remember, the collective effort of the team to outscore the Jazz by eight in the final period made that defensive moment all the more memorable.

1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets, March 16 (Rockets 104 - Lakers 92)

The Rockets won 22 games in a row, and their victory over the Lakers was not only their last win in the streak, but the most memorable.

The game had all the elements of greatness, a national audience, a great opponent, an afternoon setting and of course and great play by two unsung heroes.

While the win allowed the Rockets to take over first place in the Western Conference, what was more astounding about the game was the amount of buzz circulating around the city of Houston preceding and following this win. Never had the Toyota Center been so alive, it was loud from the opening tip, until the final horn.

As for the game itself, Rafer Alston — often lauded for his streaky shooting tendencies — had the best game of his season. With eight 3-pointers, and a game-high 30 points, the team’s starting point guard really shined, and was one of the two biggest reasons they won. From the opening tip, he didn’t seem to miss beyond the arc. When the team needed a basket, Alston delivered.

The other hero of the game had to be Shane Battier. Often praised as one of the better one-on-one defenders in the NBA, Battier shut down Kobe Bryant. Consistently flashing his palm in the face of Bryant, the MVP of the league had only 24 points on 33 shots.

*******

From Mount Mutombo’s dominance to Rafer’s 3-point extravaganza, the Rockets certainly had a few special games throughout this year.

Now’s your turn, if you disagree, let me know. If you think the Novak game should be higher, or if you feel another game that was neglected from the list should be added, go ahead and voice your displeasure.