T-Mac Wakes Up

By the time the game was heading into the half last night, Tracy McGrady had begun to show some signs of life. But the fight that broke out between Rafer and Matt Barnes seemed to fire the guy up. He got 27 points last night on 11-18, finally breaking out of his slump.

Artest continues to struggle to find his place in the offense. Just from my (admittedly amateurish) look at it, it seems like he just isn't moving when he's off the ball. Given that he seemed to understand Adelman's offense when he was in Sacramento, it seems odd that he is struggling so hard. Artest needs to drive to the basket, not settle for long shots.

Yao imitated vintage Hakeem at one point. Down at the baseline, Yao fakes the spin and pump fakes, drawing Shaq away from him. Then he launches a beautiful hook shot into the basket for the three-point-play. It was the dream shake again, and it was magnificent. Of course, Yao does this relatively often. He doesn't have Hakeem's moves, but he is surprisingly agile for a center, particularly one who is 7'6".

If Yao was imitating Hakeem the Dream, then Aaron Brooks continued his impersonation of Kenny the Jet. Brooks is on fire - he's shooting beautifully, passing like a dream, and creating movement and shots for his teammates. I have the feeling that he'll stay with the second unit for the time being, because he is essentially instant offense coming off the bench. I remember reading that a coach said something just "clicked" for Brooks in practice one day, and it definitely seems like it.

See, now, what did I tell you? The Lakers game was to be expected. The Rockets looked awesome last night, so everyone needs to chill the fuck out.

Oh, and I'd like to point out that Steve Nash is a little bitch who needs to get used to getting killed on the hard screen. If he doesn't like it, he should stay off the court instead of getting his teammates to push Alston around. There will undoubtedly be suspensions handed out today, but I wouldn't doubt it if Nash is left alone. Reason: he's white.